Sample: Seven Day Itinerary to Prepare for Your Relocation to Portland Decisions

Day 1 Focus on getting organized. Set your mind right for how many huge decisions you have to make in a short period of time. Make your to-do list.

Day 2 Spend a day researching your work location and where you might like to live. Identify traffic patterns and what is important for you. Do you need to be next to the golf club, tennis complex, or do you need to be near a freeway? What is absolutely the most important. How many minutes are you willing to commute to and from work.

Day 3 Once you've identified the maximum amount of commute time, you've narrowed down your search to specific areas. Next item is how do you want to live? Do you want to live within walking distance of shops and stores? Are you interested in certain schools, athletic clubs, churches?

Day 4 What kind of neighborhoods do you want to live in? Do you want neighborhoods with HOA's? Do you want neighborhoods with larger houses, smaller houses, newer houses, older houses? Do you want neighborhoods with very little cars that park on the streets? Do you want neighborhoods with security gates? Do you want high income or middle income or lower income neighborhoods? Do you want neighborhoods with extras like parks, walking trails and pools? When you know the answers to those questions you should begin working with a Real Estate Agent to help you.

Day 5 This day could be reserved to look inside the houses you and the realtor have found that meet your criteria.

Day 6 Review all the homes you are interested in and rate them 1-3. Work with your realtor to make sound offer(s) to purchase.

Day 7 Now you can feel comfortable and relaxed flying home knowing that you've successfully identified where you want to live, what you want to live next to, and what kind of lifestyle you want to live (sitting in traffic or biking to work or short 5 minute commute). You've pinpointed the type of neighborhood and home you want to live in. You've found three homes that will work for your needs and have ranked them from 1-3 and have made offers on all of them. Now it's up to your Real Estate Agent and the sellers.