Relocating to Texas from California
#Fixin’toMovetoTexas AKA RELOCATION TO TEXAS FROM CALIFORNIA
Top 10 Reasons Californians are moving to Texas
- Lower Taxes: No Texas state income tax & lower sales taxes.
- Cheaper Housing: & more living space, with land, larger homes in TX, e.g., Zillow home value index shows typical home in CA is $775K vs similar home in TX is only $315K.
- Cost of Living. Food/Entertainment/Childcare/clothing/groceries/utilities/transportation, etc., are thousands cheaper than California, gas prices in TX average $1.60/gal cheaper than in CA.
- Great schools: K-12 to Colleges and Universities.
- Job Market. AT&T, AAL, Tesla, Apple, Google, Amazon, Dell, HP, IBM Oracle, Samsung, Toyota, etc.
- Traffic: Texas traffic isn’t nearly as bad it is in California.
- Diversity: Texas ranks second most diverse state in the USA.
- Climate: Northern TX cities average 200 sunny days/yr. Southern cities 290. Winters are mild.
- Politics: Overall TX is a conservative ‘red’ state, with more liberal populations in the major cities. Texas’ gov’t is more limited than CA making it easier to get business done.
- Friendly People. Strangers will approach you with a “Howdy, Y’all”!
Interstate Moving Checklist
- If you plan to buy a home in Texas, get a PreApproved letter from MercantileMortgage.com before you arrive and you’ll be able to negotiate a contract and have your new home waiting for your move-in. Remember, you’ll likely need to have a job in the city you’re moving to, OR a letter from your HR Dept saying you can work remotely.
- Do major research on the Texas city you’re moving to at www.NeighborhoodScout.com & www.GreatSchools.org, Google Maps, etc.
- Go Visit the city and neighborhoods before you decide.
- Ask your employer if they cover relocation expenses.
- Decide on whether you want a full-service moving company to pack, ship and unpack your stuff, (est $3K to $8,000), much cheaper if you rent a truck and do it yourself, or rent a PODS Portable container, and whether you transport your vehicles by driving, towing, or ship with an auto transport company. Top 10 Moving Companies https://bit.ly/XcountryMovers
- Insurance. Be sure your belongings are insured & confirm your moving co is licensed with TxDMV.
- Climate. Winters are MILD, but TX Summers are hot, so know what temps to expect when you plan your move.
- Allow for temporary expenses for food, hotels, utilities, storage, etc., during your move and while you’re getting settled into your new home.
- Once you get settled in TX, get a TX driver’s license, register your vehicle, locate your child’s new school.