Are you not from 'round here? Well then, there's no one
better suited to help you relocate to the Charlotte area than me. I just
went through the whole relocation process about a year and a half ago
when I relocated to the Charlotte area from Fairfax, VA. Relocating is
a big deal and I can help you get through it.
How would you like the opportunity to see all
the listings in the Charlotte area that meet your specific criteria?
I'm not talking about the often outdated listings you see on a lot of
internet web sites, I'm talking about up to the minute listings straight
out of the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).
If you are interested in receiving automated email notifications
of Charlotte area listings that meet your criteria, please send an email
with the following information to the email address below:
Price Range: Low - High
Square Footage: Low - High
Number Bedrooms
Number Bathrooms
Desired Lot Size
Desired Area/Location/Cities
Desired Age of Home
Desired home type (Ranch, two story, any other)
Tips On Planning your Move
Moving Timeline and Checklist
One month before your move:
Two weeks before your move:
One day before your move:
Additional Moving-Checklist Items
Decide what to move and what not to move. Possibly have a garage sale (extra cash and less to move). See “Tips on Having a Garage Sale” below..
Transfer your bank accounts. Your new bank will be happy to open your account by mail.
Contact your local credit bureau to find out if they are on the same system that your new home town subscribes to; if not, they will be able to transfer your credit file.
Request records from doctors and dentists, including eye-glass prescriptions, dental x-rays, and vaccinations.
Obtain your children’s school records to make for an easier transfer.
Draw up a floor plan of where your furniture should be placed. This will help avoid confusion for you and your movers.
Pay existing bills and close out local charge accounts.
Arrange any special movers, such as may be necessary for an expensive piano or to break down and move a pool table or above-ground swimming pool.
Cancel or transfer deliveries, newspaper, garbage collection, etc. Coordinate the transfer of gas, electric (water and sewer when not handled by title company) with the next occupant of your old home as well as with the previous owner of your new home, so as to avoid lapses in service and extra re-start expenses.
Check on personal items that might be at the photo shop, in a safe-deposit box, at a neighbor’s house, on lay-away, or in a repair shop (e.g., shoe repair, jewelry store, small-appliance repair, or dressmaker).
Make arrangements for transporting your plants and pets.
Save the phone book from your former city residence for tying up loose ends or for future correspondence.
Transfer insurance policies or arrange for new policies.
Gather all valuables, jewelry, important papers (birth certificates, deeds, documents) to take with you personally.
Pack an arrival kit of necessities just in case you arrive before the mover, if applicable.
Purchase moving insurance. Your mover’s liability for lost or damaged goods will not equal their replacement cost. Have valuable items appraised.
Check with your attorney about your will, if crossing state lines.
Ask for professional referrals if available (e.g., doctor, accountant, etc.)
Tips on Having a Garage Sale
Allow plenty of time—three or four weeks—to prepare for the sale.
Choose a date that will not conflict with holidays.
Weekends are more convenient for more people than weekdays.
Your sale is likely to attract more people if you join together with neighbors in an effort to have more merchandise. Some homeowners’ groups are sponsoring neighborhood sales that are proving popular!
Practical household goods are popular items; adult clothing has less appeal.
Merchandise your items attractively in neat, clean surroundings.
Cluster like items together; place the more desirable items in the back of the garage so browsers are urged to look at other merchandise on their way to the most popular items.
All items should be clean, polished, and in good repair.
Locate your appliance table near an outlet so customers can try before they buy!
Be sure that there is adequate parking space and a place to load large items.
Have plenty of bags and boxes for packing and newspapers for wrapping glass items.
Place a classified ad in the local paper. Include 3-4 items for sale, directions, and other details.
Take advantage of free publicity on bulletin boards in grocery stores and other public places.
Provide directional signs to your property.
If your home is listed for sale, have flyers about your home available for people to take.
Visit other sales to form an idea on how to price things. Be prepared to bargain down your prices.
