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Moving Into Your New Place

Are you ready to make the big life decision of moving into your first apartment or house, or are you a seasoned homeowner who is ready to upgrade or even downsize?

No matter who you are, knowing how to handle the move-in process is not always intuitive. Making such a dramatic change can come with unexpected consequences and headaches. However, if you do some research and are prepared for many of the possible outcomes, you can be more confident and avoid common move-in day mistakes. In fact, learning some of the smartest and most efficient moving tips can help you to enjoy your new home as quickly and painlessly as possible.

What should I expect when moving into a new place?

Especially if you have never done it before, moving can be quite a new and confusing experience. Going from one place to another is one thing, but if you have a family or lots of possessions, it can be quite the ordeal to uproot everything and take it all somewhere new. The biggest key to moving is knowing everything that you need to organize and plan.

Moving into a new place often requires a rent or mortgage payment, a job in the area (or accepting a potentially long commute), and finding the right place to live. Finding this right place is often hard, as many different homes and apartments have varying pros and cons. However, after you have considered all of your options and picked the right location, you can prepare for the actual moving process.

Moving Preparation Tips to Consider

Preparing for a big move is crucial if you want to save time and money on your actual moving process. However, if you are not careful, you may end up going crazy by trying to do too many things at once. So while preparation tips are very handy, only do as much as you can handle or try to get help from family and friends. No matter if it your first move or your 20th, it is often a good idea to prepare in the following way:

  • Decide whether or not you can move by yourself. If you have family or friends to help you and the right kind of vehicle to haul all of your possessions, moving from one place to another by yourself can seem very doable. However, if you are having trouble finding the right help or moving particularly cumbersome furniture, you may want to consider hiring a reliable moving company. While these can be expensive, movers ensure that the right number of skilled professionals are handling your heavy or valuable possessions and that they get to the right place without getting damaged.
  • Make sure that your new home or apartment can hold the items you want to move. This may seem obvious, but you might be surprised about the number of people who do not measure their furniture and new doorways before trying to move everything in. Getting a couch all the way to your new home only to find that it will not fit into any of your doorways is annoying and stressful. Also, try to gauge how much free space you will want to have after all of your furniture is moved in. Getting a piano delivered to your tiny apartment may be worth it to you but only if it fits inside and you still have room to walk around.
  • Start packing early and pack efficiently. Packing is often seen as one of the least enjoyable parts of moving. However, if you start early enough and try to minimize the amount of boxes that you will need to worry about on move-in day, you can devote all of your energy on that day to simply getting from one place to the other.
  • Understand your neighborhood policies and lease agreement. While most homes do not have special neighborhood rules that limit the amount of moving trucks and other vehicles that are able to operate outside of them, many apartment complexes do. Additionally, you should be well aware of when you are able to move in, especially if somebody else needs to move out first.

Sadly, it is usually not an easy process to move from one place to another. However, you have quite a lot of influence over how hard it really needs to be. In addition to following these moving preparation tips, but be sure to give yourself enough time before move-in day to do so comfortably.

What should I do once I have officially moved in?

Even after moving all of your possessions, there are still a few more tasks you must complete before settling down. Before you start unpacking boxes, be sure to do the following:

  • Change the locks to your new home. While this is often something that you should not have to worry about, taking this simple and inexpensive precaution can save your home and possessions from those who want to abuse their old keys. This can include the house’s previous owners and anyone they might have given a key to, maintenance workers and realtors who might want easy access to your home.
  • Do some (often needed) cleaning and repainting. Many homeowners or landlords will make sure that the house or apartment that you are moving into is clean and orderly. However, if it is not, getting the carpet and furniture cleaning out of the way before unpacking is ideal. If you are in a new home, repainting your rooms is a great way to freshen things up and to spread some of your individuality across the house. However, if you are in an apartment, check with your property owner or manager to see if she or he allows modifications to the walls and carpets.
  • Make a home maintenance calendar and stick to it. Some things, such as getting a carbon monoxide detector or a furnace inspection, are important but not necessarily vital on the first day of owning a new house. Bigger projects, such as getting new roof siding or landscaping installations, are even less urgent. Thus, putting all of these things on a home-maintenance calendar can be helpful in determining when to accomplish various home tasks.

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