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Top 10 Checklist for Moving Into Your New Apartment
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Moving is a lot of work and can get overwhelming fast. This can be even more difficult if you are moving with kids, on a budget, or trying to sell your home. The organization is an absolute must when it comes to moving. You’ll need to stay on top of important dates, organize boxes based on rooms, keep fragile items safe, and so much more. It’s never an easy task when moving, but it can be a lot better if you stay organized and think ahead. Something that can ease some of that moving stress is keeping yourself organized with a checklist.
No checklist will fit everyone’s needs, but we have worked extremely hard in trying to create a checklist that will satisfy the needs of almost everyone. You can adjust this as needed, but here are some of the things that we found were the most important for moving day.
Prepare Your Current Home to Sell
If you are selling your home, you will want to figure out all the details about how you are going to sell it before anything else. Selling your house doesn’t have to be difficult. Depending on the current condition of your home, it may not need to be renovated before placing it on the market to sell. Of course, consult with your local real estate professional to determine what makes sense for your property and situation! Sometimes, a fresh coat of paint goes a long way before officially marketing a property.
Organize Your Belongings
One of the best things you can do to maintain an organized move is to keep all your stuff organized. This is the perfect time to start selling some of the old stuff that you don’t want anymore. When organizing your clothes, make a pile of old clothes that you no longer want. You can also do this with any children’s toys, shoes, and other household items that you just don’t want.
You could have a yard sale, donate them to a nearby thrift store, or sell them online. While organizing the stuff you want to keep, make sure you label them in a way that will make unpacking extremely easy on you.
Create a Budget
Before you start buying new decorations and furniture, you should create a budget for yourself. Include any rent you want to put back, moving companies, utilities, and so on. Know exactly how much you have that you can spend on non-necessities. If you plan on adding money each month to an emergency fund, consider that as well when calculating your budget.
You can make extra money by having a yard sale and selling old furniture but be sure you don’t overspend. The stress of moving is enough without any financial stress!
Buy the Necessities
If there’s anything you need to get before moving into your new place, you should buy it ahead of time. This may include:
- New furniture
- Toiletries
- Cleaning supplies
- Snacks or easy dinners
- Packing supplies
There could be more you need as well, depending on your lifestyle. You should make your own shopping list of what you need, and make sure you get exactly what you need and nothing extra just yet. You’ll want to get into the swing of your new home before beginning buying decorations and other fun items. Plus, housewarming parties are always fun, and you never know what gifts you could receive!
Research and Reserve a Moving Truck
Check your calendar and pinpoint exactly which date that you need to move by. Consider any specific deadlines set by the people moving into your current place. They will be here before you know it. If a home buyer purchased your current house, they may have plans to start renovations on a particular date with contracts scheduled to begin the project. Make sure your moving truck is scheduled to come before that day comes.
You can hire out movers to help you, or handle the boxes yourself. Either way, you’ll need to plan this out accordingly. If you are interested in hiring out the work, make sure you do your research on the moving company you are considering. Check reviews, certifications, and insurance. Most companies typically offer to handle the entire process for you. They can carry boxes out, move them, and then carry them back into your new apartment.
Keep Track of Appointments
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It’s a crazy time when you’re moving, and sometimes important dates and appointments come quicker than you think. Make sure you have a calendar or planner, so you can keep track of your moving days, appointments, and anything else that is planned. This even includes before and after your move, because we all know how forgetful we get on hectic schedules. A great tip is to have a calendar in a spot that you will regularly look at, such as in the bathroom, and make sure you get every detailed appointment, plan, or goal wrote down. You can even use reminders on your phone. If you need to, reschedule ahead of time to reduce the stress of crunching time.
Contact Utilities
Utilities are very important to many of us in this day and age. You will definitely want to get ahold of the companies you go through to change your service address. This includes:
- Internet
- TV
- Phones (if you use landlines)
- Electricity
- Insurances
As well as any other utility else you may have. If they don’t offer services in the area that you are moving to, you should start research companies that serve your new area. You’ll want to consider speeds, accessibility, prices, and make sure you choose the overall best decision for you in your new home. The sooner you can get your regular services on and work, the faster you can return to your normal day-to-day life. It would also just make your unpacking adventure more fun if you have Wi-Fi!
Change Your Address
Depending on how far you move, you probably don’t want to continue to get mail at your old address. The quicker you change your address with the post office, the better. You will also want to remember to change your address with any bills you have, your license, and any online services you have like Amazon. If you have children, you’ll want to change your address with their school or begin transferring them to the new school you’ve chosen for them to start at. You’ll also want to do that process with any doctors, dentists, or any other services you need to have.
Book a Babysitter
Moving is stressful enough, don’t try to do it with kids or pets with you! If it’s for a couple of hours, days, or a week, make sure you have someone who can watch your little ones for you. You’ll need to spend a few hours cleaning your new place up anyways, which we all know can be impossible with children or animals running around trying to figure out their new home. It can be a lot less overwhelming for kids and pets to move into an already furnished home anyway, even though we all know the unpacking process is never done instantly.
Service Your Car
If you’re moving further away, you’ll definitely want to make sure your car is completely serviced and good to go. This should be a part of your budget as well. Or if the move is far away enough, you might want to get your car shipped to you, which could require a little bit more of the budget with insurance and other shipping costs. If it’s not that far and you plan on using it for hauling boxes, then that should also be a consideration with gas and other expenses. Regardless you will want to make sure your car is good on oil and any other services it may need.
BONUS: Save Money
These are a couple of ways we’ve found you could save some cash. Moving boxes aren’t too expensive, but the costs add up when you need to buy in bulk. There are many places you can go to get free boxes from companies! This could be bigger retailers or gas stations, but regardless you get a variety of sizes and save a little bit of cash by reusing their boxes.
When shopping for utilities, car services, or moving companies, make sure you are looking at current deals and offers. Most of these places offer deals to increase sales, which could result in better services and saving money. Lastly, you can also look at some possible rewards programs. Some gas stations or car shops offer rewards programs where you could save money on gas, oil changes, or any other maintenance services you may need.
As mentioned before, this checklist is only as relevant as it can be to your life. This checklist has been very beneficial to a lot of people in helping their moving day go as smoothly as those chaotic days can be. The biggest emphasis we can say is to make sure you stay as organized as you possibly can. Putting together your own checklist based on the items on this one would benefit you greatly. As long as you stay organized and optimistic, the moving day could be an amazing experience for you. We hope you get inspiration from this list and have a stress-free moving day!
Additional helpful moving resources:
There are many things to consider before renting a house or apartment. Where do you want to live? What type of neighborhood are you looking for? Which type of amenities can you not live without? and so many more things to think about. These are all valid questions that should be answered honestly. The above post goes into the details about what you should consider before renting.
About the author: This article “Top 10 Checklist for Moving Into Your New Apartment” was written by Alex Capozzolo who is a full-time writer and blogger for the real estate industry. He owns several rental properties in Philadelphia, PA. Alex enjoys hiking, surfing, and spending time outdoors.
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Great info for those who are moving. Most folks don’t do this all that often and can use these tips.
Couldn’t agree more Gabe!