Thinking About Moving to a New City? Here's What You Need to Know

By Eliot Ward

Perhaps you recently accepted a job offer in a new city, or you just needed a change of scenery and decided now was the time to make that change. Uprooting your life isn't an easy feat—yet, it's exciting and new. You'll get to explore a whole new place and all that that new place has to offer! There'll be new activities, new restaurants, new friends, new parks, and more.

What should you know about your new hometown? What research should you do ahead of time to ensure you relocate to a place you'll be comfortable living in? Here's what you need to know:

Do Your Research Before Buying (or Renting)

The area you live in makes your home what it is. Check out Google Maps before your big move. Maybe even make a list of the advantages and disadvantages to each area you research—it can help make the decision easier.

If your kids are in school, you'll likely want a school facility close by. Do you want them to attend a private or public school? Is there one close by? What about grocery shopping? Is it easy to get to? Do you like to have a gym you can walk to? Are there parks? Ask yourself these questions ahead of time. Determine their importance to you and your family.

 Research the Local Big Activities and Events

With a new city comes a new list of annual events and festivals. Find out what big attractions take place. If your family is into skiing or mountain biking, look to see if there is a place close by to partake in these activities. Plus, finding activities and fun events to look forward to can lessen the impact of a move, such as moving far away from friends and family. It's exciting, but it can also be really tough. Make the best out of it!

Research the Costs of Your New City

This is a big one. Cities come with different price tags. Make sure you know what you'll be spending before you commit.

Even grocery prices tend to change. Calculate what you can expect to spend in your new city—does it work for your budget? The worst thing that could happen is you move and find out you can't afford your new city. Financial planning makes all the difference, and it can help you avoid future panic or crises.
Top Benefits of Installing a Tankless Water Heater

 As is the case with most household appliances, modern technological advancements can result in massive improvements. Here are the top benefits of installing a tankless water heater in your home:

Save Money on Your Energy Bill

With a conventional water heater, hot water is stored inside the tank. In theory, this keeps a ready supply of hot water on hand for immediate use, but the fact is that the hot water just sits around when not being used. This is not only a complete waste of energy; it also costs you extra money at the end of the month on your energy bill.

Tankless Is Better Than Conventional

A tankless water heater does not store hot water for later use. Instead, a tankless water heater only produces as much hot water as a person needs. In other words, when the hot water faucet is turned on, the tankless unit provides the exact amount of hot water dispensed until the faucet is turned off. With the installation of a tankless unit in your home, you never need to worry about running out of hot water again during a shower. 

The Single Biggest Flaw of Conventional Tank Water Heaters

One of the biggest problems with conventional tank water heaters is leakage. No matter how fancy of an electric water heater you buy, the unit will start leaking as time takes its toll. After all, these are constantly filled with water day in and day out for a period of years. A tankless water heater, on the other hand, doesn't store water, and, therefore, will never leave you a big mess to clean up—because there's nothing to leak!