Are you relocating for a job? Congratulations! Chances are this is an exciting and scary time
for you. I know it was for me! In this video we're taking a deep dive
into the logistics and sharing our moving to a new state checklist,
so that you can tackle this transition with ease! Okay, at least easier...
If this is your first time here, welcome! If you've been here before thank you so much
for coming back and for spending your time with me! My name is Lindsay and I'm proud to be your
Anthem, Arizona REALTOR® with the Wise Move AZ Team at Realty ONE Group. On this channel
we have a lot of fun talking about all things Anthem and real estate every single Thursday
and we absolutely love having you along for the ride. Moving to a new state can be expensive and
a lot of work. If you're relocating for a job you might also be up against some serious deadlines.
Not only have we moved from state to state and country to country but most of the clients we work
with today are moving to beautiful Anthem, Arizona from out of state. Anyways, that's just a long way
of saying we get it and you have our sympathy! In this video I'm running through what you need
to do to ensure this transition goes as smoothly as possible. I'm going to be listing off a lot of
things and in the interest of time I'm going to be doing it quickly. If you don't catch it all,
don't worry! We've put everything into a printable checklist that you can download at the end of this
video. I really went back and forth on the best way to organize this video. I thought
about going chronologically, but everyone's timing is different. Instead I'm going to break it into
six main categories each with their own set of action items. It will be up to you to set
realistic deadlines for each based on how much time you have. #1: Research the Area and Employer.
I'm going to assume that you've already accepted the new job or at least received the offer. The
first thing I want you to determine is if your new employer offers relocation support. They may be
partnered with a relocation company. If so, I want you to research everything they offer and what
the cost is to you, if any. If these services are available, consider making use of them. Moving is
going to be expensive and time consuming, take all the help you can get. Next I want you to research
the area you're moving to. Have you traveled there before? What are the neighborhoods like? Are there
particular areas that you're more drawn to? What are the average commute times in the area?
How far do you want to commute? If you have kids what's the school system like? What will the
transition be like for them into the new school system? What does the application process entail?
If you haven't already noticed, relocating is going to require a lot of research. So,
I recommend setting up a folder on your computer to save all of your findings or if you're more
tactile put together a binder. If possible, I recommend that you make time to visit the area
before you move. Even if you've visited before, your perspective will be different when you have
intentions of moving there. Whether you go there in person or you're doing your research online.
I also want you to explore things like 'where will I go shopping?' and 'how will I make social
connections?'. It's easy to get bogged down in the logistics of making a move but remember this is
going to be your home. You want it to be a place where you feel a sense of belonging. If you're
religious do they have a place of worship nearby that's a good fit, or if you love working out,
do they have a good gym nearby? If your kids are into volleyball are there local teams for them to
join? I know this stuff feels a bit fluffy but if you have plans to take care of your social needs
when you arrive in the new place it will feel like home a lot sooner. #2: Find a New Home. I strongly
recommend that you decide on your accommodation in the new state before you move. The biggest
decision for many of our clients is whether they should rent or purchase when they get there. This
is a very personal decision and I think there are strong arguments for both. In my opinion renting
is a great option if you're unsure where you want to live or if you're unsure how long you'll be
there. Purchasing is a big commitment but it can also help the new state to feel more like home.
Take time to really think about this. I recommend that you research and find a local REALTOR® that
you can trust. They'll be able to walk you through what renting or purchasing will look like and will
have tips to help you make the decision. If your move is bringing you to Anthem we would be happy
to help! If your move is taking you somewhere else you are still absolutely welcome to send us
an email. We work with agents all over the country and we may be able to refer you to a local expert.
When finding your new place to live I want you to research and consider commute times, utility
costs, and your wants versus needs in a home. If you'll be purchasing a home there are a few things
I want you to keep in mind, and the first is that online photos can be deceiving. You may want to
plan a trip to the new state with the sole purpose of purchasing a home. If you can't, I recommend
using an agent that can provide 3D virtual tours. If you want more information on 3D virtual tours,
click to watch this video. Also, if you're planning to purchase I want you to make sure that
you're getting pre-qualified early in the process. If you're relocating to a different state and
staying with the same employer this shouldn't be an issue. On the flip side, if you're relocating
to start a new career or you haven't been in this career for long it may be trickier to get
a mortgage. Most lenders are looking at a couple years of employment history and they want to
assess the stability of your new position before they're willing to lend. The sooner you connect
with a local lender the more options you'll have. #3: Your Current Home. The biggest question
is whether you own or rent your current home. If you rent, you'll need to review the terms of
your lease to determine how much notice you need to give your landlord. Note that there
may be penalties if you need to break your lease early. If you own your current home
this can add more pressure. You need to assess your current financials. Do you need to sell
your current home before you can afford to move? How quickly can you realistically sell your home?
