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Getting Comfortable in Your New Community After a Move

It’s finally done, you’ve made the big move, you’re done getting settled into your new home! Every box is unpacked, everything’s in its place (took long enough, right?) — it’s all smooth sailing from here. Congrats! Now you might even have time now to branch out, take a walk, and explore the neighborhood (further than the take-out you bought while you still couldn’t find your forks). So go for it, get some fresh air! And while you’re at it, get acquainted with your new surroundings.

Whether you bought a home in the same place you grew up, or you moved to a totally new and unfamiliar location, there’s a lot to get to know: Your neighbors, your neighborhood, local shops and restaurants, schools, parks, even that secret route for your fastest commute. It will all come in time, but some parts require extra effort for best results.

We’re here to help you with simple tips to help you get to know and get involved with your new community, to speed up the process and keep you comfy. Starting with…

Throw a Housewarming Party

A housewarming party serves two important purposes: you get to celebrate your new home with your friends and family, AND you can invite your new neighbors to break the ice! After all the work you put in to finding and buying your new home, moving, and settling in, you definitely deserve some fun.

Throwing a housewarming party gives you a low-pressure opportunity to mingle with your new neighbors. If you have kids at home, it’s also a chance for them to meet other kids in the neighborhood. It’s always nice to have a friend on the block!

Given the public health restrictions on in-person gatherings these days, you may need to plan ahead to ensure that your event is held safely (and legally). If it’s currently allowed to host a shindig in your area, it may still be best to keep party-goers outside for a BBQ or play-day in the yard. If you don’t have the exterior space, or if you just plain can’t hold a party, the next best thing is a virtual Zoom party. Not the best, we know… but you can do a virtual tour of your newly decorated home, and plan some fun games to keep the virtual party rolling.

Find Ways to Volunteer

Getting involved by giving back is a great way to meet locals, and you’ll feel so much more invested in the community. To get started, check for opportunities to volunteer on your municipal website, community Facebook pages and other social media. If your neighborhood is old-school, which is pretty cool, you might even find a physical bulletin board somewhere like the town square. Take a look for community gatherings and volunteering events and drives.

Volunteering might be a particularly nice way to meet folks in your community, for those who aren’t so fond of walking up to strangers and starting a conversation. When you volunteer, you’ll naturally meet others who are giving their time. You already have one thing in common, and you have something to do rather than stare blankly at one another from across the sidewalk.

You may be collecting food for the homeless, planting a community garden, or selling homemade treats at the local bake sale. Whatever form your efforts take, there’s no better way to get involved and invested in your new community. Many volunteering opportunities are great for kids too, and will instill an appreciation for giving back at an early age.

Of course, before you run out to volunteer, be sure to check the latest COVID guidelines in your area. You may be required to bring certain items like extra masks or gloves. If you’re at risk, you might want to leave volunteering to others for the time being.

Connect With an App

There’s an app for everything these days, including quite a few for getting in touch with your neighborhood! The most popular community app is NextDoor, which you can visit on a phone app or anything with a web browser. We also mentioned Facebook community pages earlier, which can be an even better source for community info and connections.

There are apps that connect you with other parents or pet owners or enthusiasts in your area, apps to find a restaurant, to find a date, to find Pokemon on the sidewalk, to find hidden treasure… well, maybe not treasure, but would you be surprised?

Importantly, with any type of social media, we always recommend to be careful when sharing any kind of personal information.

Strike Up a Conversation

Not everyone is super outgoing, and that’s okay, but if you find the right chance to greet your neighbors, we highly recommend it! Just say hi, introduce yourself and let them know you’re the new homeowners. You’ll find that most people are quite friendly and happy to chat. If that doesn’t describe your new neighbors, that’s a good thing to know anyways. We highly suggest breaking that ice — you never know when you might need a cup of sugar!

If you do decide to strike up a chat with your neighbors, keep in mind the current COVID guidelines. Don’t get inches away, and definitely don’t just run up and hug them. That’s probably not allowed, and your neighbors might think you’re a little weird.

Have An Adventure

Neighbors aren’t the only new part of your new community, there’s also the great wide yonder of new streets, parks, and places to go! If you don’t mind the hustle, try packing some food and water and going for a hike. It can be an urban hike through streets and shops, or your standard nature hike through the local flora. If things are spread out, or you’d rather not hoof it, then driving to new places can be very rewarding too.

