Congratulations! You’ve just moved to another state. What happens next?
Be aware that there are many important things you should do when you find yourself in the destination state.
Is registering your car in the state you just moved to more urgent than decorating the new place?
Assign priority labels to all post-relocation tasks so that you know which ones you should take care of right away and which ones you can postpone for a later time.
Every single day we make thousands of decisions without even realizing that we’ve made them until it is too late.
Most of these decisions can be categorized as inconsequential ones – what to eat for breakfast, what to wear to work, what time to go to bed, etc. – and usually have no long-lasting impact on our daily lives.
Other decisions, such as what kind of career to pursue or who to marry, can be and often are life-changing fruits of our decision-making abilities.
And, not very surprisingly, there are many tough decisions to make and tons of important things to do after moving to a new state.
Remember that a house move is not really over until all post-relocation puzzle pieces have clicked together to reveal a complete and homogeneous picture of order, harmony, and happiness.
Take a look at the top 10 essential things to do after moving into a new home in another state.
1. Find a New Job
Wouldn’t it be just awesome if all of us found a job we would come to love?
Job-related relocation is one of the most frequent reasons for people to move across the country. Companies try to cut their costs by relocating between cities and states, just like individual persons often do.
So, if you’re moving to another state together with the company you work for, then you won’t have to worry about finding a new job simply because you still have your current one.
But even if the upcoming move is not in relation to their work, most people still try to secure a job in the new state well before the relocation takes place. And if you’re not one of the lucky ones, then chances are that you’re going to have to find yourself a new job after you move to a new state.
The job hunt usually begins with an in-depth research of the professional areas you’re interested in and qualified for. The power of the Internet can be your best helper in locating and narrowing down suitable job postings.
Also, if you have friends or acquaintances in your new city, they may provide valuable assistance in the form of professional tips and references. They could even go as far as pulling some strings for you.
Don’t forget to work on your resume, cover letters, and recommendation letters from your previous employer(s) too.
In any case, a logical start for any job seeker in a new state would be to visit the webpage of the U.S. Department of Labor.
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When moving to a new city in a new state, one of your top priorities is to find a good doctor for you and your family – a highly-skilled and qualified specialist whom you can entrust with your most valuable thing in this and any other world – your health.
First of all, be sure to know what kind of physician you need before you start the search – a primary care doctor or a specialized doctor.
Primary care doctors are the ones you go to when you’re not feeling very well. They know how to treat the usual broader range of medical issues, ailments, and even most chronic conditions (hypertension, diabetes, etc.) and will direct you to a proper specialist, if necessary.
On the other hand, specialized doctors have a much narrower but deeper set of skills and will be the right ones for you in case you need special medical care.
And then, once you have figured out exactly what kind of medical care provider to turn to, it’s time to begin the actual hunt for a new family physician in the new city.
When moving to a new state, you can ask co-workers, neighbors, new friends, or even your old doctor for useful recommendations. Also, don’t hesitate to use the abundance of online resources (for example, the American Medical Association) to locate the best doctor for your particular needs or pay a visit to the local hospital and talk directly to the doctors and nurses there.
In case you don’t have health insurance, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers options for free or low-cost care. Visit www.healthcare.gov to find out more.
The computer science building on the MIT campus. Some schools are just better than others…
If you have a school-age child, then you’re going to have to find a good school for them in the new city. You may have already selected the right educational institution for your kid, especially if you just performed a midyear move to a new state. But if you haven’t done it yet, you need to address this issue immediately.
Start by shortlisting the number of possible schools: visit their respective websites and learn more about what each one has to offer in terms of school hours, number of students in a classroom, curriculum and extra-curriculum activities (sports, music, and drama classes), discipline and safety, teaching methods and learning aids, special programs and so on.
Furthermore, the distance between the future school to your new apartment or house will surely be one of the most influential factors in your final decision.
The school locator tool of the National Center for Education Statistics is another great way to initiate your search for a suitable school or college in the city you just relocated to. If searching for a new school online is not your thing, then you should rely on more old-fashioned ways of acquiring the specific information you’re looking for – talking with specific people and asking them to recommend a good school for your school-aged son or daughter.
And finally, be sure to see in person the candidate institutions, preferably with your child. Arrange for a personal tour with the respective administration and try to identify the school’s strong points and weak points.
Bear in mind that a school tour is the only way to get a true feel for the place and receive invaluable feedback from your child at the same time.
4. Register Your Car and Transfer Your Driver’s License
Your local DMV office is the place to go for registering your car in a new state.
When you move to another state, you’re going to need to register your car in your new state and transfer your out-of-state driver’s license.
Be mindful that both tasks should be completed in person at your local DMV office. Different states have different deadlines for car registrations – from 10 days (Florida) to 30 days (New York), so be sure to check the state DMV timeline to avoid any unnecessary penalties.
Before you register your car in a new state, you’ll be asked to present proof of insurance. Now, despite the fact that your car insurance is valid in any state you cross, you’re going to need to buy coverage from the state you’ve moved to in order to register your vehicle. In other words, you can’t register a vehicle in a state you’re not insured in.
