Tips on moving across the country?

We have a great home and good jobs however we are tired of being mortgage poor. We are planning on selling and moving across the country next year so we can buy a house cash and actually enjoy our kids being little. Has anyone done this? Any tips or tricks with such big moves? We will definitely be downsizing in order to make this happen
37 Likes

Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Tips on moving across the country?

Meet people in the FIRE movement. Some have even moved out of the USA for financial reasons. FYI, in the movement we only exchange ideas and educate each other. NO ONE SHOULD ASK FOR MONEY- Those are scammers. There are online groups.

4 Likes

We made the mistake of not coming to see the house we were buying until we’d already bought it so plan a few extra trips before the move

2 Likes

No advice but good luck!!

The people doing this and moving to smaller towns/cities to buy our housing market, are upping our market and so many people and families are now homeless. It’s hurting our small towns

11 Likes

Do a scouting trip and find out about the area you’re moving to.
Also We had a company park a semi truck trailer out front, we loaded it, over 2 days and they drove it to our destination. We moved from MI to OK.

2 Likes

My fiance and I quit both our jobs and moved from Michigan to Colorado. We were lucky enough to have family who were selling one of their homes. We’re on a mesa off grid so no power bill, we use mostly wood during the colder months to save cost on propane and our water is free but we have to tote it to the house. Over the past 2 years have been learning to can and store produce from our garden with hopes to get a couple pigs, cows and chickens in the next year or so. We’re also buying some lots to build tiny homes and RV hook up for campers for a cash flow.

19 Likes

I’m surprised everyone didn’t tell you to call cps on this thread…

17 Likes

As long as you have visited said place and cost of living is cheaper do it. I did it and no regrets.

1 Like

we did this last year, DO NOT USE Atlas Van Lines / AMJ Campbell. the damaged furniture cost more $ than the cost of the move, along with belongings missing from boxes. and they do not wrap/protect belonging.

2 Likes

Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Tips on moving across the country?

Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Tips on moving across the country?

Look at Redfin to see what real estate is doing in the area you plan to move to. Check areas 10 minutes from your “goal city”. Sometimes moving just a few miles can provide more affordable housing.

Join groups for the city you plan to move to.

Research the school district. Diversity. Graduation rates. Extra curricular activities.

Make a wish list. Make a reality list for the house you need. Find a realtor in the area.

If religion is your thing, pray. :four_leaf_clover:

19 Likes

Move with just the essentials and buy new big stuff. So much easier that way.

1 Like

Do it! If you have the means and drive, absolutely do it with no regrets

3 Likes

We sold our two story, 3 bedroom, two bath home and downsized to a camper 4 years ago. Best decision we ever made.

6 Likes

Idk about the housing buying since it’s a sellers market however I have moved my family across country… Literally sold everything we could gave away tons packed up and left! Not trying to move a house made the move/ lifestyle change sooo much easier! It can really be a new fresh beginning :heart:

1 Like

First make sure you can handle the climate your going to… visit in all seasons … I’d your going from a tropical paradise and come to the Midwest or where it snows alot and heavy there’s a chance you loose power so you have to prepare yourself … on the opposite end it can get very hot and not a dry heat a wet heavy heat that makes it hard to breathe in some climates … if your already coming from a similar climate your good but if your not visit multiple times you also get to get a feel for the towns you want to live in… make sure where your moving to is in a good school district … as for the actual move … sell as much as you possibly can like everything so you can fit in a vehicle comfortably and just drive there… buy new furniture and a new house if your down sizing you won’t want to move everything and find out it doesn’t fit

2 Likes

I live in a small town in Texas and have met a number of people that cashed out their house, moved here and paid cash for their house and some have acreage to go with it. Just know that the small towns may not have all the stuff you get in the city. Good luck with your adventure.

5 Likes

Have very little to go off of.
Are you moving from west coast, CA, OR, WA out the east coast or vice versa?
Are you moving from FL to Idaho,from CT to NM.
Having that type of info can help the people with an understanding of where you are going to or coming from.
$200k house in NY might be a $400k in the middle of Wyoming.
$100k in the desert of AZ might be a $500k I. CT.
Lots aof variables in you questions.
But a good start would be a realtor that deals with military just saying

Depends where you are moving

2 Likes

Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Tips on moving across the country?

