Build a destination map before a property list
Identify the actual work location, recurring appointments and activities that matter to your household. Give each a frequency and an arrival requirement. A destination used most weekdays can change the search more than a place visited occasionally. Test routes at relevant times and include parking, transfers or the walk from a station. Avoid comparing a rush-hour journey with another area’s weekend drive.
Use the scouting trip to answer what video cannot
Group showings geographically, leave time to revisit the strongest candidate and include a test of an ordinary errand. A remote tour can help narrow the list, but it does not replace an inspection or a personal assessment of access and surroundings. Ask for a continuous route through the property, including transitions between rooms, storage, mechanical areas and the spaces omitted from listing photographs.
Keep arrival and ownership dates separate
Employment may begin before a home closes. Compare a temporary stay with the risks and practical burden of forcing every date to align. Put furniture delivery, pets, storage, insurance and utility start dates on the same calendar. Discuss the documents and signers needed for remote steps early, using the lender and settlement provider’s actual requirements rather than an assumed remote-closing process.
Sources & further reading
- Contact Gary Ashton's team checked 2026-09-26
Your next chapter
Let’s make it
a good move.
Bring your questions. Start a conversation with Gary’s team.