ESSENTIALS
CAMERON WOODS
CAMERON WOODS CITY: The Colony COMPANY/TITLE: Fay Financial/ Corporate Paralegal When did you move here? From where? I moved here from Chicago in August 2017.
PHOTO: ROBIN BALL
“THERE ARE ALL STRIPES OF PEOPLE HERE, LIVING AND WORKING TOGETHER. IT’S A VERY ENCOURAGING THING TO SEE.”
Where else have you lived? Florida, Pennsylvania What made you Say Yes to Dallas? My reasons for choosing Dallas and returning to Texas were numerous, including: family ties, cost of living, and new opportunities in general. How has your opinion of the Dallas Region changed since moving here? I think the level of diversity has been a great surprise. There are all stripes of people here, living and working together.
It’s a very encouraging thing to see. Tell us about your city/neighborhood. What do you like best? What makes it different? I live on the edge of Lewisville in The Colony, and it’s basically a nice and quiet enclave just north of the city. I really enjoy the space, friendly people, and general “cleanliness” of the area, if that makes sense. Where do you go and what do you do on
the weekends or days off? Well since I’m from East Texas (Tyler) and also have immediate family down in Round Rock, I spend a lot of weekends road tripping to catch up with family and friends. When I’m not on the road, I love finding new food places, catching good movies, or going to places where I can get both—Alamo Drafthouse!!
MOVING CHECKLIST STEP 1: DECIDE WHEN YOU WANT TO MOVE Moving can be both exciting and stressful as you pick up your entire life to start over somewhere new. If you have the freedom to pick when you want to move, there are a few things to consider. If cost is a factor, moving during the off-season, such as in spring or late fall, will give you the least expensive rates from moving companies. Try to avoid booking your move on the weekends, during the summer, or on the first of the month as rates can be their highest. If you have children in school, you may need to move during the summer as it’s least disruptive to them. Once you’ve weighed the pros and cons and figured out when to move, use our 8 Week Moving Checklist to help you plan an organized move to get you settled in your new place. EIGHT WEEKS UNTIL MOVE: GET ESTIMATES & MAKE LISTS
❏ Relocating for a job? Find out
what expenses your employer will cover. ❏ If buying a home, contact a real estate agent in Dallas. ❏ Decide if you want to hire a moving company and start getting estimates. SIX WEEKS UNTIL MOVE: PURGE & START PACKING
❏ Begin organizing your closets 174
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and sorting out clothing, accessories, and shoes you do not want to keep.
❏ Choose what you can donate
to charity and schedule a charity organization of your choice to pick them up (for example, Salvation Army or a veterans’ charity).
❏ Have a garage sale or sell
online (on CraigsList or eBay) value items and things that are not worth the cost of moving, but which you don’t want to give away for free.
FOUR WEEKS UNTIL MOVE: UPDATE ADDRESS
❏ Submit a change-of-address
form. Go to your local post office and submit a changeof-address form in order to ensure that all your mail will be properly forwarded. You can do this online in order to save time.
❏ Request 1 or 2 days off from
your work for date(s) planned for your move (unless you are changing jobs).
❏ Find a new primary doctor
(and pediatrician, if you have children) and dentist and arrange for your medical records to be transferred.
❏ If you have children, check the
pre-registration procedures for enrolling children in school.
❏ Talk to the current and future
school/daycare to transfer school records and make plans for a smooth transition.
D A L L A S REG I O N N E W C O M E R + R E L O C AT I O N G U I D E
THREE WEEKS UNTIL MOVE: TAKE CARE OF SPECIAL ITEMS
❏ Gather important documents, jewelry, and valuables and pack them separately in your personal bags or ship them with a trackable delivery with insurance.
❏ If you’re driving long distance to your new home, have your car checked up and serviced for a long drive.
❏ Take an inventory of your
most expensive or cherished possessions and take photos of them to have proof in case of damage.
TWO WEEKS UNTIL MOVE: FINISH UP LOOSE ENDS
❏ Check the pre-registration procedures for enrolling children in school.
❏ Use up food from the
refrigerator, freezer, and pantry, to minimize waste.
❏ Double check that you’ve
updated your address everywhere where needed.
❏ Notify movers ahead of time if you’re moving big appliances which may need special handling; likewise, for gas appliances, consult with your gas utility provider.
❏ Refill your medication
prescriptions and keep them easily accessible by packing them in your handbag.
❏ Keep some cash on hand for
tips and small expenses, as you may not be able to pay by credit card everywhere.
❏ Update your shipping address
on Amazon, eBay, PayPal, and other online shopping sites you use, and direct any scheduled or future shipments to the correct address.
ONE WEEK UNTIL MOVE: TAKE CARE OF FINAL DETAILS
❏ Plan to transfer utilities.
Call your utility companies —electricity, water, gas, telephone, mobile, internet, TV cable, sewer, trash—and put in a request to turn off utilities at the old address on the day after your move.
❏ Pack a personal suitcase
with toiletries, essentials, valuables, and comfortable clothes for each person in your household; keep these suitcases with you.
❏ Do a final box count to have an accurate count for your records and for the moving company, if they request it.
❏ Confirm the important details
with your moving company to avoid any last-minute misunderstandings: phone numbers on both sides, contact person’s name, destination address, date and time when the truck will arrive, etc.
MOVING DAY: You’re off to your new home! 2022
