This post shares a moving checklist to help you with all the 13 steps when moving out of state.
Preparing to move to a new state is both scary and exciting. There is so much to plan for and if you have not moved out of state before it can be overwhelming! It is hard when you are trying to find a new job, storage, and a place to live.
Moving is especially hard on your heart when you have children and think about leaving your family behind. These steps when moving will make your time more efficient if you have never moved out of state!
My husband Lehi was born and raised in Arizona. However, I was born and raised in California. I knew that I wanted to always live in California. A year later, we got pregnant with our baby girl while I was finishing up college. He told me that I should think about moving to Arizona. I was a little bitter because I told him before we were married that California was my home, and I never planned to leave. It was hard to want to leave my family, friends, and a place of comfort I always called home.
Once Kyla was born, it seemed like although we owned a condominium, we could never own more. There was so much to save for a down payment on a home in a safe area. In doing the math, I was not sure when we would ever get there. Prices were getting higher, and opportunities were decreasing for our family.
Up until age 27, I never moved out of state, nor left my family. I could not even imagine pulling their first-born grandchild away from them. But something started to set in my heart, and I realized we were growing our family, times had changed, and we needed to do what was best for our little family.
Lehi had gone through a few jobs, but none that could provide what our family needed. College wasn’t his thing, but he was from Arizona and prospered there before we got married. On the other hand, I had a degree, but my goals shifted after having our first baby girl, and we both planned for me to stay home. This life we talked about just was not possible without a change.
So one Sunday after church, I knew I was ready to move. We found out our second baby was due next year, and there was no way our family needed to struggle without having a home. I told Lehi it was our time to go. He was in shock because he knew how hard this would be for me. Through prayer and string feelings, I trusted in God’s plan. It was so hard for me to tell my family especially having a blended family and my grandpa, who I love dearly, very sick with incurable cancer.
On the positive side, I knew our little family could flourish in a safe place. Lehi’s siblings were near the same area we planned on moving to, and my family was an hour’s flight away or a five-hour drive.
Even though the prices were extremely high in California, they were affordable in Arizona and other states. I knew God had something bigger planned for our family, so that is when our search began. I had no idea the steps when moving out of state, but I knew it would not work out for our family if we were meant to stay or search somewhere else.
Moving Checklist | 13 Steps When Moving:
Here is our moving checklist and all the steps when moving out of state you will need.
1. Find a location:
First, when you are looking to move, you may want to drive out of state or talk with a friend you trust ion they live in that state. Once you find an area you live in, find three cities in the proximity of one another you are okay with living in. You may find something cheaper and bigger outside of the city you wanted, or you may not find what you are looking for in one specific city. Get set on your locations!
2. Review your budget:
Second, if you and your significant other are looking to buy a home, sit down and review your budget. You want to look at your current income together or separately, the cost of bills, and what maximum mortgage payment you can afford. Knowing this ahead of time will help you stay within your means, just in case your income drops slightly in another state. Keep in mind, cost of living may drop as well. Either way, your budget is SO important! Make sure you do what is comfortable living for you and your family.
3. Gather boxes:
Third, gather all the boxes you can and start packing a month in advance or a little beforehand. Work on one room in your house every few days. Pack all the little things way first. Leave the big things + whatever you use daily out until the week you plan to move. You can buy boxes from Home Depot or look behind grocery stores for free boxes.
4. Apply for a job:
Check to see if your job is transferrable or reflect on the skills you have. Therefore, you can apply to a similar type of job or company. You may realize that pay is slightly lower, but most of the time it evens out. For us, it was even better because of the cost of living. If your job is not transferrable, your lender will tell you that living in another state is pointless. Our lender told us to go out and establish jobs. Our jobs were not transferrable, and we needed at least two months of work history.
5. Talk with a lender:
Your lender will assist you in buying your home. Meet with your lender in your state to make sure that they can help you find a home in the state you are looking to move. If they are unable to, you will need to find a local real estate office and a lender that will work with you in that state to get approved. Either way, your lender can still run numbers, tell you how much you will need to save, and more so you can buy a home in another state.
6. Look for a place to move:
Once you have reviewed your budget, applied for a job, and spoken with your lender, look for homes in your desired location. You will want to make sure your home is in your budget and your future pay. If your job or skill does not seamlessly transfer, you will need to look for an apartment or something month to month until you have done your research around the city.
Our family found a room for rent with a lady who is a member of our church. It is a sacrifice, but our rent is cheap. It has allowed us to save tremendously and look for a home since we needed to establish new jobs in a new state.
7. Look for renters for your current home:
If you have a home you are renting and profiting from monthly, you will want to quickly list your home for rent. You will also need a written-out notarized contract. Throughout this time, interview families you feel would be good candidates. We are currently renting out our property in California, and good renters are so important! You can even list your property on Facebook groups!
8. Find the price of your UHaul:
Depending on how far you are moving, you will need to determine what size Haul you need, which also depends on the size of your home. You will want to go down to your local Haul near you, give them the city you are moving to, and tell them the nearest zip code for a Haul you can return your UHaul.
Our UHaul for around 350 miles and a three-bedroom condo cost around eleven hundred dollars. We were able to keep it for three days and return it after everything was in storage. Lowering the days for us didn’t make it any cheaper, but it was helpful to have those days because getting all the work done in one day may not be possible.
9. Look for a storage:
Shortly after finding a UHaul, you will want to find storage to place all your things if you are not moving straight into a home. You can research storage units in your three desired locations and compare prices. The bigger the unit, the more it will cost. If you can avoid paying for a storage unit inside, I would keep it outside to save money. You will also want insurance for any items stolen, which is an extra cost. We will have had rented a storage unit for around seven months until moving into our home. It has seemed like forever but has gone by so fast.
10. Lock down a job:
After taking all of these steps, you should have had a few job interviews. Once you get the job, you can lock down the apartment in your price range. The manager may want current pay stubs or a job verification before you move in.
11. Lock down your apartment or home:
Once you lock down the job, lock down the apartment you will live in or make sure you found the home you will live in. If you are building a home, you will still want to move beforehand to get established in your job in a new state. Living somewhere month to month will help you feel more secure.
12.Lock down UHaul and Storage Unit:
Once you have a job and a home, lock in the storage unit you want and pay for the dates of the Haul you will need.
13.Tell Your Family and Friends:
After your plans are all in place, I would plan on telling your family or whoever you want your plans so that they can know you are serious and have made the right decision for your family! My family cried, and we still get sad after visiting, but doing what is best for your family matters most.
What you should know after you check everything off your moving checklist..
Now it gets real, and hopefully, you have some close friends and family that can help you move things into your UHaul, storage, and into your new home! Remember that there will be bumps in the road, or some things may not work out in your plan to move, but that doesn’t mean you are not meant to take your family to a place you feel you can thrive!
When looking for month-to-month places to live, we had very few options, and only one sweet lady told us YES! That was all we needed! Lehi and I applied to different jobs, interviews took a little while, but we both landed jobs that would set us up to buy a home!
Shortly after, we found renters for our condo and locked in everything for the move!
At 27, this was the most drastic change I had ever made, but the biggest blessing for our family. We have waited seven months for our home to be ready (it currently looks like March 2022), and we know our Heavenly Father has been with us every step of the process.
I hope these steps when moving out of statehelp you greatly!!
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