Whether you're ready to buy your first home--or even if you're an old master of the real estate game--the process of finding, financing and moving into your new residence is one of the most stressful jobs you'll ever take on.Relax--use the Internet to help tame the moving beast and turn a time-consuming, taxing process into, well, a slightly less difficult job.
Begin the process by putting together a list to make sure that none of the myriad details falls through the cracks.
Ideally, you're going to need to start the process about 10 weeks before your planned move date to comfortably cover all the bases.
But if you've got to do it in less time, stick with what must get done and worry about the little stuff later.
The place to start planning your move is at Homefair's Relocation Wizard (www.homefair.com/wizard). By just entering a few bits of information, you get a 100-point (or more) checklist with recommended dates to accomplish each task.
Feeling overwhelmed? Take a deep breath and let's use the Web to take care of the major points, one step at a time.
If your move involves buying (and selling) a home, then you probably want to ease the process by finding a realtor in both your current town and new city.
A good choice with lots of options is Realtor.com (www.realtor.com).
This site offers resources not just for locating an agent but also for home buying and moving in general, as well as locating an apartment, information on neighborhoods, home improvement, safety and security, home services and more.
If your move is to another city, you're going to need agents in both places.
You might also want to go directly to one of the national realty companies like Century 21 ( www.century21.com), ReMax (www.remax.com) or Coldwell Banker (www.coldwellbanker.com).
It's also a good idea to tap into sites like Yahoo's Real Estate (realestate.yahoo.com/) and do some homework on your own.
You can compare salaries from one part of the country to another, research schools and more.
The one thing I have found most useful, though, is the Home Values section (realestate.yahoo.com/realestate/homevalues). Here, you can type in a single address (or a particular street) and find out what the house sold for and when.
This makes for some interesting research in determining what the homes in your neighborhood are selling for.
If you're thinking about doing it on your own, then you won't want to miss the For Sale By Owner Network (www.fsbohomenetwork.com) or FSBO Connection (www.fsboconnection.com) sites.
At these Web pages, you'll find useful tips on the process of buying and selling on your own, property listings and searches as well as links to mortgage information.
Now that we're on the topic of financing, where should you go to find a lender? No matter what your financial situation, it's always smart to shop around for the best deal in interest rate and service fees.
At Bankrate (www.bankrate.com), you'll find a one-stop shop to locate the best rates for all types of loans.
Simply choose the type of loan and city, and this site offers you a listing of lenders with contact information, and you can sort the results by name, date, rate, discount or origination fee and more.
While you're scouring the Web for the best rates, it's also a good idea to cruise over to the Federal Consumer Information Center (www.pueblo.gsa.gov) and read through the government's nine helpful booklets on home financing and sales (viewable free online or you can order the printed versions for a nominal fee). What does Uncle Sam offer? There are tips on how to get your home ready for sale, how to pick the right agent, setting the right price, determining what you can afford as well as information on mortgage insurance, among other topics.
So you've picked where you're going, found a good realtor (or two), secured financing and even found the right house.
Next up, the move, and here's where sites like iMove (www.imove.com), Moving (www.moving.com) or MonsterMoving (www.monstermoving.com) come in.
These Web pages offer online quotes from all the major moving companies, along with packing guides, as well as resources for shipping your car.
If you don't want to use professional movers, you can save hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars by renting a truck and moving yourself.
Even a move across town isn't a simple chore, so consider carefully before you decide to move an entire house across states on your own.
If you're sure you and your family are up to it, then get ready for one heck of a "bonding" experience and navigate to U-Haul (www.uhaul.com) or Ryder (www.yellowtruck.com). Be sure to make your reservation in plenty of time to secure the right truck, and spend some time looking at these site's moving, packing and driving tips to understand all that needs to be done and the limits of your responsibility and liability.
Once you arrive at your new home, there might be some small "issues" that necessitate other arrangements for some of your furnishings.
Perhaps the garage wasn't as big as you remembered, or maybe your builder needs a few more weeks until your new frame actually becomes your new house.
Whatever the reason, many people find that a storage facility can be the next best place to their home, and fortunately there are storage rooms for rent that can accommodate anything from fine wine (in climate-controlled conditions) to the largest RVs (in hangar-like buildings). If you need extra space, then navigate to SelfStorage.net (www.selfstorage.net) where you can search for facilities in the U.S. or Canada, as well as use the size estimator to help determine how much space you'll need.
Another important aspect of moving are utilities--and they're easy to overlook, too, until it's too late.
You've got to remember to turn off all the old services at your previous house, establish new service while trying to time the shut-off and start dates so you don't waste money by getting charged for utilities you don't use.
Between phone, cable, water, sewer, trash, power, gas, Internet (naturally!) and other services, it's not easy coordinating everything--that's where JumpHome (www.jumphome.com) can make your life a lot easier.
The people behind this site will take care of your utility hassles, setting up disconnects and new service dates at your request.
No matter how trying your process of moving becomes, always try to keep focused on the end result--a new home, and keeping a good sense of humor can't hurt, either.
Now get packing!
Kim Komando is a nationally syndicated talk radio host, Computer Editor Popular Mechanics and author.
You can subscribe to Kim's free weekly newsletter by sending an e-mail to subscribe@komando.com. You can listen to Kim Saturdays 9 p.m. to Midnight on WLS TalkRadio 890 AM.
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