Checklist: how to move to the San Francisco Bay Area

HOW TO MOVEto the

San Francisco Bay Area

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THE LURE OF SILICON VALLEY

PLACE SCOUT FOR STARTUP PEOPLE | teleport.org

SAN FRANCISCO

BAY AREA

Place Scout for Startup People | teleport.org

TELEPORT HELPS YOU


MOVE TO THE BAY AREA using a real-life-proven checklist


BEFORE YOU MOVE:


Budget your moveChoose the best local bankGet pre-emptive tax adviceSort out healthcareScan important documents Decide what to do with your current homeDecide what to bring alongMove your stuff

Pick the destinationFind a jobSet the relocation dateGet the right visaFind who has done this beforeto ask questionsDecide on where to liveBuy plane ticketsStay connectedFigure out transportation


FIND A JOB


Looking to land your dream position? Good places to look online include:

Tip: if there are any companies you admire specifically, have a look at their Jobs pages - they probably are hiring. It is Silicon Valley, after all. Also, if you know you’ll be moving, consider changing your location to SF Bay Area in social networks to attract possible employers.

https://authenticjobs.com/

https://angel.co/jobs

http://www.dice.com/

http://www.indeed.com/

https://hired.com/

https://jobs.github.com/

https://techmeabroad.com/

http://careers.stackoverflow.com/

https://dribbble.com/jobs


SET THE RELOCATION DATE


Why do you need to have a set date?

• To book your travel arrangements ahead of time and get a good deal

• To know when to start or end your rent/other contracts• Setting a certain date and planning for it gives you a

definite goal to work towards, rather than “sometime soon”


GET THE RIGHT VISA


Find out all your VISA requirements to

• get your documents sorted on time

• find out any special requirements that might apply to you

Start by finding the right visa type from this government website.

Once you know which one you need, Teleborder can make the paperwork preparations an actually pleasant experience.

http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/general/all-visa-categories.html

http://teleborder.com/


SEEK OUT WHO HAS DONE THIS BEFORE (TO ASK QUESTIONS WHEN NEEDED)


Here are some Q&A forums with people who are a step ahead of you:

• If you’re a Teleport for Startup Cities user, you can

Ask a Local

• Moving to the Bay Area on Reddit

• Bay Area on Reddit

• Bay Area on Quora

http://teleport.org/mobile/

http://teleport.org/2015/06/ask-a-local/

http://www.reddit.com/r/teleporttobayarea/

http://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/

http://www.quora.com/San-Francisco-Bay-Area


DECIDE ON WHERE TO LIVE


Protip: Bay Area rental market is so hot it is pointless to try to find the place remotely. Stage the move to two:

• Step 1: Get a place for temporary stay upon arrival

• Step 2: Start looking for a real home once settled

- define your requirements: house/apartment? how many rooms? amenities?- run a search for the best neighborhood on Bay Area Teleport- find the right real estate/rent sites: Lovely, Zillow and Craigslist

https://www.airbnb.com/locations/san-francisco

https://bayarea.teleport.org/

https://livelovely.com/

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_rent/

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/


BUY PLANE TICKETS


Time to go!

• Find the best travel deals on online booking sites - have a look at SkyScanner, Hipmunk or HopOn

• If you don’t have a certain moving date set yet, consider following San Francisco on Hitlist to get automatic alerts on super cheap flight deals from where you are

http://www.skyscanner.net/

https://www.hipmunk.com/

https://www.hopon.com/

http://www.hitlistapp.com/


STAY CONNECTED


• Get a local phone number if you don’t have one yet - there are several cell phone carriers in the U.S. If you’re on the move a lot, we suggest T-mobile because of the free international roaming option.

Not sure? Here’s a handy guide by Cnet on which provider to choose.

