I might be less anxious if I knew what to expect/prepare for in the moving process. If any of you have moved out of state, please share your tips and experiences.
I have moved out of state a few times, and each time it was very stressful. We moved our selves so, we would pack the u haul very early and then leave at what ever time we got done and stay in a hotel that night. (I have no idea why my husband likes this way, but he does) I would tell you to keep the things you will need right away with you or mark the box so you know were it is. just take time now to declutter and organize everything.... it saves later. Do a little packing each day so you don't become stressed... Make a list of things you need to do, like closes bank accounts, notify the companies taht you have auto payments taken out... and such... this way you don't forget anything!
I've moved from IL to GA and GA to Panama. Is the company moving you or are you doing it yourself? My biggest piece of non-packing advice is to remember that this move is going to work. It is your home. As much as you can center your and the kids' brains on that fact, the easier it goes. I allowed my kids (8,7,4,10mo at the time) all kinds of dialogue. As long as they said it respectfully, they could say anything they felt. No question was off limits. They were allowed to be upset (respectfully) with Daddy for "making" them move. I've got lots more, but I'm not sure how much you want to hear me ramble on. LOL!
Ramble away! So far, for the most part, there is little negativity from the boys. But that may change as it becomes more real. The company gives us a (huge) moving allowance and we can hire a company or move ourselves. We'll move ourselves. It's a 4 hour drive, so it's not horrible. And DH isn't keen on letting anyone else man-handle our stuff.
We waited a couple months to close our old bank accounts. That gave us time to have payments switched over to the new bank and checks to clear. I agree about the decluttering. It's an opportunity to only take with you what you really want and need. I appreciated the new place so much more since it started out less messy than the last one. The first thing I did after unpacking the kitchen in the new place was to hang pictures on the wall. It helped me to feel at home as I was unpacking everything else throughout the house. Are you also having to sell the house you are in?
We rent. And we will be renting. Which leads to another question: how do you find a house in another city without a realtor?! We will only have about a 3 day trip down there next month to find a rental!
Are you opposed to realtors? I've never moved that close of a distance, but we could not have done it without a realtor. (I've never had more than a long weekend when I've selected our housing.) Make a list of EXACTLY what you need in a house because you don't have time to get sucked in by pretty. My dh's company moves us, but if you want to do it yourself, start purging now. Make sure you only back one room per box. (So no, we have extra room in this kitchen box so let's put bath towels in it.) 1- touch rule. Once the item has been touched, it is either immediately packed or discarded or donated. Empty your discard and donate piles nightly. As far as banks go, you can't close accounts until you are convinced EVERYTHING has come through so make sure to cancel all autowithdraw things NOW to guarantee they stop in time. Stop using those accounts as soon as possible. (I may have missed when the move is. We usually get abot 6 weeks notice.) Since we moved internationally, we HAD to clear up the bank accounts before we left. Start calling anyone who has outstanding checks. Make a list of CCs, magazines, insurance, utilities, etc. Anyone you have a bill to, get their information down and find out how to change addresses and cancel services. Some of that has to be done in person. Get copies of your medical records in case you have an emergency before you see a new doctor for the first time. If you have regular prescriptions (like every month, etc.), make sure those are on file with a pharmacy in the new city. When you disassemble furniture, tape the screws to the correct pieces where they are going to go. Make sure to label left and right, front and back. The goal is to not have to think on the other end of the move. FIGHT THE URGE TO PACK THE JUNK DRAWER. Sort it before you go. I have one junk drawer box that has made every move with us. (LOL!) Hmm... what else...
We're renting, not buying, so a realtor is of no help. And I refuse to use those scammy agencies that take your $50 "application fee" and then hand you the same list of houses they've been handing out all month. Medical records! Thanks. Hadn't thought of that one! I switched local banks last year, so I'm already well-versed in that particular nightmare. lol.
We've used rental realtors, but maybe that's something with dh's company. (I'm never completely sure what's out there for real and what's part of the package. KWIM?) Have you started lookig at churches? I find church secretaries and hotel front desk staff to be invaluable for housing choices.
My mom mentioned this, too. But I can't find anyone in the midwest who has a clue what this is about. We have agencies that give you listings, but they're usually a scam. When the company brought us down last week I chatted up the entire hotel staff. lol. I have a nice map of red xs and blue circles that tells me exactly where to look. :lol: I'm hoping to hear back from my pastor today on churches. I don't know if he has connections there.
