A lot of preparation goes into moving to a new neighborhood, and it can be overwhelming. Between finding your way around town, starting a new job, and making new friends, it can be stressful. After all, you’re making a huge life change, and you want to get it right. But, if you take it one step at a time, you’ll be able to enjoy the research process and learn more about what your new life will look like. In this blog post, we’ll lay out some tips to make the moving process a little less stressful.
If you’re moving for work, make sure you research and ask your employer about relocation benefits. Employers often cover part of the cost of moving, but you won’t know if you don’t ask!
Research Your New City or Neighborhood
With all that goes on in preparing for a move, it can be hard to take the time to learn about your new neighborhood.
- Read up on all of the important factors that make an area desirable, including home values, school ratings, local crime rate, parks, shopping, entertainment venues, local culture, and even traffic patterns in the area.
- Jump on to your favorite social media and use hashtags to search for local recommendations and reviews about new gyms, restaurants, yoga studios, and other amenities in your area.
- If you’re on Facebook, join a Facebook group for your new neighborhood. Many areas have a “Buy Nothing” or “Freecycle” page, where neighbors can post items they no longer need or want and offer them for free to the community. If you’re moving with limited funds and furniture, this is a great way to stretch your budget without buying something new.
If time and distance allow this, you should try to visit the area in person before you move. You can only find out so much online, and you’ll want to get a “feel” for the place before deciding whether or not this is the neighborhood for you. When visiting, make sure to scope out your future home itself, as well as the surrounding area. What’s walkable from where you’ll be living? Does the “vibe” of the area seem like it matches your own?
Get to Know Your Neighbors
If you weren’t able to meet them before the move, one of the first things you should do after moving into your new home is to get to know your neighbors. While social media is an effective way for many people to stay connected and share information, nothing beats a face-to-face conversation.
Chatting with a new neighbor can seem intimidating, but if you like them, you could consider a couple of options for spending more time together. Ask them about what they love most about living in this area; invite them over for dinner or go over to their house; find out where they go when they want a good meal, a good workout, or even just some adventure. Your new neighbors likely have great advice for places to eat and more.
Figure Out Your Transportation Options
Figuring out how to get back and forth between your new home, work, and other destinations will be a big part of acclimating to the area. Before you move, one thing to check is if it is feasible to walk, bike, or take public transportation to work.
The benefits of walking or biking to work are numerous and can include saving money on gas or public transportation costs. It helps you stay healthy and it can also be beneficial for the environment.
However, if you’re thinking about switching from driving to one of these modes of transportation, keep in mind that the distance should be reasonable. Wherever your new work office is located, it could be best to remain at most a few miles away—or at least close enough so that walking or biking there isn’t too difficult.
If walking or biking doesn’t work, check out your community’s public transportation options. Cities often have public transit systems that can significantly cut down on costs in the long run. Knowing where bus routes go and when they are scheduled to arrive is essential for optimizing this option. If you are considering public transportation, Tucson has two options: Suntran and Sun Link Streetcar. The city of Tucson has two bus services covering the metropolitan area. As of 2022, the cost to ride the Suntran is $1.75 for adults or $4 for a day pass. The Sun Link rides all around town with one-way tickets at $1.74, and 24-hour passes at $4.50. This can also reduce wasted time looking for parking spaces in crowded areas. If you decide public transportation isn’t for you, there are other options you might want to explore instead (or as an alternative).
For example, looking into carpooling with coworkers can be a great option. Ridesharing is a great way to save money on gas and car maintenance while also helping the environment by reducing your carbon footprint (the number of greenhouse gases released into our atmosphere from burning fossil fuels). Of course, it’s important to consider if any of your coworkers live nearby before making this choice as it might not be practical or even possible depending on geographic factors such as distance and traffic flow.
You Don’t Have to Do It Alone. Engage in Your Community!
When you’re starting out in a new town, it’s normal to feel isolated. We are creatures of habit, and you’ve just gone from a comfortable place that you knew well to something completely unfamiliar. Battle this feeling by finding ways to meet other people in the community and get involved.
Here are a couple of ideas:
- Join a club or volunteering group. If you have any interests or hobbies, look for local clubs and associations that you can join. Whether it be sport, fitness, music, theater, or art, there will always be a way to get involved in your local community. You can find the perfect volunteer opportunity by visiting volunteermatch.org
- Look for social organizations for professionals. In most cities and even towns, there are one or more organizations that give professionals opportunities to mingle and meet.
- Attend community council or community planning meetings and introduce yourself or consider hosting a neighborhood block party or a potluck.
- Whether you are new to the neighborhood, or just need to meet some more new friends, these are great ways to get outside and get involved in your community.
Welcome Home.
Following these tips will make the move easier and more comfortable for you. Now that you know about them, you won’t miss out on the good things your neighborhood offers, and that will make it feel more like home. Good luck with your move, and may you love your new neighborhood!
Ready to call Tucson home? Contact me, Rick Sack, by phone at 520.918.5477 or by email at rick@buytucsonlots.com to find your ideal parcel of land.
