Moving interstate is a big deal and is riddled with challenges that need to be addressed before you can make the move. As you may already know, moving house in itself is a huge task, but interstate moving comes with its own set of problems that may affect your move in many ways.
It’s not just the relocation itself that can trigger certain problems. It may be that you have to change your lifestyle and adapt to a totally new environment or that you have to say goodbye to your friends and family members (at least for a while). Whatever it might be, being prepared in advance is always a good thing.
You will have to face many interstate moving challenges before, during, and after the relocation. So to prepare yourself in advance and tackle these challenges successfully, it’s best to know what they are beforehand.
4 Interstate Moving Challenges You Need to Handle
Challenge #1: Downsizing Your Home
Downsizing is the first challenge to overcome when relocating interstate. If you want to move your entire house into another state, you won’t be able to do it on your own. Also, if you do so, you would have to pay an exorbitant amount of money as the relocation cost.
You may have a lot of things in your possession that you do not use anymore or simply would not require in the new home. It is always wiser to downsize before you move so that you do not have to waste money on moving items that can easily be disposed of.
The Solution:
Downsizing can be emotionally challenging, especially when parting with your stuff. The best way to deal with this challenge is by starting early and getting rid of unnecessary items before your move date arrives. It will make it easier for you to get rid of things you really don’t need.
The solution is to create three piles: keep, toss and donate/sell. The keep pile should include everything you will take with you on the move. Make sure this pile is not too large, making the moving process more difficult and expensive. The toss pile should include everything that needs to be thrown away because it’s broken or unusable (e-waste such as old computers). The third pile should contain items that still work, but you don’t need them.
Make a list of all items that you want to take with you. Afterward, compare the number of items with the total space available in your new house and then choose only those items that will fit within that space.
Challenge #2: Managing the Relocation Within a Budget
Relocation costs can be a major roadblock for any family relocation. When you don’t have a budget for your move, you may end up paying a lot more or feel yourself in need of money at the last minute.
Interstate moves are usually expensive as compared to local moves because of the long-distance that needs to be covered — which means you may have to spend some time budgeting for the move.
The Solution:
Experts say that one should start preparing for a few months before they actually plan the move. This will help them save money by creating a suitable budget and planning accordingly so that they can deal with all expenses related to the move without any hassle or inconvenience. There are several budget considerations that go in an interstate move like:
- The cost of hiring real estate agents to look for a new home
- The initial cost of a deposit for your new home
- The cost of hiring interstate removalists
- The cost of home cleaning services
- The cost of transporting your car to the new location
- The cost of hiring sitters for your kids and pets
Make sure to factor in all of these costs when you set the budget.
Relocating can be very expensive, so you can think of ways to sell your stuff. Consider holding a yard sale if you have things to sell or starting a side hustle to make extra money. Either way, coming up with a relocation budget is one of the first and most important steps in organizing an interstate move.
Challenge #3: Improper planning of the Move
One of the biggest mistakes that people make when moving interstate is not taking enough time to plan their move. This can result in many things going wrong on your moving day.
So many people think that they will just wing it, or that they can get everything done in one weekend. Then when moving day finally arrives, they realize how much there actually is to do and how unprepared they are for their big move.
This is why it is so important to take enough. The more time you have to plan for your move, the less stress you will feel on moving day.
The Solution:
Don’t just start packing all your stuff without a proper plan. Once you’ve decided when to move, you need to list out all the things you have to do and then create a moving timeline. Make sure to include some leisure time as there are chances of things taking longer than you expect.
Once you have a timeline, you can stick with it to ensure that you get all the moving chores done in time for your moving day without any stress.
Challenge #4: Following the Local Regulations
This is another big challenge that people face when they move interstate because every state has different sets of rules and regulations. When you don’t follow the regulations or pack stuff that isn’t allowed inside the state, you may need to pay a huge fine and it could also derail your moving schedule.
The Solution:
If you are moving into a state where there are additional rules related to interstate movers such as taxes, permits, etc., then it’s best if you discuss with your interstate mover how they can help you in this situation. Interstate movers have complete knowledge of the state regulations and the things that aren’t allowed. So make sure to talk to the movers.
Conclusion
Moving to another state is a big deal. It requires a lot of planning and research to make it successful. There are many challenges that you may face when moving. Only by knowing the challenges and their possible solutions can you make your move easier and less stressful.
Improve your chances of making a successful move by becoming aware of some of these most common interstate moving challenges and overcoming them using our solutions.