Over the years, I have relocated to scores of cities. So much so that I have it down to a ‘T’. I have a system, and there is a set of steps I take every time I relocate. Granted, most of my relocations in the last decade were in the US, where there were many offline and online resources to make the process easy.

Thankfully, we now have a great resource in India too in the form of Quikr.com.

One of my cousins recently got a job in Bangalore, and I set about finding the things needed for living in a new city.

Bunking down in a new city

Once you have a roof over your head, everything becomes easier. So the first thing when relocating to a city is the apartment search. I generally advocate renting first until you get used to a new city and a new job. This also gives one more time to experience things first hand and make a more informed choice before buying property.
The Quikr Real Estate page is a big help here – it lists various apartments for sale, and even allows you to choose furnished ones. You can choose the size of the apartment, price range and locality, and other things like ad duration and the person posting it.
This interface is very similar to sites like Rent.com, so it is very easy to use for NRIs or foreign nationals.
Having such concrete information allows you to narrow down choices and reduces the leg work you need to do.

Decorating your new home

Once you have your digs, you of course need to fill them with furniture. You may be having some of your own from your old place. But in my experience, there is always something that needs to be bought in a new place.
With online resources and more people relocating often, there are a lot of things up for grabs like appliances or crockery or paintings etc. These can be in good condition even when they are used.
Knick knacks like kitchen trolleys, book shelves, entertainment centers, lawn chairs etc. are available at really affordable prices.
Microwaves, washing machines, TVs etc. are also much cheaper when bought used.
And buying used stuff makes sense when you are not sure how long you are going to stay in the new place.

For want of a Nail?

Who do you need the most when you move into a new place? No, it’s not just your family. I am talking about electricians and plumbers and handy men who will help you fix the wiring, or assemble furniture, fix a leaky pipe, or drive nails in the wall for your photo frames.

A website like Quikr actually has a separate page for plumbers and electricians. Some of these are part of a company so you can chat with them online first or on the phone.
You can compare prices after talking to a few and then make a choice.

Settling In

Once you get your new house, furniture etc. set up and work starts, the settling in process starts. Social interaction is very important to us as human beings.
No man is an island, you know.
Finding mutual interest groups, hobby classes, local places of worship or clubs is easy via the Events page on Quikr.
This lets you know what is happening in the community and you can sign up for something you are interested in.
So there you have it folks! Wherever you are going to relocate, these are some of the basics you need to cover.

*I am writing this for the It’s Just Quikr in Bangalore campaign on Indiblogger.

Image Courtesy – freedigitalphotos.net/ Stuart Miles