Moving home is always a time-consuming and stressful process. It can be even worse when you’re moving to another state, as there’ll be much more involved in the process. You could feel yourself feeling overwhelmed by the process.

You don’t need to settle for that, however, even if you’re moving to Washington, D.C. By getting a few specific things sorted, as well as knowing a few things, you’ll make it much easier for yourself. That goes beyond getting a professional to help you with it.

Instead, it’s worth focusing on a few extra tips and tricks ahead of your move.

1. Be Prepared For The Cost – It shouldn’t come as a surprise that living in Washington, D.C., is quite expensive. You should be prepared for this before you get there. Spend a little time figuring out how much everything will cost before you move there. It should make everything a little more bearable once you actually get there.
2. Find The Right Place To Stay – Before moving to Washington, D.C., make sure you find the right place to stay. Some areas will be more appealing than others, and it’s worth researching them. Whyle (https://www.whyle.com/) is a great resource for this, so it could be worth starting off using that.
3. Learn The Metro System – Almost all metro systems can be intimidating the first few times you use them, so it’s worth being prepared for the one in Washington, D.C. Spend a little time and effort figuring it out. Once you know where you’ll be living, you can figure out how to get everywhere else. While you could make some small mistakes, you’ll be better off by knowing what to do ahead of time.
4. Figure Out The Dress Code – While there’s no official dress code in the city, you could notice that people in certain areas dress a certain way. This depends on where exactly you are. If you’re anywhere near the Hill, you might need to be a little dressed up. Everyone here will be dressed professionally, and you’ll be expected to be the same way.
5. Know The Taxes – Taxes in Washington, D.C., work a little differently than they do elsewhere. While you’ll still need to pay them in the same way, how much you’ll need to pay could be quite different. You’ll need to know about this before you go. Generally, sales tax is 5.75%, but this jumps to 10% when you’re buying liquor, for example. Other taxes could also be noticeably higher than you’d think.

You’ll have plenty of things to sort out when you’re moving to Washington, D.C. It could be more than enough to make you feel overwhelmed and stressed at the process. You don’t need to put up with that, however.

It could be as simple as knowing about a few things before you start your move. You’ll end up in a much better position because of it, and you might even make the move much more straightforward.