[sak9645]

It is usually not a big deal to use an out of state agency. Many agencies routinely work with families from all over the U.S. Some do an excellent job of keeping families informed by email, phone, FedEx, etc., and of working with the families' homestudy providers.

You may have some more charges for postage/FedExes and telephone calls than you would if you worked with a local agency, but the total amount is not likely to be very substantial. You may also find that the out of state agency charges to review the homestudy report you submit, to be sure that it is properly done, while a local agency that does both your homestudy and your placement won't have that fee. Again, however, this is not likely to be a huge amount of money.

Your time frame should not be altered appreciably. At most, it may take a day or two extra to get documents from you to the agency or from the agency.

Use of an in-state agency is preferable if you want to get to know staff in person, or if you want to use certain of the agency's post-adoption services, such as counseling or birth culture related activities. However, it is by no means unusual for families to use out of state agencies, and many have very positive experiences doing so.

When you check references on an agency, be sure to talk with families who live in a state other than the one where the agency is located, and to ask lots of questions about how well contact is maintained with out of state families.

Sharon