It is the journey into the great unknown, where you’re uncertain of what the best way to go about facilitating relocation to a new city is. It’s not the same as moving to a new home on the other side of town because you usually don’t have full knowledge of the other city, and due to the distance you can’t exactly move things piecemeal yourself. Yet, in today’s more difficult economic climate people are finding that they have to move more often to a completely new city in order to find work. So what is the best approach?
The answer as to where to start unfortunately is what is your economic situation. Depending on how much money you have will determine how many of your things you can bring with you to your new city. With gas prices having shot up over the last decade moving has become very expensive and those costs have been passed on by the companies to consumers. Consequently, it has probably never been more costly to move to a new city. So what you need to do is find out what moving companies service your area, check with the better business bureau to see if they’re reputable, and find out what they charge by the pound or kilogram. It’s best to check with at least 3-4 moving companies in terms of their cost as that will give you an idea generally of how much your move will be.
Once you’ve gotten an idea of the cost, you can now do a survey of all of your personal possessions. Particular focus should be concentrated on furniture, and other heavy items, as it is those items that are going to drive your moving cost up. When looking at an item ask yourself if it’s something you really need, or if it’s something you could replace once you’ve reached your new city. While there may be items that you have a personal attachment to, sadly it just may not be financially possible to bring them with you.
After you’ve figured out what items you won’t be bringing, the next step is determining whether you should sell them for some money, give them away, or leave them with a friend or relative until such time as you have the financial means to move them. Consignment and antique shops are usually the best option for selling your things, but visit a couple of them first so you have an idea of what your possessions may be worth and what would be a fair price. Most places will offer 50% of what they’re able to sell an item for. Many charities will pick up items that are being donated; you just have to hunt through the yellow pages to find them. Your friend and/or family member’s willingness to store your personal items will usually be based on not only their available space, but also on how long you plan to leave it with them; so make sure to give them a general idea of how long they’ll have to store it.
Next, you should give yourself as much time as possible to pack your items, especially if you have a lot of breakable ones. Thankfully, there are many stores where you can purchases, boxes, plastic tubs, tissue paper, tape, and other packing items you may need at a fairly reasonable cost. The more you’re able to pack your items ahead of time, the more you may reduce your moving costs since most movers charge by the hour. So if they don’t have to pack your things it won’t take them as much time to load them into the moving van. Before the mover leaves with your things make sure they give you a list of everything that they’ve loaded onto the truck, along with their contact information, and when it will arrive in the new city.
Now being that you’re moving to another city you likely won’t have purchased, or rented, a new place to live in due to your unfamiliarity with your new surroundings. Since most moves to a new city are for a new job ask your employer if they can recommend a storage locker company and an affordable hotel that you can rent by the month. For most employers this will be a familiar question and so they will have already anticipated your request and have a response. From there you can phone and make your reservations at both the hotel and the storage locker; and then make sure to give the moving company the address for the storage company so they’ll know where to deliver your things to. Taking this approach will buy you time until you can get to know the city and figure out where the best place is to live.
Once you’ve found a new place to buy, or rent, you can then either make arrangements to move your things yourself, or you can hire a local moving company to move them out of the storage locker into your new home for a reasonably low cost.
If you happen to have a friend, or family member, in the new city, you can ask them if you could stay with them until you can find a new home, but make sure to give them some idea of how long you would need to stay with them. While staying with them the polite and respectful thing to do is to offer them some money for letting you stay for such a prolonged period. Even if they say it is not necessary, it is highly recommend that you do so as it will help ensure there is no resentment which could damage your relationship.
It may take you some time to find a new place to live, especially if you’re looking to rent and there has been little in the way of building new rental properties. In order to find a place may take a constant effort during your spare time, but really you should look on it as an opportunity to explore your new home.
