Moving is widely considered one of the most stressful events in a person’s life. Depending on where you move, what stage of life you’re in, and a million other factors, you’ll have a lot of adjustments to make. Just moving across town is enough to cause you to have to make serious adaptations to your lifestyle.

For most people, moving is an inevitable part of life, so the least you can do is make your transition a smooth one. The last thing you want to do is move into your new place and then start preparing for life there. If you make the proper arrangements for moving into your new home beforehand, then you can mitigate some of the headaches associated with moving. Keep reading to learn more.

Find a School for Your Children

When families move, their children are often the ones most impacted by it. The most significant adjustment they have to make is getting used to a new school. Your main priority when moving to a new neighborhood is to find a school suitable for your children.

Experts say that teacher happiness, technology use, and test scores are a few things to look at when searching for a school. You should also ask about the extracurricular activities offered at each school. The institution that makes learning seem like the most fun, engaging, and technology-based is the school that will give your kids the best academic outlook.

Get to Know the Neighbors

One of the most intimidating things about moving into a new neighborhood is not knowing anyone. If you have children, then this magnifies your concern. Your kids are going to have to adjust to a new school and make new friends.

Of course, you want your kids to feel safe to play and make friends in the new neighborhood, but their safety is your concern. It can be hard to let them off the leash in a new area—especially if they’re young—but meeting some of the neighbors will ease your fears.

If you want to get to know the people in your neighborhood, then throwing a cookout is a good idea. The whole community won’t show, but you’ll still get to meet some of the other parents in the neighborhood and their children. A cookout is a great way for your whole family to make connections with your new neighbors and also a way to let your neighbors get a feel for your family.

You won’t be able to learn everything about your neighbors from a barbecue, so you should still do some research. Use golookup.com to find out whether there are any sex offenders or other violent criminals in the area before moving there.

Find Out About Common Issues the Neighborhood Faces

You would be surprised how many people move into a new home only to learn the darndest things in the unfolding weeks. For instance, you may discover that your basement leaks when it rains because your new neighborhood is in a low lying area. Or maybe your community was a wooded area a few years ago, and now you have to deal with termite infestations every other summer.

You never want to be caught off guard by one of life’s little unpleasant surprises, so find out about issues common to your new area. If you’re moving into an older home, then it’s a great idea to have it inspected for leaks, mold, and other hazards. You should even have a residential pest control specialist do a thorough walkthrough of your new home to look for infestation risk factors.

Moving to a new neighborhood is the beginning of another phase of your life. Don’t go into that phase unprepared.