New Apartment Owner Tips And Tricks To Help You Get Settled

Becoming a new apartment owner can be stressful. Why wouldn’t it be? It is the first time you are either on your own or have a place to call your own. Moving in is another story. When you are moving in, you have the general mindset that your new apartment is move-in ready. That may be the case, but oftentimes it is not. What happens when you finally get your keys and walk through the door of your new apartment and see that it is far from being in the condition that you were expecting? There are stains on the carpet. The walls are chipped with paint, and the kitchen cabinets are damaged beyond repair. Now you have to worry about taking care of fixing up the condition of your new apartment, in addition to moving into it. To make your experience of being a new apartment owner is better than this, here is a list of tips that can lessen your stress when settling into your new home.

1. Inspect

Imagine how upsetting it would be to walk into your brand-new apartment, on move-in day, and find it in a condition that is much less what you were anticipating. Not only are you already worrying and thinking about unpacking all of your boxes, but now you have to worry about fixing the place up. No one wants to walk into their new apartment and see stained carpets, broken cabinets, or chipped walls. To avoid having this experience, I highly recommend scheduling an inspection day. Inspecting your soon-to-be home beforehand is the ideal thing to do, regarding moving. That way, you are able to see the condition of your apartment, yourself, before moving in. If it is not in the condition you expect it to be in, then you now have time to make arrangements to correct it according to your standards.

2. Setting Up Utilities

No one wants to go through the hassle of setting up their utilities on the day they move in. Spending long hours on the phone and talking to customer service representatives on move-in day. It is just too much of an inconvenience. An easy way to avoid this headache is to set up your utilities before moving into your new apartment. To set up your cable, you will have to contact your cable company (Xfinity, DIRECTV, etc.), and have them transfer everything to your new apartment location. This is, typically, an ideal thing to do because when it is time for you to relax after moving in boxes all day, you are already set up and ready to watch your evening shows. When setting up your PG&E and water, it is the same process as setting up your cable. Lots of hours on the phone, talking to customer service representatives.

3. Move Boxes Into Their Rooms

When moving into your new apartment, you usually want to already have an idea of where you want everything. Bowls, cups, plates, silverware, pots, and pans in the kitchen. Toiletries and towels in the designated bathrooms, and blankets and linens in the hallway for storage. Placing the labeled boxes, if you did label them, in the appointed rooms helps speed up the process of moving in. All you have to do is unpack and put away the items. This way you do not have to worry about going through the process of trying to find the correct box to store and put away in the chosen room. It is all about saving yourself the time and the hassle.

4. Linens, Towels, And Dishware

The first thing about moving into a new apartment is to know what to unpack first. Clothes, books, blankets, picture frames, towels, kitchen utensils, or dishware. To help you settle in faster, I suggest that you unpack your linens, towels, dishware, and cooking utensils first. The reasoning for this is because, on the first day of moving in, as well as the first week of moving in, you are going to want to have your cooking utensils and dishware out so that you can cook and eat proper meals. You are also going to want to shower, on the night you move in, as well as the rest of the nights that follow, and sleep in your bed that is made up of your linens. Wouldn’t you want to dry off with your towels rather than get out of the shower, not realizing you did not already unpack your towels, or not have to worry about making your bed at close to midnight? I know I would.

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5. Clothes

Typically, new apartment owners do not think about this as a priority until it is already the next morning and their rushing to find the box. Clothes. Whether you are moving in on a Wednesday, Friday, or during the weekend, you will need clothes to wear for the next few days while you unpack your apartment. This is a simple “slipped my mind,” kind of thing. Just make sure, on your move-in day, that it is on your list of priorities to unpack.

Moving into a new apartment and becoming a new apartment owner is stressful. Here you are, trying to settle in and make sure everything has been handled and is set up properly. Not to mention possibly being overwhelmed with the amount of time it will take to unpack everything and put them away. That is if you already know what boxes you need/want to unpack first. Getting advice from family and friends who have already been an apartment owner, and gone through the first-time experience, maybe a wise thing to do. That way, you can get some insight and ask them how they managed their first time being an apartment owner and what their process was like when moving in. That is my advice.

Are you a new apartment owner, or a soon-to-be one? What was your move-in day like? Leave us a comment below, telling us what your experience was like becoming a first-time apartment owner.