The Houston relocation checklist

90 days out

• Run the match with your work hub and shortlist three communities.
• Check FEMA zone at each candidate address (msc.fema.gov) and price flood insurance.
• Look up TEA ratings for the districts your shortlisted addresses feed.
• Ask employers about relocation stipends before you sign anything.
• Get quotes from two movers for your window; summer dates book out first.
• Pull your credit reports and dispute anything stale.

60 days out

• Tour in person or on video at your real commute hours, not a Saturday morning.
• Price total monthly spend: rent or mortgage plus insurance, utilities, and tolls.
• If buying: get pre-approved, then verify MUD/HOA layers for specific properties.
• Collect school records, transcripts, and immunization forms for each child.
• Request time off for moving week in writing.

30 days out

• Give written notice per your lease; photograph the unit on move-out day.
• File USPS mail forwarding; update your address with banks and licenses.
• Schedule utility transfers: electricity, gas, water, internet (Houston summers wait for no one).
• Confirm the flood profile one more time at the exact new address.
• Pack an essentials box: documents, chargers, meds, two weeks of clothes.

First week

• Get your Texas driver license within 90 days of residency.
• Register vehicles and update insurance to the new garage address.
• Register children with their zoned campuses using district verification, not neighborhood names.
• Locate your nearest Harris County or municipal flood resources; save the links.
• Meet the neighbors on both sides; they know which streets pond in a storm.

First month

• Review your first utility bills against the estimates you budgeted.
• Re-quote auto insurance; rates change meaningfully by ZIP.
• Drive your commute at peak times at least twice before finalizing routines.
• Calendar the next TEA accountability release if schools drove your decision.

Flood steps reference FEMA's official viewer; school steps reference Texas Education Agency accountability data. Sources are linked throughout this site's guides.