Is this your first time relocating your family? Moving by yourself is hard enough, but relocating your family is a new challenge many parents face as they pack up in preparation for a big move to a new city, state, or even country.
Here’s some good news: We already thought of the hard stuff for you. Below are five tips to help you achieve a smooth move as you pack up your home and move to a new location.
1. Get pre-approved for a home loan
Buying a house is expensive and can be confusing. Take the confusion out of financing for your home by applying for pre-approval for a home loan. Getting your pre-approval ensures that you’re looking at homes in the right budget, and gives you peace of mind to put in an offer when you find the right place. Applying for pre-approval and, later, a home loan is quick and easy online, and there are specialists available around the clock to answer your questions about how to get the lowest mortgage rate.
And if you’re considering moving to another country, the process can feel overwhelming, but there are companies ready to help you out. Take, for instance, a move to Australia. There are home loans below 2% available to you when you talk to a consultant at loans.com.au, a five-star-rated CANSTAR Outstanding Value for Variable Home Lender award recipient. And if you’re moving to another country, try getting plugged in with online ex-pat communities that can point you to similar websites and services.
2. Hire professional movers to make the workload lighter
As a busy adult juggling your family, your daily responsibilities, and your move, you may feel that your time is stretched pretty thin, leaving you little time or energy for packing. Consider hiring local movers and packers to make your to-do list shorter and streamline the moving process for everyone. There are lots of moving services available, but as you search, consider trying to support small or local businesses. If you’re nervous about putting your valuables in someone else’s hands, check reviews online to help ensure that your belongings make it through the move in one piece.
3. Rent a storage unit
The basement or garage is not the ideal climate for your important and valuable items. Move your overflow to the safety of a storage center, and rent your own storage unit for an affordable monthly payment.
US Storage Units aggregates listings for self-storage units, vehicle storage, and business storage for storage units across the US. Find your storage unit cheap, fast, and easy by using the zip code for your new home when you do your search.
4. Keep your important documents in a safe, accessible place
Staying organized is difficult for anyone, especially during a big move. Although you may decide to keep some important documents within a storage unit throughout the transition, other documentation such as passports and social security cards will need to be easily-accessible yet securely stored for you and your family during this transition. Consider purchasing a small fireproof safe to keep your sensitive information secure during (and after) the move.
If you already have a safe for your important papers, try to make a habit of sorting through your mail and papers as soon as you receive them. Especially during your move, it’s important to flag important mail quickly and file it accordingly, rather than letting it pile up on your desk or counter.
5. Help your children transition more smoothly with therapy
Your children may have a tough time transitioning through their first experience relocating, especially if they have to change schools or leave friends behind. However, enlisting the help of a child psychologist might make the process easier. Look for well-reviewed therapy centers in the city where you’re moving to ensure you have a therapist available after the move takes place. You may even want to look for centers with multiple locations that can help with a seamless transition from one city to another.
For instance, the Ross Center has locations in New York, Northern Virginia, and Washington DC, and offers mental health services and developmental and clinical psychologists who are available to consult you and your family. Mental health does not have to be a last-minute scramble; try to set up an appointment or consultation with a professional for your children before moving, as many facilities have a short waiting period for new and incoming patients.
