Tips to Moving in Your First NYC Apartment

By MovingCompaniesNY.com Staff

Congratulations your big decision to relocate to NYC! On top of all of that, you are moving into your first apartment. A huge leap and exciting time, there is a lot of planning and organizing before you can truly enjoy your independence. MovingCompaniesNY.com is here to help you with our handy guide to ensure a smooth and easy move.

Planning:
When locating your first NYC apartment, research areas that seem interesting to you, which is generally dependent on costs. If you are from out of town, check out www.nyc.gov for descriptions of various neighborhoods in NYC to get the best idea of areas you would prefer to live. You may think you only want to live in Manhattan, but discover that Brooklyn offers more amenities for your needs. You should start this process several months before your big move, since researching NYC is a huge task.

Check Out the Space:
Searching for an NYC apartment is a huge process, which for some may come easily (word-of-mouth references) or may have you scouring through craigslist and real estate sites. Once you have three-five listings, you should actually start to see them. If you are sharing with a roommate this may be a little easier, but if not be sure that you feel comfortable in your space and it meets your needs. Make sure that you feel safe in your new neighborhood and that if you visit it during the day you come at night. If you don’t feel safe it is best to move on, no neighborhood or cheap rent can compensate for your safety. Also factor in rent, cost of utilities, location of grocery stores, laundry facilities, banks or the train station and aesthetic of your apartment building. Is it clean? Is it maintained? Is there good lighting? Once you assess your needs and what the apartment can offer you will on your way to knowing if the place is right for you.

Sign the Lease and a Roommate Agreement:
Generally in NYC, you will have to pay first months rent, last month’s rent and a security deposit. You may also have to pay a broker fee, depending on if you used an agent to find an apartment. When roommates are involved you should set up an agreement between the two of you regarding cleaning, payment of bills and food, and even borrowing clothes. You don’t want your first apartment experience to be a nightmare because someone is using your stuff or you end up paying all of the bills.

Measure for Measure:
If though it may seem like your new NYC apartment has sufficient space, you should measure it to make sure that everything you need to bring – bed, dresser, TV, etc — will all fit. This is also helpful if you happen to have to purchase furniture and not make assumptions based on what you think the size should be.

Get Packing:
Now that moving day is approaching, it’s time to pack up your belongings. This is also a great time to assess your items and see if you can un-clutter your life. Create a pile of keep, toss and donate. Some items are not salvageable; say a shirt with holes that come packing time is your opportunity to start fresh and get rid of some junk. The donate pile can go to charity or friends and family and the keep pile are belongings to go with you to your new NYC apartment. Load these items into boxes and label them based on what rooms they should go. This will help the NY movers know where to place your belongings, as well as help you stay organized for the unpacking process.

Select a Moving Company:
When looking for New York moving companies ask family or friends for their referrals or locate an online source such as MovingCompaniesNY.com for movers. Regardless of the services you require (small move, large moving van, etc) you should contact two-five movers so that they can come to your place for an in-house estimate. This is also a great time to bring up specific issues such as that you must be in your place (or out of your current one) at a specific date. Be sure to also ask about insurance, how they protect your belongings such as supplies they use and estimated time of your move.

Unpack:
The unpacking phase shouldn’t be something that you dread. In fact, now that you are an independent NYC apartment dweller, you may find that you are even more eager to get your belongings out of boxes. During this time, you may also find that you need additional items such as kitchen and bathroom supplies and items for your new bedroom. Make a list of these essentials as you unpack to avoid impulse purchases-which as you will learn is something very common in NYC. In some cases, you may find that you have too many items in which case storage is an excellent solution.