Necessities When Moving into a New Apartment: The Ultimate List

Moving can be a time of incredible excitement and anticipation. This is because many see it as a time for experiencing a fresh start in life. On the other hand, moving can also become a source of stress and chaos depending on how you handle it from beginning to end. To lessen the negative impact of deciding on the necessities when moving into a new apartment, the most important thing to do is keep the moving date in mind. Then begin with thoughtful planning and preparation while carefully dividing time so that a little is done each day.

There’s a difference between moving from one place to another and moving for the first time. To simplify matters, this article will deal with moving from one place to another. Following is a condensed version of tips about necessities when moving into a new apartment.

In the Beginning…

You’ve seen a marvelous apartment complex in a neighborhood that you adore. It’s now time to visit with management to:

• Have a brief discussion about your basic history and finances;
• Make a tour of the property;
• See the actual apartment.

When touring the site and the apartment, check out the following:

• Are the grounds well cared for and the overall area clean?
• Is the building you’re entering clean?
• Once in the apartment, turn on faucets and flush toilets to make sure they’re working properly.
• Check windows for easy opening.
• Is the apartment clean and freshly painted?

Once you’ve seen all you need to see, next is the discussion with management to find out precisely what’s offered and included in the rent. Incidentally, reading leases can be an intimidating experience, especially when they’re 30 pages long! Things are done differently depending on where you go. However, lease signing doesn’t usually happen until the move-in day. You’re free to ask management to give you an overview by briefly telling you what all sections cover. Ask all the questions you think of while you’re there and write down other questions that may come to you later.

Preparing/Planning for the Move

You’ll be moving in approximately 6 weeks. Start the process by doing the following while deciding on the necessities when moving into a new apartment:

1. Begin by informing your current landlord of your decision to move. Follow all the necessary rules to complete this transition.
2. Make a checklist of everything you can think of that you’ll need to do to successfully complete this move. General things which apply to moving that involve the necessities when moving into a new apartment can be listed. But there will also be details regarding specific circumstances that only apply to the person moving.
3. If you don’t have family members or friends to help, find a moving company by checking different offers and pricing and choose the best company that works for you. Then reserve the service and get a written confirmation.
4. Get rid of the clutter! That is, get rid of anything you no longer need or use.
5. Decide on the size and number of boxes. Then, get as many necessary as quickly as possible.
6. Start packing the non-essentials first a little at a time each day.
7. You will also have to handle change of addresses, i.e., at post office, utility companies, etc.

Contact the Moving Company to Confirm Dates and Pricing

Having a written confirmation of the services to be provided by the moving company is fine. But experience tells us we still have to remain in contact with them during the moving process. There’s nothing more unsettling than arriving to the move date and finding out there have been changes of any kind (i.e., moving date/time, pricing, etc.). To prevent this devastation from occurring, contact the moving company once a week if necessary to confirm all of the logistics regarding your move.

Make final contact with them a day or two before the actual move. Here are some companies you can ask a quote from.

Make a Floor Plan Showing Where Furniture and Other Items Will be Set Up in Your New Home

Remembering what the new apartment looks like. Then, construct a plan of all the rooms. Place your furniture and other household items in the rooms and areas where you’ll want them. This will save time with the movers if you know exactly where you want things to go and it’ll certainly keep them from haphazardly dumping things anywhere leaving you to do the heavy lifting after they’re gone!

We’re not talking Picasso work here; simply draw a plan that you can follow and understand. Sometimes new tenants are given floor plans of the apartments and this could be useful. However, you’d probably have to enlarge it for your purposes.

How’s the Packing Going?

Another task which regards necessities when moving into a new apartment is that you keep in mind that a little packing should be done each day and it should be done systematically.

• Pack heavy items at the bottoms of boxes with lighter items wrapped in bubble wrap placed on top. This will vary the weight of the boxes so that they’re not too heavy. Avoid the legal mess involved with injuring the movers.
• Wrap all fragile and delicate items as carefully as possible with bubble wrap. Also, never put them in the same boxes with the heavier items.
• Pack all related items together, i.e., kitchen items together, linens, towels and wash cloths together, etc.
• Have one box packed with all essential things that you will need immediately upon arrival to your new apartment.
• Label your boxes: For instance, Kitchen, Bedroom, Living Room, etc. Then, inform movers of these labeled boxes so they’ll place them accordingly.

Moving Food

• During the final week before the actual move, remember that you’ll want to move as few perishables as possible. Thus, don’t buy a lot of food that week. Finish up what’s already in the house and eat takeout the rest of the time.
• Pack whatever food there is in a box or bag and keep it handy. Upon arrival at your new home, immediately place the food in the refrigerator.

Summing the List Up

Another one of the important necessities when moving into a new apartment is that you keep cash on hand. There will be numerous expenses that will come up during this process. Therefore, it helps to have cash available using either debit/credit cards or actual cash.

The moving process can be overwhelming. However, you should have more than enough information to make your move a pleasant one with a minimum of stress.

Images from depositphotos.com.