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5 Tips to Help You Survive the Stress of a Relocation Move!

On the road again... For over a decade, I've worked with individuals and families who were moving to the Grand Rapids, Michigan area. The stress of relocating is a one of the most daunting aspects of the relocation process because it involves not only financial strain but also the emotional pain of leaving established relationships and seeking to form new friendships.

I'll never forget one encounter at a local grocery store with a lady who was pushing a cart with three toddlers. She stopped me and asked if I could recommend a local church. They had just moved and she didn't know anyone. We invited them to our church and they became good friends.

While it's not easy to move, I've discovered as I've worked with individuals who are relocating to the West Michigan area that there are some things which can you can do to help reduce the stress...often from the comfort of your current home.

Explore your community via the Blogosphere...

Researching a new locality can be daunting especially when your search results continue to land on commercial sites which are designed more to get your pay per click advertising dollars than to deliver helpful lifestyle information.

One way to get a taste of the local fare is to specifically search blogs. Reading blogs will give you insight into what is important to the locals and will often provide pictures of different aspects of the community as well as reviews.

Simply input the geographic location followed by the word "blogs" in the google search bar and browse. If you want to be more specific, you might try searching for a specific type of blog such as a local real estate blog.

Research Hotels & Restaurants...

Finding places to eat and a good hotel can make all the difference in the world in setting a good tenor for your stay. A couple of years ago I was introduced to an excellent site called Yelp. It has proved an invaluable user guide when travelling to strange locations. I also like Trip Advisor. Often times, you'll find that the 'wisdom of the crowd' has true value in steering you aright.

Plan a Trip to See the Area...

This can be really beneficial. It's important to get a feel for what a city feels like apart from the limited perspective you might get during an interview session. This can be accomplished by staying an extra few days after your interview to simply sight-see, check out local restaurants, schools and points of interest.

Connect with a Good Real Estate Agent...

Not every agent is experienced in dealing with the unique challenges of a relocation. It is not uncommon to find a wide range of service options and customer service levels. One of the best ways to ease the stress of relocation is to interview the agent yourself and ask the questions which are important to you. This can be especially important if you are assigned an agent through a relocation company.

Here are some questions which you might want to pose:

How many relocation clients have you assisted?

What fee do you charge for your services?

What type of community research will you provide?

Can you provide video tours or pictorial guides?

Will the home listings you provide be supported by pictures?

How often will I be updated?

Are you able to provide short term rental assistance if needed?

Can you provide a list of references?

What is your plan to make sure my time is used efficiently?

Be Kind to Yourself...

And to your partner and family. The stress of a relocation move can bring out the worst tendencies in all of us. Sometimes in surprising ways. Living in the cramped space of a hotel room and dealing with the uncertainties of an unfamiliar environment with unfamiliar faces can be emotionally draining.

Make an effort to be polite to those who matter most...your family. Don't rush into making a hurried decision if this is not necessary. Talking about the pros and cons together will usually result in an outcome which is better than a position reach through division and strife.

If you'd like to discuss your move or relocation to the Grand Rapids, Michigan area, please contact us at 616-791-0511. We're here to listen and to help.

Here's a link to a great site for relocation information.

Here's a link for other articles about Relocation by Audu Real Estate

Click here to view an extensive list of homes for sale or rent

Lola Audu, CRS, GRI e-Pro ~ Audu Real Estate

Lola Audu, is the Designated Broker & Owner of Audu Real Estate. Our company specializes in helping people buy and sell homes in the greater Grand Rapids, West Michigan area. We've had the privilege of helping hundreds of clients succeed in their goals of purchasing and selling property including demonstrated success in the negotiation of Short Sale Transactions. You can contact us via e-mail @ info@auduhomes.com or by phone at 616-791-0511.

Posted by Lola Audu~Real Estate Broker/Owner Grand Rapids, Michigan Real Estate on 01/05/2009 11:16 PM

Comments (22)

Relocation in the Moving Channel

relocating to grand rapids michigan, relocation, grand rapids, michigan, audu real estate

Originally posted at: Inspired Real Estate For Today: 5 Tips to Help You Survive the Stress of a Relocation Move!

This post has been included in Michigan Information Kent County, MI Information Grand Rapids, MI Information
Post is included in group: WCR Western Michigan Chapter
Post is included in group: Greater GRAND RAPIDS, MI Real Estate

22 Comments on 5 Tips to Help You Survive the Stress of a Relocation Move!

JAN

Very comprehensive post with lots of helpful information. Good job!

Lola - One of the more stressful psychological things one can go through in life. Being an agent who is stellar in handling clients relocating is crucial to folks hiring you. I'm quite sure you fit the bill quite nicely.

Lola - congratulations on a well deserved feature. Havin written extensively on relocatin, and having done so myself 4 major times I can safely say you have pulled together an excellent source of information for folks who are relocating. I think having a top notch agent such as yourself in Grand Rapids is key to a successful move.

