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Old 04-25-2012, 09:29 AM
 
99 posts, read 170,553 times
Reputation: 26

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Please kindly share your experiences especially in relocating yourself and family. How many days off you have from one job to another? The process of getting new School for kids? Moving your stuffs & car (do you place them in temp storage or drop it at friends house, etc? Finding a rental or perm house (how do you do it - go to new city in person or by phone w/ realtors)?

Sorry if I am asking a lot in details but I think it's good for others too

NOEL

Last edited by BstYet2Be; 04-25-2012 at 02:39 PM.. Reason: general moving questions - thread moved from Dallas Forum
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Old 04-26-2012, 05:26 AM
 
Location: Upper Midwest
1,873 posts, read 4,399,415 times
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Q1: Just depends when you're scheduled to start your new job and when you decide to leave your last one. That's how much time you've got.

Q2: Someone else is better qualified to answer that. If I already knew the exact area I'd be moving to, and if the district had open enrollment, I think it would be worth my while to check out schools in the area and decide which one I wanted my child in. I think even if the district DIDN'T have open enrollment, I'd still want to research schools, though. Online as much as possible, through word of mouth, and if possible, in person. The way I'd see it, my child's education and place that'll mold his/her future and memories.

Q3: If a friend would be kind enough to let you store their stuff for free or really cheap, heck yes. Take them up on it. Otherwise, yes, try to find an affordable storage facility. A guarded one, preferrably. One that I used had cameras, a gate, and patrolled the premises with dogs to sniff for drugs. It was a good facility.

Q4: Someone else is more qualified to answer about buying a home, but the first time I moved to a different state when I was 18, I got my rental place over the phone without seeing it. It was teeny tiny. If I had things to do over, I probably wouldn't have gone that route. I probably would've arranged to stay with relatives while hunting for an apartment with an older family member. But you CAN do it that way. The second time I moved to a different state, I took a leap of faith. Came without having a place lined up. Moved my stuff into storage, and began apartment hunting. I was fully expecting the possiblility of having to crash at my grandmother's for a while, and maybe move into a cheap motel a couple weeks after that, if I didn't find something quickly.... (she lives in senior apartments, she can't have long-term visitors beyond a couple of weeks), but I found a good place very quickly. So that never happened.
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Old 04-26-2012, 05:29 AM
 
Location: WI
3,961 posts, read 10,987,484 times
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when we relocated (by choice) from WI to SC 3 yrs ago, it started with plenty of research to narrow down regions we'd consider. Next step was we took a vacation and spent a week down here, not only visint different communities but doing things we would do if we lived here (beach, zoo, parks, etc). When we sold our home in WI, we were lucky that the new owners gave us a couple months to move out--which in turn allowed us to fly down here to find a place to rent.
As for the actual move, we had 2 vehicles, a boat, and what would amount to a truckload of stuff. We had my wife's car actually transported down here (it was more of a "toy" car, would not work well on a towbar, and we had no interest driving it thru the mountains in Jan), used our SUV to pull the boat, and rented a large Uhaul to drive our goods down here.
Thank the heavens our moving week was after a bad ice storm KY and TN saw, and not during. We took 2 days to drive, spending the night half way down. That helps break up the trip, and give us (and our dog) a rest. Arrived at our new place the following afternoon, no major issues with the wife pulling the boat the whole way and stepped out to 75 degree temps (a welcome site from the 100" snow we left lol).
We used loaders/unloaders at both sites, and overall it went pretty smooth for us. Schools weren't needed as we were already empty nesters in our 40's. We rented the first year to ensure this was the right location before buying. The one thing that was a huge help for us, is during our visits we hooked up with a realtor; who even knowing our first year we were renting spent plenty of time showing us towns, places to rent, and sites as well. Became a friend for us, a big plus when going to a new market.
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Old 04-26-2012, 07:48 AM
 
5,047 posts, read 5,774,129 times
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We are in the process of moving from NY to Pittsburgh in a few weeks. This is how we are doing it.

We went to Pittsburghin December for a few days and also looked at one school district. Then I brought the kids back in Feb and looked at 3 more districts. Before Dec, I had looked up the districts on line at a few websites and got the general idea of what I was looking for. We got a referral from a friend for a realtor and she would send me the updated listings in those areas.

I went alone in March and looked at more homes in the districts. Then in April we all went back again and narrowed our search down by house. The school districts were generally similiar. We found a house and hope to close in June.

Then in Feb we listed our own house and got an offer in 15 days. Last year we had it painted and cleared of junk, putting it into the garage and going thru it. Two weeks ago I got a pod and have it mostly full. I will need probably 2 more (we are downsizing but still have lots of records to keep). Next week when the pod is gone, I will get a dumpster and start throwing out stuff we are not bringing.

