Starting a new job is stressful enough without worrying about getting a house in another part of the country. Many things will need to be done–selling your existing house, finding a new house, and packing and moving. Besides, you’ll also have the stress of finding a school for the kids and the distress of compressing all your fondest memories into cardboard boxes.
The best way to get all this done is to ask for help.
Ask your new employer for a relocation package to make your move easier. Ask a real estate agent for help selling your house and a national title company like Elevated Title for help handling the entire closing process. You’ll also need the help of a real estate agent, associate broker, or broker for buying your new home. And finally, ask a professional moving company for help with packing and moving across a long distance.
By asking for the help you need, rather than trying to do most of the work yourself, you’ll be able to get everything done quickly and efficiently.
Selling Your Home
It’s a good idea to sell your home before you buy a new one.
There are 3 good reasons for taking this approach:
- You’ll know how much money you have available when you’re looking for a new home. As a result, you’ll get the right size of a house, avoiding being too conservative or liberal in your purchase.
- You won’t run into financial trouble by overestimating the worth of your present home and underestimating the cost of your new home.
- You will find it easier to acquire a new mortgage after you’ve sold your home and you won’t be caught up in working with two mortgages.
The reason you might be tempted to buy a new home before you’ve sold your old one is that you want to have everything lined up. But the worst-case scenario is that you will have to rent until you find a new home; and you may also have to keep some things in storage.
Buying Your New Home
Navigating a real estate purchase can be expedited with the help of an experienced professional. Find a negotiator, someone who knows the market and who can save you time and money by guiding you on how to make the right offer. Find a home that suits your personality by researching before you look, getting your finances in order, and thinking about your long-term happiness. Although working with a Realtor will make everything easier, it’s up to you to be realistic and to set limits on how much you’re willing to spend.
Moving to Your New Location
In an ideal world, you would sell your home and move to your new one, but if the timing doesn’t work out, you may need to move to a rented home. Still, whether the timing works out perfectly or not, you need to get moving.
Start your packing early, because everything always takes longer than you think. First, donate, give away, recycle, or trash what you don’t need to take. Decide if you love or need every item before packing it. Have you used it in the last year? If not, get rid of it! Then, be methodical in your packing—marking boxes by priority and using a packing room.
While you will have to do a lot of your own packing because you know where things should go, it makes sense to work with professional movers. You’ll reduce your chances of ending up in the hospital and you won’t burn out your family and friends. You’ll also free up your time to focus on big picture moving issues. Besides these practical advantages, movers will ensure your valuables and provide all the equipment you’ll need. You’ll save money in the long run because all the little costs of doing everything yourself can quickly add up.
Managing Your Stress
Moving to a new job and a new home can be one of the most stressful experiences of your life because of all the many moving parts involved in the transition. Between the demands of selling your house, finding a new place to live on short notice, and coping with a new working environment, you can quickly exhaust your willpower and energy reserves. Consequently, you’ll need to make a deliberate effort to reduce your stress as much as possible. While careful planning will help you coordinate all the diverse elements, don’t forget to consider the value of spending some social time with family and friends, going for long walks to mull things over, and arranging some massage appointments to ease away aches and pains.
