Make it easier on yourself to relocate to San Diego or one of the coastal communities.

Planning your relocation - You need to have a plan to pull it off smoothly?

• Create a vision of what you want to achieve - Begin to assemble your master plan based on a vision of the life you wish to create for you and your family. Try to picture the people, places and things you wish to be part of this new life.
• Make a general timeline- Outline a timetable of when you would like your relocation to take place. Is this planned for this year, three years from now. Decide on when you want to relocate and work backwards to plan all of the details.
• Begin to make the big decisions - Narrow down the choices to make your plan easier. You may wait until a few months before the move to finalize some of your choices, but you can't wait too late to make all decisions.
• Start to fill in the details - As you refine your plan, you will be able to fill in the who, how and exactly when.
• Get your resources in order - Contact the people and resources who will be part of your relocation team and share with them some of the dates and details so they can prepare as well.
• Complete a written plan - About four to six months before you plan to move, your plan should be written down and detailed. This will be your blueprint for the move.

Evaluating different cities to move to - How do you go about evaluating which city to pick?

• Reasons to select an area - Your reasons to chose to relocate to a given area may include proximity to work, family, friends, the climate, special interests or other factors.
• What factors do you evaluate? - You should select areas to evaluate based on the above mentioned general factors. But as you start to compare them, you may want to consider the following items:
• Housing costs - What are the prices of homes in the area? Are they worth it for the lifestyle you have planned? Would you be just as happy elsewhere for less money, or would you prefer a better area?
• Commute expenses - Consider the time in your life and the gasoline expense in a long commute. Also weigh that cost with the quality of life out in the country. These are often very personal decisions, but are extremely important in long term liveability of your decision.
• Taxes - state income, property, etc - Taxes vary greatly from state to state and among counties. Check into all of the taxes in the areas under consideration.
• Local services - water, sewer, electicity, cable, etc - Water, electricity, and disposal costs vary, so be aware of the monthly charges for similar homes in the area. Is broadband Internet access available in the area, how about cable TV?
• Narrowing down your candidates - The process of elimination may begin with what everyone agrees is not suitable and that leaves the remaining choices. There are some factors, such as employment, which may override other considerations. Be mindful of all of the implications as you make your choice.
• Understand the other family members' point of view - Adults may sometimes tend to ignore the true feelings of other family members towards a move to a new city. Educate them on what each of the new areas has to offer, then gain a genuine understanding of each family members feelings about that area.
• In-person visit - At some point you will want to visit the areas you have in mind. Take a checklist with you to make sure each area is evaluated equally on all of the above factors.

Three months before the move - What do you need to plan well in advance of your relocation?

• Types of things which need lead time - Schedule dates, collect moving supplies, finalize choices and complete your real estate transaction.
• Purchase or rent your new home - Be sure to take detailed measurements of each room and wall length for your furniture.
• Go through your possessions and determine what you want to keep - If you are like most people, you have accumulated a lot of stuff over the years. Before you move to your next home, take the opportunity to go through what you have and decide if it is worth moving.
• Collect boxes for packing - You will need to start far ahead of time and enlist the entirefamily to begin the process of collecting boxes and packing supplies. Although moving companies will provide these for a charge, it is a good idea to pack breakables and most of the small items ahead of time.
• Schedule the moving company for your date - Moving can take days, and companies often need a couple of months or more for a specific date. Also plan your budget and what you will need to spend during the move.
• Schedule Cable or Internet broadband access - Sometimes DSL or cable service can take months to schedule. Keep this in mind for your move.
• Make sure you place all of your critical personal records in a safe place - There is nothing worse than losing valuable documents such as deeds, certificates, and records during a move. Find one place to keep track of these during and after the move, and give them special attention.
• Obtain change of address forms from the post office and the IRS Be sure to give your change of address to your family and friends, your bank, insurance company and credit card companies, magazine subscriptions, and your health care providers.
• Collect information on your new area - Create a book with maps, numbers and resources you will need when you arrive.

Just prior to moving - OK, it's nearing the big day ... these are the things which should happen just before your move takes place -

• Notify utilities - Tell the electric, phone, gas, water and trash companies of your change of service.
• Set up the new utility accounts - Make arrangements for the new utilities to be turned on and set up for your new residence.
• Set up Internet and cable TV if applicable - Schedule your cable or satellite service to be set up. If you need a broadband connection, you may need to give them more than a months notice.
• Confirm your moving day helpers - A move is made much easier by having many hands. Make a decision on how many helpers based on the number of rooms in your house. One helper per room is a good guideline.
• Transfer some of your money to your new bank account if applicable - If you have a local bank and are moving far away, it is now time to transfer some funds.
• Make sure your vehicles are in good repair - Nothing spoils a move like car trouble. Have your cars serviced, the oil changed and in top condition.
• Pack up the small items and fragile possessions- for a couple of weekends prior to the move, spend time packing up the little things that you can do without until you arrive at your new residence.
• Plan where large furniture pieces are going in the new house - Now is the time to decide at least which rooms will have which pieces of furniture. The movers will need to know this, and if you don't have an idea ahead of time this can create havoc at the new house.
  

Using a professional company to move you - You have decided to get professional help.

• Here are some of the things to be aware of as you hire and use a professional moving company - For a large household, using a professional moving company may be the only practical approach to moving the thousands of items which are often accumulated over the years. However, it is adviseable to be careful when hiring and using moving services.
• Compare rates - Rates vary and you want to compare them among at least three companies. There are binding and non-binding estimates. A non-binding estimate means that they can end up charging more depending on the move. Federal law limits this to no more than an additional 10% of the estimate. Be sure to have a guarantee that they will be available on the exact dates you need.
• Hidden costs and extras - Moving companies charge extra for dollies, pads, boxes, packing and other items. Be sure to take these into consideration when comparing rates.
• Terms if they damage something - Be sure to review carefully the terms and conditions which apply if they damage something. It is not uncommon for at least one item to be damaged while moving.
• When you arrive - Be sure to protect hardwood floors and door jams against damage.
• Don't let them do everything - Handle the breakables yourself and set them aside in an out of the way location so they won't be damaged.
• Make one person their supervisor- Let one person do nothing but watch and supervise the movers to make sure that they place the items in the correct location, and they are careful