Gotta love the hotel staff!! when we moved to GA, I sat them down with all the housing we were looking at and had them pick :lol:
I know NOTHING about Little Rock, but I did find this realtor who seems to deal in rentals. He may be one of those scams you are talking about- you could probably tell immediately http://www.mikerushinrealtors.com/N...rary.MYAASite.Com/Content/8/8278/31232653.doc whoops- I think this is the link http://www.mikerushinrealtors.com/
WOW! Thanks. I'll look into it. Usually they call themselves "rental agents," so this looks promising.
You are welcome. Hopefully, it works out. Thanks for letting me talk moving. I'm a moving junkie. LOL!
Anytime I've ever moved out of state we've done it ourselves. we pack the house then load up the U-Haul truck the night before. Spend one night in a hotel, then head to our destination. Generally we arrive at our location, put all our stuff in a storage unit rental, return the truck, and spend a night or two in a hotel while we find an apartment. Then while we are in our apartment we can decide if we like the apartment or if we'd rather look for a rental house. Many apartments will offer 6 month leases, and some will even offer a month to month rate if you prefer to only rent a month or two.
A few things come to mind: 1) For finding somewhere to live, there's really no substitute for visiting ahead of time yourself. You know the things that are important to you; others don't. Many great places to rent are found only by driving in neighborhoods and spotting 'For Rent' signs. If you spot a neighbor, ask them about the area and your would-be next-door neighbors. 2) Re movers, we've had good and bad experiences. We prefer that they pack, but one crew even packed an unemptied trash can. On one occasion, we had a couple of boxes go missing, but we didn't realize for quite some time and could do nothing about it. 3) What medical insurance do you have? Check out in advance what hospitals, doctors, and dentists are nearby and are covered by your plan. Visit online review sites to get a sense of each doctor's reputation. 4) Think about other practical issues based on how you spend your time today. How good or bad, for example, are the local supermarkets? 5) Just drive around to get a sense of the place, the churches, how many people are out walking alone, whether a neighborhood is mostly young families or older people, and so on. 6) A minor point, but we've only ever rented or owned houses on a hill or incline - so we've never been flooded. Most of these comments boil down to the same thing: Travel there in advance and scout the place out.
Just a word about realtors. When my oldest son was moving to NY state, he contacted several realtors in advance and set up appointments to visit places they recommended. Without exception, the places were terrible. Making these visits consumed the first of three days he had available to visit in advance. Next, he went to a supermarket and picked up some of those free housing guides that are always there at the entrance. This helped him to determine good versus bad areas, the going rate for various types of apartment, the kinds of facilities they offered, and so on. In addition, my son visited the hospital where he would be working and asked some of the nurses - who pointed out two or three good areas to live. The next day, he walked around the areas recommended by his new colleagues and found one area he really liked (right opposite a large park). Walking the street, he found at least ten places that had 'For Rent' signs in the window - none of which appeared to be advertised elsewhere. He called some of the numbers and arranged to meet with landlords. Within a day, he'd found the ideal place and paid his deposit. Most recently, he moved to Denver. In this case, I asked a colleague who lived there: She recommended an area, and my son loved it. He searched online for places to rent and found a great place. So, in the end, realtors were of no help at all. Much better was asking local people for good areas and then walking/driving around. Be sure to have a cellphone with you and a checkbook (to pay a deposit).
Check out Hot Pads. I looked through it when we thought we might be moving again. Also, when we moved here (out-of-state), I utilized the forums at City-Data to find out information from the local people. There are usually some relocation threads already started. Find out everything you need to take when changing driver's license's and registration. Here we have to provide proof of insurance for an inspection sticker, and I'd never had to do that before. Find out about local cable/internet/other service providers if they differ. Even some of the nation-wide ones offered different prices/deals here than in our old state. And as everyone else mentioned-declutter. We had made several moves with-in a couple of hours of each other, but never really purged well. This move was a 14 hour move, and we got rid of so much stuff. I haven't missed a thing! After 4 years here, I need to do it again!
I had one more thought- I know you're surprised Does your dh's company have realtors or any other service as part of the moving programs? Again, I've only moved with dh's major corporation, so I'm not sure what other employers do.
