Moving to indiana from illinois? follow these 3 steps!

Are you making the jump over the state line from Illinois to Indiana? Are you wondering how to start the process?

In this blog, I’m going to lay out a few of the very first steps in the process to get you on your way.

If we haven't met yet, I am Anna Kenney, a local Northwest Indiana Realtor and I LOVE helping Illinoisans become Hoosiers!

Ok here are the first 3 simple steps to get you on your way:

1. Reach out to a local INDIANA lender

Local Indiana lenders know the market, and anything that might be specific to the new area that you are looking to move into. There may be interesting nuances, special assessments, etc. that they can help you navigate through. Think of them as an extra set of expert eyes on the market and your finances. Another huge advantage to using someone local that is also highly recommended? Your offer is more likely to get accepted by the listing agent, if you’re working with a name that they recognize. If it is a reputable lender that has given you the green light to buy in this market, that listing agent is more likely to advise their seller to accept YOUR offer. This is especially critical in our current climate, where there are usually multiple offers on the table to pick from. Plus, as an added bonus, it’s just great to support someone local in your new community!

2. Reach out to a local Realtor (hang on, stay with me!)

Before you think this is a shameless self promotion–I promise you it’s not!! As a Northwest Indiana native AND realtor, I am literally an EXPERT not only on the housing market in our microcosm, but I know the ins & outs of the individual towns, communities, and neighborhoods. I have a pulse on the different school systems, parks and activities, and even just the general vibes of the specific town that you’re thinking about buying in. Working with a local realtor will help you figure out which specific community that you want to land in!

3. Do some Soul searching & some research

I say “soul-searching” because you need to figure out what your must-haves are, and then find the community that best fits those needs.

For example, if you are commuting into the city, you’ll want to either be in close proximity to drive or in close proximity to public transit. For example, Munster & Dyer are about a 33 minute drive into the city. Chesterton & Valpo may be further east, but close to the South Shore train line and Valpo has a bus with free parking at the stop.

If being closer to the lake or Michigan is what you’re after, then maybe Michigan city or LaPorte are better for you.

As you can see, Northwest Indiana is pretty dynamic!!

There are so many different communities here. Reaching out to that local realtor to talk through this and doing some research on your own will help you understand the differences and help you make a decision that is best for you and your family.

Now that you’ve heard the first few steps in the process of moving to Indiana from Illinois, you may be interested in how the buying process differs in Indiana.

In my next blog, I’ll walk you through the biggest differences in the buying process between Indiana and Illinois.

If you have any questions about the first steps and want to talk to a local expert, give me a shout!

Also, if you missed my last blog post "Top 5 Reasons to move to Indiana from Illinois" Click here to read more on this topic!