Why People (Like Me) Are Moving to Texas

Are you considering moving to a new state, but are unsure which place would be the perfect new home for you?

Well, look no further. According to Stevens Worldwide Van Lines, Texas is among the top 10 inbound states, meaning that more people move to Texas every year than leave it. Having moved here myself, I can see why. Here are my top five reasons that Texas is a great place consider relocating to:

1. The Real Estate is Less Expensive

Texas is huge. Having an abundance of land makes it less expensive to purchase, thus, housing is cheaper in Texas because of the amount of space available. There are areas that are more expensive, but most people will be able to find a little piece of Texas in their price range.
For example, in the city of Cibolo, which is a half-hour outside San Antonio, the average home costs only $191,600.

2. There are Plenty of Good Jobs

On the 2013 Forbes’ “Best Cities for Good Jobs” list, Texas dominated, with 5 of the 10 cities being in the Lone Star State. The reason for this, according to Bernard Weinstein, is Texas’ extremely diversified economy. There are plenty of regular, high paying blue-collar jobs, as well as oil, tech, manufacturing, healthcare and business jobs available. Plenty of jobs makes for a lower unemployment rate, which makes for two great reasons to pack your bags for Texas.

3. The Cost of Living is Lower

According to a chart published by “Sperling’s Best Places”, Texas’ cost of living is lower than the national average in a number of categories including groceries, healthcare costs, rent and transportation. Texas also has its own power grid, so electricity costs are lower as well. As this Dallas moving company suggests, a lower cost of living gives you the chance to spread your paycheck further, and get ahead. That can be difficult to do living in a city like San Francisco where the exorbitant cost of living leaves many living paycheck to paycheck.

4. The “Friendliest People in the US”

Texas, the Lone Star State, is also called the Friendship State. Native Texans are kind and friendly, and very down to earth. The larger cities are very diverse, and race relations are very good among most Texans.

5. The Scenery and History

Texas is a beautiful state, offering an amazing array of beaches, canyons, flatlands, historical landmarks, and natural wonders. It is also filled with history and diversity. From the Alamo, to Big Bend National Park, the state is rich with culture and exquisiteness.

The Lone Star State has an abundance of riches for the taking. Whether you are looking for a new job, a new home, or just a new beginning, The Friendship State is the best place to move to.
Texas awaits you, what are you waiting for?

 

How I Moved From Silver Spring MD to Austin TX

After graduating from the University of Maryland, I was faced with the same decision that most recent graduates face. Where in the world do I want to live? And what in the heck am I going to do for a living? Not having any actual reasoning for answering either of the preceding questions, I decided just to go on a leap of faith and move all the way across the country to somewhere entirely new. Having not ever previously moved out of the state, I knew it would be a real challenge and adventure for me. Not having any friends in Austin, I knew it would be a real opportunity for me to branch out and meet the world.

I’m certain that other individuals have faced more trying times than this. And, assuming there are more than a few of you reading this blog, I’m also wagering that many will just overlook the difficulty of an interstate move (especially my military friends). But, for me, this move was a real struggle. It took patience, planning, creativity, and a willingness to push myself outside of the comfort zone that I had established.

For starters, finding a moving company proved to be one of the most challenging things that I had not accounted for. I mean, we live in a world where I can get a “taxi” with an iPhone, one finger, and 4 minutes. I wrongly assumed that finding a moving company would be equally as simple. Boy, was I wrong. After hours of online research, I finally went with this long distance moving company aggregator – http://greatguysmoving.com/long-distance-moving-companies/ – to let them do the legwork for me of contacting multiple companies to get a quote. The quotes that I ended up receiving were all over the place. There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to why some charged high prices and others low-prices. In the end, I just went with the cheapest. I’d say that I got about what I expected. Nothing was damaged too severely.

The second unexpected difficulty that I faced was finding an apartment. Not because of a lack of technology, like above, but because of a lack of supply. The Austin real estate market is red-hot right now and has the prices to show for it. I ended up going well over my intended budget and also having to live well outside of the radius I had initially planned on.

Lastly, the difficulty of making new friends surprised me. I realize that I’m not the most outgoing guy in the world, but I’m also not a closet hermit. Despite my social charm, I honestly struggled with finding new friends in Austin. Maybe it’s because I didn’t quite fit the hipster culture… and I’m certainly not the cowboy type. I guess I just ended up somewhere in between. But, as with most things, give it enough time and persistence usually pays off. Connecting with a church helped me break into new social circles and meet some amazing new friends.

Though it wasn’t the easiest of journeys that I’ve been on, moving across the country will certainly stand out in my lifetime as one that challenged my character, will-power, and patience.

Austin TX – Moving Tips On How to Box Up Your House

The process of boxing up your home when preparing to move can be an overwhelming task, especially if you have a lot of items. This is because boxing is not just about throwing all your items into boxes. You have to be organized if you want to ensure that all your valuables reach their destination safely (Huge shout out to the Movers in Austin TX that definitely helped us with the Texas portion of the move). You will also be able to save time and energy when unpacking boxes that are well organized. You should start packing early enough to prevent last minute rush. Here is what you should do when you want to box up your home the right way;

Get the right boxes

The first thing that you have to do when you want to box up your home is find the right boxes. Not all boxes are suitable for moving. You should ensure that you are dealing with boxes that are designated for moving. All your boxes should be of the same size. They should not be too small or too large. This is because small boxes will not hold a lot of items. Large boxes on the other hand will be too difficult to carry. One person should be able to carry a box easily.

Box up one room at a time

You will be more organized when you pack your items into boxes systematically. You should start with the least used items. Move to another room only when you are sure that you have packed everything in a given room. Do not put items from different rooms in the same box. You can leave out the items that you still need to use but make plans on how you are going to pack them. While in each room, focus on one part of the room at a time.

Do not over-pack

Do not put too much items in one box. Get enough boxes so that you don’t over-pack. Heavy boxes will not only be too difficult to carry, items might also spill out when the boxes are being carried. In every box, put the lighter items on top of the heavier items.

Label your boxes

All your boxes should have a label. This will help everyone who is going to be involved including the moving company by letting them know exactly what is in a box they want carry. Boxes that carry fragile items should be labeled as Fragile. You should also label the tops side of your boxes to ensure that they are carried the right way. Write general information about the item present in each of your boxes at the top. Labeling all your boxes will also help you to save time when unpacking. You will not have to search through all your boxes to just to find one essential item.

Do not box up everything

You should not focus on boxing everything in your home. You should personally transport documents and other things that you consider to be extremely valuable. Before you start boxing up your home in preparation for moving, you should decide which items need to put in boxes and which items will not be put in boxes.