Step 1 - What do you want in a new place to live??

If one of these steps is the most important one, this is probably it. Even if you believe you know exactly what you are looking for, at least briefly consider the suggestions here to make sure you don't miss something really important. There are four areas to think about:

  1. An easy way to start is to list everything you want to get away from.

  2. Convert each of those into a positive statement of what you want instead of just getting away from something. Climate is a good example. If you hate cold winters but equally hate hot summers, you might enjoy a temperate climate. Try to put some numbers on that (average temp in the winter and average temp in the summer). Later, you may find yourself looking for a mountainous place somwhere in the south.

  3. Identify the things you value where you live now and would miss if a new place didn't have them. Sometimes we rush into making a move without giving much thought to what we like about where we are. We only think about what we don't like and want to get away from or what seems exciting in some other place. Maybe it's to get away from the increasing cost of living, the steadily increasing traffic congestion, the crime rate, or the terribly cold winter we just had. These may be good enough reasons to move. But even when you are certain you want to move, look hard to identify things that are important to you. It is easy to take for granted the things we are used to having, yet some areas or cities may not have those same features or services. This step has a Worksheet to help you identify things you like about where you are now and may miss if you don’t find them in a new place. This will avoid the risk of moving, then waking up one morning to realize you like the new place less than the one you left because it doesn't have things you took for granted where you were before.

  4. After listing the things that are important to you now, review the worksheet again one or more times to list other things you want in your new home. Get in touch with your hopes for the ideal conditions. At first, assume anything is possible -- you have all the money, skills, talent and resources you might need. The point in this step is to find your wants and passions. You will probably find some things you care about more than you realized and this process will bring you back into reality later. This is a good time to bring some of those buried wishes to the surface. Later, you can decide just how serious you are about them.

    5. Finally, review the list one more time and mark those that you feel you absolutely must have. Download and write the most important requirements on the Comparing Locations Chart that you can use later in Step 4.