The Huffington Post | By Shana Ecker
Let's be honest: Moving can be a big pain in the butt. Between packing everything you own into boxes, finding a new place that's in your budget AND near enough to work (not to mention a decent bar and a dry cleaner) and hiring trustworthy movers that will get your stuff to your new home in one piece, your head will be spinning.
Thankfully, there are some seriously good resources online that will take (some of) the stress out of the process. So stop trolling Craigslist and scroll through our big list of the best websites for rentals, new homes and moving below.
Finding A Rental Apartment:
Apartments.com: This one's a snap. Just type in the maximum rent you want to pay, and you're on your way to finding your next home.
ForRent: This site does it all AND has special sections for those who are living off campus or relocating.
Rent Jungle: You can choose features you can't live without, like a fireplace or hardwood floors, from thousands of listings in the area of your choice.
Hotpads: Use this site's interactive map to find a new place exactly where you want it.
Apartable: If you're in the New York area, Apartable can help you find NO FEE rentals. Which, if you live in this city, is huge.
StreetEasy: Available only in certain metro areas so far, this site simplifies the process and connects you to the most viable rental and sales listings in your area.
Padmapper: With the tagline "making apartment hunting suck less," this site has a cool interactive map so you can pinpoint all of the rentals available in the area of your choice.
Naked Apartments: Another site for New Yorkers, the best feature is it allows you to read anoymous reviews of brokers.
Sociallisting: Not just for finding apartments, this cool site taps into your own friends via your social networks to help you find a new place (or even a job).
If You're Looking To Buy:
Realtor.com: Operated by the official National Association of Realtors, this site is legit.
Trulia: This one has it all: houses, apartments and helpful information about local realtors.
Zillow: This is the largest real estate network on the web and mobile, so this is your go-to site for info for buying OR renting your next place.
Homefinder: Quickly search for houses for sale, rentals and even foreclosures.
Homes.com: Exactly what it sounds like, this will connect you to local listings.
Packing And Moving:
Moving.com: A one-stop-shop for moving quotes, storage locations and handy tools like a moving cost calculator.
Unpakt: You can shop for quotes with the specifics of your move, lock in a rate and book online.
Door To Door: This Seattle-based company delivers portable containers that you pack at your pace, then they'll pick them up and move them for you.
MovingScam.com: This site lists reputable movers in your area so you won't get, well, scammed.
Uline: Need boxes, tape and packing peanuts? Head over to this site that has all of the materials for a successful move in one place.
UShip: Do you have something unusually large (like a car) that you're not sure how to get from point A to point B? Try here.
Other Helpful Resources:
I Am Moving: Don't forget to change your address. This site will take care of letting over 1,500 organizations know where you're heading for free.
People With Pets: This is exactly what it sounds like: A resource for people who are moving with their furry friends and are looking for pet-friendly new homes.
