Relocation Guide
Relocation Guide
The Only Relocation Guide You'll Ever Need
It’s important for you to plan for every aspect of your move. The good news? We’ve got your back. We won’t lie – there’s a lot to do to prepare. Yet, by the time you’ve finally moved, you’ll be thankful you started early and had this epic moving checklist and smart tips guide to ensure you stay on top of your to-do list
Your Relocation Checklist
Moving won’t be half as difficult if you start on time and follow all these steps. If you remain nice and organized, you won’t even feel the stress of relocating! (Instead, it’ll be an enjoyable and memorable experience).
8–10 WEEKS BEFORE MOVING DAY
- Find a real estate agent to sell your home and/or buy one in your new city
- Research your new city, things like:
- Commute times
- School and childcare options
- Tax and insurance differences
- Cost of living changes
- Make a visit in person to nail down your housing
- Pick one place (like a daily planner) to start tracking all your important info and numbers related to moving
6–8 WEEKS BEFORE MOVING DAY
- Pick a good day to move
- Create your moving budget
- Hire and schedule movers or reserve a truck for a DIY move
- Organize important records
- Channel your inner Marie Kondo and start purging
4 WEEKS BEFORE MOVING DAY
- Gather packing materials like boxes, bubble wrap and tape
- Pack non-essentials (think Star Wars collectibles) you won’t use over the next month
- Begin change of address notifications
- Update any accounts with your new address and notify your bank to avoid fraud
- Schedule cancellation of existing utilities or services
2 WEEKS BEFORE MOVING DAY (Hang on, almost there!)
- Set aside a box for essentials and important documents
to pack last and unpack first on moving day - Schedule a final house cleaning
- Set up utilities at your new home
- Refill any prescriptions
- Do pet checkups and grooming
DAY OF MOVE
- Snap a picture with your old house and take a moment to say goodbye
- Load your things, trek to your new home, and get unloaded
- Note any damages or missing items from the bill of lading (which is just a fancy term for a detailed list of items moved)
- Install appliances
- Reassemble furniture
- Give yourself a high five and your movers a tip!
POST MOVE
- Unpack within two weeks and ditch those moving boxes—it’ll feel great
- Review legal docs, like wills, to make sure they transfer to your new city
- Update your license and vehicle tags
- Check security and fire safety devices in your new home
- Make your new city home! Find your new gym, church, hospital, shopping center and favorite Chinese takeout spot
Testimonials
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Julie Anne is awesome! She was able to close and secure our deal even though our buyer was out of the country and working on a completely different time zone. She helped us to present a competitive offer (multiple offers were made for our home), and our closing was stress-free due to her expertise! Julie is outstanding and wonderful!
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- vinkeber
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Julie Anne made sure to find the home of our dreams! We bought our house online from California through her and we are so happy that we found someone that we could trust like that! She knew what questions to ask us and made sure that all our priorities with purchasing our first home were met. Thank you Julie Anne! We have never lived anywhere that has made us this happy!
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- NozVM
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Julie Anne have proved herself so competent while representing both the seller and the buyer (myself) during the process of buying new condo, that I have retained her services when I was selling my old condo. She has an amazing ability to navigate the tense circumstances and frustrating situations with calm class and easy nature, and is simply a pleasure to work with. Highly recommend.
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- y4yuliya
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Best realtor, very professional and always giving you the best options. She help us to understand and made easy the process, she always recommended the right people to help with the requirements.
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- patymyers
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I am so grateful for Julie Anne's help with my mom and me. We moved from two households into one, and the timing of things was not always perfect, but Julie was extremely flexible and patient. Whether we were ready for a group of showings or wanted to see a particular place immediately, she was able to make it happen. Her negotiating skills are WONDERFUL - we were able to get the place we wanted despite multiple bids, and without going beyond our budget. She handled everything between us and the seller and really made the entire process a lot less stressful, even if I didn't show it. Thank you Julie!!! ;)
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- user267357053
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I have used Julie Anne for selling my previous home and then for purchasing a condo later. I highly recommend her. I will continue to use her in the future. My purchase had some bumps and I had to refine my search several times and she was patient through it all.
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- user5211198
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Julie was very easy to work with. She was very responsive and flexible with her schedule. She is knowledgeable about the market and I felt comfortable with all negotiations that took place. When we found the property we wanted she was quick to act with the seller’s realtor as there was at least one other party that had made an offer.
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- truss karen
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I have purchased and sold home through Julie and would recommend no one else. She is hands down the best in finding exactly what you need to negotiating a smooth sale and can answer all your questions and concerns!!!
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- transtlye
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I have known Julie Anne for many years. She has helped me through a sale of my home in 2009 and a purchase in 2014. Both transactions were smooth, problem free and completed in a timely manner. Julie Anne is an extremely professional Real Estate Broker who takes the time to understand your needs and delivers on her promises. I would highly recommend Julie Anne to anyone in the real estate market today.
Tim S.-Palatine
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- tim3429
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I've referred friends of mine to Julie and she has done an excellent job! She exhibited patience and understanding in selling their home and finding the right home for them and followed through to the end to get the job done! A true professional!
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- loupleotis0
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We cannot recommend Julie enough. She recently helped us both buy a home in Northbrook and sell a home in Lakeview. The process was a bit overwhelming, but Julie was extremely patient with us throughout the entire experience. She was extremely patient, and visited over 50 homes with us to ensure we found the right one. Moreover, she got a great outcome for us on our sell in an extremely tough Chicago condo market. We could not have been more pleased, and would absolutely recommend Julie to anyone looking for a partner and advisor in this stressful process.
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- dustinworley2
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I heard about Julie Anne in 2010 when the market was at its worst. My home had been listed for over a year with no results and several price changes. I felt hopeless and I hired Julie Anne and she got the job done within 2.5 months !! Now I'm in the market to buy a home and again shes helped me so much,the home was for sale by owner and I'm so glad I had Julie. Through inspection we found some Major structural problems that would of cost me well over 50,000 and this home would of buried me forever ! Now we will be closing on another house and its just perfect for me ! Thank you Julie for all that you've done to make everything run so smoothly!
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- cindyann1960
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Julie Anne helped to find the right apartment when I just arrived in Chicago from France. At this time the market wasn't so good but she never showed me bad places and finally she found mine... where I still live.
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- celineredon
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In buying our 1st home, we were so lucky to get Julie as our realtor. She was patient with all of our 1st timer questions and all of our strikeouts. Julie is a professional - she was quick to respond, and she really took the time to understand what we wanted in a home. I would use her services again in the future, and I always mention her name to anyone starting their home purchasing or buying journeys.
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- mgon49
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Data is updated as of September 19, 2026 10:11 PM UTC
