Moving is a complicated process, and you will most likely find yourself with heaps of problems to deal with when doing so. Don’t fret though, most of the problems you come across when moving are relatively common and easy to deal with, provided you anticipate them. From not starting the apartment search as early as possible to forgetting to pack an overnight bag, here are a few of the most common mistakes people tend to make when moving.
- Not Researching Your New Neighborhood Beforehand
Before you even start looking for an apartment, you need to consider what sort of neighborhood you want to move into. Don’t just look for the cheapest apartment possible, because if you do that, you might find yourself in a neighborhood you don’t like or enjoy living in. Look for things such as nearby amenities, how far grocery stores are located, see if there are any parks nearby and, if you don’t own a car, look how far bus or metro stations are from your potential new place.
Florin, owner of an NYC movers company, had a lot to say about scouting out your new neighborhood: “consider how safe the area is, especially if you have children. You also need to take into consideration which school to send the little ones to. Are schools providing a decent education in your potential new living zone? You won’t find out unless you do your research. It’s important to look around your new neighborhood as much as possible before moving there. Even if you won’t be able to predict every little problem that might arise, it’s still good practice.”
- Not Negotiating with Your Potential New Landlord
Nowadays, finding a new place can be pretty tough, especially if you’re living in a big city. But that doesn’t mean you, as a renter, shouldn’t try to negotiate the rent of your potential new apartment. Landlords want to rent their properties, and if you’re the type of person a landlord wants to have in their apartment, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t negotiate the price. This is especially true if you’ve got a good credit score, a decent paying job and good references.
What landlords are looking for, most of all, is stability and a monthly flow of rent. They also want to make sure their apartment won’t be damaged and will be kept in tip-top shape. Try to segue the fact that you are a good renter into the conversation when negotiating, and you might find yourself having to pay a lower amount of rent each month when signing the contract.
- Hiring a Moving Company Without Looking at Reviews
So, you’ve found your dream place, you’ve signed the contract, and you’re now looking to hire a moving company to help get your stuff to your new apartment. Don’t just rush into a contract with any moving company, try to at last look for a few reviews online before doing so. Even better, it might be much better to hire one based on word of mouth from friends and family. If you want to avoid scams, you need to be really selective with who you choose to hire to help move your things.
Your stuff needs to be handled with care, especially if you’ve got fragile items to move. There are also insurance policies to talk about. Any reputable moving company will provide insurance for your stuff before starting the move. This is so that if anything gets damaged during the move, you at least get some of your money back. A good moving company will stick to the quote they provided you with, will keep your stuff in storage until you’re ready to move and will provide you with experienced movers to help you.
- Packing Without Being Organized
Before the movers come, you should make sure your items are packed and ready to go. Some moving companies offer packing services as well, but not all. Most tend to focus on moving larger items, such as dressers or televisions. In case the moving company you’ve hired doesn’t have packing services, you’ll have to do the packing yourself. In this case, it’s very important to be organized, and to properly pack and label your boxes.
Labeling is an important step, as if the movers don’t know what’s inside the boxes they’re carrying, they might not handle them with the proper care they need. You can go a step further and color code those labels, in order to make it much easier for the movers to discern which boxes contain fragile items and which do not. Besides labeling, you should also try to properly pack your boxes. Use packing paper as much as possible, in order to cushion the impact of a potential fall. Besides labeling and packing, you should also maybe try to make a checklist of all the items in your house that need to be packed.