Moving to a new state can be overwhelming. It’s not the same as moving to a new neighborhood. Not only is there a list of moving-related things that need to be done, but there are also legal things that have to be done.

Planning everything out can help, and so can making a list of everything you need to do. You may find that you can skip some of these things but you also may want to add a few personal touches as well.

How To Move To Another State Step by Step Guide

This is simply a general guideline that can help you feel more together and less-stressed. Moving is stressful for everyone, but it can always be less stressful!

Visit First

Visting your new state and city is important. After all, everything might look good on paper and online, but visiting can be another story. You have to love the feel of the town and the area you are thinking about moving to.

A fun thing to do is make a list of everywhere you want to visit with your family. Make a list of all the best restaurants and any entertainment centers that your family can visit together. And don’t forget landmarks.

Talk To Your Family

Most people will have a nice discussion and exchange of opinions before making any life-altering decisions. But even if your kids are young, it is important to include them and let them be heard. The family is moving, not just you.

Every decision should ultimately be made together. And you’d be surprised at what kids have to offer to a conversation when things are brought up that never crossed your mind. Why yes, this new town does have a rock-climbing gym.

Look Into The School District

Not this one, but the new one. You need to know where your kids will be going to school and if this is the right move for them. You can always change schools if it doesn’t work out, but planning it out beforehand is better.

Even if there is only one option, it can help both you and your children cope with the move better if you know what to expect. Fear of the unknown is the scariest part of moving, so keep everything out in the open.

Set A Budget

Before you even start, set a budget. A budget on a house, on moving, and the average cost of living in the area you will move to. The last one is something not many people consider at first. But each neighborhood has different standards.

If you find a cheap house it may be because there is something less than desirable about the neighborhood. Talk to your realtor to find out the details and ask them to be as transparent as possible for your family’s sake.

Contact A Realtor

There are two ways to do this. You can look up realtors in the area or you can find a house you are interested in and see which realtor is helping to sell it. Most sites like Zillow will show you which realtor is selling the house.

If you find a realtor you click with, hold onto them through the entire process. They know the area and everything that you want to know about it. Ask them general questions, not just about the houses you are interested in.

Plan Your Moving Team

Whether you use professional movers or have your friends help is up to you. But you need to plan this ahead of time. Contact the movers and let them know what date and what time you need them. Consider costs here.

Getting a moving team can be expensive if you hire a big-time company or even a private company. You can save costs by having friends help out but it could take longer and not be done as well. But you will oversee it.

Set The Date

Of course, before your movers know what time to be there, you need to know when you are moving. This might be a long trip since you’re moving to a new state, so start with a window before narrowing it down to a day then a time.

Contact everyone who will help out and let them know you’ve made your decision. If someone is unavailable, you’ll need to find a replacement, so let them know as soon as you can.

Plan The Trip

Because this isn’t a short trip, you want to plan it out. Plan your food, your mode of transportation, and more. This is especially important if you have kids or pets. You can learn these tips for moving with cats to help out there!

Even if you don’t have kids or pets, moving isn’t easy. You can eat out every meal, but planning a route can be helpful so you don’t waste any more time than you have to on deciding on the road.

Gather Supplies

Before you get in over your head with other preparations, it can help to gather boxes and packing supplies when you can. There are plenty of other tips to make packing easier, but this is a good place to start.

You can have friends gather what they have to save a lot of money. Buying online in bulk can really help too because buying one box at a time can start to add up. The post office can help sometimes too.

Go Through Your Stuff

Before you start packing stuff away, go through everything. Throw away what is useless and donate what you can. This goes for food as well. You can always donate unopened food that hasn’t expired and make a difference.

Or, if you are overly stressed, throw everything out or ask a friend to be in charge of disposing and donating. Most people don’t care to help out, especially for a chance to spend time with you before the move.

Rent A Storage Unit

This can help reduce stress by quite a bit, especially if your house is on the market. Take everything you are keeping and put it in a storage unit. You can put only the stuff you can’t take on your first trip.

If you do, then you won’t be pressured to take it all right away. You can store furniture you’re not sure about yet. It can be fairly cheap to rent a storage unit, so definitely look into it for both sides of the move.

Create A Furniture Floor Plan

Either draw out a floor plan that your new house has or get one from your realtor. Then, you can plan your furniture layout so you know what to buy. You can even use a great app for planning your house.

You’d hate to order a couch that was three inches too long. Save yourself the trouble by knowing exactly where you’re going to put each piece before you even move.

Contact Utility Company

You will need to shut off your water and electricity for your old house if you don’t want to be charged for it and you still own it. But more importantly, you need to make sure that it is turned on in your new house before you arrive.

Another thing you will need to do is contact internet providers. If you live away from town, it can be difficult to get good internet. Call a few options and see what has the best deal for your family.

Check All Subscriptions

This goes for gym memberships as well as things you wouldn’t think of like TV subscriptions. This may not seem relevant but a lot of subscriptions are connected to your IP address. If that changes, you may not be able to use them.

If you forget to do this, don’t worry. You just need to contact the provider and tell them that you have moved. They can easily reset this for you without deleting any data. You can pick up where you left off.

Call Friends And Family

When you have a peaceful night, sit down and contact friends and family members that don’t know you’re moving yet. It can be nice for you to have a break from the other stuff and make them feel valued that you told them.

Try to prioritize here. Start with family and close friends before moving onto distant relatives, other friends, and co-workers. News can travel fast, so be smart with the order of calls.

Check With School

Contact your childrens’ school and let them know about the move. This seems obvious but in the chaos of everything, it is easy to forget. This can cause confusion and even legal problems before things are ironed out.

There shouldn’t be any problems here, it’s just nice to be safe. Besides, your kid’s teachers need to know why the kid isn’t showing up to school. Even if it is summer, you should notify the school.

Pack A Carry-On

Sure, you have all of your belongings with you if you drive. But it can be surprisingly stressful to dig through them to find what you need. So take a carry-on for each person that will have everything they need for a couple of days.

If you stay at a hotel, you can have bags ready to take in with you just as if you’re taking a vacation. Which is what you should treat it as if you want to minimize stress. Make evenings enjoyable.

Change Your Address

Changing your address isn’t difficult but it can be a bigger deal than you’d think. Learn everything you need to know about changing your address before you move so you can be prepared to receive important mail.

Make a separate checklist for this because moving itself can be a lot to take on. When you get the USPS involved, you’ll need to keep things in order if you want to receive everything on time.

Create Proof Of Residency

Not only is changing your address important but so is making sure you have proof of residency. Without it, you can’t do everything else you need to do. The DMV won’t accept anything until you’ve done so.

Related: Making A Postal Address Change Via USPS

Before you update your license, you need to do this. Before you do just about anything else you need to do this after you move, or right before.

Update Your Driver’s License

After you have proof of residency, you can finally update your license. While this isn’t urgent, it is important, especially if you get pulled over. An updated driver’s license is important in the long run to prevent legal trouble and confusion.

Finally, everything is done and you can relax! Enjoy your new house, state, and town, because this is your new home.