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Your apartment’s lease will be up soon, and you’re ready to upgrade to a new place. Although the move is undoubtedly exciting, it also comes with its own set of challenges. Maybe you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed with how much needs to be done in the coming weeks or months. Don’t worry – you’re not alone. Moving brings stress to everyone, no matter how many times they’ve done it. But with our five most important moving tips, you’ll be in good shape to complete your move without a hitch. Keep reading to find out how!
- Plan ahead
As with many other things in life, having a plan to move makes the process exponentially easier. Allow yourself enough time to get ahead of the game and stay organized throughout the task of moving. Start with a to-do list – a laundry list of items to accomplish before the big moving day. If you’re overwhelmed by everything you need to complete, that’s okay. List out what you can, and you can worry about putting them in order of priority later. Start jotting down whatever comes to you that you know needs to be done.
Undoubtedly, you’ll have plenty of people to contact, lots of supplies to get, countless items you want to pack, and a budget to figure out. Keep track of these things so nothing slips your mind and gets left to chance. Figure out as many of the details as you can so you can handle things calmly, rather than stressing about what you have left to do.
- Notify the right people
Before you move, there are a few important services you’ll need to alert about your upcoming relocation. First, you’ll, of course, want to notify your landlord that you won’t be renewing your lease and give ample notice; your lease should have how much notice you need to give in writing. Next, you’ll need to contact the postal service, your bank, the DMV, the IRS, your insurance, and your employer and let them know about your change of address. Doing this will ensure that everything comes to the right place and that your records are all up to date.
It’s also best to take care of all your various utilities ahead of time. From internet to electricity to water, you’ll have quite a few different people to contact. Your landlord may include some of these utilities in your rent, therefore having the service in their name, but otherwise, you’ll need to take care of canceling or transferring your utilities. Don’t forget to set up utilities at the new place as well. Make sure not to save this for last minute to avoid any issues arising.
- Be mindful of space
For a few different reasons, it’s crucial to be mindful of the space you have. Apartments typically have less capacity than a house. Not only do you have less space in general, but you specifically have less storage space too. Because of this, you can’t have much too much excess. Be mindful of the places you have to store things in your new apartment. If it’s less than you have at your current place, keep that in mind – you may need to cut down a bit or invest in a storage unit.
Another reason to be mindful of space is the doorways in your home. You may struggle to get some larger pieces of furniture through the door in any move, but especially with apartments, you might have a few thresholds to get through just to get into your unit. Be prepared by disassembling your furniture as much as possible for the big move. Bring tools just in case you need to disassemble things further on moving day, and try to be tactical about your approach to fitting everything in.
- Declutter before you go
Decluttering is an essential part of any move, but it can be especially important when working with less square footage. Even if you’re sizing up, we all tend to accumulate clutter the longer we live somewhere, so a move is the perfect opportunity to rid yourself of what you no longer need.
Each of your items will fall into one of the four categories — donate, sell, trash, or keep. Many people have trouble getting rid of their items and may hold onto them for any variety of reasons. Although it can be difficult, try to be logical and remove emotions from the items. If you truly never use something anymore or even forgot you had it, now may be the time to let it go. After all, you may be able to rehome it to someone who can make better use of the item in question.
If you’re struggling to declutter, start in a spot that’s piled up with items over time. Usually, that’d be a closet or the back of a cabinet. You’ll probably find yourself surprised by what’s stuffed back there — and by how much you didn’t miss it. When you find those items that you didn’t even miss, you can start the momentum of decluttering your space.
- Clean your old space
Before you leave your old place for once and for all, a good, old-fashioned clean is in order. This serves a few purposes. First, it allows you to make sure you got everything and didn’t leave straggler items in drawers or under beds. Next, it enables you to ensure the space is well-maintained. If your apartment is in solid condition upon moving out, you’ll be much more likely to receive your security deposit back in full. Cleaning up makes the space look much better for that final review, and it may call to attention some minor aesthetic faults you want to scrub extra hard at for the sake of your deposit.
Don’t forget to keep record of how your old space looked upon move-out and how your new space looks upon move-in. Take note of any damages when you arrive at your new apartment, and take photo evidence in case it’s needed at a later date.
Apartment moving made simple
Now that you have the necessary steps to handle your move with ease, moving to your apartment will feel much simpler than you expected. If you’re looking for even more help from professional movers, look to McGuire Moving and Storage for solutions. With trusted professionals and a strong reputation, we get the job done efficiently and with care. Get your free moving quote today!
