June 2007

Seems that June is the big month for many families to make their move. School ends in most places, and it gives the family time to become adjusted to the new environment before the new school year begins.

There's a lot more to moving to another state than there is to staying within the same state. Expenses can vary greatly from state to state and even though your new salary may be much higher than your old, you could still end up at a loss due to higher living expenses.

When moving to another state, there are some things you should research in addition to school systems, salary, housing and the like.

Pay attention to the tax structure in the state you are relocating to - how much is the income tax? Do they have a sales tax? What is the property tax rate? All these things can have a major impact on your budget and should be carefully considered before relocating.

Once you have decided that your relocation is a good move for your family, you’ll need to plan the details of getting from your old location to the new one.

Do you have a house to sell? Then you need to consider whether you will sell it “by owner” or use a real estate professional. In order to sell your house fast and get the best price, you might want to look at it with an unbiased eye to see what improvements should be made. Curb appeal is very important as is the impression the potential home buyer gets when he first walks in and looks at the kitchen and bathrooms.

You will need to find suitable housing in your new state. You should plan a couple of trips to look for new housing with realtors, preferably with an exclusive buyer's agent or broker. If you are not sure whether the move will be permanent, consider renting a house for the first year. That way if you don’t want to stay it will be easier to pick up and leave.

Last, but not least, you need to plan the move itself. Will you be using movers? Will they be packing up all your stuff or will you pack and they just haul it to the truck? It’s not a bad idea to get organized with a moving checklist. If June isn't your planned time to move, start your checklist a month or more before the move and keep adding to it as you think of things. Here’s a short list to get you started:

- Buy boxes or rent crates and get packing material

- Pack items you do not need for everyday use like knick knacks and decorative items

- Arrange for a home inspection (for both the new and old houses)

- Gather pay stubs and other records for any loans you might be needing

- Arrange for utility shut off and reconnect for phones, lights, gas, and cable.

- Change address on checks and business cards

- Finalize arrangements with movers

- Schedule move out cleaning

The Internal Revenue Service has issued new warnings to taxpayers and businesses regarding two new and potentially devastating e-mail scams that could silently take over their computer hard drives.

The e-mails contain official-looking IRS logos and information, falsely notifying the reader of IRS action against them or their company.

A link for further information would secretly launch an insidious computer program. That program, a type known as a Trojan horse, could cause a variety of paralyzing problems as it directly accesses the hard drive.

One e-mail purports to come from the IRS criminal investigation division, telling the readers they are under tax investigation in connection with the California Tax Franchise Board. The other e-mail falsely notifies the readers that a complaint has been lodged against them.

Officials urge that anyone receiving such an e-mail leave it unopened and especially stay away from any hyperlinks contained in the message.

Recipients of such e-mails are encouraged to forward them to the IRS at phishing@IRS.gov.