• Get online (at your new home /mobile data)

http://www.t-mobile.com/

http://www.t-mobile.com/optional-services/roaming.html

http://www.cnet.com/news/quick-guide-to-cell-phone-carriers/

http://www.cnet.com/news/quick-guide-to-cell-phone-carriers/

http://www.comcast.com/

http://www.verizonwireless.com/

http://www.verizonwireless.com/


FIGURE OUT TRANSPORTATION


Think of the best transportation options for you:

• Do you need a new car? Try Craigslist, Beepi or Carlypso.

• Do you need to move your old car to your new location?

• Do you want to use public transport?

Pro tip: if you have a driver’s license, you should definitely make sure what the terms are for renewing or changing it - the rules and regulations vary in different states.

https://bayarea.teleport.org/

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/cta

https://www.beepi.com/

https://www.carlypso.com/

http://www.moving.com/auto-transport/moving-with-car.asp

https://citymapper.com/sf-bay-area


BUDGET YOUR MOVE BASED ON ABOVE


Taking everything above into consideration, calculate the approximate cost of your move. This includes:

• Visa costs (if there are any)

• Temporary living arrangements in the beginning (if needed)

• Rent contract start costs (deposit, first month’s rent)

• Travel (plane tickets, buses, any other transport)

• Moving costs for your belongings (shipping your

things/car/pets etc)

Pro tip: you can ask a Teleport Scout to do this for you!

http://teleport.org/scouts/


CHOOSE THE BEST LOCAL BANK


Choose your bank, and then:

1) Open an account (some branches don't demand a social security number)

2) Move your money in with Transferwise 3) Get any kind of credit card (likely needs a deposit) to start

building the foundation of your life in US: credit history (see Credit Karma)

4) Decide if you need to keep your old account with your previous bank - if not, close your cards and end your contract.

http://www.nerdwallet.com/checking-accounts/

https://transferwise.com/

https://transferwise.com/

https://www.creditkarma.com/


SORT OUT HEALTHCARE


Healthcare is something you want to get figured out as soon as possible.

1) Your employer's corporate plan is probably the easiest way to go, but if you're on your own, GeoBlue has plans with an international twist

2) BetterDoctor is the transparent place to find a general practitioner, dentist and any other speciality doctors you might need

Tip: If you have any pets, you might want to find the nearest vet to you as well.

https://www.geo-blue.com/

https://www.geo-blue.com/

https://betterdoctor.com/

http://www.localvets.com/


SCAN ALL IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS FOR BACKUP


Make sure that everything that matters to you is backed up:

• on a workspace such as Evernote

• or uploaded to a cloud service such as DropBox or

Google Drive

https://evernote.com/

https://www.dropbox.com/

https://drive.google.com/


DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR CURRENT HOME


• Decide what to do with your current place:

a. end your rent contractb. sublet using Airbnb or Flatbookc. sell it

• End all supplier contracts not needed in your new home (utilities, communications, services)

https://www.airbnb.com/

https://flatbook.co/


DECIDE WHAT TO BRING ALONG


• Figure out if and which things you want to give away (to relatives, friends, family, charity)

• Sell the things you don't need on:

a. Amazon

b. eBay

c. Craigslist

… but in many markets: whatever is your local, highest traffic second hand sales site

http://www.amazon.com/gp/seller-account/mm-product-page.html/ref=nav_cs_sell/192-7272249-7330511?ie=UTF8&ld=AZSOAUSCSNav

http://www.ebay.com/

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/sss


MOVE YOUR STUFF


You can either:

a. hire the right movers (compare prices and choose one – try

MoveBuddha for example)

b. pack up or hire someone to do it for you

Tip: when packing your belongings, pack an “essentials” box with everything you know you’ll need to use right away - this will make the first few days in your new home a lot easier.

http://www.movebuddha.com/

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WHEN YOU’VE ARRIVED

UnpackUpdate to your new addressBuy what you have decided not to bringGet to know the neighbourhoodFinalize services/contracts that needed physical presenceMeet like-minded peopleStart your new job


UNPACK


Unpacking can take a lot more time than you’d think - creating a system for everything in your new home can be challenging.

