If you've ever moved to another state, come in here.

[pontifex]

So I made a post asking about Broomfield, Co earlier as there may be a job opportunity there. I have never moved to another house or apartment even in my own state before, let alone a completely different one.

I've never been very far outside of PA, maybe WV is the furthest I've ever been and that was when I was a kid on vacation. I'd also be on my own with no family. I may have some co-workers that I currently work with moving to the same area as well, so there may be a few familiar people there.

What advice could you guys give to someone who may need to move for a job, especially if you've never been to the city/state before. I'm just looking for general advice and info.

How do you find out if you'll be able to live comfortably in a new place (as in affording to live there)? Will I be living paycheck to paycheck on my salary or will I have money to spare and be able to enjoy life?

How do you find an apartment/house without being there?

What kinds of things do you need to get changed? Obviously address changes for mail, etc and driver's license, but anything else?

 

[mizzou]

finding a house or apt. is easy. Just drive around the area you want to live =), i spent a whole weekend driving around St. Louis when I first moved here, there are apts everywhere. The ad papers don't really do justice except for the few houses that are rented by a singular owner not business.

Those web rankings of city costs are pretty accurate, I.E., Chicago + new york freaking expensive, places liek St. Louis you could live like a king w/ similar salary

 

[pontifex]

finding a house or apt. is easy. Just drive around the area you want to live =), i spent a whole weekend driving around St. Louis when I first moved here, there are apts everywhere. The ad papers don't really do justice except for the few houses that are rented by a singular owner not business.

Those web rankings of city costs are pretty accurate, I.E., Chicago + new york freaking expensive, places liek St. Louis you could live like a king w/ similar salary

What web rankings are you referring to? Have a link?

 

[mizzou]

What web rankings are you referring to? Have a link?

no, I'm sure you could just google it. salary websites do the same thing, they compare what you have to make in order to figure out standard of living.


The easiest basepoint is to look at the cost of home ownership/ renting. that's one of the biggest costs you will encounter and can give you an idea of what to expect.

next would be costs of services, look up prices to go to the ball park and restaurant prices online of well traveled establishments.

 

[olds]

http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/CO-Broomfield.html

 

[Chaotic42]

As an adult I've moved away from home three times and I kept coming back. Finding an apartment is just a matter of looking online. Ask your new employer for recommendations on where to live. Once you find a few places you'd like to live, you can then start figuring out what fits your budget. Again, ask your employer about cost of energy, taxes, etc.

The biggest problem I had in moving away was change in culture. Colorado will probably be very different from Pennsylvania. I moved to Indiana and New York from Mississippi, and as you can imagine, the changes were dramatic. Indiana was like moving back to the 1950s (not always a bad thing, but in some cases...). Upstate New York was beautiful but the people were a lot less socialible at first.

Colorado is on my short list of places to live in the US though.

 

[roguerower]

In school I had two internships in different cities/states and when I graduated I had a job lined up halfway across the country.

First internship was in Manhattan, KS. 20yo. Found the place through CL. College house living right off of DT. Got extremely lucky. Worked out well.

Second internship was in Norfolk, VA. 21yo. Lived with a friend who just graduated and is an ensign in the navy. His place, I just paid him money for a bedroom. Worked out well.

First job, San Antonio, TX. 22yo. Currently reside here. Found the place online using things like proximity to work, price range, age of development. Drive is 10mi round trip a day. High on the price range but the development is brand new and in a decent part of town.

You just got to figure out what you want out of a place and then put them in a list and rank them. If location is you #1 you might have to shell out a fair bit of cash, etc.

 

[mizzou]

-1 for moving to places you aren't familiar of or desire. I'm not saying it won't work out or it isn't the logical choice, but there is considerable risk you will hate it there.

I'm sure a good job will make you put up with anything.

Case and point, I've been to pheonix before and despise it with passion, almost as much as Kansas City. I would be hard pressed to move there even with a lucrative job offer

EDIT: I happen to love Colorado, I would move there in a heartbeat

 

[AreaCode707]

Driving laws are different so read up.

People vary a LOT place to place. I've lived on the West Coast all my life and people are very very (but subtly) different in Seattle, Washington than in Northern California. People in Seattle don't get together to hang out at each other's homes. They don't invite people over. They don't typically extend acquaintanceships into friendships. It's nothing personal, it's just how they are. Took me a while to realize what was going on and take the initiative to build a strong group of mostly non-Seattle friends.

