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Never. I'd always visit once or twice before. Nothing worse than moving and realizing you absolutely hate the place. I did that, going back to my birth state (different city and region though). It was a big mistake (learning lesson) for sure. Hard to correct, too, once you have to move again.
We visited once before we moved, but our old house was sold and we had no backup plan. So we might as well have moved without visiting. I had done a lot of research and I had previously enjoyed the area so I felt confident we would like it here. We visited for 4 days, put an offer on a house on the last day, then flew home to finish the school year and pack. It seems crazy now, but it worked out perfectly. We moved from NY area to Oregon.
This idea looks risky to me. The Internet images can be deceptive in that you will see what sellers want you to see, and as you probably know, camera shot perceptions can mislead viewers/ Are you sure that you have adequate and enough accurate information to take something sight unseen? I know that people do this if they must but it is taking a chance that it may not be exactly what you want and need.
Depends on how much you have to move and how hard or costly it may be. Would you mind moving again
soon if you need or want to?
It is risky of course but with technology today it's not nearly as risky as it used to be. You can walk up and down virtually any street in a town to see neighborhoods, city centers, parks and so on. You can see how clean or dirty an area is, if the homes are maintained on the outside, if the city is maintaining sidewalks and streets all on google maps. You can pull up all kinds of data and information about local statistics including crime, schools, weather, demographics on several sites and of course from CD.
There is no need to only rely on what a realtor or seller tells you. Do your homework and it will pay off.
Although visiting a place before relocating there is optimal, I would still move forward with the relocation, if it's the right career move for you. Just be aware that it is going to be different than what you're used to, BUT you must be open minded and willing to adjust to the area and recognize the positives and negatives of living there. Do not start hating the area just because there are some negatives about it, because EVERY place has its fair share of negatives. You will just have to deal with them wisely. Focus on the positives and you should be fine.
As a 32 year old who has relocated five times throughout my life, I have learned this and became a stronger and more adaptable person than ever. Every place is going to be different. Every place will have negatives and positives. But at the end of the day it's all about working around the negatives and accepting the bad with the good.
Certainly, there's no place like home, but sometimes home limits our career opportunities, relationship opportunities or whatever the situation.
We have did maybe 6 times, moved without visiting first. Visiting doesn't do a lot of good, many treat visitors very nice but loathe "outsiders". It really takes a couple of years of actually living in a place before you know if it is a match.
Keep in mind that most people think where they live is great, crime-free with great schools and many are delusional.
Yeah, the thing with visiting is that it doesn't necessarily mean that living there is going to be as good or bad as the visit was. You could have a great visit, but an awful time living there. Or you could have a horrible visit, but a great experience living there. The only way to know 100% is to actually LIVE there.
I think you are brave and wonderful to be embarking on this great adventure! You are also teaching your children to take a risk but not too much because you have done research on the area. I think it's fantastic. I know the area you are moving from. You are going to LOVE your new life. Good luck!
I've been offered a great job in Columbia SC. We currently live in upstate NY, but did live in NC for a few years, so I get the whole north/South change. I don't think I'm going to have time to visit before we move. The only time we will be down is probably when we are getting a rental. Have you ever moved without visiting, and how did it turn out? I've been doing extensive research, and have read nothing but great things. Just have a few reserves about moving without checking it out first...
-Mj
I did that and now I'm in NJ and I do not like it ...I would suggest visiting first please
I moved without visiting. I stayed in a Best Western until I found a place to buy. 3 days to find a place and 12 more to close. Very happy with my choice.
Last edited by Ibginnie; 11-18-2016 at 09:52 AM..
Reason: post numbers changed
Anxious to read the answers here in case we have to do the same thing.
Your post convinced me to offer my input. My situation is a little bit different. I'll be retiring in four months, at which time I will sell my current home, leave the state, and relocate several states and about 1,200 miles away from where I've lived my whole life. Being my retirement home, I'll only have one shot to get it right.
Finding where I will be moving has been a five-year process. During that time, I did make many visits to possible retirement locations in all seasons. But, I have a sort of unfair advantage over 'normal' folk. For the past 35 years, I've been looking at satellite imagery on pretty much a daily basis, and pretty much all day long.
Mostly basic research in the applications of satellite imagery to the earth's renewable and non-renewable resources. And, in a way, urbanization is one of these resources. Having done it for so long, I can get a pretty good idea of what a place is like from the imagery. Part of the research is field work where we field check our interpretations. That ups the confidence factor in what I think is "there", actually is.
A great supplement to that analysis of nadir imagery is Google's street view. I've rejected more than one place because someone in the neighborhood keep an untidy yard or has multiple non-functioning automobiles strewn about.
Google maps and Google street view go a long way in telling you what a place is like. Then, do visit in all seasons if time and circumstance allows.
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