How to Choose the Best Place to Live| Tips to Keep in Mind

The Short Story: Choosing a place to live in is not an easy decision. A lot of factors have to be considered before moving over to an alien part of the country. Moving costs play an important role in house hunting-it should not be overlooked.

As you know, moving to a whole new location is a major life decision. Regardless of your reasons for moving, you first have to weigh your options and consider certain factors before actually moving. Choosing a place to live is a life-changing experience but the actual process can be pretty daunting.

Reading this, you may feel ready for the change that a new apartment brings. Indeed, moving to a new city or state, either as a retiree, a college student, or a newly wedded person, has the sacred feel of a 'fresh start'. It is truly an experience-one you cannot take lightly. Before actually choose a state, a city and a home to move into, you need to consider factors that will determine your new home experience.

To help you make the right decision, we analyse the most important factors to consider when choosing a place to live.

Regular House Hunting Tips You Already Know

Realtors would have you believe that choosing a home is a straightforward ordeal. They simplify our options a little, and we respect that. Think about it, factors like employment opportunities, climate and transportation options make up the bulk of many people's moving decisions.

Don't get us wrong, we identify with these factors. In fact, to understand the variances of moving cost, we need to analyse these factors a great deal. Here are 5 regular house hunting tips you may already know:

Choose an Affordable Home

No matter how much you earn, living in comfort and within your means isn't a need you can trade-off. The affordability of a home should be your prime concern. Therefore you need to pay attention to your future home's maintenance expenses, tax, shopping needs, utility bills and so many others. You literally would pay a lot more for a house in California than an apartment in New Mexico.

Watch for Tax Laws

As civil taxpayers, we know very well that our properties factor into the state-local tax burden. That being said, did you know that only just five states in the US don't collect sales tax for retail sales and similar services? When it comes to individual income tax, South Dakota and Texas are some of numerous states that don't collect. Furthermore, 40 states offer property tax credits to homeowners as a form of tax relief.

Make Research on Employment Opportunities

The country's job markets differ not only from state to state but from city to city. Therefore, it's important for you to make adequate research on employment opportunities in your industry and potential location. For example, many aspiring actors live in California (no-brainer) while investment banker prefer big cities like New York

Consider the Real Estate Value

Buying a home is a huge investment, therefore it's you should consider your options thoroughly. With the real estate market being forever volatile, you should take some time to research current home prices, maximum duration of home sales and resale value of homes. You can visit websites like Zillow to keep track of housing price trends. In the meantime, ask yourself: "Will my home interest future home buyers?" If yes, buy that house.

Investigate Transportation Options

The suburbs have grown exponentially over the years. This has made commuting somewhat unbearable. Some locations in the country have it worse than others. It is up to you to find locations with the best transport system. Commuting to work should be affordable and convenient, especially when you have family.

Moving Costs You Need to Know About

This is where things get interesting. After sifting through options and deciding on relocation factors, moving costs come next. The final jigsaw of your house hunting puzzle, moving costs may vary due to a couple factors which include:

Distance of move
Number of Belongings
Season of year
Type of moving services required
Contingencies

Many more variables determine moving costs; therefore we cannot tell you an exact figure. However, according to Moving, the average cost of a local move is about $1,250. Average aside, the cost range for full professional service may dangle between $600 and $12,000. Remember, however that all moving price range depends on two things:

Preference: This considers how much moving responsibilities you want to take on personally. Sometimes, movers want to pack their own boxes and drive the truck. But you could really just pay the professional movers to handle the whole operation. Each scenario has its price tag; choose wisely.
Budget: Your preference can only do so much as your budget. Some movers give you the option of a DIY move, a full-service or a combination of the two. Either way, your money does all the talking. Do you really want to spend $12,000 on a moving company? That's enough money to get you into real estate.

Say you ordered a full-service move; you still have to consider the costs for local or long-distance journeys. Moving costs also vary based on the type of service ordered. You can rent a truck (recommended), use a storage container or rent some moving pods.

Either way, you're going to spend a lot of money on moving your belongings into a new home. According to Move, surveys showed that 40.4% of Americans paid for their move using cash'. This is due to moving companies offering cash discounts for cash payments. This is a silver lining: you can save money by paying movers in cash.

You Need a Moving Company

Think about it: the best decision when choosing a place to live lies in your willingness to hire a moving company. What's not there to love: moving companies move belongings for a reason-they're extremely good at it! So, before you balk on the cost of hiring professional movers, think about the merits.

Storage service: Able to store possessions in a secure warehouse while you wait for new place.
Long-distance moving: You definitely need professionals to move your belongings somewhere far away.
Logistics: Who better to handle the paperwork than the professionals?

Customer service: Like every other business, moving companies treat customers with care. They protect unsecure items with extra packaging and rewrapping.