Jeff

Lola You provided a terrific resource. Yes using blogs to checkout an area is a great approach. I have had the opportunity to help clients relocate to my area after they read my postings about the area for several months and it was because of the information provided that they decided to make the contact.

We looked at relocating once. There's so much that goes in to it, and you've provided a lot of thoughtful recommendations.

JAN

Great post with a very comprehensive list of resources. Thanks for sharing.

Lola~

Thanks for this post. Here in Asheville, so many of our clients are relocating folks. I am sure they will appreciate this information which I intend to pass on to them. Thanks again...and HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Thank you Gayle.

Hey Jason, Thanks for stopping by. Relocation assistance requires some additional attention to details which may not be present in a regular real estate transaction. My goal is to strive to make the process efficient and welcoming.

Jeff, Thanks for the compliment. I appreciate it. We've relocated from internationally and within the United States. It's always an interesting process. :) One of the things that I've enjoyed most about working with folks who are relocating is learning about their view of our community from an outside perspective. It helps me to appreciate my community in a different way.

Jennifer, I've also found that looking for blogs about a community that I will be vacationing in is helpful. Referral sites like Trip Advisor and Yelp are also invaluable. It's a technique that wouldn't have occurred to me several years ago...

Thank you for your comment Christine.

Dorrie, thanks for stopping to read and comment.

janeAnne, thanks for stopping by. Feel free to forward the link.

Lola, This information will help a lot of people. A move is stressful enough, a move to a new area even more so. It's so helpful to have a local, expert Realtor who can help them find what they need to know.

Wes Foster (Founder of Long & Foster Real Estate) siad something about 30 years ago that I've always remembered... All real estate agents should be required to move at least once every 5 years so they appreciate what their clients go through. I was reminded of that often last summer, as I helped my daughter buy and move to her first home, far far away from friends and family. We were laughing during a recent visit that we knew we'd be okay if we could just find the nearest Crate and Barrel. Everyone, of course, has their own priorities - for someone else it might be the closest deli or doctor or ??? Your suggestions are good ones, and I hope consumers find it.

Carole, moving is exciting and stressful. Thinking through things and doing advance research makes a lot of difference.

Margaret, you know, my first broker said the same thing! It does give you a different perspective when you go through what a client is going through. It also helps you to think through what might be most helpful during the stress of the transition. It's interesting how little things can make a big difference, such as finding a favorite shop or mall isn't it? We always try to point these areas of interest out as we take clients on tour.

Hi Lola;

Congratulations on a well written feature, very informative post. Thank You!

Hi Lola...Thinking of it as a new adventure can help. Getting to know quite a bit about the new area via the Internet certainly makes it easier to get a feel for it. The amount of information available is almost unlimited.

Some of the relocations these days may be considered more of a set back for some and harder to adjust to. We need to be aware of that.

Kate

Kate, there is a lot of emotional stress which is compounded these days by some people having to take jobs which are further away from family and offer less pay due to the economy. Like you say, it always pays to do some advance research. Thanks for stopping to read and comment.

JAN

Lola,

Thank you for such an informative blog. My husband and I will be moving to the Kentwood area next month, and talk about stressful. We already on edge, and we have just begun to pack! A friend of mine was helping me research methods of reducing stress and this was by far one of the most informative that we have found. One really good tip I found that you might want to share with your readers is REDUCTION!!! Having yard sales are a great way to reduce stress. You don't have to pack as much and you can make a little money to help with the move. If you cant get rid of all your stuff at a grage sale, websites like Craigslist.com and FreeCycle.org are fabulous. These websites are also great resources for moving boxes. I got A LOT of my boxes for free!! However moving a 5 bedroom home across country, I need even more. Somebody on Craigslist shared a website called Usedcardboardboxes.com with me. It was awesome to find something that actually delivered to me.

Also, how do I found out about youth programs in the area. I have two teenage boys that are absolute nightmares when they are not busy. I need to keep them as active as possible, and they are fighting me tooth and nail. Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks again,

Kristi

Hi Kristi, You're right about Reduction! It's amazing how easy it is to hold on to stuff that we don't really need or use. Thanks for sharing the links with our readers.

With regards to the youth programs, one of the best youth programs in the area is run by the local YMCA. You can visit their website to learn about the various classes and programs available. In addition, most of the area high schools have a variety of clubs and sports opportunities for students. Kentwood high school definitely offers a number of these. Also, there are a number of local churches which provide youth activities.

JAN

Excellent post Lola. I work extensively with relocation buyers and it is a completely different skill set needed across a variety of fronts. Being resourceful, from an information gathering point of view, is critical, so is technology -- setting up custom websites to help organize their home search, among many other things, can go a long way.

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