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Like the title says. Have a possible job offer from another company, but it would require moving to a new state. People who have done it, what's some advice/things I should consider?

Check things like veichal, firearms and other laws whichever apply in next state so you know what to do about cars, guns and any other thing you hold with a license or such you may need to transfer.

Check the acom and such.
General moving stuff like change of address procedures...

 jhe90 wrote:
Check things like veichal, firearms and other laws whichever apply in next state so you know what to do about cars, guns and any other thing you hold with a license or such you may need to transfer.

Check the acom and such.
General moving stuff like change of address procedures...

This.

Also, make sure the area is a place you have a desire to live and has stuff youre interested in. If you get there and it just doesn't jive or you have no place to engage in any hobbies or things you enjoy, no matter how awesome the job is, life will suck.

Edit: also, if you had been wanting to make any big lifestyle changes or the like, moving is a great time to do so, make sure where you are moving will help enable that if thats your thing.

Edit2:spelling

Agreed, check out what is available. I was miserable at first when I moved cuz I thought I only had access to a couple small crappy places, then when driving home from work one night I discovered Barnes and Noble and other things I liked, and moved to be close to a game store I liked!! Now I like the place I'm in.

Alot of UK towns have semi local fb pages etc, newspapers.

Look about online might help you get a feel for place and if it seems alright.

Should be same in USA

Check out tax laws, and remember for the year you move you may owe state taxes in both states (for the portion of the year you were in each).

Gun laws are a big one for me. Not just where I am moving to but understanding the laws for states in between if you intend to drive/move any firearms you own.

If you have pets you may need health certificates, if you have critters like horses (which I do) you need up to date coggins and other paperwork, and be prepared to stop at any ag stations in any state you drive through while moving the critters.

Good luck. I'm moving to another state, AGAIN this summer.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Almost forgot, you'll need to register to vote in the new state, and should inform the voter registry folks in the old state you have moved away. You'll need to update vehicle insurance to the new state, maybe medical insurance too. Most states give you about 30 days to get their driver license and register vehicles. If you are moving from a No Inspection state to a state with auto inspections going through that hassle can be an unpleasant surprise.

Allergies.
Even if you don't have them, you may get them in your new state. Check with your doctor or allergist to see what you may be susceptible to, and look up what things are like in the new state. Texas, for example, can be really bad for some people, even if they didn't have any allergy problems at all before coming here.
Also, check what the weather is like. The may be a significant change in your wardrobe required depending on if you're going from a rainy and cold climate to a hot and dry climate.
If you're buying a house, find out what kinds of house problems are common in the area. Foundation problems are very common here in north Texas, for example, due to shifting soil.

Check to see if any Dakka posters live where you are going. If none of us are there, ask yourself,”Is it worth it?”

Of course, you could take it upon yourself to bring enlightenment to the unwashed masses, but that’s no small job.

If you're going to be renting, make sure you have enough for a deposit. And if you find a place you like, be ready to sign the lease the same day. A lot of people move in/out on the first of the month. When I moved two states away I had a difficult time finding a place to rent; I made the mistake of waiting to put a deposit on a place I liked and it was leased out when I came back the next day. I ended up staying in a hotel for 3 weeks until I found a decent place. That was frustrating, and expensive.

Hire some guys to load/unload the truck for you. If you have friends or family that you can bribe with pizza and beer to assist with the heavy lifting, do that of course. If not, spring for some hired muscle. The first time I moved a long distance I spent 2 days packing the truck myself. The second time I moved, I boxed everything up and then called in the muscle. They loaded the truck in an hour. It was great.

Find out where the nearest hospital or urgent care clinics are relative to your new place. Just in case. Hobby related injuries, or otherwise. Put this info on your fridge, or in your phone.

If you can manage it, take a short vacation in the new town/city. Then, get lost/explore it. The only town I was unable to do this for prior to settling into a house/apt, was where I'm currently living.

Also, if you can do this, or even if you cant, I'd suggest getting hooked in, or at least talk to some locals, find out where some good stuff is, places to avoid, they'll know the general ebb and flow of traffic, so routes to avoid during certain times of the day, etc.

Before buying or renting a place do a drive through of the neighborhood at night to get an idea of who lives there. A day visit can be rather misleading depending on the area as people are away at work or sleeping, people tend to be home in the evenings and if it's a cruddy area you'll have a much better idea.

