MY MEDALLION
Moving into your first apartment can be a very exciting time in any young person’s life. It’s the first stage into full fledged adulthood, and comes with a sense of freedom and autonomy. However, with any autonomy comes responsibilities. Moving out for the first time can come with a lot of questions for you as to how best prepare yourself for this transitory time. Below are some of the major Do’s and Don’ts of your first move, to help make your first apartment move go smoothly.
1. Do Get an Idea of your Apartments Space
Getting a sense for the space that your new apartment has is vital to having a seamless moving day. It is definitely advised that you have already had inspected your new place, not just so you can see how the place looks outside of the pictures online, but also for getting a sense of the space. If your landlord happens to have it, a floor plan (hopefully with measurements!) is another great thing to have. Make sure that you’ll be able to fit your furniture into your new place is important too.
But why? Well, because there’s nothing worse than finding that perfect couch or coffee table, buying it, having it delivered, bringing it up in the elevator/stairs to find out… it doesn’t fit in your place. Getting measurements of your living area and sketching out where and how things will fit is a good precaution to take before purchasing any new furniture item.
2.Don’t Put off Packing
Truth be told, nobody likes packing. It takes a lot of time, effort, energy, and it just isn’t fun. But it is necessary! Not procrastinating on packing will not only make it easier than a mad dash just before you move, but it’ll be a lot less stressful. Doing it slower, one day at a time, lets you pack things thoroughly and with care, instead of cramming everything into boxes as quickly as you can.
Packing earlier also helps you avoid forgetting anything important in the moving process. If you’re in a rush, you’re probably more likely to pack a cupboard or possibly even leave a box behind entirely.
3. Do Remember the Basics and Essentials
This one may sound pretty obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many of those small basic items you use in your daily life that you may not account for in your move. Moving into your first place means thinking of all the things that you’re already accustomed to having them at your fingertips.
You’ll probably remember the big ones, like a frying pan or a spatula and plates. But what about a strainer? Or tongs? Or a pot? It’s quite easy to forget some of the little essentials that make a home function properly. Here’s a good place to start with making your checklist for each of your rooms. It’s a basic outline though, so make sure to think of items that you use regularly that may not be on that list.
4. Don’t Forget to Read the Rules
Apartments often have particular rules around the process of moving in that you should acquaint yourself with as early as you can. Touching base with the management office to ask about details like what times you can move in and where you can park the moving truck when you’re bringing your things in helps to make the move in process as smooth as possible. Rules around what items you can and cannot have in your new apartment would be good to look into, as places may not allow items like a personal BBQ.
If you’re moving into an apartment building, you will need to book an elevator for a specific time and day. This will need to be done for the place you’re moving out of, as well as the one you’re moving into.
Don’t let this list of do’s and don’ts be a scary thing for you, moving out for the first time should still be a moment of pride. But following these four tips will help keep the transition smooth and seamless for you and help avoid some first time blunders. For more information and helpful tips on moving into your first apartment, visit the Medallion Blog.
