While moving to a new city can be a huge adventure, it also can be stressful leaving your home behind and settling in a new place. If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed, take a deep breath and read our handy list of relocation tips.
- Select A City That Matches Your Interests
In some cases, you actually get to choose the city where you relocate. Retirees, for instance, might be free to select a city and state of their choosing. If you do get to decide, there are many factors to consider before making your final decision.
For instance, you want a city that offers the type of recreation opportunities you enjoy. In Las Vegas, we have something for just about everyone. We have (almost) three professional sports team – NHL, WNBA and soon the Raiders will join the fray not to mention the many boxing and MMA events hosted in our fair city.
Of course, our many casinos, which aren’t just located on the strip, host a wide range of live events, including concerts, comedy shows, magic shows and shows such as Cirque du Soleil. We even have the Las Vegas Philharmonic and plenty of live theater, as well.
We also have many local parks, hiking trails, tons of golf courses and even a ski area about an hour from the Las Vegas Strip. Whatever city you choose should offer some of your favorite activities, so whether you love to play tennis or want to join a Scrabble group, do some research to see if your favorite activities will be available in your new city.
2. Narrow Down The Neighborhood
Every city has many different neighborhoods, and while you might not be able to select the city where you relocate, you do have some control over the type of neighborhood you select. For instance, some people want a more urban environment where others want a family-friendly area with parks and good schools.
Las Vegas is unique, in that there isn’t really a traditional city downtown, but there are many urban-style loft apartments and townhomes popping up around the Las Vegas Strip that provide you with close access to casinos, shopping and restaurants and offer a more city-central vibe.
Of course, we have plenty of well-planned suburban neighborhoods as well. For instance, there are many different communities in spots such as Henderson or Summerlin that might offer what you and your family needs.
3. Do Some Research
While you probably have been browsing through sites such as Zillow and Redfin to find properties for sale, it’s smart to look at more than the house when making your decision. For every property that matches your housing needs, take a quick look on a map to gauge whether or not the location suits you.
For instance, from Google Maps, you can determine if a house is on or near a busy main street. You also can determine how close schools and services are to each home. If you want close access to grocery stores, shopping, hospitals and doctor offices, ensure that your top home picks fit within this parameter.
4. Plan A Visit
The best way to truly find a neighborhood that you love is to visit the city where you will be relocating. Spend a couple of days driving around and looking at houses, but don’t just pay attention to the ambiance.
If you’ve found two or three top home choices, visit these properties at different times of the day to gauge the noise and activity levels. Time how long it takes to get to the grocery store, a hospital and your workplace during peak driving hours. While there will never be a home that’s a 100% match for everything you need, getting out there and visiting the area can help you narrow down your search to a specific neighborhood where you’ll most likely be happiest.
5.Start Packing Early
As soon as you know you will be moving, start packing up all non-essential items. This includes anything you don’t need on a day-to-day basis, such as extra sheets and blankets, decorations and framed pictures, rarely needed cooking equipment, extra china and much more.
Dedicate some time each day to your packing tasks, and consider grabbing a few bins or bags and loading them up with items to either donate or sell at a garage sale. Moving provides you with the perfect opportunity to purge some of your excess belongings. This not only can reduce moving costs, it makes unpacking much easier when you get to your new home.
6. Color Code Your Boxes
If you really want to make unpacking a breeze, we highly recommend that you color code all of your boxes. You can color code with different colors of markers or use colorful packing tape to code each box. For instance, everything heading to the kitchen might be packed in boxes with blue writing or blue packing tape while all of the master bedroom items might be designated with the color orange.
We also recommend that you write a brief description of the content so that you know which items to unpack first. There’s nothing more frustrating that having to go through a dozen or more boxes just find you bedding on that first night in the new home. For really crucial items that you’ll need right away, mark these boxes with the words, “unpack me first.”
7. Pick Quality Relocation Specialists
This is definitely a crucial step in the process. As long-distance movers, we truly understand the complexities of relocation and it’s essential that you select a company with a solid track record and an experienced team of movers.
If this relocation will be taking you across state lines, for instance, then you’ll need to select a company licensed for inter-state travel. We can help with both local and long-distance moves to anywhere you might need to go. We specialize in West Coast moves, but we can move you from Vegas to Reno, Miami, New York or just about any place else. We also can help if your relocation is bringing you to our fair city, so if you are moving to Vegas, give us a call and we can discuss your relocation needs.
In addition to the actual moving, loading and unloading, we can provide packing services and unpacking services. We also can help break down and rebuild furniture, hang pictures, mount TVs to the wall and more. Our goal is to provide the best possible services at affordable prices so that your move goes as smoothly as possible.
8. Get Involved & Start Exploring
For some people, relocation is a snap and they acclimate immediately to any new situation. For others, it’s not quite that simple, but if you want to fall in love with your new city, get out there and start exploring.
After all of the unpacking tasks have been completed, start planning a new adventure every weekend. This could be as simple as heading to local parks or a local farmers market or taking a drive around different areas of town. Search review sites to find amazing new restaurants to try and find a few favorites.
To meet people, join a fitness club, a hiking group or another type of group. No matter what interests you, there are sure to be others in your area that share those interests. Check out local houses of worship to find one that’s a good fit for you or head to Meetup.com to see what types of groups are available in your area.
We did a quick search and found hiking groups, motorcycle groups, a mah jongg group, a Scrabble group, book clubs, woodworking groups, crafting groups, singles groups and much, much more. There’s literally a little something for everyone here in Las Vegas, and all you need is a spirit of adventure.
If you need relocation specialists, Move 4 Less is ready to help. We can help you with any type of move you might need, whether you are moving into a small apartment half a mile away from your current place or you are moving a huge household across the county. To get started, you can give us a call at (702) 889-6683 or fill out the Get A Free Quote form at the top of this page.