For your adventure, there’s a couple ways to do it. You can let the roads and paths just whisk you away, discovering new places as you travel. Or you can do a little research beforehand, browsing the web to find hotspots and great views recommended by locals who have been around the block a while. In most cases, we recommend the latter option, just so you don’t get too tired or waste too much gas while aimlessly wandering. But if your surroundings are nice (and safe), you’re not likely to go wrong by just following your nose. Just don’t forget your GPS.

Adventuring and day-trips help you really get to know your new area. They’ll help you learn the best travel routes, the closest shops and tasty restaurants, and maybe even some local history too. GPS or not, it’s nice to know where you are and where you’re going. Have an adventure to make it so!

Getting Settled in a New Home 101

When getting settled in a new home, there are tons of ways that you can get involved and find out about your new surroundings, while at the same time making sure you and your family are safe and comfortable.

It can be strange to live in a totally new place, so we hope the tips we shared above will help you to leap over that initial phase and quickly feel at home. Definitely consider some volunteering opportunities in your area, and don’t miss out on your housewarming party if you’re able to have one! They don’t come around too often.

If you are still looking for your forever home yet, or just your next step and next adventure, we’re here to help you. Contact the Stavros Group and let us know your goals!

Packing It Up: Tips and Tricks for a Stress-Free Move

Moving is a double-edged sword. While you probably can’t wait to get settled in your dream place and start a new chapter in your life, you also likely have a lot of stress and anxiety heading into the process.

With some tips for a stress-free move, you don’t have to worry about losing your head. The tips in this article will show you how you can guarantee a stress-free move.

1. Hire Some Professional Help

Hiring a professional can help get rid of the stress of a move. By leaving it to some pros, it is a lot easier to relax, since you won’t have to worry about putting together all of the pieces yourself.

Since this is what they do for a living, you also get more of a guarantee that the job will be done properly. This means not having to worry about items breaking or being mishandled during the move.

While it will cost you a bit of money, you can’t put a price tag on the peace and stress-relief that you get by hiring movers.

2. Get Your Move Started Early

Procrastination kills the dream!

Of course, it’s difficult to get excited about your move if you stress yourself out by waiting too long to get started. You will bring back the stresses of school all-nighters — and unnecessarily so.

You have plenty of time to plan out every part of your move. So start early and make it fun instead of anxiety-inducing.

3. Find the Right Supplies for the Move

If you’re going to plan a move, you also need to be sure you have the right supplies.

Start by finding boxes and other containers that will store all of the items you are moving. Choose boxes that are sturdy and not likely to crumble or allow your belongings to break. You can purchase quality moving boxes from your local hardware store.

You can also look into specialty containers, such as hard plastic containers. Buy boxes and containers that fit together like a puzzle, so it’s easy to arrange them in your truck.

4. Pack With Rhyme and Reason

Handling your move becomes easy and stress-free when you learn how to pack.

If you have a uniform way of packing things, it’s easier for you to get them on and off the truck. You will remember where things are, and this will make it easier for you to get set up at your new place.

Go room by room and get organized about the way you pack things up. By having a strategy, the move will be as stress-free as possible.

5. Organize and Schedule Your Move

It’s best to have a schedule for every part of your move. Set the dates on your calendar and give yourself plenty of time leading up to the move to pack things up, turn your utilities on in your new place, talk to some movers, and other parts of the move.

Scope out your new home as well to see if there are any traffic patterns you should know about. Get to know the neighborhood so you can figure out the best place to park so you can unload.

6. Make Use of Storage if You Need It

Having some rental storage space is also an excellent way to make your move easier. When you have storage, it gives you some time so that you don’t feel rushed with the move.

You can rent a storage unit while you are packing up your current home so that you can move into your new home little by little. Find a storage rental company that has affordable monthly rates, along with the best storage space for your needs.

7. Manage the Costs of Your Move

You need to handle the financial part of your move as well. A price tag that you have trouble affording is one of the biggest areas of stress when you’re moving.

The easiest way to manage your costs is to first figure out what you can do on your own, and what you need professional help with. If you are hiring any kind of professional help, you should get some price estimates from three different movers.

You should also shop for the most affordable moving equipment and supplies so the price doesn’t become too inflated.

8. Take off the Time That You Need

Don’t make the mistake of trying to do too much. Working a full work week right before or after a move can also make the move more stressful than it has to be.

Take some time off from work so you can plan out your move, go room by room, and check and double-check every part of it. You will thank yourself that you took time off when you can get a good night’s sleep before the move and have clear thoughts and low anxiety.

