Factors to help you decide where to live

If you want to improve your quality of life, the easiest way to do it is to relocate to a place that has everything that you want. However, choosing the best place to live is not as easy as it sounds. There are numerous factors that you need to consider before you can decide where to live. After you make the decision, all you need to do is look into the best movers in your area and have them help you relocate to your new home. In this article, we are going to provide you with the 11 most important factors to consider when choosing your new home.

11 factors to consider before you decide where to live

Here’s a quick list:

1. Affordability/Housing market
2. Employment opportunities
3. Commute time
4. Schooling system
5. Air quality
6. Taxes
7. Crime rates
8. Culture
9. Health care
10. Public transportation
11. Proximity to friends and family
12. Access to green areas
13. Natural hazard risks

Do note that these factors might not be all you need to consider before you decide where to live. As every individual is unique, you will have your own factors to consider, as well. Furthermore, make sure that you consider the needs of the entire family before you make the final decision. It is much easier to prepare your children for a move if they are feeling good about the new place, after all. That being said, let’s dive right into the above factors.

Affordability/Housing market

Unfortunately, the #1 factor you will need to consider is the general affordability of the area and house prices. You should start by creating your budget first, as that will help you filter out areas that are out of your price range. It is no good to select an area to live in only to realize that you simply can’t afford to live there. If you want to improve your quality of life by moving, you will want to settle somewhere where your money will “last longer”. Speaking of money, the next thing that you need to look at are:

Employment opportunities

Even if you already have a steady job, you will want to consider the employment opportunities in your new area. You never know whether you will want to change your job at some point, after all. Therefore, before you decide where to live, try to analyze your future prospects. You can do this by looking at various statistics, or you can find a professional to create an analysis for you. Of course, you don’t need to do this for every single area that you are considering, as that may be too high of a time investment. However, before you start packing your home for relocation, you need to know about the job availability in your new area. It might so happen that the lack of job prospects is something that can make you change your decision.

Commute time

While we are still speaking about jobs, there is another very important aspect that you need to consider: Commute time. If you need to commute to work every day, you need to make sure that you are comfortable with the time it takes. Research shows that people who have shorter commutes are generally happier. It stands to reason, of course, as you will have more time to spend on other activities. In other words, the more time you spend commuting, the less time you have to do what you want. Therefore, analyzing your commute time is extremely important when planning your long distance moving process. You don’t want to move all across the country only to realize that you now need to commute more than two hours to work.

Schooling system

Next up, you will want to check the education system in your new area. This is especially important if you are moving with school-ready children. However, even if you are relocating on your own, the schooling system might still be very important. You never know if children are in your future, and you might want to continue your education at some point. Therefore, figuring out all the intricacies of the education system in your new area is a very important thing to do before you decide where to live. In fact, some of the moving trends in 2022 show that schooling is very high on the list of priorities when it comes to choosing a new area to live in. Many people have realized that great schools are not only there for educational purposes. They set the “tone” of the entire area.

Air quality

This is a factor that not many people consider when choosing their next place to live. However, air quality can be extremely important, especially if you are used to living in a clean-air environment. Air pollution is a major concern in many large cities and can significantly impact your health. Therefore, you might want to avoid living near extremely busy roads and motorways, industrial plants, etc. It might happen that you find a great deal on a home, and you don’t know what is driving the place low. More often than not, air quality is the culprit. That is why you should always check for air quality before planning a nationwide relocation. Otherwise, you may end up in a place that is highly detrimental to both your short-term and long-term health.

Taxes

Every state has its own “take” on taxes. For example, some states collect income tax, while others do not. You might think that states without an income tax are inherently better, but that might not always be the whole truth. You see, the lack of income taxes is usually offset by other taxes, such as sales tax. What you need to do is look at the entire tax situation in your new area before deciding where to live. Since taxes in the U.S. are extremely complicated, you might want to consult a tax professional before making any decisions. This is especially important if you work in a high-income field.

Crime rates

Another thing that you need to look at before you decide where to live is the crime rate in the area. Even though you might be able to outfit your new home with a state-of-the-line home security system, it is still dangerous to live in an area that has a high crime rate. Therefore, you will want to get in touch with the local law enforcement agencies in the areas that you are considering and ask them about the current crime rates. This is definitely something that you need to know prior to preparing your office for relocation, for example. No matter how lucrative your business might be, you never want to deal with excessive crime. Do yourself a favor and make sure that your new home is in a safe area.

Culture

Believe it or not, the culture of the place you live in can have a tremendous impact on your life. For example, if you are an avid sports fan, you will want to live in a big city where there are sports events happening on a daily basis. On the other hand, you might be someone who enjoys spending time outdoors. In that case, you will want to find a place that offers a plethora of outdoor activities for you to enjoy.

In general, you will find more opportunities in larger cities. However, the city culture might not be to your liking. What you need to do is figure out what you like the most and then find an area that can provide you with the best opportunities. Again, consider the needs of the entire family before you make the final decision. Chances are that you will have to compromise and that no one will get exactly what they want. That is the way of life, after all.

Health care

No matter where you go, you will want to have great healthcare options. The older you are, the more important this becomes. If you are in your 20s and you are about to decide where to live, you might not even think about healthcare facilities. However, the older you are, the more you realize that these are essential. Health care in the U.S. can be exorbitantly expensive, as we all know, which is why you need to make sure that you get the best treatment when you end up needing it.

Again, you will usually find the highest quality healthcare near the major metropolitan areas, but there are some “gems” around the country that possess high-quality, affordable healthcare options. Ultimately, it is in your best interest to spend at least some time researching healthcare facilities in the area. Not doing so might be detrimental in the long run.

Public transportation

Even if you are used to driving around, public transportation options are still very important. There will be a time when you simply don’t feel like driving or are prevented from driving, and you still need to get around. That is when you will realize how good or bad the public transportation in your new area is. As you might imagine, you do not really want to be in that situation. What you want to do is figure out whether train stations in your new area are well-connected, whether there is good access to the motorway, how close the airport is, etc. It might take you some time to figure all this out, but that time is time well-spent. If you are comfortable utilizing public transportation, your quality of life will soar.

Proximity to friends and family

Depending on your social situation, proximity to friends and family may be the most important thing to consider before you can decide where to live. If you like to attend family gatherings and spend time with your friends, you will want to be as close to them as possible. Of course, this is not always possible, but you should still make an effort to choose a place that is as close to your friends and family as it can be.

Access to green areas

The fact of the matter is that green areas have a profound effect when it comes to improving our mood. Even if you are not really all that interested in greenery, having a park or two close by can serve you well. Green areas are excellent when it comes to stress relief, exercise options, walking your pets, etc. Furthermore, green areas are where many of the community gathers, making them an ideal place for making new friends. No matter where you go, you will want to make sure that not everything around you is made out of concrete, metal, and plastic.

Natural hazard risks

Lastly, you will want to check the risk of natural hazards in your new area. While it is true that you can’t always completely avoid them, you will still want to minimize the chances of something dangerous going on around you. According to FEMA, there are 18 natural hazards, including earthquakes, tornadoes, wildfires, hurricanes, etc. What you need to do is make sure that you are comfortable with what might happen in your new area before you decide to live there. You will also want to look into how much you will need to spend on insuring your home.

Once you have carefully weighed all the factors, relocating to your new home might seem simple. All you need to do is hire a quality moving company, and you are good to go! If you want to find the best movers in your area, movers that will allow you to move without any worries, Consumer Opinion Guide is your go-to resource. We can help you find the best moving professionals, provide moving advice, and help you figure out any moving-related issues!