Yesterday my dh gave notice at work ; he gave 2 months notice and his company is trying to get him a job in the new location. As the new location is cheaper to buy than rent, we are buying. It is easier also as we do not need a mortgage, so no worries about trying to get one in a new area.
Havent figured out the driving issue yet. But we will probably each drive one car. Pods will deliver the furniture. We have two teenagers who can help offload.

Hope I didnt leave anything out.
Good luck
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Old 04-26-2012, 09:06 AM
 
Location: Greater Austin Area
224 posts, read 544,930 times
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My husband was fortunate enough to land his dream job in Texas while we were living in the DC metro area. He applied in Early February, went through a month long interview process, and was hired in late March. We didn't get the final contract until April 5thish so he gave 2.5 weeks notice and we moved on the 18th of April.

His new company was relocating us. The move coordinator got us a house hunting trip and we hooked up with a realtor that specialized in owner finance homes ( we have a recent CH 7, so can't get traditional financing) and we let the kids schools know. I had one kid on a long term medical absence so that was harrying.

We narrowed it down to 2 areas we wanted to live in and a couple homes worth the trouble on the HH trip. Got home, and had about a week and a half to purge our house and get ready for the movers. I had a handyman come for 150 and haul off old couches and stuff to the dump and tons of donation stuff to goodwill and take care of the yards. We didn't have time to prep our rental home up there for move out ( our lease is up June 1) so I hired a cleaner to come by the day we left to clean up, and we will have to pay for paint out of our security deposit I imagine.

The movers came on the 16th to pack it all and the 17th to load the truck. It was a scary, horrible time and with 3 kids frustrating because they were everywhere like a swarm of locusts packing and I couldn't get the kids to settle down. I suggest if you are being packed to invest in a sitter for that day or have a husband or someone take the kids to the park. My husband didn't want to leave any more than I did so we just had kids underfoot EVERYWHERE. sigh

We opened a UPS box the day before we left to forward mail to since we would be staying in an extended stay hotel for a month ( provided by the company ) and would need somewhere to get our mail and packages. We then shipped our computers and a small ($10) box of toys for each kid to us at our destination.

After the truck left we waited for a shuttle to take us to the airport. The company paid to take our car and transport it that morning. Our tickets were cheap and on terrible flights that got delayed and missed, etc. We finally got there a day later, got the rental and made it to the hotel. All deposits you have to pay yourself in case you wreck something, and because of insurance stuff, you have to pay for your rental car yourself and wait for reimbursement from the company, so make sure you have enough funds to cover all that in checking. All those deposits add up.

We had a week before he started work in the motel to look at houses, arrange stuff, and watch the kids bounce off the hotel room walls. We put in a couple offers and started haggling.

He started work this Monday, our car got here on Tuesday and yesterday I did all the tag switching, DL updating,etc. The home we want won't be available until July 1 and we have to be out of here on May 17th. So I am trying to figure out where to live in the interim, and also I need to find out what I am going to be charged for the storage of our stuff. The company paid for the first 30 days, but I will need to cover it after that and I need to see how bad that is going to be.

That's where we are at right now...
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Old 04-26-2012, 09:51 AM
 
99 posts, read 170,553 times
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Wow...these are great examples. Me and my wife and 2 girls will need to be prepared since we never move everywhere but this is gonna be a big move from Philly to Dallas/Houston, Texas.

ranger17 - we are thinking to drive to Texas too but ????
Okaydorothy - you got a lot of trips to Pittsburgh.
Vgandjsmom - what company your hubby working at? Not many companies paying for relocation this day?

Thx,

NOEL
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Old 04-26-2012, 11:17 AM
 
Location: WI
3,961 posts, read 10,987,484 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NOEL123 View Post
move from Philly to Dallas/Houston, Texas.

ranger17 - we are thinking to drive to Texas too but ????
Thx,

NOEL
well, we've actually made our drive back and forth SC to WI several times over the past couple years. It's not as bad when you're in a comfy auto rather then behind the wheel of a 26' truck or pulling a trailer lol.
Seriously, if you stop frequently to stretch the legs, and realize that with a family in tow driving straight thru doesnt make much sense, you can plan the trip to have a good idea ahead of time on where you'd want to stay for a night (or 2 depending on the actual drivetime). But it can be a scenic journey, TN and VA especially, and if this is a first real road trip it can be enjoyed. I'd highly recommend AAA membership if you dont have it; the bennies from hotel discounts, travel maps, guides, etc far outweigh it's membership fee (my .02).

At least in our move here, as it's college only i have no problem wearing my Packers gear... not sure how you will be embraced in Dallas area if you all are in your best Eagles apparel when you show up
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