I moved into an apartment complex that looked fine by day but had a very heavy drug trade going on at night, my car was broken into twice within the first month I was there, had to find a new place and move all over again in under 3 months it was a really bad experience.

Also anywhere in walking distance to a bar is generally a bad idea as people tend to do really odd and often destructive stuff when they are drunk. I've had the door to my car kicked in, empty bottles placed so they'd break and puncture the tires when I backed out, etc.

If you're dealing with roommates make sure you screen them as carefully as possible, don't take things on the word of a friend. If you have any objections voice it immediately and decline to have them stay there, if you stay quiet out of politeness you may find yourself stuck with an unbearable roommate latter. People tend to hide their flaws and warning signs when you are first meeting them so if you are getting any sort of odd vibe chances are it's just the tip of the iceberg.

 Vaktathi wrote:

 jhe90 wrote:
Check things like veichal, firearms and other laws whichever apply in next state so you know what to do about cars, guns and any other thing you hold with a license or such you may need to transfer.

Check the acom and such.
General moving stuff like change of address procedures...

This.

Also, make sure the area is a place you have a desire to live and has stuff youre interested in. If you get there and it just doesn't jive or you have no place to engage in any hobbies or things you enjoy, no matter how awesome the job is, life will suck.

Edit: also, if you had been wanting to make any big lifestyle changes or the like, moving is a great time to do so, make sure where you are moving will help enable that if thats your thing.

Edit2:spelling

Have the company recuriting you fly you out for some interviews and hook you up with a local real estate person to show you around including local schools, housing, and the downtown. You can judge the health of a community by the health of its downtown.

I did that with a very lucrative offer, and realized that me moving would be a huge mistake for my family, even if it was super lucrative economically.

 jreilly89 wrote:
Like the title says. Have a possible job offer from another company, but it would require moving to a new state. People who have done it, what's some advice/things I should consider?

A lot of good advice here. I made the move from Houston, TX to Chicago, IL (near enough to both, anyway) in 2013. My company moved me. Some considerations, but most surround finding a new house and the right township for you.

1. Visit where you're going to move to. Don't go blindly. There are many reasons, but a big one is to get an idea of the area/neighborhoods. When it was time to start looking at houses, I knew enough to avoid a few towns. One had nice houses, but the commute would have sucked due to 1 lane roads and red lights that back up for miles. Another town was really a ghetto. Another town was old and full of rundown houses, rednecks, and meth heads.

2. The company moving you should pay moving expenses. You're either worth it or you're not.

3. Does the company moving you provide job placement assistance for your spouse? Some do, some don't. Ask.

4. Are you going to keep your old house as a rental, or sell it? If you keep it, you'll need a respectable service for handling maintenance and gak. I just sold mine. I have no desire to be a landlord.

5. Look at property taxes/values in the towns/cities around your new work. For my move, the town where I actually work had taxes that were 3x per year than where I live now. We're talking about a $12,000 difference PER YEAR. Where I live is just as nice. Also, the houses in the town where I work cost 2x for the same size and age and gak. feth that. Also, I'm still in a nice township with excellent schools.

6. Schools. Do you have kids? Ask your real estate agent that is helping you find a home about what area has good/decent schools.

7. Real estate agent. fething use one. You don't know gak about the towns you're visiting. They do. It's like, their job, or something. Is your company providing one?

8. Make a list of things for your real estate agent that are deal breakers. Make them ACTUALLY be deal breakers. "I don't want windows facing east because the sun wakes me up!" Buy a fething curtain. "I can't live in an area where fences aren't allowed because I don't want my toddler/dog to get run over!" Good point.

9. Your movers will give you a list of what they will and won't take. They won't take your guns. The won't take your 100 gallons of gasoline you're hoarding for the apocalypse. They will take a box of spray primer if it's labeled "Books" and the cans are wrapped in old sheets so they don't make noise. Or so I'm told. I drove to Chicago (we had pets) with our 2 cars filled with stuff that we had to have for the 2 months we'd live in a hotel. Computer, check books and personal papers, clothes, toiletries, and stuff the movers won't touch.

