Let the Internet do most of the moving for you

Sprawling fields dotted with dairy cows, and an occasional grain silo.

Exciting sports teams located within an hour of your house. The annual Auburn Festival and Kruse car auctions. And let's not forget the antique stores that are represented in just about every small Indiana town from Fremont to Bloomington, Lafayette to Muncie.

With all that Indiana has to offer, who could leave such diversity, and down home country character? Some may leave to explore the big, wide world outside Indiana via college, some involuntarily have less than 30 days to

relocate to a new job position, some may move to be closer to family.

Whatever the reason, the process of moving can be paralyzing as you try and organize all the things you need to do to ensure a smooth transition. You are essentially picking up your life and moving to an area you know nothing about, a veritable stranger in a strange land.

Questions race through your mind at every waking moment. Where do I

enroll my kids for school? Who do I talk to about getting my phone, electric, and gas turned on? Where's can I get Ben & Jerry's? Even sleep is no

reprieve from the "to-do" checklist that is constantly updating in your mind every minute of the day. The most troubling question that always seems to come to mind is "Where will I live?". Sometimes it's not always feasible to make several trips to your intended target location, and you don't want to make a snap judgement with very little information. I found two web pages that are excellent ways to find living arrangements from the comfort and safety of your own humble abode. In the long run you will need to visit any places you may be interested in, but at least these web pages can narrow down the search by giving you a chance to compare several locations for cost, amenities, access, etc.

The first site I would recommend is called Rent.net. Self-dubbed the most comprehensive rental & relocation guide, this place has everything to help you move comfortably. The only thing it won't do is actually move you. Use the Apartment & Rentals guide to find an apartment, and even look at floor plans. Click on this link and you will be asked to choose which state you are looking into. Then you will be asked to choose from predetermined cities, and a radius around that city. Maybe you're moving to Indianapolis, but you'd rather live in the suburbs. Not a problem, you can search the city, the surrounding area, and even get a map of the area. Once you've decided on a city, you can choose what rental size you would like, i.e. studio, single bedroom, double bedroom, etc. From there you are asked a price range that fits your budget. You are then given a list of apartments that fit your criteria. You can reach the individual web page for each location, which is where you will be given the specifics of what is offered and the option of viewing floor plans, etc. Other guide links on the main page include Temporary Furnished Housing, Self Storage, Senior Housing, Moving Resources, Vacation Rentals, Furniture to rent or buy, Truck Rentals, Home Listings/Mortgages, Shopping Center, City Guides/Local Info, and Auto Info.

The next website is called Springstreet. Without going through the whole checklist of what is offered, which would take up most of this paper, it works the same way as Rent.net and is just as comprehensive, if not more so. In addition to the aforementioned guides at Rent.net, this site also offers checklists to help you organize and compare apartments, utilities, and movers. It also helps you create a renter's resume. Categories to peruse include, Moving Resources, Moving With Pets, Settling In, Student Union, Your Money, Insurance, Apartment Living, Auto, Career, and Your

Neighborhood (schools and childcare).

The last site I would like to mention is from the Newspaper Association of America. This site links you to most newspapers throughout the country that have a webpage. Find one near where you plan to move and read first hand what is going on in the area. There may even be local apartment listings. It is also a good idea to check and see if the town you're moving to, or it's Chamber of Commerce, has a web site. Sometimes getting a pulse on the community you're moving to can help alleviate some anxieties about moving to a foreign land.