Are you in uk? Or USA?
We are planning to move from London as everything is double price here. We will move up north where is cheaper and life slower down.

1 Like

I am not moving, not moving my kids, everything I need is here. That’s crazy to me.

1 Like

Not across country, but 9 hours north in Ontario. I can afford to work part time as the sole income now even without being mortgage free.

Any specific questions?

2 Likes

I think it all depends on your needs. My husband and I spent our lives collecting antique furniture and he is also a furniture maker so I was not selling all my stuff. We payed for a moving truck and it was the best for us. Yes a little costly but so is replacing everything when you getbto your destination. We have a 7 year old and we choose to drive at night so she would sleep and we did 13 hours in one go. It worked for us. We also used AMJ Campbell and nothing was broken or lost the guys were amazing. So I guess it matter what truck driver you get. No with that said my bestie just moved here also and she chose to not bring everything and they bought a trailer and brought their own things she sold all her furniture and stuff. And they have a young son and took 5 days to drive up and made a vacation out of it, and that worked for them. Their is no right answer. Basically you need to binge all your junk. Decide if your going to hire movers? Then plan your drive.
We are in new brunswick mortgage free. Working for our selves and spending so much time as a family bestchoice I ever made!

7 Likes

Just did this…you can PM me for details. Start downsizing now! Go through every drawer and closet, basket, etc. if you haven’t used it in the last year - get rid of it. Take some time to investigate where you want to go and join the local FB pages to get a sense of community, look at City Counsel to see what the 20 yr / 40 yr growth plan is for the community. Are they moving in the right direction for future home values? Good luck!

6 Likes

I’m not quite sure that’s going to be possible. Where I live now Tennessee you used to be able to rent for $300 a month NOW I pay $800 and it’s going up in November. These “Small towns” are being taken over with people trying to do what you want to do and the prices are reflecting the influx of people now housing is no longer affordable. Best of luck do research

2 Likes

And we wound up with awesome neighbors.

1 Like

Doing the same, our kids and grandbabies are 5 hours away , it hurts!! But it is such a big move finding a house, new jobs ugh!! Where do you even start

do as much as you can prior to the move… if you know someone where you are looking ask if they will look at an apt for you or arrange for one of you to do this step when I moved across country the first thing I did was hire an insurance agent for health ins, found out what I would need next I found a place to rent so I could take my time finding a place to buy and sent a friend to look at it, next find a reliable moving company but sell as much of the bigger items first and finally never be afraid to take a leap even if you have no one to help at your destination

Best advice I can give you because we just did this make sure you have birth certificates and social security cards for everyone. No one told us but moving into a new state isn’t instant. Switch your car tags first. It DEF is a transition. It takes about 30 days to get established with enough domicile to get your license change to enroll kids into school. I wish someone had told me that; we went in blind moving from Atlanta to Gulfport. Good luck with your move!

1 Like

If your kids are in school, wait for summer break. Look up places and actually visit them. Get rid of stuff not used or needed now. Start boxing up what you can (baby books, important papers not needed but can’t get rid of, etc). Accept that you will lose basically every friend you thought you had.

not sure where you plan to move to but do some research first–apartments and rental homes are pretty much non-existant where I am and the neighboring states and if you are planning to buy–the housing prices are through the roof

2 Likes

yard sale yard sale yard sale save that money for professional packers. then google image google crime google schools research research and then take a mini vacation there. zillow zillow and redfin every house taxes super important.best of luck we moved from chicago to Kentucky best decision i’ve ever made

We did this exact thing :heart_eyes:
Made a profit selling our house in a bigger city… moved to the next state over in a smaller town and bought a way better house for us cash. We work too but not a traditional 40 hours a week and we get so much time with our kids. :heart:
Not worrying about a mortgage really takes you out of that struggle. You won’t regret it

