Are you relocating for a new job? Sometimes, a job opportunity in another city is simply too good to pass up. So, you pack up your things, say goodbye to your friends, and move to a new city!
Taking a job in a new area is a totally life changing experience. It’s a chance to discover new places, meet new people, and push your career to the next level. That said, it can also be an extremely involved process. Depending on how established you are in your current city, how much you like to nest, and your necessities for daily life, moving to a new city involves a lot of moving parts (pardon the pun).
If relocation has you totally overwhelmed, we’re here to help. Read on to learn everything that you need to do to get ready for your move.
Find a Place to Live
The first step in moving to a new city is to find a place to live. It may be fairly straightforward to find a new apartment in a city you live in, but finding an apartment in a new city can be a bit more complex.
Once you’ve figured out your budget and space requirements, it’s time to find a few neighborhoods to look for housing in. There are a few different ways to do this:
- Put an open call out on your various social media pages requesting to connect with someone who lives in the area. This person doesn’t have to be your new best friend; they just need to give you some guidance on the vibe of different neighborhoods so you can find a few that fit your style.
- Check out Reddit or a similar message board, rather than hunting through tourist-focused websites.
- Look for Facebook or other social media groups for people who are new to the area or share a similar interest with you. Write a post that describes you and what you’re looking for, and see what people say.
- Ask your new coworkers. They should know the area well and it may be a chance to do some pre-move bonding.
Once you’ve narrowed down the neighborhoods, search sites like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and other apartment finders to find a spot to live in. These days, most property management companies offer virtual video walkthroughs of apartments, so you can get a feel for the place without ever setting foot in it.
Declutter
Now that you’ve found your future home, it’s time to deal with your stuff. If you’ve spent any significant length of time in your current home, it’s likely that you’ve accumulated a lot of stuff. Some of it is surely valuable, but other stuff is probably just stuff. Before you start packing up the place, it’s time to go through it all.
Go through every item in every room of your house and put it into one of three piles:
- Keep: Everything you want to take with you will go here
- Sell: If you no longer want something but think it may be worth money, it’s a good idea to try and sell it to recoup some of the cost of moving
- Give away: One person’s trash is another person’s treasure; there are plenty of local, online groups for giving away things you no longer need
Move
When relocating for a new job, there are a lot of different ways to do move. If you haven’t already, ask if your new employer will cover the cost of relocation, or at least contribute to it. That can help offset some of the burden of moving.
Next, it’s time to decide how you’ll move.
DIY
Manage the whole thing yourself. Pack it all up, rent a truck, drive it to your new home, unload it all, and tackle the unpacking. For easy unpacking on the other side, be sure to label each box with the room in which it belongs.
Get a Moving Pod
A moving pod is a great option for a less hands-on move at a more accessible price than hiring movers. Most big name moving companies offer this service. They’ll drop off a moving pod at your house for you to pack up. Once it’s packed, they’ll pick it up and drive it to your new location. You’ll meet them there, they’ll drop it off, and you’ll unpack it. When you’re done, they’ll whisk it away!
Hire Movers
Hiring movers is the creme-de-la-creme of moving. Depending on the level of service you hire, moving services range from loading, transporting, and unloading your items to packing your boxes, loading the truck, driving it, and unpacking it—the whole shebang!
Prepare for Your First Night
Here’s a tip: do yourself a favor and don’t plan on sleeping in your new apartment on your first night in town. There are so many opportunities for delays and mishaps with moving. The last thing you want is to be stuck sleeping on the floor in a room full of boxes.
Instead, book a hotel room or Air-Bnb for night one. That will buy you some time to unpack and give you the chance to rest and recharge before a big day of work.
Establish Yourself in Your New City
Once you’ve settled into your new spot, navigated your first few weeks at work, and spent a bit of time learning the neighborhood, it’s time to start establishing yourself in your new city.
There are some things in life that you’ve just got to set up ahead of time, so that when you need them, they’re there. For one, you’ve got to find a doctor. If you live in a metropolitan area, you probably have a choice of a range of different medical groups. Start your selection process by researching which of them take your insurance. You can also use medical directories like ZocDoc to read reviews of local primary care physicians and more.
It’s equally important to find a dentist. If you can, find a dentist that offers
Wrapping Up
Relocating for a new job and moving to a new city is a big challenge; make the transition as painless as possible by following these steps. To start, you need to find a place to live, and there are numerous online message boards and community groups to sift through. Then, pack up your belongings and determine how you’re going to move, whether doing it all by yourself or hiring a moving company. Once you reach your destination, take some time to establish yourself, and in no time, you’ll feel right at home.
We hope you found this blog post Taking a Job in a New Area? How to Get Ready for Your Move useful. Be sure to check out our post How to Handle Job Relocation with the Aid of Packers and Movers? for more great tips!
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