10. Is your company going to pay for a hotel/apartment while you house hunt? Ask if you don't know.

11. Are you willing to live in a community with a Home Owners Association. I used to hate the idea of Lawn Nazis, but have come to accept the wisdom of a group of dedicated people that will prevent someone from having a yard filled with old refrigerators and washing machines. "No, Mark. You aren't ever going to fix that fething Fierro. Get that fething rust bucket off of those cynderblocks in your lawn and take it to a scrap yard. fething redneck."

12. My company has a department for people that are moving. That's their whole job. Finding real estate agents to help buy and sell, finding short term housing, helping spouses find employment, etc. If at any time you have a question or want to discuss the Pros/Cons of something, use your resource.

10th edit: Good luck on your move!

If you've got pets (especially unusual ones) make sure they're legal (in the numbers you own) wherever you're moving to

You don't want to wake up to animal control banging on your door to say you can only have 2/3/4 dogs if you have more (or pit bulls full stop if you have them)

that snakes or other reptiles are banned

that keeping chickens is banned (no farm animals in this town) or singles you out as a cock fight enthusiast that will lead to regular visits from animal control or the police just in case

etc

When I moved to Colorado from Oklahoma, my biggest concern was simply budgeting, and calculating the increased cost of living v. the increased salary.

But that's moving from Oklahoma to Colorado, where my biggest concern was "how to most quickly leave this state". Moving from Colorado to somewhere else may have some extra concerns.

But in the end, it's just moving. One place is pretty similar to the next, least in the US. Some places will have regional laws that could have an effect on your life (guns, pets, etc), but overall it's not going to be like moving to Singapore.

I'd agree though with kronk that visiting is a must-do, as research only goes so far.

I would disagree with kronk, though, about expecting your new company to handle all of your moving expenses. My experience was the exact opposite of his, in that I got zero help moving.

I mean, it's worth it to ask if they help, but I probably wouldn't have "full moving expenses paid" as a deal-breaker for employment, especially if you really want the job. It's rare, in my experience, and I know that the OP and I are in the same field (engineering). On the other hand, I have been involved in some hiring at my current position, and sometimes moving expenses have been mentioned as an incentive. In the end though, I'd be a bit concerned about making a big stink of a minor cost and losing the job to someone more willing to relocate themselves.

Or maybe I got unlucky. At any rate, I would definitely count on moving yourself, but it's honestly not awful, especially for a younger guy. My move out here was maybe $500 - 700 for a trailer and car hitch, but I lived alone with no pets. your situation may vary.

But I've moved a few times in my life, and sometimes it can be hard to leave your old life behind. And sometimes, in my case, there was nothing to lose.

But before you move, I'd definitely consider how much it's going to be worth to move. I know that in order to get me to move out of state someone would have to offer me a pretty titanic salary, but I really like it here. Again, your situation may vary.

But I personally wouldn't move unless it was a pretty important salary or career boost to do so. Or if you're just really itching for a new place.

What state if you don't mind? We could probably give you a little more insight beyond what has already been said.

 jreilly89 wrote:
Like the title says. Have a possible job offer from another company, but it would require moving to a new state. People who have done it, what's some advice/things I should consider?

Do you like where you're living now? How far is it from where you call home?

It would take a hell of a gig to get me to move away from my friends and family permanently, and this is coming from a guy who did his BS, PhD, and military service in different states or countries.


If you have nothing keeping you where you are now, and you have a nice offer in a different area, then it's a matter of logistics.

 NuggzTheNinja wrote:

 jreilly89 wrote:
Like the title says. Have a possible job offer from another company, but it would require moving to a new state. People who have done it, what's some advice/things I should consider?

Do you like where you're living now? How far is it from where you call home?

It would take a hell of a gig to get me to move away from my friends and family permanently, and this is coming from a guy who did his BS, PhD, and military service in different states or countries.


If you have nothing keeping you where you are now, and you have a nice offer in a different area, then it's a matter of logistics.

Where I'm living now is my hometown, and both my wife's family and my family live here. It's definitely not some place I'm itching to leave.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Vash108 wrote:
What state if you don't mind? We could probably give you a little more insight beyond what has already been said.

Fort Wayne, Indiana


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Thanks for all the responses guys! This is not something I'm going to make lightly, but I'm trying to be level headed about this, as it sounds like said company is very interested in me.

Well, there appears to be some local game stores there if that helps:
http://www.livingfortwayne.com/2014/01/21/fort-wayne-caters-to-the-tabletop-gamer/

And you'll be able to drive to GenCon (Indianapolis) if that interests you.