My family moved to Arkansas and had a different cross-cultural experience around how people interact. It surprises me that there are cultural microcosms this small but it definitely is the case.

 

[StageLeft]

I've done it and moved countries also. State to state is not bad but things that will increase stress/anxiety to stratospheric levels:

1) Having no money before the move
2) Being rushed to find a new place
3) Leaving spouse, kids, etc.
4) Not owning a car you can bring along
5) Having to move furniture (if someone else is doing it you have to deal with logistics/timing and if you are you could end up at the new location without any help to move, say, a couch)

You can close an apartment fast. Just get a cheap hotel for a few days until you find an apartment. I did this once and it was ok. Having no money is perhaps the worst because even putting money down on things sucks

If you:

1) Aren't leaving family
2) Have some money (e.g. credit cards aren't maxed out)
3) Time to find a place
4) Willingness to rent furniture (a local place can deliver it for you and set it up)

then moving can be fairly painless. Moving countries is magnitudes worse than state to state because you have all of the above plus have to deal with immigration and factors such as having to get a social security card, having no credit, etc. When I moved to the US it was an epic pain in the ass. When I moved states it was a small fraction of the pain, though by then I did have transport, money, etc. so everything was much more greased.

I honestly think that despite cultural differences in various places people are for the most part more similar than not, so I'd not be on the look out for biases or stereotypes; you may find you don't find them if you're not looking for them. For example, I always thought that people from Quebec are stuck up assholes but frankly I was there this week, speaking in English the whole time (another no-no, or so I heard) and didn't even get so much as a scowl. They were all just fine and had no issues or apparent distaste in talking in English

 

[pontifex]

I've done it and moved countries also. State to state is not bad but things that will increase stress/anxiety to stratospheric levels:

1) Having no money before the move
2) Being rushed to find a new place
3) Leaving spouse, kids, etc.
4) Not owning a car you can bring along
5) Having to move furniture (if someone else is doing it you have to deal with logistics/timing and if you are you could end up at the new location without any help to move, say, a couch)

You can close an apartment fast. Just get a cheap hotel for a few days until you find an apartment. I did this once and it was ok. Having no money is perhaps the worst because even putting money down on things sucks

If you:

1) Aren't leaving family
2) Have some money (e.g. credit cards aren't maxed out)
3) Time to find a place
4) Willingness to rent furniture (a local place can deliver it for you and set it up)

then moving can be fairly painless.

I honestly think that despite cultural differences in various places people are for the most part more similar than not, so I'd not be on the look out for biases or stereotypes; you may find you don't find them if you're not looking for them. For example, I always thought that people from Quebec are stuck up assholes but frankly I was there this week, speaking in English the whole time (another no-no, or so I heard) and didn't even get so much as a scowl. They were all just fine and had no issues or apparent distaste in talking in English

I have some money, not a whole lot (less than 10k). Part of the reason for the move would be for the money (salary is about twice what I make now).
I'm single so that helps. I would be leaving family and friends all in PA, and that would be very difficult.

I haven't been offered the job yet, so all this might be a waste of time too.

 

[shortylickens]

Online is a good way to find locations, but NOT prices. They always lie. Always.

 

[Bignate603]

I have some money, not a whole lot (less than 10k). Part of the reason for the move would be for the money (salary is about twice what I make now).
I'm single so that helps. I would be leaving family and friends all in PA, and that would be very difficult.

I haven't been offered the job yet, so all this might be a waste of time too.

$10k will cover the move and the costs of getting everything that is an absolute necessity, even if you have to buy some furniture. If you don't have furniture my recommendation would be to buy the absolute bare minimum that you need when you get there. This pretty much consists of a bed, a table to eat at with at least 2 chairs, maybe a dresser, a book case or two, a desk (if you use one), a TV stand (if you have a TV) and a chair that you can lounge around in. Either get stuff that you'll like to have for a few years (probably the bed, your chair for lounging, and maybe your table to eat at or desk) or get stuff that you won't feel bad about getting rid of in the next year. As you get an idea of how much disposable income you have you can buy one or two pieces of furniture at a time until you've got your place set up just the way you like it. Don't make the mistake of trying to setup your whole place all at once. Either you'll chew through your savings or you'll end up with cheaper stuff that you won't want in a few years. You're a single guy so you can pace yourself and make sure the stuff you get is really what you want.

