Through my many years of relocating from one place to the next, I can tell you my top 2 concerns about my new location as a mother of school-aged children.

1.   Quality of Public School System

2.   Safety at home, in school, and all around

I believe these are every parent's concerns when relocating their family to a new location. The fear of the unknown is very difficult to manage, and it's such a challenge to find out information about a new place. You don't want to make a mistake that would negatively affect your family. It's challenging to say the least.

So I am going to let you in on a few relocation tips that helped me and my family along the way. Even during our move here to Waco in 2004. I've gotten so good at researching new places that I would feel comfortable moving just about anywhere if I had to with the use of these tips.

Tip 1: Talk to local people in your new location every chance you get. Sure, you will find the glass half-empty people. Try not to listen too much to them. Instead, find common threads among the people you speak to. Like if many people say a certain area is not safe, you might want to take that into serious consideration. Or if many people say a certain school is great, you may also want to take that into serious consideration. Again, look for common threads. Don't just listen to one person.

Tip 2: Research School Records online. As with anything, statistics don't always tell the whole story. But at least you can get an idea of how well that school is doing academically and also get some good information on many other important associated items. One such website is: http://www.greatschools.net/ . But don't stop there; look at the state websites, local area websites, and individual websites.

Tip 3: Talk to school administrators, students, parents, and teachers. Call them if you can't go in person. Ask questions, many of them. You will get a good feel for the school just by talking.

Tip 4: Visit local Chamber of Commerce, Tourism and Newspaper Websites online. I am not sure you can find a better collection of local information than in these places. You can even try calling the Chamber or Tourism office for more detailed descriptions or personal views of the area.

Tip 5: If you are very concerned about safety and crime, call the local law enforcement agencies to try and gather information specifically about the area you wish to move. Every town has so called "good" and "bad" areas. If you don't feel comfortable with information you already know, try consulting with law enforcement agencies.

Tip 6: Don't take everything you read and hear too literally. Although it's very helpful to use all of the above tips, it's important that you use your common sense as well. Everyone doesn't see things the same way. Everyone has different ideas of "safe" and "good". Their interpretations may be totally different from yours. Statistics may be flawed or maybe be presented to influence a certain point of view. Take the information you receive and process it in a way that is right for you and your family.

*Relocating to the Waco TX Area?  See my Relocation Package HERE*

**The information contained in my Blog Posts and Comments to my posts cannot be guaranteed, use this information at your own risk**