Maybe it’s your New Year’s resolution to finally move to that city where you’ve always dreamed of living. Or perhaps a job transfer or other change in circumstances has you pulling up stakes.

Whatever the reason for it, relocating can be overwhelming.

Long & Foster’s corporate relocation services can help clients handle big moves, whether into or away from the company’s Mid-Atlantic and Northeast footprint. Naturally, specialists who work in relocation have some tips for those who are about to transition to a new place.

Trudy Hall, Long & Foster senior relocation coordinator, said she always starts with finding out a client’s timeframe. “Do they need to leave now? Or are they waiting until kids are out of school?,” she asks.

What follows is a series of questions. Will they be renting or looking to buy? Do they have a home to sell or lease? If selling, do they need to find contractors to paint, declutter and get the house market-ready? Do they require temporary housing? Long & Foster can connect people with all of those services.

Hall’s top priority usually is putting the client in touch with a real estate agent who knows the market, either with Long & Foster or a sister agency if they’re moving outside of the company’s geographic area. Sometimes it’s both, such as a Long & Foster agent to assist in selling a home and a partner agent in another part of the country to find new housing.

Hall also sends clients the company’s Market Reports if they are moving into the company’s area, so they can see home prices and trends.

Sticker shock is common among those moving to the Washington D.C. metro area, but Hall said she encourages transplants to consider the whole picture. Sometimes property taxes are lower at their new location. So, although a home’s price might be higher, the monthly payment is still affordable for them. Hall also shares the link LFMobility.com, which has a handy tool that allows users to research and compare communities anywhere in the country.

One of the most daunting tasks during a move is decluttering, so your home looks neat for potential buyers or renters, and so you don’t have to move all that stuff. That’s where Everything But The House, an online estate sale company and Long & Foster partner through its Home Service Connections, offers some ideas.

EBTH professionally photographs items you want to sell, writes detailed descriptions, posts them on EBTH.com, and ships the things to their new owners. Sellers get cash from their sales within 30 days. Then they can use the money to buy new things for their next home. With cash in hand, EBTH suggests, you could:

• Purchase a few cans of paint in your favorite color to customize your new space.
• Buy a new doormat. It’s a low-cost way to make a great first impression on guests you’ll welcome to your new place.
• Paint your new front door to add curb appeal without painting the whole house.
• Enlarge photos of your family members and hang them in your new living room. Hanging personal photos is the fastest way to make a new house feel homey, because you’re surrounded by familiar faces.
• Make a place for your new keys. Losing your keys among all the bubble wrap and moving boxes isn’t a good feeling. Make it a DIY project for your entryway and add your own special style. Think hooks on the wall next to a vintage coat rack.
• Bring in some plants to grow with you in your new home. Try some easy-to-care-for succulents.
• Purchase some colorful pillows, a comfy throw blanket and a good smelling candle to give your house that “welcome home” and comfortable feeling. At the end of the day, take a deep breath, cuddle up on the couch and give yourself a pat on the back — you did it, you moved!