Moving to a new home can be stressful, therefore you’ll want to prepare well and have a plan. Whether you hire professional movers or use a DIY approach, there is a lot to consider. We’ve assembled a comprehensive list of online resources to help you with your move. This is a ‘no-fluff’ list of moving resources.
Real Estate Resources
There are all sorts of variables for moving such as when, where, why, and how. One thing for sure is that you will need to find a place to live and if you currently own a home, you will likely need to sell it or rent it out. Here are some great online resources that will help you with things like searching for homes online, connecting with the top Realtors in the area, finding local property managers, and finding temporary housing.
Homes for Sale
Realtor.com or Homes.com: You may have noticed that Zillow is not one of the sites we listed. The reason is that Zillow does not show as much MLS data as other major sites. Many brokers do not syndicate their listings with Zillow, therefore, you may miss something if that is the only site that you are using for your search.
Long Term Rental Homes
Rent.com or Apartments.com: If you are looking for a rental property, Apartments.com and Rent.com are the best national sites for finding long term leases. These sites host over 1 million homes, townhomes, apartments, and condos for rent.
Short Term Rental Homes
Corporatehousing.com or Airbnb.com: Sometimes, the timing for leaving one home and moving into another doesn’t line up perfectly. If you find yourself in this situation and need a temporary place to stay, these sites will be a great resource. Corporatehousing.com has a robust inventory of furnished and unfurnished short-term rentals throughout the United States. Airbnb.com also has a large inventory of furnished short-term rentals nationwide.
Finding Local Real Estate Agents
Homelight.com or Ratedagent.com: Searching for homes online is a great way to start the moving process. At some point, you will want to work with a local Realtor to help you find your next home. If you are selling your current home, you will want to work with an experienced local Realtor for sure. Both of these websites are great resources to find agents with the specific skills and experience that you need.
Finding Property Managers
Allpropertymanagement.com or Thumbtack.com: If you want to keep the home that you are moving from, leasing it could be a great option. Hiring a local property manager will help alleviate the stress that comes with managing a rental property, especially if you are moving out of the area.
Top Moving Resources
Whether you are hiring a moving company to assist you or going the DIY route, these are resources that will help you find your way. From packing boxes to moving trucks, these resources will make things a little easier. Furthermore, it might be a better idea to take out a personal loan to help with these moving costs so that they are not digging into your budget for your new home. If you are hiring a moving company it can get very expensive so looking at websites like this one https://www.sofi.com/personal-loan-calculator/ might help you to find the right loan for your move and help to relax you when it comes to big costs.
Packing Boxes
Craigslist.com and Amazon.com: One thing is certain, you will need boxes to pack your personal belongings. We have provided a free option by the way of Craigslist.com. We checked listings for several cities and confirmed that there are many opportunities to acquire empty boxes of all sizes. You will have to go pick the boxes up and most likely take all of the boxes being offered, but they will be free. The other, not free option we’ve provided is to purchase a set of new boxes from Amazon.com and have them delivered directly to your home (free shipping with Amazon Prime).
Moving Companies
Moving.com and ConsumerAffairs.com: Moving companies offer several levels of moving services. You can hire a company to do everything from the packing to the unloading and furniture placement at your new destination. You can also hire a company to drop off a truck or shipping container and allow you to handle pretty much everything else. Moving.com will help you find moving companies of all levels of service for local moves and long-distance/interstate moves. Consumeraffairs.com is more geared towards finding moving companies for long-distance moves.
Storage Units
Storageunits.com: There are all sorts of reasons why you may need to rent a storage unit/space. You may need to store your belongings temporarily or long-term when moving. Storageunits.com is a one-stop shop for locating reputable storage units across the United States. When choosing a place to store your valuable possessions, it is important to make sure they are reputable and secure.
Local Utilities
You will need to contact local utility companies to stop service at your current home, subsequently, you will need to have utilities turned on at the new residence. It can be difficult to identify which providers cover your area. It can also be a challenge to find contact info for them.
Inmyarea.com: This online tool allows you to search utility companies by zip code. Find out which companies service your area and get their contact info instantly.
School Resources
Another top resource you will need when moving (if you have children) is local school information. This resource can help you get valuable information about the schools in the area you are moving to. It could also make sense to research schools before choosing a specific area to move to. You might choose to move to an area based on which school system your children would go to.
Niche.com or GreatSchools.org: Both of these sites provide a great resource for school info, ratings, district maps, reviews, and more! Just type in a zip code and get all the relevant school data that you need.
Pet Moving Resources
Our pets are also our children, therefore, we are adding some great moving resources for pet owners. We are providing website resources to help with various aspects of moving your pet to a new area.
Pet Registration
PetData.com: It is important to know the pet licensing laws and requirements in the city/county that you are moving to. Petdata.com offers a zip code search for this information. This site provides registration pricing and vaccination requirements in your new area. You can register your pet online for most areas.
Pet-Friendly Lodging, Restaurants, and Parks
Hotels.petswelcome.com: Will you be traveling long-distance with your pet(s)? This site is just the resource that you need! Use the ‘trip planner’ to find all the pet-friendly hotels along your route. Hotels.petswelcome.com provides specific pet policies, restrictions, and fees for each hotel along your route. You can book the hotel directly on this site.
BringFido.com: Bring Fido is geared specifically for dog-friendly places. Easily search for dog-friendly hotels, restaurants, and activity areas on this site.
Dog Sitters, Day Care, Boarding
Rover.com: This website is going to be extremely useful for dog owners needing trustworthy care for their pup. When you need a top-notch dog sitter for short-term or long-term boarding, Rover.com is the best way to find them. All service providers on Rover.com go through a basic background check. Search through profiles and reviews to find the right person to take care of your little buddy.
No Fluff Moving Checklist
To keep things “moving” along in the right direction, you will need a great checklist. We have created a straight-forward, no fluff moving checklist to assist you with organization and timelines.
