Week 2 in my Get out of Town Guide

Welcome back! Last week we talked about how important it was to find your “WHY?” before you make any decisions about where to move after you leave Brighton.

This week is all about homework. And no, you did not leave homework behind when you graduated. I have some more homework for you.

After you have determined why you want to move, you need to determine WHERE you want to move. You might already know. But you might not. And before you do anything else, I recommend some thorough research of the city/town/state you plan to move to. You will be living in this new place for quite a while, so you want to go into it with eyes open. You don’t want any surprises when you’ve moved all the way across the country and purchased a new house.

Here are some tools to help you make an informed decision on where you want to move:

• Word of mouth. If you’re moving to be near family members or friends, ask them about their experience of the area. And don’t just ask them what they love. Ask them things like
  • What is the hardest part about living here?
  • What would you change if you could?
• Your own travel experiences. If you’re already familiar with the place you’re moving to, that’s great. Maybe you’ve already taken a vacation there. If you can, I recommend spending time in your new city/town/state at different times of the week (so I would recommend taking a week to travel there instead of several weekend trips). Maybe your new town gets really quiet during the week, and you miss the noise. Or maybe there’s a ton of traffic right before school starts in the morning. Does your new town smell like cows when the wind changes?
• Local websites/facebook groups. Does your new city’s government have a website and/or a facebook page? Check it out!
• Cost of living research. When you’re there, take a walk through the grocery store. Compare food prices (and gas prices!) to what they are here in Brighton.
  • If food and gas are going to be much more expensive, that will need to factor in to your budget when you consider buying a new home.
  • Will you rely more on public transportation than you do now?
  • Is there more traffic there, and will you need to take a toll road regularly to avoid it?
  • Along with that, if you’ll be driving a lot more, will you need to purchase a different car with better gas mileage?
  • If you’re moving to a remote area and do a lot of online shopping, will shipping be more expensive/more difficult?
  • Ask yourself ways that it will be more expensive to live in your new place so that you can factor them into your budget.
  • The good news it that cost of living might actually be lower wherever you move to! That’s something to take into consideration as well.
• Schools, if they are a factor in your move. Ask people you know in the area about the schools. If your kids are in high school, is there a university nearby that they might want to attend? Do you need to live in a certain zip code to attend certain schools?
• Weather. Don’t brush this one off with “I like warm weather!”. If you’re moving from Brighton to Phoenix for example, that’s a major change in climate that you’ll need to take into consideration.
  • Do you have any health conditions that are impacted by changes in weather, elevation, or humidity?
  • How many days of sunshine does your new city/town/state get every year?
  • Do you have seasonal affective disorder or seasonal depression, and how would that be impacted by where you move to?
  • If you’re moving to a much warmer area, would you prefer to have a pool in your new home or have access to one nearby? Is central A/C absolutely essential in your new home?
  • How will your current vehicles do if you move to a much colder/snowier area? Will your car insurance premiums be affected?
  • Are there hurricanes or tornadoes where you plan to move, and what would you like in your new home that will help you prepare?
• Culture. Think about what you do for fun now, and whether that will be available wherever you move to.
  • Do you love the performing arts? Will there be access to plays, operas, ballets, etc. in your new place?
  • Are you a die-hard fan of a certain sport or team? Will you be able to watch live sports if you want to?
  • Do you love trying new restaurants every week?
  • Do you go to the movies a lot?
  • Are you the most relaxed out in nature — if so, are there national parks nearby?

This is by no means an exhaustive list of every little thing you’ll need to consider, but take some time to work through these questions as you prepare to move. More information will help you make a better decision. The last thing you want is to move to a completely new city/town/state and think “I wish I had known ______” or “I wish I had considered ________.”

If you or anyone you know is considering a move out of Brighton, I would love to help you walk through some of these questions and consider where you want to move. Reach out to me and we can narrow down your new home search together!

This was Week 2 of my Get Out of Town Guide. Find Week 1 here.

Stay tuned next week for Week 3: Mark your Calendar.