Moving to a new area can be intimidating. Even if you are already familiar with the area, starting from scratch with your housing, doctors, school, friends, and more can be very challenging and overwhelming. But if moving to somewhere new is something that you’re doing, you’ve got to find a way to make it work.

So whether you’re moving into a new assisted living community or starting a new job in a different city, here are three things to consider before moving to a brand new area. 

Spend As Much Time In The Area As You Can

If you can manage it, Marian White, a contributor to Moving.com, advises that you try to spend as much time in the new area as you can before actually moving there. 

When making visits to the area you’ll be moving to, try to scope out where you’d like to live or which areas you might want to avoid when looking for housing. Also, if you have kids, make sure you know which areas have good schools. While you can get most of this information online, actually going to the area and seeing what’s going on for yourself can really help you in deciding how to go about moving to that area. 

Take Advantage Of Your Network

Just because you may not have lived or even visited this new area before doesn’t mean that the people you know in your life don’t have experience here. So with this in mind, Adrian Granzella Larssen, a contributor to The Muse, recommends that you tap into your own network and see if your friends, relatives, or acquaintances can provide you with some insider information. 

Some of the groups you may want to speak with in order to glean more info about the area could include your social media friends and followers, the alumni group from any schools you’ve attended in the past, religious groups, and more. 

Find The Right People To Work With 

Without having any real knowledge or experience living in that area before, you’re going to want to get people who do have these things to help you as you deal with the logistics of your move.

According to RamseySolutions.com, one of the best people to help you with this is a realtor. Ideally, you should try to find a realtor who’s been in the area for a while and knows the ins and outs of helping someone relocate there. Having someone like this on your side can help make things much simpler for you and assist you in setting up your life in this new area. Even if you’re not looking to buy a home now, a realtor can still give you great overall advice. 

If you’re going to be moving to a brand new city or town in the near future, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you make this move with confidence.