• Unpack your essentials box first so you have everything you might need right away on hand.

• The bedroom and kitchen are the first rooms you want to focus on - a good night’s sleep is important and the sooner you get your kitchen ready, the less money you’ll spend on fast food and eating out.


UPDATE TO YOUR NEW ADDRESS


Remember and update everything that needs your address, for example:

• e-commerce sites

• deliveries

• contracts

• newsletters and updates


BUY WHAT YOU HAVE DECIDED NOT TO BRING


Make a list of things you don’t have but that you’re going to need:

• Kitchen appliances

• Cleaning and bathroom essentials

• Groceries for a few days

Pro tip: sign up for Amazon Prime, Instacart and DoorDash for

speedy and hassle-free shopping and delivery

http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Prime-One-Year-Membership/dp/B00DBYBNEE

https://www.instacart.com/

https://www.doordash.com/


GET TO KNOW THE NEIGHBORHOOD


Make a list of all the places/services that are important for you and find out where they are. These might include:

• Grocery stores/shopping

• Entertainment

• Hospitals/emergency services

• Gyms, parks etc

https://foursquare.com/

https://foursquare.com/

http://www.ushospitalfinder.com/hospitals-in/California

http://sf.cityvoter.com/best/gym/fitness/bay-area

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Parks_in_the_San_Francisco_Bay_Area


FINALIZE SERVICES/CONTRACTS THAT NEEDED PHYSICAL PRESENCE


Make sure that you’ve got all of your new important contracts covered and signed, including:

• Rent contract

• New bank account

• Communications (phone, internet)

• Health insurance


MEET LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE


There are several sites to help you find your people:

• Meetup and Skout are good sites to meet new people

• Eventbrite helps you find free events in your area

• Down to Lunch with your new friends? Let them know.

http://www.meetup.com/

http://www.skout.com/

https://www.eventbrite.com/

http://imdtl.com/


START YOUR NEW JOB


There are a couple of things you can do before starting your new job to make it easier:

• If you work in an office, find out the best ways for you to get there yourself or by public transport.

• Find some good food and coffee places near where you work for lunch breaks and meetings.

• Have a chat with your employer and/or coworkers to make sure you’re on the same page about your tasks and assignments.


WHEN YOU’VE SETTLED(don’t forget things happening 30-

60-90-180 days later)

File the right taxes

Celebrate your first anniversary in the Bay Area!


FILE THE RIGHT TAXES


• Get pre-emptive tax advice way ahead of time

• Visit your state’s government site to find out about the taxes you have to pay.

• Make sure you’re aware of all the dates and deadlines for filing your CA and US federal taxes.

Pro tip: the Teleport mobile app will notify you about important deadlines

http://www.gtn.com/

http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/link/default.php

http://www.taxes.ca.gov/Income_Tax/Important_Dates/

http://www.taxes.ca.gov/Income_Tax/Important_Dates/



CELEBRATE YOUR FIRST ANNIVERSARY IN BAY AREA!


Congratulations! You’ve successfully moved to the Bay Area!

Now that you’ve settled in and made sure everything is a-okay, how about you go have a drink with some new friends!

http://www.taphunter.com/


Your feedback is important

Please do let us know how your move went!

We appreciate any tips about what we should add to the checklist to make it even more useful for people on the move. If you have any feedback, please drop us an e-mail at [email protected]

And remember, Teleport for Startup Cities is always there to discover, budget and help with your next move.

Your friends at Teleport

mailto:[email protected]


http://teleport.org/


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PRINTABLE APPENDIX


THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU MOVE:

Budget your moveChoose the best local bankGet pre-emptive tax adviceSort out healthcareScan all important documents Decide what to do with your current homeDecide what to bring alongMove your stuff

Pick the destinationFind a jobSet the relocation dateGet the right visaFind who has done this beforeto ask questionsDecide on where to liveBuy plane ticketsStay connectedFigure out transportation