Also, in addition to the insurance coverage, your car may need to have a title in your name and pass an emissions check and a vehicle safety inspection in order to get registered in the new state. Contact your nearest office of the Department of Motor Vehicles to get state-specific information about how you can transfer your driver’s license to the new state.
Should you ever catch yourself wondering what to do after moving to a new state, then make a mental note to change your voter registration after the move.
Once you move to a new state, your postal address changes as well. And since the law forbids you from voting in more than one place, then you have to re-register your voter registration information in the destination state. Unless you just moved to North Dakota – the only U.S. state that does not require citizens to register in order to be eligible voters.
Even though updating your voter registration is one of the things to do after you move to a new state, the post-move task can be a bit tricky because you won’t really know how soon you should do it. In most states, voter registration deadlines vary from two to four weeks prior to an election.
To stay on the safe side of things, visit the U.S. Vote Foundation to find out the Election Dates and Deadlines in the state you just moved to.
OK, you are in the new state right now and you wish to change your voter registration. How do you register to vote in that new state?
In person. You can complete your in-person voter registration at state and local election offices. Click here to find those offices.
Online. You can register to vote online – the easiest way to change your voter registration after moving to a new state. Unfortunately, only 37 U.S. states currently allow you to do it. If your destination state is one of those states (see the list here), then visit the Can I Vote website to start your online voter registration process.
6. Secure Your New Home
You must secure the new home against unauthorized access.
One of the most important things to do when moving to a new state is to improve the security of the new home after the move.
Now, securing the new house or apartment involves a few critical steps you should follow as soon as you can – understand even sooner than that:
Secure your home against unauthorized access
The very first things you should do after moving to a new home in a new state are:
CHANGE the locks on all outside doors so that only you and your family have access to your living space,
CHECK whether all doors and windows close securely and cannot be opened from the outside, and
CONSIDER consulting a specialized home security company about the need to install a burglar alarm – a precautionary measure if the neighborhood you just moved to has a bad reputation.
Protect your home against fire
When you move into a new home, you just have to make sure that that home is safe in case of a fire.
GET one fire extinguisher in working order per floor and make sure you know how to operate it in case of an emergency;
INSTALL smoke detectors in every room;
CHECK the batteries if smoke detectors are already installed in the house;
DEVISE an escape plan out of the home in case of an emergency.
Babyproof the new home
If you just moved with a baby or a toddler into a new house in a new state, then one of your high-priority tasks will be to babyproof the new residence.
The entire process of babyproofing a new home is fairly straightforward: you go into each room, identify the hazards for your little angel, and then neutralize those dangers so that there’s absolutely no risk for your young son or daughter.
Click here to access the complete room-by-room babyproofing checklist after moving into a new home with a baby boy or a baby girl.
7. Furnish and Decorate Your New Home
It’s all about the little details, isn’t it?
One of the things to do when moving to a new state is to furnish and decorate the new home to your impeccable taste.
The customary purging process during the moving preparations may have left you with just a few still usable pieces of furniture, meaning that you will need more. However, before you pay a visit to several furniture stores, remember to properly measure the space where the pieces will be placed and to take into consideration the ambient room colors as well.
Be ready for certain compromises should any differences of opinion arise between you and the rest of the family members.
Without a doubt, you should do your best to make your new apartment or house feel more like your old home, and comfortable and fashionable furniture alone won’t do the trick.
PAY special attention to the three most important rooms in any home – kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. Do everything in your power to make them pleasant enough to spend hours and hours inside them – clean and tidy, with attractive and friendly colors, and decorated exactly to your fine taste;
PROVIDE sufficient light sources throughout your home. Bright light should be used for work (reading, writing, and so on) while soft light will add unmatched charm and romance to your residence;
PLACE flowers and other decorative objects in strategic places to enhance the attractive power of your home and improve the flow of positive energy throughout the living space.
Your new neighbors can be your crutches until you feel confident to run on your own once more.
When you move to a new state, at first everything will seem unfamiliar to you – your new home will be located in an unexplored neighborhood in a strange city. Things will get more and more familiar with time, of course, but getting used to the new surroundings may take much longer than you anticipated.
One foolproof way to speed up the acclimatization period is to go and say Hi to your neighbors in an attempt to find some good friends among them.
You shouldn’t worry too much about who’s supposed to make the first step and introduce themselves to the other party. If the folks next door don’t do it in the first few days after the move, gather your courage, and do it yourself.
Go knock on their doors, introduce yourself, and maybe invite them over to your place for a few drinks and some snacks once you’re done with the arduous task of UNPACKING.
Every newcomer is in desperate need of timely assistance and friendly guidance when taken out of their comfort zone. And your neighbors are usually an irreplaceable source of useful information until you get back on your feet and regain your confidence again.
The best school for your child, cheaper supermarkets, suitable places of worship, reliable service providers – just consult the folks who live next door and you will get first-rate information straight from the horse’s mouth.
Plus, you never know – maybe you’ll find some really good friends among your new neighbors.
