The secret weapon to my last few moves has been airbnb. Book 30 to 45 days somewhere central to the areas you'd like to live, or in a neighborhood you want a fe

The secret weapon to my last few moves has been airbnb. Book 30 to 45 days somewhere central to the areas you'd like to live, or in a neighborhood you want a feel for. You get a block-by-block feel for the locale really quickly, that you could never get online. 30+ days is enough time that you can do multiple application cycles for properties and not have to worry about settling in the first batch or being homeless. It costs a bit of a premium in a major city, but i find the insight and optionality to be more than worth it. Also, make sure you consider your relo package in terms of post-tax income. If your movers cost 2k and you get 2k in relo, taxes are going to chop that in half and you'll lose money. This is a mistake you only make once :)