Moving to a New City? Here is how You Prepare Yourself

 

Moving home is always stressful and requires careful planning and preparation. The degree of stress can be much more if your move is to a different city and environment completely different from the one you have already adapted to for the past so many years. This move may be required because you have a better job, are starting a new career, or even retiring.

 

Before you take such a drastic decision that completely uproots you from a place you have become very familiar with, you must properly investigate life in the new city. Start with an extended visit to that city that you will do well even to take your family. This will help you look at things like housing, healthcare, educational facilities, transportation, recreational opportunities, and above all, judge the cost of living in that city, compared to what you are already familiar with. Booking into an Airbnb facility will acquaint you better with the city than staying in a hotel and also save you some money.

 

Spend a few days in the city and let everyone do their research. You may look for apartments for rent in Cincinnati and housing that you can afford, which may differ from what you are already used to. Is it a compromise that you can live it? Are there schools in the neighborhood that you have chosen that your children will be happy with? Look at nearby supermarkets, the prices, and the goods they have, and decide whether they will be within your budget. It may not be a bad idea to visit some restaurants and takeaways if you are used to ordering food at intervals instead of getting your own. Your new job will be one that helps your career along, but does your revised salary allow you to save as much or more after you have budgeted your expenses based on the research you have just carried out?

 

One thing that needs careful consideration is, if you are relocating out of state, how it will affect all other family members. Your wife may have her job. Is she prepared to give it up and follow you to the new city and look for a new job for herself? Are the children comfortable with the new school or making new friends in the neighborhood you plan to move to? Children adapt quickly, and fortunately, social media does allow them to be in touch with their friends in the old city you are moving from.

 

Ensure that when you are changing jobs and relocating out of state, the same job opportunities exist in the new environment as in the old one so that your career is never affected. Of course, you will have made thorough inquiries about the new company you are joining before accepting their offer, but make your inquiries and do not just accept the PR spiel that the company will give you. Ask them for help in relocating costs and finding accommodation or housing, even if it is temporary.

 

While you in your exploratory trip to the new city, look for friends, relatives, and acquaintances who may already be there. You will find somebody. Maybe even someone you know on social media. They may be a far better and authentic source of information about the city's conditions and living. Here is where professional connections can be of great help, and you must take advantage of the people in your network who live in that city or have some knowledge about the company you are joining.

 

During the exploratory visit of your family to the city, move about all over the city, especially the neighborhood you plan to live in. Understand the local city rules and regulations, which may be different from what you are used to. Have a detailed look at recreational facilities, sports, and other things you or the children may be interested in. The internet is a good source of information for this. Transportation is a significant issue in any city and using its facilities, while you are there, will prepare you for its particular problems.

 

Before you move to a new city, get rid of all the clutter in your home and only take with you what will be useful in your new home. Make a good list of your goods before you hand them over to packers, say your goodbyes, and look forward with enthusiasm to your new environment.