Whether you want it or not, moving to a new home in an unknown city in another state will most certainly bring fresh thrills and renewed excitement for you. The recent relocation will be yet another chapter in your life and exhilarating adventures on the very next page are merely waiting to be discovered, experienced, and enjoyed.
And no adventure is complete without good friends with whom to share the happy moments.
And while you’re making new friends in your new surroundings, it’s imperative that you don’t forget about the people who have been by your side before the move to the new state. We all know that distance alone is a poor excuse for ending good friendships and breaking meaningful relationships, especially during the Digital Age.
There’s nothing quite like hearing a close friend’s voice over the phone or reading an e-mail or a letter from your childhood pal to cheer you up while you’re still desperately trying to find your inner rhythm that will give meaning to it all.
In fact, today it’s never been easier to keep in touch with old friends – take your pick: phones, texts, e-mails, (video) chats, and social networks. So, do try to work out some extra time in your busy schedule to assure your best friends how much you miss them. Trust us – it’s worth it!
Rating the services of your movers is a very thoughtful and selfless act. But first, be sure to unpack your computer, of course.
The world we find ourselves in is more interconnected than ever before. Thanks to the global communications channels, one single act of compassion and thoughtfulness can circle the globe in no time and influence the decisions and subsequently the lives of other human beings in a very positive way.
Your hopefully successful relocation may be over but for millions of other Americans, it is an important step yet to be taken. How would you like to help them choose a moving company which offers high-quality services for a reasonable price?
All you have to do is write a moving review where you will have the chance to narrate objectively your fortunate or unfortunate relocation story and rate the services of your hired movers. By sparing some minutes of your precious time to do it, you can be sure that your voice will be heard and your assistance will be appreciated. After all, you do remember how hard it was to find a reputable moving company, right?
Moving experts are unanimous that the single decision about which mover to hire will inevitably influence the outcome of a move, especially when moving to a different state. And aside from obviously facilitating the decision-making process, moving reviews possess regulatory and dispute-solving powers as well.
Read more about why you ought to leave a moving review after moving to a new state and learn the detailed steps on how to do it in our complete Moving Review Guide.
Moving to a new state could be challengingt! It is reccomended that you go for a vacation to the state you are planning to move to is a must do before the actual move. Change is never easy, but in most cases ot often turns out into an educational experience so don't be scared and dissapointed! This guide gives us some great advice – try to meet new people, say hi to your neighbors, go out to new places and you will surely meet new and interesting people. There is nothing wrong with feeling lost and sad at first, but remeber that every time we go to a new place and meet new people it ends up being an educational experience.
my god only 1 thing on this list was helpful. car and license. al the other stuff is like duuuuuuuu. 1. clearly a job is a must i am moving cus of a job i already have the job that’s why i am moving to a new state. 2 a doctor is a doctor not really a large to do. 3. i don’t have kids and if i did clearly i would have already did the school thing so this shouldn’t be on the list. 4. that one is helpful is is something you need to do. 5. really? why would anyone move and bring nothing. clearly u would need stuff in the house. 6. not important at all i lived in my last place for 20 years and to this day still have no idea who my Neighbors where couldn’t care less its not a must. 7. really? another nonsense item listed. this is not a need. 8. i didn’t even use movers i did it my self so again not a need. the only thing this list helped me on was #4. a better list would have been change of address forms who NEEDS to be contacted. what websites do i use to notify and/or who NEEDS to be notified. theirs so many nonsense items on this list when more important things could have been for a list of what you NEED to do.
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Moving to a new state could be challengingt! It is reccomended that you go for a vacation to the state you are planning to move to is a must do before the actual move. Change is never easy, but in most cases ot often turns out into an educational experience so don't be scared and dissapointed! This guide gives us some great advice – try to meet new people, say hi to your neighbors, go out to new places and you will surely meet new and interesting people. There is nothing wrong with feeling lost and sad at first, but remeber that every time we go to a new place and meet new people it ends up being an educational experience.
Good luck to all moving to a new state! A
Vasilka Atanasova
Corsia Logistics
http://www.corsia.us/
my god only 1 thing on this list was helpful. car and license. al the other stuff is like duuuuuuuu. 1. clearly a job is a must i am moving cus of a job i already have the job that’s why i am moving to a new state. 2 a doctor is a doctor not really a large to do. 3. i don’t have kids and if i did clearly i would have already did the school thing so this shouldn’t be on the list. 4. that one is helpful is is something you need to do. 5. really? why would anyone move and bring nothing. clearly u would need stuff in the house. 6. not important at all i lived in my last place for 20 years and to this day still have no idea who my Neighbors where couldn’t care less its not a must. 7. really? another nonsense item listed. this is not a need. 8. i didn’t even use movers i did it my self so again not a need. the only thing this list helped me on was #4. a better list would have been change of address forms who NEEDS to be contacted. what websites do i use to notify and/or who NEEDS to be notified. theirs so many nonsense items on this list when more important things could have been for a list of what you NEED to do.
I know this may be an older post but another important moving factor is
Change of Address at your local USPS