Post a notice that all sales are final and payment must be cash.
Have plenty of change in a cash box that is kept in a protected spot. Keep a record of sales, especially when there are several sellers. One recording method that is simple and efficient is to use small white stickers for prices. When an item is purchased, remove the sticker and place it next to the name of the seller on a piece of paper.
On a hot day, have ice water or lemonade available so people will stay longer, and on cold days serve hot chocolate.
Tell your real estate agent about some of the major items in your sale. She/he may have a client looking for just that thing! One person’s trash is another’s treasure!
Tips on Packing
Use strong containers that are in good condition and can be secured tightly with twine or strapping tape. These can usually be purchased from your moving company. Purchase special boxes for dishes, wardrobe, and other special items.
Label each box with its contents, which room it should go in, whether it is fragile, and whether it should be loaded last so as to be unloaded first.
Don’t load more than 50 pounds into any one box, and make sure that the weight is evenly distributed.
Cushion contents with newspaper or other packing material to prevent breakage. Use newsprint paper or tissue paper for items that might be soiled by newspaper. Towels and cloth napkins are great for wrapping fragile items.
Pack books tightly in small boxes. Alternate bindings and wrap valuable books separately.
Have your rugs and draperies cleaned before moving and leave them in their wrappings for easier handling.
Remove all breakables and liquids from drawers and pack them separately. Seal medicines and other containers to prevent leaking and pack them in a leak-proof bag or container.
Pack linens and clothing in drawers, but don’t overload them.
Carry all valuables with you. Do not pack jewelry, documents, coin or stamp collections, or anything that will be difficult to replace. The contents of a safety deposit box can be moved for you by your bank.
Moving With Children (Adapted from information at www.MoversGuide.com.)
If you think moving is hard on adults, imagine what it’s like for children. They’re starting over and trying to meet new friends while getting used to a new home, neighborhood, and school. Think about your children’s specific needs before, during, and after the transition and you’ll make a big difference in how your children feel about the move and how they adjust afterwards.
BEFORE THE MOVE: PREPARING
DURING THE MOVE: REMEMBERING WHAT’S IMPORTANT
AFTER THE MOVE: GETTING SETTLED
Above all, listen. Be there when your children get home after the first day at their new schools, even if it means having to leave work early. Ask often how things are going, and take time to listen
Travel Fun and Games for Children
Prevent backseat blues and airline angst by adding travel fun and games to your plans. Use the following suggestions to make your trip more fun for your kids and more enjoyable for you too.
LITTLE SURPRISES Purchase several inexpensive toys before your trip. Give them to your children as surprises throughout the journey. A new toy adds fun and excitement to more dull portions of the journey.
DOCUMENT THE TRIP Give your child a disposable camera and have him/her record the trip. Keep a travel journal or diary recording interesting places and adventures. Save ticket stubs and mementos in a scrapbook.
TRIED-AND-TRUE TRAVEL TAKE-A-LONGS
Travel versions of board games such as Connect Four, Battleship, or Checkers are easy choices.Travel Magnadoodle and Etch-a-Sketch have received top marks from children around the country.
Hand-held video games or even a laptop computer can provide hours of fun. Save your sanity and turn off the sound.
Exercise the mind with activity books filled with mazes, crosswords, and other puzzles. Quiz each other with trivia cards or giggle as you work your way through a book of Mad Libs
REST-STOP RACES Bring a soccer ball or football for rest-stop fun. Running games like tag or footraces are a great way to spend some of that saved up energy. Schools, city parks, recreation areas, and fast-food restaurants with playgrounds are great places for kids to do a little more than stretch their legs.
READ ALOUD AND SING ALONG Bring several books and take turns reading aloud in the car. Be expressive and entertaining. Sing-along cassette tapes can be fun for the whole family. Cast recordings of popular musicals as well as movie soundtracks are a great way to sing away the miles.
