Family Forum / Parenting / Mothers / May 2008

If she knows anyone, or even can get a reference through her workplace if it's a
move related to that, she can call and ask about neighborhoods, which are the
purported best school districts.  Oftentimes her new manager or new HR
department would be happy to put her in touch with someone.

It might be best to rent to get a feel for the lay of the area, and let the
housing market bottom out.  Although sometimes if they get a moving allowance
it's good to use that to get into a new permanent house (I did that on my last
move, but I also knew that the local housing market was bottomed out due to
local layoffs and had I lots of people I could call for info).

Banty

In some cases the HR department of the hiring company can provide a good
bit of information about the new city.   If it were me, I wouldn't even
consider buying a home until I had lived in the city for awhile - I'd
rent.  However, real estate agents have told me they've had clients who
move fairly frequently, and think nothing of coming to town for a week,
seeing a dozen houses, and buying one.   They know what their
requirement are, aren't heavily invested in any particular house, and it
works for them.

I second Banty's idea about subscribing to the local newspaper, or read
it online if it's available there.   You can get a pretty good idea of
housing prices from the classifieds, and ads sometimes tell you what the
local school is.   (Note:  Do not make the mistake of assuming the
highest-priced neighborhoods have the best schools.   For example, I
live in Charleston, S.C., and I can assure you nobody buys the $5
million house in the historic district with plans of sending the kids to
the neighborhood school.)  You can also check http://www.realtor.com.

Clisby

    Try the Chamber of Commerce.  They often have some new
resident information packets or can point you to resources.

    Get a real estate agent and explain your requirements.
Plan a trip or two prior to the move and have the agent line
up a bunch of places meeting your requirements.  Ask the folks
at the new place of employment for referrals for things like
real estate agents, banks, schools, etc.  HR usually has some
information to get you started.  Schools you can often research
online.  Banty's right about subscribing to a local newspaper
a couple months before the move, or at least keep up with it
online, if available.  If the friend is religious, some connections
might be available through that route.

    While moving is tedious, it's really not rocket science.
If you think you're going to stay in the new place for quite a
while, it can be a good idea to rent something small for a little
while so that you really get a sense of the area and the commutes
before buying a home.

Best wishes,
Ericka