Leaving the Bay Area – relocation tips
Moving into a new home can be one of life’s most exciting experiences. Add a move over the state line, or across country, and that excitement can turn into a more daunting task than just packing up your furniture and loading the dog in the car.
Inspired by the growing demand from his clients who desire to leave the Bay Area and the Golden State and start a new lifestyle elsewhere, Scott Fuller addresses their unique challenges. A real estate broker since 2001, Fuller created LeavingTheBayArea.com and specializes in helping his clients navigate an outof-state move relying on his experience, a strategic plan, and a network of top professionals throughout the Bay Area and nationwide.
Many clients contemplate a move out of state for a variety of reasons, says Fuller. Too much traffic and congestion, high property taxes, an exorbitant cost of living, and commutes that take too much time away from family time are the usual reasons.
Some clients are at the beginning of their careers paying high rents with little if any ability to “save” for a down payment and have a fading expectation that they would ever be able to afford a Bay Area home mortgage.
Other clients are done raising a family, are contemplating retirement or already made the plunge, and desire a lifestyle change where they can stretch their retirement dollars further while maybe even being closer to grandchildren.
One client anticipating retirement in 2020 wrote Fuller that he is “seriously contemplating moving to a more economical state/ area.” He was very specific wanting to “stay coastal, or near an airport so I can visit my daughter.” He also said he was very active and wanted a place with things to do.
But there are still others who are in the thick of it raising a family, perhaps in a two-income home that sends both parents commuting in opposite directions, paying steep mortgage and child care costs and spending too few hours in the week with quality family time. Like Fuller’s clients who moved from the Bay Area to Portland and away from a three-hour daily commute, they too are looking elsewhere to enhance their quality of life. Fuller recalls another young family currently living in Santa Clara and contemplating a relocation to Austin this year because “they can’t seem to get ahead here.”
Deciphering what is important to his clients is one of the first steps Fuller takes when they first have a conversation. Do they need schools, parks, family activities, a retirement community, convenient health care facilities, and airports for future travels? Also unlike a move within the state, Fuller’s team helps their clients understand the implications of other states’ income, estate, and property taxes and their retirement income or savings.
“There’s a lot more hand holding,“he says when assisting someone with an out-of-state or out-ofthe-area move and that includes knowing where to start.
“Many people postpone making a move because they are not sure where to start because it looks too difficult and there’s too much uncertainty.”
Fuller’s team breaks down the move or even the contemplation of a move into steps. Visit his website www.leavingthebayarea. com for details.
“Start by gathering all the information about wants and objectives for the move. Determine a time line: do you want to be out of your current home in 60 days, at the end of next year, or when you retire five years out”?
It’s also good to determine your current home’s value or determine what you can afford based on your current financial position.
Sure a lot of people “talk” about moving out of state, says Fuller. There is a change in migration, he adds, but there is not a mass exodus.
A poll of 1,000 Bay Area registered voters released last June by the Bay Area Council, non-profit organization dedicated to economic development in the San Francisco Bay Area, found that 46 percent of them were ready to move in the next few years. This is an increase from 40 percent in 2017 and 34 percent in 2016. About 61 percent of those who would move this year would choose out-of-state destinations. According to the poll, housing costs and traffic were the top two issues sending people packing.
The most popular destinations currently include Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado and south to Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and across to Florida. Within California, people are most interested in moving to the Sacramento area.
Fuller’s local team services all nine counties in the Bay Area and consists of the top real estate agents in the area to represent their clients in their home sale. His team of agents outside the Bay Area specializes in their respective markets and understands the relocation process. These agents are briefed on the client’s needs, and develop a plan to show them the neighborhoods and homes that fit their lifestyles and expectations when the clients arrive in town.
Searching online certainly allows a better comfort level than we had 20 years ago, and many clients peruse the Internet, but exploring the areas first hand is incredibly beneficial, he adds.
Specializing in relocation, says Fuller,
“is fun. I enjoy helping people get to their next stage in life. It’s a positive experience with a lot of unknowns, but always exciting to be a part of.
He adds, that it’s also satisfying to hear clients tell him, “It was easier than they thought it would be.”
Fuller says he welcomes people to contact his team for a consultation, to ask questions about the process and discuss a relocation strategy applicable to their unique situation. “There’s no obligation,” he adds, plus you don’t have to have even made the decision to move. Just take the opportunity to learn about your options.”
“Maybe they find out it’s not the right time right now, but in a year or two out, armed with the info, they may be ready to launch,” he adds. “A lot of the process is planning and sometimes that planning can take 12 to 24 months.”
Because his clients move away, the only downside, says Fuller, is after the sale and move, he has a limited relationship with his past clients. They’ve move on.
But, he adds, “to be able to be accessible to people, to help people look at options and be able to help people reach their next destination is a good thing. They are elated to do something they’ve dreamed about for years.”