Moving to Nevada is logistically easy: it's a four-hour drive from Los Angeles, movers run the I-15 lane daily, and there is no state income tax return to set up. The part that requires planning is the sequencing — when to sell, when to buy, and how to make the residency change airtight. Here is the order that works.
How Ron runs a relocation
- 1
Strategy call
A 20-minute conversation about why you're leaving, what you want on the other side, and the numbers that make it work. No pressure, no obligation.
- 2
Tour weekend
Ron builds a route through two or three communities that match your list. Most clients fly in Friday and know their answer by Sunday.
- 3
Offer and contract
Ron handles the offer and the contract. Discuss financing and any overlap between home payments with your chosen lender.
- 4
Close and land
Inspections, appraisal, utilities and keys, coordinated around your California sale so you're never paying for two homes longer than you need to.
The 120-day checklist
90–120 days out
- Book a strategy call with Ron — relocation timeline, budget and neighborhoods in one conversation
- If you plan to finance your purchase, discuss pre-approval with a lender of your choice before making offers
- Decide whether to sell first, buy first, or bridge — Nevada's inventory lets many clients buy before they list
- Talk to your CPA about the timing of your move relative to a bonus, RSU vest, business sale or property sale
60 days out
- Tour in person: most clients see 8–12 homes across two or three communities in a single weekend
- Line up your California listing (Ron can refer a vetted California agent if you need one)
- Request school records, medical records and prescription transfers
- Notify your employer and confirm any remote-work state-tax withholding change
30 days out
- Go under contract in Nevada; typical closings run 30–45 days
- Schedule movers — California-to-Nevada is one of the most competitive long-distance lanes, so quotes are reasonable
- Set up utilities: NV Energy, Southwest Gas, Las Vegas Valley Water District or the City of Henderson
- Forward mail with USPS and update your address with the IRS (Form 8822) and the FTB
First 30 days in Nevada
- Get your Nevada driver's license and register your vehicles — Nevada requires both within 30 days of establishing residency
- Register to vote in Nevada and cancel your California registration
- Move bank accounts, doctors, memberships and your primary church or club — these are the 'closest connections' California's Franchise Tax Board looks at
- File a Nevada Declaration of Domicile if your CPA recommends it, and keep a calendar of days spent in each state
Sell first or buy first?
In California you were probably told to sell first. In Nevada the answer is often the reverse. Inventory in Henderson and Las Vegas is healthier than it was in 2021–2022, new construction is plentiful, and some buyers can carry both payments or bridge the gap with their California equity; ask your lender what you qualify for. Buying first means one move, no temporary housing and no rushed decision on the Nevada side. Ron lays out both paths with real numbers on the first call.
Establishing Nevada residency
Nevada makes it simple: you are a resident when you move here intending to stay, and the state asks that you get a Nevada driver's license and register your vehicles within 30 days. Bring your California license, proof of identity, your Social Security number and two proofs of a Nevada address (a closing statement or lease plus a utility bill). Vehicles need a Nevada emissions test in Clark County, a VIN inspection and proof of Nevada insurance.
California is the harder side. The Franchise Tax Board can audit your residency for years after you leave, and it decides the question on your closest connections: where your home and family are, where your license and voter registration are, where your doctors, bank, accountant, clubs and church are, where your business is run from, and how many days you spend in each state. The practical rules:
- Move the whole household, not just the mailing address. A spouse who stays in California is the most common audit trigger.
- Change license, registration, voter registration, primary bank and primary physician in the first 30 days.
- Sell or rent out the California home. A vacant California home you "visit" is a residence in the FTB's eyes.
- Keep a day-count log. Spending more than half the year in California creates a presumption you're still a resident.
- File a final part-year California return (Form 540NR) for the year you move, and keep the moving-company invoice, closing statements and DMV receipts.
None of this is difficult if you do it deliberately. Ron introduces every client to a Nevada CPA who handles California exits, and many clients also file a Nevada Declaration of Domicile with the county recorder as one more piece of evidence.
Timing the move around a big income event
If a bonus, RSU vest, business sale or property sale is coming, the order of operations matters: income realised after you are a Nevada resident is generally not taxed by California, unless it is California-sourced (a California rental, or stock options earned while working in California, which California prorates). Talk to a CPA before you sign anything. It is the single most valuable hour of the move.
What to bring, what to leave
Bring the boat — Lake Mead is 30 minutes away. Leave the earthquake kit and the wildfire go-bag. Expect summer, and plan for shade, a pool and a garage that keeps the cars out of the sun. Most Californians adjust in one season and wonder why they waited.
Next: pick your neighborhood, sell the California house well, or start with a call.