 

[Jesusthewererabbit]

The Denver area is a pretty good place to move to, and not too terribly expensive. It shouldn't be hard to find a place to live, and as long as you're on the northwest side you shouldn't have too long of a commute, even if you find a place in like Longmont. Boulder isn't much farther, but it's quite a bit pricier, but also a neater place to live. Do you have a lot of stuff that you can't live without for a while? I would definately store, sell, or give away the bigger stuff like furnishings, and buy new stuff when I got there, as long as you can afford it, and it sounds like you should be able to. It will be much easier, and most places will deliver, so you won't be stuck without help.

I would start calling apartment complexes a few weeks before I went. Do some research, look at classifieds in Denver area newspapers, etc., and have some places to look at when you get there. Try to find a place that you can be satisified with for at least a couple of years, because, honestly, moving to a new apartment every six months sucks giant donkey dong.

 

[IronWing]

Changing plates on your car can be expensive. Some states (KY comes to mind) ream people moving in while other states are okay. So that is an expense you want to check on ahead of time.

Coloradans are a bit less friendly and more stand offish than you might be used to. It's a cultural difference that can smack you in the face if you're from a place where everyone greets folks with a smile and a wave.

Colorado has wind, no, real wind, not like Wyoming wind but stronger and more regular than what you get in Pennsylvania. It drives some folks nuts.

Sun, glorious sun.

Figure out where the Denver light rail system is and where it is expanding to and see if you can find an apartment within walking distance.

Denver and the surrounding area has a system of greenways and linear parks. Being close to one might be something to look for as well.

Keep careful track of your pay stubs and tax records. The state you left and the state you move to will try to tax you on what you earned throughout the whole year. Keep careful records to avoid getting double taxed.

 

[SportSC4]

I made almost the opposite move you might take. I went from CO to MD.
My girlfriend (now fiancee) made the move out here with me but we really had no plan.

When they flew me out to MD for my interview (it was an internship), I took a little extra time and looked at several apartment complexes and got a lot of good advice. A also spoke with a lot of the people I ended up working with and they offered lots of good advice. I think I also posted here on AT and received even more good advice.

Well, we drove out to MD and stayed at a hotel for a couple days and got REALLY lucky with our first apartment - I don't think we're going to do that again. The only other apartment we found with availability meant that we would have had to hotel it for 3 weeks.

If you want any advice on the Broomfield area, let me know (just PM me) and I'll help you as much as I can.
In general, asking people on AT is a good idea. Do a lot of online research, have a good sized list of apartments to check out (websites, CL, recommendations from people, etc). Fly out for a few days to check out apartments. Don't move out with a lot of stuff (unless if you have a lot of really nice things, it's NOT worth it)! From PA to CO, you will easily spend around 2500$ to move out a bunch of furniture that may not be worth it and deal with lots of headaches with shipping companies. Sell your old stuff, drive to your new state with your clothing/computer/personal affects/etc, and buy new furniture/cookware/homewares/etc when you find an apartment. You can always fly back to PA and ship any other non-essential items via FedEx/UPS/USPS - since you have family there.

 

[SportSC4]

Coloradans are a bit less friendly and more stand offish than you might be used to. It's a cultural difference that can smack you in the face if you're from a place where everyone greets folks with a smile and a wave.

Sun, glorious sun.

Keep careful track of your pay stubs and tax records. The state you left and the state you move to will try to tax you on what you earned throughout the whole year. Keep careful records to avoid getting double taxed.

Someone here in MD visited CO not too long ago and told me the opposite, said that people in CO were freekishly nice, he was kind of spooked by it.

Yes, the sun is brutal. I forgot how brutal it was until I went back.

You may also be able to write off a lot of your moving expenses when tax season comes. Keep all receipts!

 

[sjwaste]

Depending on your career level, the company offering you a job, etc. there should be a relocation package anyway. They'll usually cover some moving expenses and temporary housing. The amounts are often negotiable.

Basically, negotiate enough to cover movers, transporting your car, a house hunting trip, the final flight out there, and a month of temp housing. The last is important, because you may not find a place right away, or the place you find might not be available for a little while.

The one time I did move, from NJ to VA, I think I got 2k in relo and it was an entry level job. It covered renting a truck, finding a place, and a month of temp housing. I probably could've gotten movers too, since I had so little and wasn't going far. If you're moving across the country, the amount should be more.