9. Get Help From Friends and Family

Don’t hesitate to lean on the help that friends and family members can provide. It would surprise you to see how much work you can get done when you have people by your side.

If you have kids, getting family members to watch them at certain parts of the move can also decrease stress because you’re only focusing on the task at hand — not the temperament of your little ones.

10. Breathe and Relax

Breathe! It’s easier to relax when you have your mind made up that you aren’t going to let stress get the best of you.

Control what you can control, and give yourself permission to just live in the moment and let the move play out how it’s supposed to.

Put Together a Stress-Free Move

You can enjoy a stress-free move when you follow these tips. Since moves can be one of the more stressful things that you do, you will be glad that you had these tips at your disposal.

We are happy to hear from you. Take time to connect with us when you need some real estate help.

What’s My Home Worth? A Comparison of the Best Online Home Value Estimator Tools

Whether you’re about to enter into a search for a new home, or just want to make informed decisions about the value of the home you currently live in, you may be wondering how much is my home worth? Fortunately, there are many great home value estimator tools available to help you to determine the approximated worth of your property. Our website boasts our own home value estimator, which is a great starting point in determining your home’s price. It doesn’t hurt to get a second or third opinion, however, by working with an industry professional who knows the market. Although each of the options provided below uses different methods to determine their estimates, when viewed in aggregate you can get a strong estimate of a home value in Orange County.

There are also different types of home value estimators to consider, each with their own pros and cons. Many online estimates have the benefit of being available to you free of charge so that you can access many different reports and estimates for the property in question. In-person assessments, on the other hand, carry the cost of paying a professional to carry them out, but they can also provide more accurate and actionable information due to the more thorough nature. To find a home value in Orange County, a combination of both online and in-person estimates is often your best bet, narrowing your options with online tools before relying on a pro before the sale.

The Zillow “Zestimate”

One of the two major online home value estimate tools, Zillow is considered the more seller friendly option, as it tends to have higher estimated values for the homes listed on it. Zillow uses a secret algorithm which helps to create a “Zestimate” on the value of the home. While it is not officially known what factors are used in the estimate, it is commonly accepted that a large portion of estimates comes based on prior sales data and information on other sales around the home with similar amenities.

Redfin Estimates

As with Zillow, Redfin uses its own proprietary algorithm in order to determine an estimated home value. Orange County has many great homes listed on Redfin, and the numbers provided by the Redfin estimate are often more friendly to those who are searching for a home, with values on average being lower than those of the “Zestimate” guesses. Redfin also makes use of a “Hot Home” feature which gives increased prominence to listings which are seeing a great deal of traffic. Although page clicks may not directly translate to value, they are a good indicator of interest and likely competition.

Creating a Good Online Estimate

Although you should never count on just one online estimate for a home valuation in Newport Beach, Laguna Beach or Corona del Mar, by checking out multiple different sites you can get a good idea of the value of the home. The easiest way to do so is add up the values from the different sites then divide by the number of sites to find an average value. By combining multiple sites together you improve the likelihood of getting an accurate result, as you are less likely to be thrown off by an algorithm on one site missing something. If you find a result from one of the online listings which is vastly different, you may want to consider removing it before averaging in order to get a more accurate home value in Orange County.

The Importance of a Home Appraisal

While online estimates are fine for sating your curiosity, when ownership is trading hands, they’re not enough. Whether you’re buying or selling, house worth must be assessed by a professional in order to get a true home value. Orange County is a booming real estate destination, but you can’t make good decisions without good information. An appraisal is carried out by an unbiased professional who has no stake in a high or low value, so you can trust that the number they come back with is as accurate as possible.

If you are applying for financing for your home, it is likely that an in-person appraisal will be required by your lending agent. When you receive a mortgage, the home serves as collateral for the loan, so it’s in the lender’s best interest to make sure that you are not borrowing more than it is worth or else the bank could be out of luck in the event of default. Your appraiser will perform a visual inspection of the entire home, inside and outside, as well as note the home’s amenities. By combining this information with data on similar sales which have occurred, they come up with the most accurate possible estimated home value an Orange County home buyer could ask for.

Despite the importance of a professionally determined value, it’s always nice to get a sense of things on your own as you consider your options. If you’re in the market to buy or sell your home, please do not hesitate to contact us here at the Stavros Group — we’d love to help in any way we can!