5 Tips to Save Time and Money when Relocating
Whether you are relocating for personal or professional reasons, conducting research ahead of time can save you a lot of grief.
After consulting with real estate and relocation experts, we put together our list of top considerations to keep your stress level at a minimum prior to making your move, using popular destination cities from our Relocation Community as examples.
#1 — Take Stock of Your Finances
Packing up and heading to a new place is an exciting prospect, but it’s important not to lose perspective: make sure the effort is worth the financial risk. Consider the adjusted cost of living for your chosen city. Does the new position come with a sufficient salary, benefits in line with the local market rates, and increased opportunity for you and your family?
Even if the new job comes with a raise, moving may strain your wallet in the short-term. Out of pocket costs may include rental deposits, closing costs on a home, higher insurance premiums/co-pay, as well as an increased monthly cost-of-living expenditure (car payments/food/entertainment).
#2 — Prepare Ahead for the Immigration Process
Adriane Jungues, who is the author of the amazing expat blog Like A New Home, came to Canada from Brazil with her husband years ago. Adriane is an architect and Diego, her husband, works in IT, both having graduate degrees and three years experience in their respective fields before coming to Canada.
If Adriane could bestow a single piece of advice to prospective young professionals looking to enter Canada, it would be this: “improve [your] language skills as much as possible ahead of time.”
It’s important to take local workplace culture into account as well. Examples range from the trivial, such as how long one should take for lunch, to the more complex, such as the proper way to greet someone in a professional setting.
At the Border…
Citizens are no longer allowed to enter into the United States from Canada and vice versa with only a copy of their birth certificate and their driver’s license. This new policy was implemented through the creation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) and related regulations.
The Canadian Border Services Agency explains that when crossing the border, different regulations are used based on citizenship, age and mode of travel. A passport or passport equivalent is required (e.g.: NEXUS Card, Passport Card, Enhanced Driver’s License) is required. Children age 15 and under are not required to have these documents and may present proof of citizenship without photo identification if accompanied by an adult.
While the above applies between the U.S. and Canadian border, contact your local embassy or government agency for the rules that apply to your specific move.
And make sure you are legally allowed to work once you get to your destination. For example, in Canada, A work permit is required for any person who is neither a Canadian citizen, nor a permanent resident of Canada. It is only valid for a maximum of four years and is specific to a certain job with a certain employer; any change in employer requires a renewal, or modification, to your existing work permit.
#3 — Consult a Real Estate Agent
Let’s take Boston, MA, as an example, since there has been a considerable uptick in high-tech sector investment in Greater Boston over the last few years, a trend that continues to manifest itself with major corporations planning to relocate their head offices to the area in 2017.
We discussed this trend with renowned Boston Realtor Duncan Donahue, who founded the Donahue Realty Group with Keller Realty International in 2014.
“Young couples are choosing to raise their families in the city rather than moving out to the suburbs,” he says, “while empty-nesters are selling their big homes in the suburbs and downsizing to condominiums or townhouses in downtown Boston.”
#4 — Finding the Right School for Your Kids
Tom Pileggi, a realtor from the Greater Toronto Area, specializes in the relocation process.
“Research the local schools and find out how they operate,” said Pileggi, mentioning the different types of educational institutions that Toronto boasts: public, private, single-gender, French, and French-Immersion schools.
Learn as much as you can about the community surrounding your new home and school. For instance, and this is true for many major cities across North America today — Toronto is an incredibly diverse, multilingual society, explained Pileggi. Whether you want to live in a community that largely shares your ethnic background, or you’re looking to immerse yourself in the vibrant cultures that have established themselves recently, there’s no doubt that you’ll find the ideal community for you and your family with some due diligence.
#5 — Get Involved!
If you are an entrepreneur, Boston is also home to myriad tech startups. With a large number of angel investors, venture capital firms and world-famous incubators and accelerators located in Boston, startups here are afforded the opportunity to receive serious investments in order to kick-start their growth. Of particular note, Boston is home to Techstars Boston, the top accelerator in Massachusetts and one of the best in the world.
Don’t forget to get involved in your community and enrich your personal life as well! Greater Boston, for instance, offers numerous groups and associations anyone can join, even as a newcomer.