MAP YOUR JOURNEY Learn about your destination and exciting places along the way. Plan rest stops at museums, historical sites, and other interesting places. Trace your route on the map, and look up interesting facts in a guidebook.
SCAVENGER HUNTS Search roadside billboards and signs for the letters of the alphabet, in order. Make your own list of things to find: gas station, school, church, horses, cows, river, and anything else that you may find between your starting point and your destination.
FUN AND GAMES Bring a deck of cards. Popular children’s card games include War, Rummy, and Go Fish.
GET PLUGGED IN Children enjoy being read to, so bring a portable cassette player with headphones and some books on tape. Set the volume at a safe level, and don’t be surprised if they want to hear the same story over and over again.
Moving Your Pets
Cats and Dogs Cats and dogs can either be shipped by air or taken along in the car. If you are flying to your new destination, your cat or dog can ride in the baggage compartment. Your pet will need a health certificate from your vet. Call the airline in advance to find out about special boxes they may have. If you are going to make a container for your pet, make sure that the container complies with airline regulations. It is a good idea to put a piece of clothing with your scent in the animal’s box so he/she feels more at home.
If you aren’t flying with your pet but are having it shipped by air, make sure that someone is on the other end to pick your pet up at the airport and take care of him/her until you arrive. The easiest way to care for your pet before your arrival is a kennel. Many kennels can take your pet several days before your move (keeping him/her safe and out of your way). Or you can take your pet to the airport and arrange to have a kennel on the other end pick him/her up and take care of him/her until you arrive.
Think twice about taking your dog or cat with you on a long cross-country trip. Not only can animals get car sick, but being cooped up in a car all day can make them nervous and upset. They must be fed and have plenty to drink (make sure that you take along a water dish), they have to make “rest stops,” and they have to be on a leash to keep them from running off anytime the car door is opened.
Some motels and hotels don’t allow pets. Others have special facilities for handling travelers’ pets. Call in advance and check out the available literature on hotels along your route. National chains usually publish such information.
Smaller Animals Hamsters, birds, mice, and such can be transported in the family car fairly easily. Make sure that the animals have enough food and water in their cages and are out of drafts or extreme temperatures. Cover cages with a cloth to keep the pets quiet and restful..
Fish BIt is not practical to move fish in their aquarium. A gallon of water weighs eight pounds. Plan on giving the fish away and restock the aquarium when you arrive at your new home.
Your veterinarian and pet stores are also valuable sources of information.
Moving Your House Plants
You can take your plants with you when you move without harming them. Here are some tips:
Call your local U.S. Department of Agriculture to check on regulations if moving from one state to another. Many states have restrictions on certain kinds of plants to prevent importing bugs or pests that can destroy valuable cash crops in the state.
A couple of weeks before you move, prune plants to facilitate packing. Consult a florist or a plant book for instructions.
A week before you move, put your plants in a black plastic bag. Prior to placing your plant in the bag, place a bug/pest strip, conventional flea collar, or bug powder in the bag. Close the bag and place it in a cool area overnight. This will kill any pests on the plant or in the soil.
The day before you move, put your plants in cardboard containers. Make sure that they are held in place by dampened newspaper or packing paper. Use paper to cushion the leaves and place a final layer of wet paper on top to keep them moist. Water the plants normally in summer, a little less in winter.
On the day of your move, set the boxes aside and mark “DO NOT LOAD” so they won’t be taken on the moving van.
On the day you leave, close boxes, punch air holes in the top, and load them in your car.
When on the road, be careful where you park your car. Look for a shaded area in the summer and a sunny spot in the winter.
Unpack the plants as soon as you can after arriving. Remove plants through the bottom of the box in order to avoid breaking their stems. Do not expose the plants to much sunlight at first. Let them get accustomed to more light gradually.
If you must leave your plants behind, take cuttings. Put them in plastic bags with wet paper towels around them.
