When moving for a new job, it can be stressful to balance everything you need to accomplish including selling your old house, buying a new house, finishing up a job, starting a new job, packing your belongings, unpacking your belongings, and saying goodbye to your friends. However, there are several ways to make moving for a new job easier.
- Confirm Your Relocation Assistance.
Especially if you are on a budget, you should confirm your relocation assistance provided to you by your new company. Some companies will cover your entire moving costs while other companies may offer you a set amount. Before you sign a work contract, you should be certain of what your relocation assistance covers and make sure it is included in the contract. If your new company hasn’t mentioned relocation assistance, it never hurts to ask.
- Look for a New Living Space in Person.
If possible, you should look for a new house or apartment in person. When you view properties online, you are only seeing a small glimpse of the actual property, and photos can often be misleading on what a property actually looks like. If you interview in a prospective new city, you should spend some time touring potential properties or scouting out neighborhoods you might enjoy. It’s great to use online listings to put together a list of potential properties to look at in person, but you should never buy or rent a property based solely on an online listing because there are too many unknown factors.
- Research Your New Commute.
When you are moving to a new city for a new job, it can be overwhelming with so many things to consider, but your commute time should be at the top of your list especially when considering which property to rent or buy. You should consider how long it will take you to commute to your new office and how congested the roadways are by both your new house and office. A shorter commute mileage-wise could take longer than a commute that is lengthier so it’s important to research this on the front end.
- Stay Organized During the Move.
Staying organized is always important but especially during the moving process. You should keep a list of all your moving expenses and receipts (especially if you’ll receive relocation assistance), pack items together based on how you use them (living room items together, kitchen items together, etc.), and clean out your belongings as you pack. You should also start packing well in advance of your moving day so you aren’t rushing around at the last minute because you won’t be able to stay organized in the packing process.
- Investigate the Cost of Living in Your New City.
Before you accept a job offer and salary, you should investigate the cost of living in your new city. It’s helpful to have this information before accepting a job offer in case you need to negotiate a higher salary to compensate for the increase in living costs. You should consider how much your mortgage/rent will be, transportation costs, and living expenses (groceries, utilities, entertainment, etc.).
Moving for a new job is something that millions of people do every year. Chances are that you’ve had friends, family members, or colleagues that have moved for their jobs so you should reach out to them for any advice and tricks that they have. Not only are you starting a new job but you are moving to a new area so it’s important to make the process as easy as possible, and these moving tips will certainly help you in the moving process.
