How to Move to Another State
Moving to a new state can be exciting but stressful. After all, all your belongings are where you currently live. Some people choose to get rid of everything and start anew at their new home, but that’s a big financial commitment many can’t make.
Not to mention, there are a host of issues you can run into. However, moving states can be rewarding, giving you more opportunities in life. Moving to another state is exciting, but you should focus on having a plan.
Keep reading to learn how to move to another state.
3. Update Necessary Paperwork and Services
7. Hire a Professional Moving Company
Wrapping Up: How to Relocate to Another State
1. Research Your New State
The first thing you should do before learning how to move to a different state is find somewhere to live. Before moving to another state, you should learn as much as possible about it before committing to buying or renting a home. This way, you can ensure you’re making the right decision for you and your family. By learning about potential cities or towns and their surrounding areas can help you get a feel for the vibe, amenities, and other features of the area.
If you have children, you should learn about school districts, as well as consider other factors, such as the crime rates, transportation, local economy, and other features of various neighborhoods around the state to help you make a decision. Part of your research can consist of visiting the area for a long weekend or extended vacation to immerse yourself in the new state you’re considering moving to.
2. Find a New Job
We recommend getting a new job before your move to ensure you can earn a living in a new state. Maybe you’re transferring offices, or perhaps you’re a remote employee and can keep your current job. Regardless, it’s important to ensure you have a job lined up before moving out of state to ensure your can pay for basic necessities like rent, food, and utilities.
Unfortunately, having a job lined up isn't always possible before you move to a new state, especially if the move is sudden. However, you should know about the local job market and start sending in applications and resumes as soon as possible. The sooner you get a job, the less stressful your move will be.
3. Update Necessary Paperwork and Services
Regardless of whether you’re moving to a new house or a rental, you must notify the right agencies of your move. Notify anyone who might want to bill you so you won’t have any missed payments on your record. In addition, you’ll want to turn off the utilities at your old home, including electricity, gas, and water. Then, you’ll need to turn them on in your new state, which means contacting new companies.
Make sure you keep documentation and organize important papers related to these services even after you move in case you need them again.
In most cases, you should be able to update anyone who would ever need to bill you online. For instance, you can change your address with USPS, the IRS, and banks online. However, you’ll also need to notify your employer, medical providers, and any other contacts who might need your address, such as your children’s old and new school districts.
4. Create a Moving Timeline
Moving to another state is more time-consuming than moving to a new city within the same state. Ultimately, you’ll need to hire a moving company or rent a moving truck and drive potentially hundreds of miles. Therefore, you should have a moving timeline and try to estimate how much time you’ll need to take off from work and which tasks you should accomplish when.
For instance, if you’re moving in three months, it doesn’t make sense to start packing the night before the move, especially if you have a moving company coming in the morning. Having a moving timeline can help you stay on track and keep anyone involved informed about when they can expect your move to start and be completed.
5. Declutter and Downsize
Relocating to another state with everything you currently own is going to be challenging. Does it make sense to bring all of your furniture? If you’re renting a moving truck and driving yourself, it probably doesn’t make sense to make multiple trips back and forth. Not only is this time-consuming, but it’s costly.
Decluttering your home before you start packing can help you take stock of all your belongings and decide what doesn’t have to come with you. Of course, how you discard these items is up to you. For instance, you can donate, sell, or throw them away. However, there’s also a fourth option—renting and storing items in a storage unit.
Making multiple round trips to move may not sound ideal, but it’s not something you have to do in a single day. Instead, you can store items in a storage unit and come back for them when you need them. Not everything you own has to make it to your new home right away. Instead, you can organize your storage unit to ensure all your belongings are safe, secure, and ready for you when you need them.
For instance, storing furniture that may not fit in your moving truck or new home saves space and makes your move a little easier. Then, if you need a second or third sofa, you can return to your storage unit and take it to your new home or hire a moving company to do it for you.
You can also find a storage location in your new state, move all your stuff with you, and store belongings there so they’re closer to home.
6. Pack and Organize
After deciding which items won’t be making the move with you, it’s time to start packing and organizing. Start packing as early as possible to give yourself enough time to prepare everything for moving day. You can go room by room and add non-essential items to boxes, bags, and any other packing supplies.
Read these tips for packing smarter to make packing for your move to another state easier.
7. Hire a Professional Moving Company
The easiest way to move states is to hire a moving company that can take care of the logistics for you. If you know there will be enough room in your new home for all your belongings, a moving company will ensure they make it there safely.
Of course, a professional moving company is often more expensive than renting your own moving truck and moving yourself, but it will save time, energy, and stress.
8. Manage Moving Day
If you’ve followed our tips so far, you should be able to sit back and relax once moving day arrives. The movers will arrive at their scheduled time and load all your belongings in their truck.
You can choose whether to go to the new state ahead of them and give them access to the home or leave after they do, depending on how the timing works out.
When managing moving day, it’s also important to ensure you have access to necessary items, such as clothes, documents, and any other items you use on a daily basis. It’s also important to pack food for you move to ensure you have enough energy to make it throughout your trip to your new home.
Wrapping Up: How to Relocate to Another State
Learning how to move states is similar to moving anywhere else, but it can be more costly and time-consuming. Sometimes moving with all your belongings just isn’t possible. So whether you’re relocating for work or just want to experience a new city, you may need to store some items from your home.
Key Storage offers storage options for anyone who needs a place to secure their belongings. With locations across the nation, you can store your possessions before moving and return for them later or near your new home for more convenience. Browse our available storage units to find your perfect solution.
