How To Prepare For An Apartment Move?

If you are moving into your first apartment, congratulations! This is an exciting event in your life, but it is also overwhelming. You will get your independence and freedom but comes with a lot of challenges as well. Whether you’re signing a lease or closing on a purchase, your new home will be truly yours – you’ll be able to furnish it according to your choice, arrange and decorate it according to your taste, and make it reflect your personality and your style. And you want that fresh start to be smooth and seamless. It is possible if you hire local movers that can help you out with relocating safely your possessions into your new home. Apartment moving comes with a lot of challenges that only local movers with experience can overcome. Not only you will need help from local movers in executing the move, but also with planning and preparing. Even if you already moved from or to an apartment, local movers might be handy help when it comes to this. So let’s see how you can prepare for the arrival of your professional movers. 

• Make a budget and stick to it

It is hard, we have to admit. But moving to another apartment is not just hiring good local movers to help you, there will be other expenses too. You want to feel financially comfortable with your decision before making such a big step in your life. When moving, costs can add up quickly, so you should make a good plan that includes more than local movers. Before moving into your new apartment, you should have enough money saved up to pay all your moving costs, first three months’ rent (or mortgage) and utility bills, any required security deposits, and your living expenses for a couple of months. You’ll also want to have some money set aside for emergencies as well. As you can tell, not only the local movers are the expense. Here is something that might be helpful when planning the budget. Plan for the purchases you will need to make for your apartment – necessities like furnishings, cleaning supplies, bathroom essentials, pantry items, etc.;

Know your net monthly income (the money you actually take home after all taxes have been deducted) and find out what your average monthly living expenses will be after the move (consider the housing costs and costs of living in your new area, as well as your spending habits). Use these figures to determine how much rent or mortgage you can afford to pay – it shouldn’t exceed 30% of your disposable income (if utilities are included, it may be ok to pay as much as 40% in rent). And once you start searching for local movers, make sure to write that down, so you can fit it into the moving budget. 

• Do research on professional movers

When looking for local movers to help you with your apartment relocation, it is definitely not enough to type furniture movers near me. The reason is simple, not all local movers are experienced with apartment moving, and that is completely different from home relocation. Not only you will need someone who can do heavy lifting, you need local movers who know how to handle stairs, elevators, long hallways, and similar. That is why you will have to do a proper research of local movers that are the ones you might want to use. Local movers are of great help because they will come prepared and bring all the equipment and wrapping materials that will ensure the safety of your belongings during the move. And you want only the best local movers for your furniture. 

• Check what paperwork you might need

Moving an apartment is different than home moving because your building management will have their own requests. Your local movers will probably ask you a couple of questions related to this. The usual paperwork local movers should provide is a certificate of insurance, and for that, you will have to contact your building management to send you the requirements and you can forward those to your professional movers. The other thing you should be careful about is reserving the freight elevator and what time. Local movers have different arrival windows, so in case you have to reserve the elevator, make sure to consult them in order to reserve the right time that will be enough for your local movers to perform the move. If your building needs local movers to protect the elevators or hallways, make sure to tell that to your professional movers. 

• Inspect potential apartments

When moving into a new apartment, it’s crucial to explore all your options and look at many properties in your preferred neighborhood before making your final decision. When viewing potential apartment, make sure you:

• Assess the overall condition of the property – look for signs of water damage (mold patches, musty smells, crumbling paint, dark spots on ceilings and walls, etc.), poor upkeep (broken items, loose windows and doors, rusty metal pieces, leaking faucets, stains on carpeting, etc.), HVAC issues, and other potential problems;
• Check for pest infestations;
• Consider security issues (building security systems, fire alarms and fire escapes, possible window access for break-ins, etc.).
• Good to remember: If you’re renting the place, it’s crucial to find and document any pre-existing damage – make pictures and videos as you will need evidence of the initial condition of the property when it’s time to move out and get your security deposit back.

This is not related to local movers anyhow, but it is an important step you should make when moving in order to avoid any issues. The last thing that you want is having your local movers in your new apartment and realizing that something is damaged or broken. Anything of that sort should be handled before your local movers bring your furniture. 

