Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm wondering this because we've never had to move before with two kids and two dogs. How long should it reasonably take to pack up your house, close out school and friendships, sell your house, buy a new house...basically everything you would need to do from start to finish to move your family to a new city?
I had an interview this morning over the phone and they wanted to fly me up to the agency for an in person interview. They asked, if offered the job, how soon could I start? Honestly I have no idea how long it takes to pack up your life (including two kids and their schooling), sell you house, and move to a new state, find a new house, and start a job?
Anyone out their with kids who have advice for me?
The sale of your home will be what could hold you up the longest.
We lived in a HOOOOT market, and we were on the market less than a day, with an offer, and closed in 29 days. It took us one month to get our house ready to sell for top dollar, with making cosmetic upgrades.
Once we had a deal, we interviewed moving companies, packed up and were on the road in, actually, less than 29 days..
We are a family of 5, 3 kids - 2 dogs...
Could you go before the rest of your family? Perhaps then you could start earlier, while your wife stayed back to sell, pack up, etc. Maybe the company offering the job would even provide a packing company.
living somewhere for time gaps between two above -- better than the next situation though
having overlaps where existing home isn't sold, but new home is closed-on and occupied leaving you with the moving bill and two house payments
oddly enough, my biggest problem after moving so often is still clutter. if you wait until move-time is near, you'll find yourself holding on to more things you don't need. i think it's caused by the confusion of the move, but you may end up with "pack up and move everything, we'll sort it out later" attitude. the problem is the "sorting it out later" part
a 30 day window can be really tough - but I'm in a similar situation, waiting on a job offer, and in my current situation, 30 days to go half-way across the country is enough
I agree depends almost 100% on how fast you can sell your house...which can take a looong time esp if you arent willing to sell for less than 100% of what its worth even 75% might still be hard depending on the market.
In Carson City, NV where all the Californians 'seem' to be coming ok Reno/Tahoe also gets lots of Californians...anyways here houses stay on the market for months om end...decent homes, decent price but I guess they are asking to much.
Another factor is how close is your house and garage etc presentable ready? Meaning have you done serious spring cleaning every year, including this year. Or, do you have boxes and boxes and more boxes half filled b/c you didnt organize the stuff in them and half the stuff you dont want to travel to the new house anyway.
As far as kids go. Plz I know they are your kids but they are all our future plz do it at least btwn school years.....though looks like this year is almost up anyways so wait that long for the kids but still start the moving proccess.
Also depends how much time you have each day available to you if you work 10+ hrs a day and need 8hrs of slleep to funtion and your kids need you to drive them places or be an audience member and you dont have friends and family and neighbors to help etc etc you will take a lot longer.
PS caution made a good point you need to realize there quite possibly is a time btwn sleeping in one and sleeping in the new one and if you have enough money to pay 2 months rent.
Last edited by druth8x; 05-14-2007 at 12:03 PM..
Reason: added a PS
Hi Summer, I am one that cannot move fast at all. Dh accepted the position in March and he moved ahead of us to start the new job and is staying in temp. housing. We are only renting a house so we don't have to sell one but even so according to my lease, we have to give 2 months notice that we are moving. Dh found us a house in the new location and the seller is agreeable to wait until summer to close. I wouldn't move before because I think mentally I need the time to make the transition and to prepare my 6 y/o daughter. We aren't moving until July so she can finish school here, go to camp here and have her birthday party with her friends here. I also have 1 y/o twins. So for my family we need 4 months to move! Longer than most I realize. Finding the mover was easy--I interviewed 3 major movers who came to the house and they gave me estimates and I picked the one I thought the best (price wise they were nearly identical) I am slowly purging things out of the house--I love bulk garbage day on my block! Making other donations to Goodwill. I will have family help me pack so that shouldn't take too long and I am slowly starting now anyway.
My sister, on the other hand, has older children and if it's summer time, she can and has moved with 4-6 weeks notice but to a neighboring state, not across the country.
if you can, I'd recommend that you move ahead of the family. that way you can be starting to look for either a permanent home or a rental home that is big enough for the family and get a feel for the area and where you'd want to commute from.
Talk to a relator to find out how soon they think your home would be on the market. sometimes homes sit for sale awhile sometimes they are snatched up right away. the condition of your home and the availability of other housing in the area will affect this too.
packing. well you can pay through the nose and have packers come to pack and move everything. or you can pack and let movers move it. or you can do the whole shabang.
I know that for me to move, packing would take forever. my daughter's at the take everything out of boxes age. and i'd have to be careful not to seal up a cat inside a box.
but one thing to realize is that part of the question of "how long does it take" is "how long do you have". If it was me, I'd move ahead, and tell my family to assume that they are moving the day after school gets out. then if you're packed and ready everything that's within your control is ready. selling your house is hard to control but you can put it on the market and contract that you cant leave till after the kids are out of school (buyer won't be happy but if youpay them rent for a month, they can take it or find another house.).
Selling your home is prob the trickiest part, depending on the market in your area. If you can, I'd give it at least a month. It takes a full day for the movers to pack and another to move into the moving truck. Make sure you do your research on the moving company. You're better off using a company your new employer's relocation assistance recommends, IMO.
My husband got a job offer beginning of DEC2006 and we moved by Jan3rd2007. We lived in an apartment though. My husband's co-worker took the same job and moved the same time we did but his wife stayed at their old place a while longer to get the house sold and stuff. I think it took them like an extra month to get everything totally settled.
Good luck
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
