Relocating to a new city is a daunting task. Not only are you entering a whole new social ecosystem, but you also have to figure out your real estate needs quickly — or else face a lot of potential stress!
There are several unique challenges that come with moving out of state that we (as bona fide real estate experts) want to bring to your attention. So, without further ado, here are 6 key challenges that come with moving to a new state — as well as a solution to each one!
Challenge #1: Selling A House on Your Schedule
Every home sale is different, with its own stresses and challenges. No matter what, however, the timing of your home sale is key — and this is especially true if you are moving to a new state after you sell!
When buying and selling a house at the same time, you need to carefully plan out the timeline of your sale. In fact, one of the most common mistakes that move-up buyers make is not creating a plan for synching up their sale and purchase. If you don’t take the appropriate measures to protect yourself, you could end up with two mortgages — or no home!
While this is stressful enough during an intrastate move, it becomes even more of a challenge when crossing state lines. So, what is the solution to the challenge of sticking to a home-selling schedule?
Solution: Find an Instant Offer or Guarantee Program
Luckily, there are plenty of tools out there to help! Using an Instant Offer Home Sale program will allow you to bypass the stresses of preparing your home for sale and fully control the timing of your home sale. Rather than putting your home on the market and hoping that buyers are flexible to your time frame, you can be sure that you get cash for your home FAST, as soon as you need it.
Here’s how the Keri Shull Team’s Instant Offer program works:
- You enter your address into the Instant Offer tool.
- One of our Home Value Experts comes to speak with you about your property and inspect the house.
- Within 48 hours, we will present a formal, qualified offer on your home.
- If you choose to accept the offer, then we can close on the home in a matter of days!
If you choose not to take the Instant Offer route, there are still some steps you can take to help keep the timeline secure. For starters, make sure that you are working with an agent who can help you sell your home off-market. Off-market home sales can often be a great way to make sure you are able to sell your house now instead of being forced to wait!
Challenge #2: Getting the Most For Your Current Home
It’s probably not shocking to hear that most people want to get the most money for their home when selling. After all, your home is an investment…so you want to best return on that investment!
Unsurprisingly, moving between states can exacerbate this challenge. In addition to the costs of selling your home, there are a lot of costs associated with moving long distances, and getting the best price for your first home can help lighten the burden on your mind. Additionally, maximizing your home sale value is key if you are moving up from a less expensive state to one where home values are on the rise, such as in the DC Metro area.
There’s no better traveling partner than Ben Franklin.
It’s all well and good to say that you want to get the best price when selling — but how are you supposed to actually do it?
Solution: Work with the Best Real Estate Team in Your Area
There’s no reason to get stuck trying to sell your own home in 2020. High-quality real estate agents know how to sell your house. They have the tools and strategies that you need to get the most money out of your home…so you should take advantage of the opportunity!
If — for instance — you are selling a home in Arlington VA or anywhere else in the DC area, then you need to be working with the Keri Shull Team, the best real estate team in the DMV. We sell homes faster, for a higher price, and with no stress to you. This is possible because of our network of buyers looking for off-market homes and our world-class marketing team that spends countless hours putting your home in front of the right buyer!
Interested in chatting more about how we can maximize your home sale? Just click here to schedule a time for a free consultation — let’s talk about it!
Challenge #3: Finding the Best Long-Distance Movers
Now, we come to another big challenge of moving between states: the actual move itself. Just like with a move inside the same state or city, there are only 2 common ways to move your belongings:
1. Move it yourself:
You might be able to get away with moving your own furniture and boxes if you are changing neighborhoods — but unless you have a lot of friends who are willing to drive between states, this is going to be a much harder affair when moving out of state.
No relocation needs a full motorcade.
2. Hire a long-distance mover
Having the right moving company on your side is ideal for any move. It’s especially nice when you are crossing state lines. But how are you supposed to know that you are working with the right movers?
Solution: Ask your Agent to Introduce You to Movers
We can guarantee that your agent has dealt with moving companies more than you have. Talk to your real estate team and ask if they have a recommendation for long-distance movers. Odds are, they have a healthy relationship with a vendor that can offer interstate moving services.
If they have a good relationship, you might even be able to get a special rate on your move!
Challenge #4: Learning About Your New State and City
Every city has its own eccentricities and unique attractions, but it can be challenging to discover them by yourself! Of course, you will continue to discover more to love about your destination as you continue to live there — with that said, it is a good idea to get a head start before you move.
However, it can be hard to learn about your new home, especially if it is too far to easily visit before you actually start your out-of-state move. Here’s the solution we suggest:
Solution: Use An Online Guide or Forum
With the vast power of the internet, it’s not too hard to find out information about your new home. Let’s say you are preparing to live in Alexandria VA and want to know where locals like to eat. You can check out the Neighborhood Spotlights for the area and create a list of tasty eateries to try when you move!
In case you feel like consulting other online resources besides outstanding real estate blogs written by authoritative local experts — although I can’t imagine why you would — there are many other communities to consult.
Reddit.com features plenty of curated communities (subreddits) for states, cities, and even specific neighborhoods. Take some time to find the subreddit for your new home (i.e. reddit.com/r/nova or reddit.com/r/washingtondc) and ask questions about the area.
Just be careful — things can get a little weird on the site
Challenge #5: Finding the Home When You Can’t Easily Tour
At the top of this interstate move guide, we discussed the challenges of selling your home before moving to a new state. As you might suspect, however, those are only half of the real estate challenges that you might face. You also have to work around the struggles of finding a new home in a different state.
If the area to which you are relocating is too far to easily visit, it could make home tours stressful and difficult to schedule. So what are you supposed to do?
Solution: Make the Most of Visits and Virtual Tours
Once again, the internet is going to be a huge lifesaver for you. In recent years more and more agents have started offering virtual property tours that make it easier to find the right home from a distance. In fact, as a result of people wanting to sell a home during COVID-19 early in 2020, many high-quality agents invested a lot of time and money into making these virtual tours as effective as possible, so they could completely minimize any risk and protect their clients’ physical and financial health.
It also helps to have an incredible agent who knows how to maximize your time. We train our agents in a series of processes called the Reality Check Analysis that allows us to narrow down the search criteria and save you precious time by showing you what to look for when buying a house. Other high quality real estate teams will aim to do the same!
Challenge #6: Discovering the Best Agent in Your New State
Still, the question remains: how are you supposed to find the best buyer’s agent in your new state? Locating the right agent is key to getting the right home — so it’s important to find the best real estate team in your area!
Solution: Tap into the national agent network
If there’s one thing that real estate agents are good at, it’s making connections. And this goes double for connecting with other agents! There are a few high-powered industry networks — such as our favorite, HyperFast Agent — that are great for finding the best agents to help you move out of state.
Do you currently live in Arlington VA or in Washington DC? Are you relocating to a new area or moving out of state? We can help you with all of the challenges listed above! Our proven sales process, off-market home sale program, and Home Sale Guarantee will make selling your home in Northern Virginia a breeze, and we can also connect you with the best agent in your new city through our vast network of real estate professionals.
Are you ready to learn more about how we can help you, personally? Our relocation experts are standing by to give you a free consultation — so just click here to schedule a time or contact the Keri Shull Team today!
