No one ever says, “I haven’t been having much fun lately, so I think I’ll pack up all my stuff and move to a new apartment on the other side of town.” Usually, such moves are forced upon us – the landlord raises the rent at our current location, our household outgrows the space, our building goes condo, or something else happens – and we have to move. So, how can we make a cross-town move as stress-free as possible? Here are some tips.
You will usually have a day or two between the time you have to vacate your current apartment and occupy your new one. Make sure that the new apartment is up to your standards by cleaning before you move in – it’s no fun having to do it while stepping around boxes.
You don’t want to have to rummage through boxes for a change of clothes, towels, toothpaste and so on. Pack necessary items in a small suitcase or duffel bag so that you don’t have to go on a major search when they are needed.
If you haven’t used something in years, you probably never needed it in the first place. If you’re keeping clothes you don’t really like, do a wardrobe purge. All that stuff that is just taking up space right now is going to do the same thing in your new apartment, so sell, donate or throw away everything you neither need nor want.
You’ll feel a lot more at home right away in your new place if the amenities that you are used to are in place. Even if you can’t get your keys until move-in day, your new landlord might be willing to allow access for a few hours to meet with installers.
You might be surprised at how many people give away everything in their refrigerator, or just throw it away when they’re moving. There’s no reason why your food won’t be just fine in a cooler or insulated bag during your cross-town move, so don’t waste it. Besides, once you start the work of settling in, you’re going to be hungry!
There is no point in taking your clothes off their hangers, packing them and then hanging them up at your new apartment. Just leave them on the hangers, and lay them flat on the back seat of your car during the move. They’re ready to hang when you get to your new place.
Make Sure to Clean Your Old Apartment
Many people forfeit all or part of their security deposit simply because they don’t feel like cleaning. Often, this can add up to as much as a full month’s rent. If you’re absolutely determined not to do the cleaning yourself, a cleaning service can probably get the job done for you for far less than the cost of your security deposit.
Finally, you could hire local movers. It might seem as though just making tons of trips back and forth makes more sense, but often it doesn’t. You have to think about what you’re paying in gas, and you should also put a value on your time. Also, you could hurt yourself moving heavy items. Why not just call around to a few local movers, and compare rates? You could even take care of the small items yourself, and have the pros look after heavy or awkward items in a single trip.
Cross town moves don’t have to be overly stressful, if you plan and follow the above tips. Local movers can also take a lot of the headaches out of your relocation, so check them out.
