Thinking, or Dreaming, About Relocating?
Nearly every conversation I’ve had lately has included a discussion about relocating – a woman in her early thirties, looking to get out of dodge and get a fresh start after a divorce. A recent college grad looking for a fun city in which to begin a career (and perhaps date a bit!). A young couple both working from home that want more space and shift from rent to own. Multiple couples looking to reinvent their lifestyles since their kiddos flew the nest.
There’s a lot to noodle when thinking about a move. The process is exciting and incredibly daunting at the same time. If there's one piece of advice we can give – don’t take shortcuts. The city you never knew about could be your best choice.
So where to begin? Here are some of the most common - and critical - factors to consider when relocating. Some are obvious. Some not so much. Nuances make all the difference.
- Region: First on the list is determining the region of the country that’s most appealing. For many, this might be a foregone conclusion, but for some, the Mountain States vs. the hills of North Carolina might be a legitimate choice to consider. A few things to remember to factor into the decision:
- Weather: Remember how weird and important weather can be: e.g. locals in places like Denver will say that winter is just fine, it’s the scorching hot summer that will kill you. Or in the midwest, locals will tell you the issue isn’t the cold, it's how the gray clouds hang low well into spring.
- Politics: We aren’t taking sides, just noting that it’s something to consider. Plenty of progressives moved from San Francisco to Idaho during the pandemic and were then surprised by the political sensibilities of the region. Ditto, conservatives who moved up to Burlington, Vermont during the same period.
- Distance: People in the midwest think nothing of a five to six-hour drive each weekend to get to the lake house. They’ll drive to Florida for a week-long vacation. Plenty of people move to Chicago from the East Coast and are then stunned at how far away other midwestern experiences are when you're driving.
- City: Lots of people fled big cities during the pandemic and then got bored out of their minds when their concerns over population density subsided. There are also plenty of empty-nesters who sold their homes in the suburbs when the kiddos fled, moved into the big city into small condos/apartments, and then regretted the lost room. Keep a variety of factors in mind when you’re making the move:
- City Type: So many smaller cities are developing more robust downtowns that it can be confusing what type of city works for you. You may be committed to not living in a suburb, but what about a condo above retail in the downtown area of a growing suburban city? Or an apartment in a college town that has some of the amenities of a bigger city, albeit in a smaller package? It's critical to vet the experience through more than just a quick visit or drive-through. It is easy to get caught up in a singular experience and miss out on what the long-term may be like.
- Daily Experiences vs. Weekend Experiences: Plenty of people choose a city because they think of it as near other places that they enjoy. Like living in Sacramento because the drive to Lake Tahoe is short compared to living in San Francisco. The issue there is daily vs. weekend experiences: there’s a lot more to do in San Francisco every day than in Sacramento, but that drive to Tahoe from SF is a killer. Are you a daily or a weekend person? Some of that may be driven by stage of life (are you single, or have plenty of kiddos, or semi-retired with a WFH job, etc.)
- Costs: Plenty of people fled California for Texas due to housing costs but then realized the property taxes in Texas are a full percentage point higher than in California. Those same people also found that they needed to spend a lot more on vacations to get to places they wanted to visit from Texas than California. Look, it’s very likely cheaper overall to live in Texas than Cali, but just do the math before packing the SUV and making the move.
- Friendships: One of the undiscussed crises that emerged during COVID is loneliness. Do not underestimate the challenge of making new friends in new places. If you’re young and you move to Los Angeles, where people tend to live in small neighborhoods, more isolated from each other than in other cities, the struggle is real. If you’re an empty-nester/retiree and you hit the trail to Santa Fe or some other hip-ish enclave, it can be tricky to connect with new peeps. Just keep in mind that making friends in new places takes effort. Consider the culture of the place you’re moving to and if it matches the type of effort you want to make before ditching your existing home.
- Neighborhood: When you narrow down to a city that seems to meet your needs it’s time to get local and experience a few neighborhoods. Think of it like looking at college, and making sure to take a class, visit the dorms, and spend time with actual students before making the decision. You need to walk in the footsteps of a local to truly understand what it would be like to live in the city. In short order, we recommend three things:
- Get an Airbnb in the neighborhood, don’t just visit from another area of the city or stay in a hotel.
- Follow the routines you’d likely take up if you move here: take public transportation, work out at the local gym, get up early, and get coffee/breakfast at the local cafe.
- TALK TO PEOPLE: you have to get a sense of what the experience is like to live there and nothing helps more than engaging with locals. Ask questions about good places to get a meal, where you should work out, and what’s a good walking/hiking trail. Anything. Just engage and get a sense of the vibe and if it feels good to you. Once you’re talking to them about diners or dog parks you can ask what it's like to live there.
Of course, within your investigation of the regions, cities, and neighborhoods that appeal to you comes an evaluation of additional factors like:
- The quality of public and private school systems
- The safety and diversity of the communities.
- The quality and proximity of the healthcare systems
- Entertainment, shopping, dining, social engagement that doesn't just come from a mall.
- Proximity to major airports (particularly for young professionals and empty nesters/retirees who travel a ton).
Finding and keeping track of all this information is a lot of work and it’s difficult to keep it straight. LookyLOO helps with this in two ways:
- We're a fully integrated source of information about cities (and their neighborhoods). The platform simplifies the city exploration process and helps you understand what places are really like to live in. You’ll find that much of the time and effort involved in gathering the information suggested above has already been done for you.
- The site includes a password-protected Movebook feature that allows you to start organizing your move from the very start of your search. Save the city content you find on LookyLOO and links to any other information you find along the way. You can then share all of that content with anyone you like because there are often multiple decision-makers involved in the relocation process.
For more details on some of the best ways to evaluate living in a neighborhood check out our feature on “Dating a City”.