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Due to my job we will be moving our family over 20hrs away to a city we've never been to before. I've done some searches to narrow down possible towns but we won't know for sure till we get there. I have to be there on Jan 13 and can take some time off before and after that. The kids will start school in the new district on 20 Jan. This is important because I want them to transfer in between semesters to make it at least a little easier. My question is.... How do you organize a move like this?
We are considering having my husband and I fly down there in mid-November to scout things out. Would you go ahead and find a place to rent and pay deposits, etc. and pay rent in 2 places for about 2 months? Do you find the area and then find the exact place once you arrive and keep your family in a hotel until you find a place, get accepted, and in most cases the area requires several weeks of waiting to get permission by an HOA to move in. I have 3 kids and 2 dogs so the thought of staying in a hotel for weeks is awful but finances come into play. We get some money to help offset costs but our "scouting trip" and deposits are all coming out of pocket (1st month, last month, and 1-2 months for security). We've moved before, but never this distance and never to a place we've never been to before. Any advise would be appreciated. Also, we can move ourselves or pay movers to do it, either way covered by work. Our plan was to do it ourselves if we had a place ready but have them do it if we were still looking on arrival. I'm open to suggestions on this as well.
Sorry this is long but I feel we're running out of time to get plane tickets, schedule time off, etc. and my husband thinks we have plenty of time. I need advise without continuing to drive hubby nuts. LOL
Would you go ahead and find a place to rent and pay deposits, etc.
and pay rent in 2 places for about 2 months?
Yes. You pretty well have no choice but to do that.
Pick the best rental house you can afford based on schools and work commute.
Work everything else in around those basics.
Plan/expect to live with it for 2+ years before buying (and moving again).
Go to the city section here on CD and ask or do your own best school research.
I've checked on CD already and have been checking schools. It's just the logistics and financing. Didn't know if any of the moving pro's had any advice things that worked for them. If it was closer we'd drive but that would be at least 2 days there and 2 days back, plus the time spent there, add in the extra hotels and gas and I don't think it'll be cheaper or doable.
Has anyone found an neighborhood they liked and tried renting the actual place without physically checking it out themselves? By using a realtor with a video or similar process. (I have someone I'll be working with who is willing to go look at a few places and even take pictures/videos if I'd like). I've considered that because then we could limit our time on the scouting trip to checking neighborhoods (not lots of specific rentals) and also not have to pay double rent for 2 months. Good idea or bad? (BTW schools and safety are the #1 concerns. I'm not concerned with the cosmetics of a rental, Martha Stuart will never see me as a customer or competition)
No. My opinion has always been to check it out prior to moving. Or have someone there, on the ground who can scout for you.
I once saw what I thought was a pretty good apartment, close to work, almost committed sight unseen...I did a brief trip prior to moving, whew! I almost moved into a ghetto, literally!
Moving is expensive. I say, spend a few hundred on a plane ticket, rental car, hotel, and check out the place....even if for only a quick weekend.
Jenelizmin, is your job helping with the relocation? Is it really worth it if they're not?
I have the similar dilemma trying to find out all I can before our move so we have to devote as little physical time there as DH is somewhat disabled and where we are going is 1900 miles away.
I read the local papers online, the rants and raves on Craigslist, and also the local events and garage sales there on CL. You can tell a lot about a place by what the locals have up fpr sale.
Google shopping in that specific town then click Google maps for a general layout as to how your commute/shopping/errands route will be. Visit the county appraisers' website to get an idea of tax rates, garbage fees and pet license requirements.
Do try to find the not so mainstream media undergroud type paper that blows the whistle on good ole boy tax snafus and shady commision dealings. I ruled out Columbia county FL for that very reason.
I'm in a somewhat similar situation, but it's just me doing the move (no DH, no kids). Ive decided that I will go up on my start date, pay for a hotel while my last month's rent is being used on my current apartment. This way I can look around in the area for a place. I just dont have the time between my end and start date to look for a place, which is forcing me to be up there pretty much right away. I personally would never get a place sight unseen - Im just too particular, even if I had someone else scout it out for me.
You can do a LOT of homework before you go. The internet is a wealth of information on your new location. Take up reading the local newspaper every day and that will help familiarize yourself with the local 'lay of the land.' Dig out pictures...they are worth a thousand words, and the old saying goes.
When you arrive for your scouting trip, sit down first thing with a good realtor and they will further give you info on the characteristics of the various communities surrounding the new city. From that conversation (we 'interviewed' the realtor about new areas, old areas, schools, medical facilities, climate, churches, roads, stores. transportation and just about anything you can imagine) you can develop a picture of the area before you hit the road and actually look at properties which fit your criteria. Make sure to emphasize with the realtor that you know exactly what you want in terms of housing, and that your time is limited. Stay focused. Stop by the school once you have picked a location and interview the principle. Have them give you the fifteen minute tour of the building and some of the faculty.
Talk with the locals. Sit art a nice bar and have a little evening snack and let the local gush forth with info. It's not always reliable, but you get a picture of the area which a more formal source might not provide.
Just keep digging. Make lists. Stick to your criteria. Make a schedule. This must be done by "X"; that must be done by "y". Don't let things slip.
I have to move, not an option. I'm Active Duty Military. The reason I didn't include that in my initial post is because the normal military support services are not available to me due to the location. I'm currently 3 hrs from my "supporting base" and will be a significant distance from one when I move. I will not have access to any base housing or military temporary lodging or military base schools for the kids. I'll be "on the economy". They will provide some money to help offset the moving expenses but due to the very high increase in cost of living, it won't come close to covering, so the rest will be out of pocket. I can either have them move my household goods for me, which can be convenient but it may take a while to receive the items especially if I don't have a new residence. The alternative is we can move ourselves and possibly make a little money in the process (to help offset the deposits and such). The benefit is that we will have our stuff immediately but if we don't have a residence then we'll have to locate storage and essentially move twice (and ultimately lose money). In order to take a trip that allows 3days of house hunting it will cost a minimum of $1300 (airfare, car rental, gas, hotel, sitter for kids at home) and that doesn't include food expenses. Most places will require approx. $4500-$6000 in deposits. To put in perspective, our mortgage on the home we just sold was $1000 and that included property taxes in escrow and Home owners Insurance. May pay is significantly less now compared to what it will be in January. But, I can't imagine having an entire family living in a hotel for up to a month or more while trying to locate a place, plus I have to get the kids enrolled in school (based on address). I'm sure we'll just have to suck it up and take the trip, I just dread throwing out the money on top of all the other money we have to spend just to get into a place.
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