• Be careful with the lease

Once you’ve found an apartment that meets your needs and preferences and fits within your budget, before calling your local movers, it’s time to sign a lease. Read the document very carefully and make sure you fully understand all its terms and conditions before signing it.

• Pay close attention to the policy for rent payment and late rent, pet policies, and visitor policies;
• Ask about important issues such as availability of storage and parking space, trash pickup days, possible maintenance hours, etc.;
• Discuss with your landlord any special conditions, clauses you fail to comprehend, and terms you are not comfortable with.

• Read the confirmation email

Once you book your local movers, they will ask for the deposit and you will receive the confirmation email. Make sure to read both, confirmation email and moving agreement in order to know all the rules and regulations. The last thing that you want is to have your local movers on a moving day, and deciding not to use them because of some term that you missed. You will have a lot of trouble to find same day movers, so that should be avoided. Local movers need you to know all the rules and regulations because of this. 

• Make a floor plan of your new place

Before you can start organizing your belongings and having local movers helping you with the move, you need to know what you can and what you can’t bring to your new place – that is, you need to know your new apartment’s layout. So, you should measure the doors and windows of your new home, as well as any areas where you intend to place furniture and other larger household items, so that you know which of your belongings you will be able to take with you, what items you will need to buy, and where each specific piece will fit best. A detailed floor plan will help you make informed decisions, avoid rookie moving mistakes, and create the best interior design for your new apartment. This will also help you save the time when your local movers arrive, because it will be easier for you to coordinate where to place which item. When having local movers, time is money, so the more time you save, the cheaper your professional movers will be at the end. 

• Declutter

Once you know what you’re going to need in your new apartment and what you will have enough space for, it’s time to decide what to move to your new place – and what to do with the rest of your stuff. The last thing that you want is that your local movers bring a bunch of belongings to your new apartment and you don’t have where to place them. Moving is an ideal opportunity to get rid of everything that you are not using before your local movers arrive. Go through everything you own and set aside outdated and outgrown items, duplicate items, items you won’t be able to use in your new surroundings, and anything else you no longer need or like. Sell or donate those of your unneeded belongings that are still in good condition and recycle or throw away damaged and worn out items that cannot be used anymore. There are many ways to declutter, and if you have some bigger furniture pieces that you think local movers can throw away, check with them, because it is not as simple as taking them to the trash. 

• Decide whether you need some help with packing

Proper packing means the difference between receiving your items intact and unscathed and having them arrive at your new home in pieces. It is the task of local moving that will determine its course, so think whether you would like to hire packers and movers or local movers only. This decision should depend on your moving budget, time that you have until your local movers arrive, and the level of your skills. If you are tight with time, it might be better to hire professional movers to pack up for you because they will do it in a day or two, while you will need a couple of weeks to do it. Packers and movers are skilled to keep your items safe, besides being time efficient. On the other hand, if you decide to pack on your own, you should start in time. The last thing that you want is to greet your local movers on the moving day with the home that is not even close to being packed and ready to go. When hiring packers and movers you can ask them to bring their own moving boxes, and you will pay just for those you use. 

• Make your apartment feel like home

To be able to truly feel at home in your new apartment, you need to bring your own spirit into the place. So, once you are moved in by your local movers, unpacked and arranged your items, be sure to add some finishing touches that will turn your new place into your sweet home – add character to the space with colorful curtains, artistic area rugs, and cozy pillows; put plants throughout the apartment to make the atmosphere fresh, lively and welcoming; hang your favorite pictures and photos on the walls; surround yourself with special items and beloved possessions, etc. You want to feel like home, because that apartment is your new home. After all of your precious belongings are safely moved by your local movers, you should bring the comfort and warmth by yourself. That is something where professional movers cannot help. 

And if you are looking for professional local movers who can help you with your apartment relocation safely and efficiently, you should reach out to Plymouth Meeting Movers. We are a team of professionals who will help you with planning and executing your apartment move in the best possible manner. All of our local movers are trained and experienced with any type and size of apartment move that you might need. So don’t hesitate to reach out to us and get your free moving quote today! We are looking forward to working with you!