Five things you need to know before moving to a new city

So, I’ve moved around a few time, either for college or my career job. Starting up all over in a new city can be very challenging, especially if it wasn’t  expected. Therefore, there’s a list of questions I would suggest anyone to answer before making that big move.

Moving means MONEY!!! Now, either you have it planned already or not, you are still going to spend a little. It is understandable that you may not have a specific budget, but setting up a saving account, rainy day, emergency funds or whatever you call it will make the transition way smoother. What are the five things you need to know?

First thing first. What is the job market or what is the transition for my business?

Before speaking about anything, you need to know for sure if that green is secured. YOU NEED TO KNOW!!! You may get a job offer prior moving but is it consistent, is it more than just enough or are there better opportunities? What is the transition process for my business?  Always check and compare, don’t just settle for that job, spend enough time learning about the company, the market. Will you have certain benefits? And if you don’t, can that paycheck covers everything? Also, find out if the company you currently work for has a transfer option or if the new one will pay for your relocation.

What’s the cost of living?

While looking for this opportunity, find out what’s the cost of living. The cost of living may vary from neighborhood,

city or state to state.  In addition, if you choose to live in the outskirt of the city, how will that affect your travel time financially. Will you choose that long drive or traffic to work or will you choose to pay for the meters during the day and costly apartments downtown? These are very small details that you need to know before you move out. Are your utilities part of your rent? when I check on apartment.com, I  make sure to check everything. I remember calling the local gas and electricity company to find out what is the average bill. Since electric bill differs from person to person, they will ask you for the location and give an estimate.

Is this a safe neighborhood?

Now you get the job and figure out what is the cost of living; you have to make up your mind where you want to stay for the next couple of years. Is this a safe neighborhood?  A cheap or pricey neighborhood doesn’t necessarily mean good neighborhood. Trust me, Google will have some answer for you about the crime rate, the school district, etc… Just take time to search. If you don’t have someone to check the area for you, take a trip and drive by your potential neighborhood day and night. You may be surprised!!!

 

  Is the move temporary?

Even you don’t know what the futures hold, you need to answer that question. I know from the get-go,  I was not going to stay where I went to college. Some of you may have family members to travel with and don’t want to keep moving the kids over and over. However, if you and your spouse enjoy traveling , that may not be a problem. Are you moving to continue your education, for that two-year contract or are you moving there  to raise your children? Yes or no, start planning so when that day comes, you know what to do and you can always change the plan.

 

What if I get to this new place and everything falls apart?

I honestly can’t tell you something specific because every situation may be different. Neverthelless, I can tell you this: keep the faith and stay on top of your goal. Life has a hard way of trowing punches at us, but the positivity in you is what keeps you moving. Find some rescources, talk to someone, get your pen an paper, create and re-evaluate . It may be that one thing you need to fix in the plan, just that one thing.  Failure is part of our life. Fail often, fail forward but don’t stop trying.