How much will you net from the sale? Again, I recommend that you find a local REALTOR® that
you can trust to help map this out. We have a very detailed video on getting your home ready to list
in 30 days or less, so I will link to that in the cards and in the description box below. If you
need to sell your current home before relocating I strongly recommend that you watch it. It will help
to break the project into smaller more manageable steps. #4: Plan your Move. Whether you rent
or own you'll need to come up with a plan for your personal belongings. We go into this in
detail in the video I mentioned on listing your home in 30 days or less, but overall
you need to make decisions about what you're keeping and what you can get rid of. The items
you're keeping will need to be packed. The items you're getting rid of can be sold or donated.
Once you know what you're keeping, you need to decide if you'll be hiring professional movers or
if you'll be moving it yourself. We have a whole video dedicated to answering the question 'Should
I hire professional movers?' So, I will link to that in the cards. Whether you're hiring movers or
doing it yourself you need to get estimates on how much it will cost. If you're doing it yourself,
don't forget to budget for things like packing supplies, gas, and truck rentals. Don't forget
to factor in things like pets and vehicles into the logistics of your move either. #5: Budget
and Timeline. Throughout this process I want you to be actively compiling a budget and building a
timeline. No matter how small an expense seems I recommend that you keep track of it. Your budget
should include things like moving costs. This can include professional movers, truck rentals,
accommodation on the road, packing supplies, and more insurance, this includes both home and auto,
utility setup fees, deposits, this could include a security deposit if you're renting a home but it
could also include deposits to the moving company and more, closing costs, if you're buying and
selling a home you'll need to think about costs on both sides and cost to repair your current home,
if you're renting you need to think about how much of your damage deposit you're likely to get back,
if you're selling you need to account for the fact that you may need to make repairs to your home
before closing. Your budget also needs to account for the fact that you may have expenses in both
places at the same time. For example, if you close on your new home before your current home sells
you could be paying for things like utilities, HOA dues, and taxes in both places. If you're working
with a REALTOR® on one or both sides, I recommend that you have them put together a net sheet and a
closing cost estimate for you. This will account for commissions, mortgage fees, title and escrow
expenses, HOA dues, and more. If you want more information on the hidden costs of buying a home,
click to watch this video. You also need to consider the fact that you may need to
file and pay taxes in two states. If you're unsure how this impacts your bottom line or
what it will look like, I recommend that you speak with an accountant. You should also be building a
buffer for unforeseen expenses. We can only plan so much and things are bound to go off course.
Having a buffer of extra cash will make it so that any bumps along the road don't throw your
whole plan into jeopardy. With respect to your timeline, I recommend that you build it backwards.
If you know you need to be settled in your new place on June 1st, start there and think about
everything you need to do to get there. Once you have your timeline I recommend that you put it
into your calendar and set reminders. This will help to keep you on track throughout the process.
#6: Notify. As if moving wasn't stressful enough, you also need to come up with a plan for notifying
a bunch of parties about your move. Come up with a plan to notify the following: friends and family,
banking and credit institutions, utility and service providers (in both places),
insurance providers, and postal services. You'll likely want to set up mail forwarding with USPS.
I recommend that you review your bank and credit card statements for the last quarter,
or better yet a full year. This will give you an idea of all of the service providers you use
make note of which ones will need to be made aware of your move. If you have pets you'll
need to take care of moving their registration from one city or county to the next. You also
need to take care of your vehicles. Licensing and registration will need to be transferred to the
new state. You'll also need to get your driver's license or ID card transferred to the new state.
Many states offer a grace period but I recommend that you deal with this as soon as possible.
Do your research beforehand so that you have all of the necessary paperwork ready to go. The only
thing worse than standing in line for hours at the DMV is having to go back because you
forgot something. As I mentioned in the previous section there can be tax implications related to
your move. Make sure that you're doing research on how to set up the new state as your 'tax home'.
I recommend starting on the state's website. If you still aren't sure contact a local accountant.
So there you have it! As promised, if you'd like to download a copy of our printable checklist
click the link in the description box below. Personally, I think the biggest takeaway is making
time to come up with a detailed plan that makes the most sense for you and your family. I would
love to hear where you're relocating to so drop me a comment. If you found this video helpful,
let me know by hitting that like button and subscribing to our channel. Lastly, if you want a
detailed breakdown of how to list your current home in 30 days or less, click to watch this video
up top, if you're not sure whether you should hire professional movers for your upcoming relocation
click to watch this video on the bottom. Enjoy those and I'll see you next Thursday.