Moving should be one of the most exciting journeys of your life, but certain things factor into the moving process that can be incredibly stressful. You will have moments where an unexpected challenge arises, and you’re scratching your head in bewilderment. You want to avoid going into this trek without having done any of your homework beforehand.
There are a lot of moving parts to take into consideration in determining where you should be looking to move and to prepare yourself when you decide to make that move.
Scope Out the Neighborhood
The first thing that you want to take into account is where you will be living. What is the old phrase? Location, location, location.
Is your neighborhood urban or suburban? Is it near the main highway or a train station? You should also look around to see if your neighborhood is near a school and has a large community of children, especially if you currently have children or are planning to have any in the future. Is your neighborhood pet-friendly? Do people park on the street and is there metered parking? Is your neighborhood mostly houses or are there a lot of stores surrounding your future home?
These are all of the things to consider when picking out the perfect town to settle down in.
School Systems
We talked briefly before about when deciding a neighborhood that you should take into account if there is a school nearby. If you have children or are planning on starting a family of your own, you will want to make sure that you look into the school system before you move.
Not only that, but decide how your child will get to said school. Is it close enough to walk to or will they be taking either a bus provided by the school or the city? Will you be wanting to send your child to a private or a public school? What kind of schools are they and what is the success rate?
You want to give your child the best education to help shape their future, so making sure that you live within a good school district is important to research to do beforehand.
Cost of Living
You must look at your finances carefully and draw up a plan when looking into the area you are wishing to move into. You could really love a home in a neighborhood that might be absolutely perfect, but unfortunately, the money you earn does not warrant a feasible living. Make sure to budget correctly, because you are going to want to make sure that you can afford everything that you can possibly want in a future home. These are certainly important things to consider.
Who Is Living in the Neighborhood With You
Now, this is a bit of a more serious topic and perhaps one that people would not want to think about, but you very well should. When you are moving into a neighborhood, you may want to take into account the crime rate. You are not wanting to move in somewhere that has a high crime rate when you are looking to have a pleasant, homely living situation with your family. If you have children, you are going to want to look into the sexual registration list to be aware of who could be around your children.
Again, this may seem like something you aren’t looking to examine, but it is crucial when wanting to know if it’s a place to go out at night.
Public Transportation
If you are someone who doesn’t have a mode of transportation, you have to see if you are going to move in somewhere that you have different options when it comes to getting one place to another. Are you close to a train station and are there various bus stops so that you can find a way to get to all points in your town? If you own a car, this may not be a big deal to you, but you should still see if you are somewhere that is primarily surrounded by cars or buses.
Social Life
Your social life and making friends is important after you move. Are there movie theaters in your town and are there any good restaurants? People do love going out to eat, and it may get a little dull if the only places that are near you are fast-food chains or only about one deli. This could certainly get tiring, eating the same thing day in and day out. Or is there a supermarket? Some towns don’t even have a supermarket in them, which means you have to travel further to do your food shopping?
If you live somewhere that doesn’t have a washer and dryer, do you have a laundromat close by? If you’re someone who likes their peace and quiet, see if your town has socials or events like parades or block parties often. Some communities get together during the summer to put on a party, so if you’re either for or against that, you should do research.
When you are looking to move in somewhere, you probably think that the look of where you’re moving into or how many bedrooms or bathrooms are in them are the only things you should consider. But, this will be your home for a foreseeable future, and you will be living and integrating into this area.
So, you are going to want to make sure that everything makes it a good fit. You shouldn’t think of it as just a building for you to sleep in at night, take into account that you will be looking to your neighborhood to provide you will things such as good neighbors, clean streets, a low crime rate, and much more. You don’t want to move in somewhere and it not be what you expected because you did not do any previous research.
Whether it’s moving to a new city or down the highway, enjoy your new home and your new neighborhood as much as you can with these tips!