2 Likes

I just did this we prepped for 3 years (we didn’t need to wait that long just waited for hubby to finish school). We stopped buying furniture and decor and saved that money. Husband found a job that paid moving expenses and the cheapest and fastest because we had 3 kids was to pile it all on a uhaul and added a tug to put our vehicle on and drove from LA to Dallas. I flew with 3 kids and 3 luggage. I had Amazon deliver air bed the day of arrival along with small tool kit and Amazon fresh (they sell cleaning products and household items and meds). I scheduled Ikea delivery with kids new bedrooms and kitchen and bathroom items. My husband arrived a couple of days later. Keep in mind lots of moving services are over inflating their prices because there is a mass exodus of people moving. Also the moving services are all subcontracted and then subbed again. There is no way to ensure your belonging will arrive safe and on time and they always take several weeks because your belongings can be taken off a truck and put in another to reduce prices for hauling companies. We went from paying $2200 for 800 sq ft 2 bed 1 bath apt to buying a 2500 sq ft home for $1600 in an upscale suburb 10 grading for all levels of schools. Definitely worth the move. In our hustle and bustle of living in LA we didn’t realize how much it trickled down to kids even they feel less stress and love their new life.

4 Likes

Wrong time to think about moving. Houses are wya to high. Most homes are worth 30-50k less than what they are out on market for and most won’t negotiate prices either. I’d say save back pack up what you don’t need and sell what you don’t want and wait it out for the next year. We are stuck in a 1 bedroom rental with a 3 year old and we don’t even have dorks privacy. We pay 500 bucks for like 800 Sq foot house and it’s not enough room but we came to the conclusion that these houses on market are ridiculous. We go back look at what appraised for last year alone and it’s somehow jumped double nope not worth it. There’s nothing you can do to a house unless it’s completely gutted and you gotta throw tons of money into it to make the price double like they are. Save save save for now and move later. You will appreciate that

1 Like

We moved from Denver to Wilmington, NC. I’m originally from North Carolina. If I had it to do over, I don’t know that I would have left… for a number of reasons. We paid more for our house here in Wilmington than we had originally paid in Denver in 2018. It’s the wrong time to move if you ask me!

I know this sounds wrong, but I have found that as my kids gave gotten older, the require less space. Babies are small ,but require so much equipment! I think if you don’t have it, you won’t miss it!

I did this in July. Moved from Washington state to West Virginia. Have several plans! Also, map out stops and pay for hotels ahead of time that suits your needs. Also, call the hotels and do not use priceline or whatever because 90 percent of rooms are nonrefundable and information is not accurate. Walkie talkies for multiple vehicles was also extremely handy because traveling together and staying together is important. The most important thing is to give yourself extra time… lots of it. Nothing really ever goes according to plan and wether flying or driving the trip is extremely hard.

My first question is how can you be mortgage poor if you’re going to afford to move across country and pay cash for a house?

Texas is more affordable than Cali and NY for example but it’s all relative. You won’t find the same salaries there and here…

Don’t move to TN you will pay like 10-15k over asking price this year idk about in a year though

I tried moving cross country… I came back… my house what higher than most states, but unlike most states, my equity has drastically increased as well. My job is enough to cover it. My state definitely suites our personalities as well. I also tend to find states with cheaper housing have less opportunities for children to grow and become successful adults. Sometimes, trying to save a few isn’t worth the sacrifice of what you are giving up

2 Likes

Its hard, I moved from Minnesota to southwest Florida 4 years ago, with a 2 and 5 year old. Little support in either place. Im still working 3rd shift so my husband can work his job during the day. If the move is for piece of mind, then 100% go, you will figure out a way. Im living my dream to live in Florida, every day im great full I took that leap. If you really want it, you will do whatever you need to to keep it. Good luck

1 Like

Moved from NJ to NC. The only real issue was that we didn’t have any family nearby to help (until my parents retired and moved down too) so it was just my husband and I. Even with the kuds being in school, i still wound up working nights so I would be home for drop off and pick up and if they were off. It was grueling.

1 Like

The biggest influence would be, work prospects, neighborhoods, support and infrastructure and amenities. Other than that if those are fine I would say all the best it sounds like a great plan

Dell furniture, appliance etc
And only take clothes and memorabilia, as it costs too much to take everything.new furniture for a new place

I’ve moved across country twice with little ones. If you need help, let me know. My most recent time was with a 4 day old and an 8 year old. I’m happy to give you some tips

It’s sucks. Trust me. It’s a lot of work and planning. And to have to dwindle down necessities by packing away and live bare minimum until you get out the door is horrible. I’m doing this now. Ugh

2 Likes

WOW , you must be rich.