The easiest way to ensure your move goes smoothly is to be prepared. Use this check list to make sure you are ready to go and don't forget anything!
- Pick a Moving Date. Take time off of work and enlist the help of friends. When in doubt, offer bribes. Try to set your move in date so you have a few days overlap with your old lease. This will allow you more time to go back and forth which will relieve some of the stress of moving. Besides, you don't want to be stranded with out a place to live and a packed truck!
- Move Utilities Over. Make sure you have a few days where both your old and new place have power. You do not want to try to move in the Florida summer with no AC. Call the cable company a few weeks ahead to set an appointment to have cable and internet turned on. Appointments are often booked up, particularly during peak moving times at the end of the summer and the first of the year. Don't spend the first two weeks in your new place with no TV or internet.
- Sort and Organize. Sort through your belongings and toss items you don't need or haven't used in a while. If you didn't wear it in the last year, toss it. If you didn't know you had it, toss it. The less you pack, the easier moving will be. Donate or sell any furniture or clothes you don't want to take with you. Garage sales are a great way to make a little extra cash to help with moving costs.
- Find Boxes. Gather packing materials. You will need boxes, packing tape, markers to label boxes, and wrapping materials for fragile belongings. Don't think you have to buy packing materials. Comforters and towels are perfect to wrap up fragile items. Ask for boxes at restaurants and grocery stores, or see if a friend knows anyone who has moved recently and still has boxes. Also, some communities have re-usable plastic moving boxes they rent or loan to you.
- Stay Organized. The more organized you are, the easier unpacking will be. Label boxes so you can place them in the room they need to be unpacked in. “Living Room” “Linen Closet”, etc.
- Move In Inspection. Your new apartment community will likely ask you to inspect the apartment and note any current damage. Make sure you do this carefully, and check room by room. Look for damaged blinds, holes in walls, missing or broken screens, and cracked windows. If you don't report existing damage to the unit, you could be liable when you move out.
- Address Change. You will need to have your mail forwarded, but you should also call your bank, credit card, and insurance providers to change your address directly with them.
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