Answered by Katherine Broome
April 13, 2022
If you are considering a move, there are a lot of things to keep in mind. One question you might have is, "where should I move?". All across the United States, millions of people look to move to a new city in the search of work, family, or friends. Here is what you should consider before moving:
Here are the things you should be asking yourself before you consider moving.
What House Type Do I Want?
All across the country, there are different types of houses. Would you rather live in a rural area with a large property, or do you want your view to be the city landscape with tall buildings? Would you rather live somewhere that has unique and beautiful architecture?
When you are looking for a new city to move to, take these ideas into account. If you just plain aren't sure what you want, check out Zillow or another real estate website to see what options are out there. You can do this for both rentals and purchasing, that way you are completely covered.
Also keep in mind whether you want a house, apartment, condo, tiny home, or you can even choose to full-time RV. Each choice has positives and negatives, so look at your situation to determine which will work for you.
Here is what you should consider when deciding what kind of house to move into:
- What is your family size?
- What is your current home size?
- How many belongings do you have?
- How much are you willing to downsize?
Is There a Strong Job Market?
Whenever you move, you want the best for yourself and your family. Part of that is getting and maintaining a job. So, when looking at places to move to, make sure the job market is strong. You will want to find something either before you leave, or before you decide what city or area to land in.
Something to look at when looking for jobs is to look at the average salary of the area. For example, you can Google “average salary in Nashville, TN”. When job hunting you will want to look for jobs around that number (hopefully higher).
Is There a High Quality of Life There?
Everyone wants to be happy, so you might want to seek out an area that has a high quality of life. Quality of life refers to happiness in an area that affects people’s mental and physical well-being. Quality of life in a city includes climate, amenities, parks, and crime statistics.
States with the best quality of life are:
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Minnesota
- Vermont
- Utah
- Maryland
- Nebraska
- Colorado
Can I Afford Living There?
Possibly the most important factor when deciding to move to a new city is whether or not you can afford to live there. You don’t want to go to a new city without being able to afford it. So, when looking for a new place to live, make sure you can live comfortably and not just barely making it.
You can look up a city’s cost of living on Google, for example, “cost of living in Tempe, AZ”. Here are the most expensive states in the U.S.:
- California
- Hawaii
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
Here are the least expensive states:
- Mississippi
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
How Will I Adjust to the Climate?
As silly as it sounds, there will be a major climate adjustment depending on where you move to. For example, if you move to Colorado, you will probably have to adjust to the altitude and the cold. Alaska has areas where the sun simply does not set (or where you have a month of darkness). Texas is very flat with high humidity.
The point is, is that your body will begin to automatically adjust as you live there. It can take over three months for your body to adjust to the altitude, the higher you go up the longer the adjustment will be. This isn’t meant to deter you, but it is something to take into account.
When deciding to move, it is important to ask yourself some questions to narrow down where you want to move to. Whatever you decide, Movers.com has your back. Our professional team can hook you up with movers that will fit your every need.