If you can, negotiate actuals for those specific services that you need and let them coordinate the move if they want.

 

[Miramonti]

I've found www.epodunk.com helpful, as well as apartments.com to get an idea for apartment rates etc. Gotta go visit and talk to people and see neighborhoods, check proximity to work, costcoP), traffic, etc.

 

[pontifex]

Depending on your career level, the company offering you a job, etc. there should be a relocation package anyway. They'll usually cover some moving expenses and temporary housing. The amounts are often negotiable.

Basically, negotiate enough to cover movers, transporting your car, a house hunting trip, the final flight out there, and a month of temp housing. The last is important, because you may not find a place right away, or the place you find might not be available for a little while.

The one time I did move, from NJ to VA, I think I got 2k in relo and it was an entry level job. It covered renting a truck, finding a place, and a month of temp housing. I probably could've gotten movers too, since I had so little and wasn't going far. If you're moving across the country, the amount should be more.

If you can, negotiate actuals for those specific services that you need and let them coordinate the move if they want.

They are not offering relocation packages at all.

 

[Zedtom]

Coloradans are a bit less friendly and more stand offish than you might be used to. It's a cultural difference that can smack you in the face if you're from a place where everyone greets folks with a smile and a wave.

Sorry to veer off topic Pontifex, but IronWing is correct. Coloradans are friendly until you cross them. Then watch out! This is not so much a problem with women but the dudes in Colorado are happy to carry grudges and they have long memories.

 

[shortylickens]

Sorry to veer off topic Pontifex, but IronWing is correct. Coloradans are friendly until you cross them. Then watch out! This is not so much a problem with women but the dudes in Colorado are happy to carry grudges and they have long memories.

That makes sense. I know a tomboy from Colorado and she's an evil raving bitch-wise and beautiful woman. And she thinks she's pretty nice by her standards.

 

[BoomerD]

I worked construction for 30+ years, much of it chasing the trade, booming the big jobs, then packing up and heading off to the next one. SInce 1980, I've lived in Washington, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada, and Kahleeforneeya, plus spent anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months in 3-4 more states.

For a couple of years, it seemed like as soon as my wife got everything unpacked and life was getting back to normal after the move, I'd come hom and tell her, "Let's get packed up. I drug up today...we have to be on the next job on Monday...and it's 1000 miles away."

It's a miracle I'm still alive.

 

[PowerEngineer]

I made a cross country move two years after finishing college (PA to OR) and never regretted it! Decided I might as well live full time in a place I'd likely choose to go on vacation. Do it before marriage and kids lock you down.

My advice is to sell off most everything you have now to minimize moving hassles, and then buy replacements in CO as you need them. My rusty east coast car was worth much less in Portland (plus you may want a different kind of vehicle when you're a mile high and near real mountains)!

Even if they aren't offering relocation packages, they might be willing to help you find a place to rent based on their knowledge of the area. Unreimbursed relocation costs are usually tax deductable, so keep track of them.

Find and join groups that are involved in your outside activities and hobbies. These can jump start your social life.

Good luck!

 

[RedCOMET]

Hey OP...

I moved from Pittsburgh, PA down to Lafayette, Louisana right after college for a job. I saw bunch of the area when i was down their for job interviews. Then after college i drove back to LA to check out apartmetns in detail. I looked at few places and then started getting thinks lined up before my work start date.

The only person i knew down in Louisiana was a guy I interviewed with. He started a few months before me. I also met a bunch of people who were just fresh out of college like me. my office was hiring a lot of folk so there were 10 or so new hires that were in the same situation as me.. moving to a new city and didnt know any body. I basically hung out with people i knew from work. And things were out.

I met my girlfriend down there... although she's a transplant to the area as well ( from California). My gf and I moved back up to PA b/c shes going to grad school.

I was given a lump sum of money to help with relocation. That covered a Uhaul truck rental. However, I didn't move my stuff from PA to LA until like 4 months after i started work. I had my clothing, my computer, internet and an air mattress, and some basic cook ware. It was enough for me until i was able to get the rest of my gear. And you be suprised at what youi can live without. After a while. I just stopped using the air matress and slept on the floor.

I"m happy i took the plunged and moved to a totally random state. And Louisiana and PA are worlds apart in culture, climate and just about any thing else.