 Cleatus wrote:
Well, there appears to be some local game stores there if that helps:
http://www.livingfortwayne.com/2014/01/21/fort-wayne-caters-to-the-tabletop-gamer/

And you'll be able to drive to GenCon (Indianapolis) if that interests you.

Yep, Game Annex seemed the most promising. Plus, it's 10 minutes away from the new possible work

There is a group of Indianapolis gamers I met at AdeptiCon that are excellent people and players.

Update: Had my interview, and it sounds like the company is definitely interested in me, so much in that they've put together a position plan on what they want/expect of me and my career growth with the company. In the initial process, there was also a questionnaire where they put Salary requirements/incentives. Under that I put "Salary + moving expenses" and they haven't balked at that, so it seems like they've either helped people move before or consider it acceptable.

Next step it sounds like I'm most likely flying out there for a follow up interview, so I plan to use that time to visit the town, explore it, and see if it's worth uprooting my family for it. Thanks for all the advice guys, I'll be sure to provide a follow up!

So, this is all great, but you may wish to ask the company some hard questions before you move your life out there. For instance, is this a new position, or are you replacing someone who was there before? If it is a new position, is it fully funded? Does it depend on you achieving some specific benchmarks to succeed? Is the company willing to offer you a guaranteed contract for a certain amount of time in exchange for uprooting your life?

I moved from D.C. To Nevada for a position that was supposed to last 2 years, only to have it go away after 6 months. Calling that the lost year, netted zero dollars after all the expenses.

 techsoldaten wrote:
So, this is all great, but you may wish to ask the company some hard questions before you move your life out there. For instance, is this a new position, or are you replacing someone who was there before? If it is a new position, is it fully funded? Does it depend on you achieving some specific benchmarks to succeed? Is the company willing to offer you a guaranteed contract for a certain amount of time in exchange for uprooting your life?

I moved from D.C. To Nevada for a position that was supposed to last 2 years, only to have it go away after 6 months. Calling that the lost year, netted zero dollars after all the expenses.

That's a good point. Not sure about the quota style or the new vs. replacement position, but based on the email I'd received and the conversations during the interview, it definitely sounds like they're looking at this as a permanent career move, especially because while they're a nationwide company, they're also a niche specialization.

I will never, ever, move for a job. I will move because I love the area I am moving to and no longer want to live where I currently am. Family and friends are important to me, some being irreplaceable and others time consuming to develop.

I have only worked for Fortune 100 companies, and can't tell you how many times I have seen people transferred from one location to another, only to be laid off after a year. Thats after going thru the process of packing, selling the old home, shopping and buying a new one, etc etc.

Move because the city/region excites you first and foremost, and decide on the work after. Unless its for a obscene amount of money that you'll earn in the short term. I would probably rather wash dishes in paradise than to be rich in hell.

And yes, I have lived in places I have hated, and will never go back to that. No amount of money can spare your from boredom, loneliness, and unhappiness if things on the social or geographical end don't work out, and they don't always do.

 jreilly89 wrote:
Like the title says. Have a possible job offer from another company, but it would require moving to a new state. People who have done it, what's some advice/things I should consider?

What state are you moving from and where are you moving to? That'll help us more.

Big things people never consider in my experience are elevation, weather, gun laws, car laws, and neighborhoods. These can vary tremendously and have a big impact on whether you enjoy your own home.

To give you an idea, I've moved something like 6 times on the past 3 years. The less time and preparation I put into a move, the less it would work out (usually) Definitely out in the work seeing what options you have for your hobbies, housing, travel, etc.

 MrMoustaffa wrote:

 jreilly89 wrote:
Like the title says. Have a possible job offer from another company, but it would require moving to a new state. People who have done it, what's some advice/things I should consider?

What state are you moving from and where are you moving to? That'll help us more.

Big things people never consider in my experience are elevation, weather, gun laws, car laws, and neighborhoods. These can vary tremendously and have a big impact on whether you enjoy your own home.

To give you an idea, I've moved something like 6 times on the past 3 years. The less time and preparation I put into a move, the less it would work out (usually) Definitely out in the work seeing what options you have for your hobbies, housing, travel, etc.

Colorado to Indiana. So far, the big ones for me are neighborhoods and car laws. Weather and city size seem comparable.