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by Shelley Seale
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us for reprint permission
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Not having enough details & demographics about your new hometown.
Gather as much information as possible about your new destination, from
sources such as the RPS community information page,
Chamber of Commerce newcomer packages, information sites like CLICKCITY, location
magazines (see our on-line bookstore) and your
Realtor. |
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Not having your home priced and showable for selling.
Check your home thoroughly for all needed repairs before
listing it for sale. Pay attention to details such as gapped caulking, chipped
tiles, paint...it's often these little things that potential buyers will notice. Have the
home professionally cleaned, including carpets. Check out "Preparing to Sell Your Home," a checklist of items to make your home more marketable, and our Tips for Selling A House. If you haven't had your home appraised in the last two years, do it before putting the home up for sale. Also, have one or two Realtors give you a Comparable Market Analysis (see our Home Sale Page for
more information.) This will show what other comparable home in your neighborhood
have sold for recently. Overpricing your home at the outset will result in slow
showings and a delay in selling. |
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Poor research of what your money can buy in your new city.
Many factors such as differing salary, cost of living,
taxes and housing prices affect what the same dollar can buy in different parts of the
country. Go to our mortgage page for salary
and financial calculators; also, resources such as the Chamber of Commerce, Realtors, and
Runzheimer Reports can give you this information. |
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Not getting a mortgage pre-qualification letter before house-hunting.
While pre-qualifying with a mortgage company doesn't
provide final loan approval, it does give you a realistic price guideline and shows
sellers that you are a serious and qualified buyer. A good Relocation Realtor can provide you with mortgage options to pre-qualify
within 24 hours. See our mortgage page for
loan calculators, salary calculators and dozens of invaluable articles and tips on
mortgages and buying a home. Another valuable tool is your credit report...it's
smart to see what it contains clear up any inaccurate information before
pre-qualification. you can obtain a copy of your credit report on-line from iCredit, an RPS Partner. |
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Not protecting yourself with the best home inspection possible.
This goes for both the home you're selling as well as the
one you're buying, although who pays for the inspection (buyer or seller) is negotiable in
each separate contract. A good inspector should be: A member of the ASHI (American
Society of Home Inspectors); Bonded, licensed & insured; Able to provide references;
Upfront about their fees and what is included (are termite inspections extra, for
example.) Your RPS counselor, Realtor or mortgage loan officer can recommend a
certified inspection company. |
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Not setting up adequate interim housing between destinations.
When you first arrive in your new town, you'll
most likely need to have temporary housing arrangements until you can close and move into
a new home, or find a permanent rental. Doing adequate research and working with a
reputable company to arrange your temporary housing will make all the difference in the
world to the initial adjustment period of your move. Your RPS counselor can research and
prepare a proposal of quality temporary
housing options for you. For more assistance with moving household goods, check out LA Movers. |
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Your spouse having difficulty with a career transition.
If your spouse had to quit his or her job for the
relocation, or if you are both looking for new opportunities via the move, this aspect is
vital to the economic and emotional well-being of your family. Most people fail to
utilize and take advantage of all the resources available for their career needs. The
key to this endeavor is building and cultivating a network of contacts. This network
can be established starting with friends and colleagues in your departure city; be sure
everyone you know and come in contact with knows about your search, and ask them for
referrals. Subscribing to a newspaper like USA Today and business journals in
your destination city, making use of on-line job databanks and employment agencies,
recruiters, career counselors, professional and networking associations and any resources
your employer provides strengthens your network. The RPS Careers page gives more
resources. |
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Difficulty finding the best schools and daycare providers in
the new city.
Families considering a relocation are wise to place the
quality of their children's education and care at the top of their priority
list. Evaluating school districts and child care options of each neighborhood before
you make final housing decisions is important. You can do this by looking up school profiles on our
website, and then contacting the individual school district for complete packages which
most will mail to you complimentary. If possible, take your children (or at least
your spouse) on a visit to the schools under consideration. You can also call the
National Committee for Citizens in Education (1-800-NET-WORK) for their excellent low cost
education brochures available in English and Spanish. Our Schools page also has a
resource for finding and evaluating day cares nationwide. |
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Fears that your children are not adjusting well to the move.
Children may feel lost and experience a wide range of
emotions during a relocation. They may feel sad or angry about leaving their friends
and familiar surroundings. Moving can be a traumatic or a positive experience, and
often how we present and handle it is what swings the pendulum one way or
another. Often we, as adults, are under so much stress and have so many details to
handle during a relocation that we can become too focused on what needs to get
done. The temptation is to get settled in as soon as possible so the family will feel
at home in your new surroundings; but taking time to talk with your children about their
feelings and allowing them time to adjust is vital. Our Kids Issues page
tells you what is the most prevalent problem among different age groups, as well as tips
on how to make the move easier for your kids. |
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Being hit with a case of "culture shock" after your
move.
When people are physically removed from their cozy
secure existence and transplanted into another culture, the changes can be
traumatizing. Culture shock can manifest itself in feelings ranging from mild apathy
to severe anxiety, and may display itself in headaches, stomachaches, impatience,
difficulty sleeping and possibly anger. These feelings can and do pass in time; if
they do not, consider seeing a physician. One coping method is to make your new life
as pleasant as possible and incorporate things that were pleasant to you in the
past. This can mean plants, books, treasured mementos; or finding local classes,
organizations, and activities that you were involved in before. You should be able to
talk to someone about your adjustments; occasional trips back home may help. It
usually takes six to ten months for someone to feel at home in a new environment. |
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