Moving anywhere can be ridiculously difficult, expensive, and complex. The best antidote to getting overwhelmed by relocation is a combination of research and planning. If you’re planning a move into the Houston, Texas area, it’s important to prepare adequately ahead of time. Make it easy on yourself with these five tips.
1. Know What to Expect Before Your Pack
Learn as much as you can about your future city before you begin to pack. Houston is a huge city—the largest in Texas, and the fourth largest in the US—and its approximately 88 “super neighborhoods” provide the single most diverse urban geographical area in the country. The larger Houston Metropolitan Statistical Area includes a whopping nine counties. So there’s a lot to learn and understand about your future destination!
Explore a map of the area and begin to research areas before you move. You’ll want to take into account commute times if you plan to work outside your home, and access to amenities such as grocery stores, gyms, shopping, and more. Here’s where it pays dividends to connect with a good real estate agent who knows the Houston area well and can help you pick your new home.
2. Estimate Your Costs
Use one of the many moving or relocation cost calculators online to help determine what you can expect to pay to relocate to Houston. You may decide to offset these costs ahead of time with a yard sale or by selling or donating many belongings online. Compare a few different options before you settle on a final plan. And don’t forget to get written estimates from a few different moving companies.
3. Get Your Car in Shape (or Be Prepared to Buy)
Houston redefines the phrase “sprawling city.” If you want to get around this city, most folks decide they need a car. Get your car a thorough tune-up and make sure it can handle the Texas commutes. Alternatively, you may want to sell your car and plan to buy a new or good used one once you get to your new home. However, if you don’t drive, Houston has public transportation options you can explore, although it’s among the lowest utilized systems in the nation among cities of its size.
4. Make Sure You’ve Got a Permit if You Need One
When your moving truck or U-Haul arrives, where do you plan to park it while you unload? You might want to double-check with Houston city authorities to make sure you don’t need a parking permit for it, or if you do, that you take care of that before you leave.
5. Find a Job Before You Leave or Have a Plan to Job-Hunt There
If you’re relocating to Houston for work, you’re all set for employment and earning income there. If not, you’ll want to make plans to find a job in your field before you go or to look for one after you move. Use sites such as Glassdoor and Indeed to explore potential Houston employers and salary ranges in your field.
Fortunately, Houston enjoys a low unemployment rate and relatively strong local economic conditions. The city’s major employers are in the oil, healthcare, and aeronautics fields, but there are a number of other industries that are thriving in the area as well.
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