Moving apartments is an exciting time for anyone, but it can also be peppered with a little sprinkling of anxiety and nervousness. You might be moving for a variety of reasons. These could include desiring to move to a beautiful area after a promotion at work, or simply having to relocate because the landlord would like to let the building out to students at the end of your tenancy.
No matter what reasons you have for changing the premises where you live, you might find that moving is a difficult process, and certainly an expensive one. Depending on how late you’ve left the whole moving process, you might also feel like you have no chance of finding a place that you’d actually like to inhabit. Moreover, depending on where you live, you might have trouble finding a place within your budget as ‘nice’ as the place you’re living now.
Every working citizen has to undergo this process at some point in their lives unless they’re fortunate enough to have a property ownership right off of the bat. Still, in the vast majority of cases, moving house is an expensive enough act to warrant trying to find the best ways to keep your funds for more personal endeavours, such as purchasing home decoration items, or kitchen furnishings that can provide you with a fully functional cooking area.
This article will detail the best considerations to keep in mind before, during and after your move, and will suggest methods for reducing the impact on your budget.
Without further ado:
Before The Move
Identifying A Budget
Before you move, you must establish set financial parameters that you’re willing to spend for the entire move to be considered a success. These must be flexible to a degree, but you must also be very wary about going over budget by too much. Sometimes securing that house you want out of a bad bunch might tempt you to agree to a $100 per calendar month increase in your budget, when in reality this might not be affordable.
This is why careful early planning always supports a budget. Seeing what is on the market well in advance allows you to not only view properties but register your interest with a set number of letting agents whose sole interest is finding you somewhere you’d like to live.
Identify your budget, allow a little headroom, and then begin:
Identifying A Property
What will your budget realistically allow for? It’s true that it’s almost impossible to get everything you want out of a move, and you’re likely going to have to settle for a few compromises. If you’re renting around town, this might not be such a bad idea. Does a place that you’re only likely to live in for 1 or 2 years need to be perfect? Worry about holding onto your tastes too tightly when it comes to placing a mortgage on an introductory home. For the time being, staying grounded and happy demands that you allow a certain level of disappointment. For example, in the middle of a city, it’s unlikely you’ll find a nice apartment with separate rooms and wide, spacious airy views of the city for a competitive figure.
House hunting can be expensive, so be sure to assess your needs realistically to fit within your budget.
Be Wary of Agent Fees
Some real estate brokers enjoy charging fees for the work they do, providing an intermediary relationship between the landlord and the potential tenant. To this end, it might impact your finances to simply make an application to the landlord. Remember, some agent fees are to be expected, and this is, unfortunately, the way the real estate world works.
However, if those fees are non-refundable in the event that the landlord rejects your application – you should not do business with that letting agent. For them to embark upon practices like that means that there are likely many hidden fees that they’re willing to tax you with in whatever event or reason they deem fit. You will simply be unable to trust that firm with your money, so politely refuse and keep searching.
Negotiate
When you do find a letting agent that has great intentions and works well with you, before you apply for the tenancy, see if you can negotiate with the letting agent. Can you take of 10, 20, 30 dollars per month? It’s always worth asking the negotiator because often they will be willing to compromise a small amount of money in return for getting a reliable tenant in the property as soon as they can.
Don’t push too hard, or this might dissuade the letting agent from giving you a positive word for the landlord. It’s important to understand that the letting agent is under a duty to provide the landlord with the correct sum, so don’t impede your ability to secure your dream property by trying to save marginal amounts of money because of your amateur assessment of the property.
Sell Off Unused Goods
Moving is a great time to assess the use of all the belongings you have collected up to now. Embarking upon a complete inventory of all your belongings and items in your wardrobe might allow you to identify the items that you can sell – raising further funds for your moving day.
So moving day arrives, and you’re well stocked in motivation, finances, and the security of the property you now possess. What next?
During The Move
Moving Boxes
During the move, you’ll need to pack everything into tightly organized boxes, to prevent sloppy coordination from breaking one of your items or subjected it to undue stress. This is even more important in regards to your electronic belongings. A computer or television will need even more careful planning to move, especially when it comes to hiring:
Transportation
If you have a friend or family member with a car, consider asking for their help in moving, and pay them their petrol cost and maybe a few drinks or a bottle of wine at the weekend to say thank you. But not everyone has friends who can move their belongings for them. Usually, you can receive a competitive quote to transport your goods by a removal company if you let them know about the move well in advance.
A last minute commission of their services is likely to run quite expensive, but booking them well before will allow them to organize their schedules correctly, and they will encourage this by offering competitive rates. After you have secured your removal company hire, as part of the package, you’ll need:
Insurance
Insurance is another deeply important consideration to think about before you move. If you have plenty of high-value items to be moved, ask the transportation company if you can purchase an insurance plan that they offer to keep your belongings safe against accidental damage or disrepair. They will be willing to provide this in all cases because a smashed belonging will reflect on their publicity terribly.
Some of the insurance preparation falls to you, and can be described as ‘common sense.’ Label your valuables as valuable, or place them in a ‘fragile’ box to let the mover know to handle the item with care. Make sure that you label the items you’d like to be placed at the bottom in the back of the van, and also, if needed, provide express instructions on which way to carry the item. These must be written in clear, concise font on the boxes, so there is zero confusion on the part of the removal workers. Oversee the entire move, and double check to make sure your instructions are being adhered to.
After The Move
After you’ve now moved into your property, you have some responsibilities to take care of in order to set up your new home. The first is:
Setting Up Energy Tariffs
Finding the best energy provider for your district is the first act you need to make. You can find this information reliably online. When you do, it’s important that you set up tariffs for your water, gas and electricity. These will likely already be supplied to the house, so this is a relatively simple process. All you’ll need to do is provide your information to your chosen firms, and they will take care of the rest. You should receive letters detailing your new account and billing information and how to proceed from there. You should then:
Set Up Subscriptions & Amenities
Remember, your internet, cleaning and parking subscription services are likely not included in your rent unless you are tremendously lucky. There’s likely no negotiating in price for these services, so you should find the plan you can afford, and if you can’t afford them you should go without them. A basic internet connection is necessary for today’s modern life, but that doesn’t mean you deserve to be placed on the fastest speed plan.
Spare Key
As soon as you receive the keys to your new abode, you should have a second key cut, and place it somewhere safe either outside your property or on your person, such as a hidden pocket in your coat or rucksack that you wear everyday to work. This will prevent the costly process of getting your locks picked or charged for a replacement key by your real estate brokers.
Keep these tips in mind, and you’re likely to save much more money than you thought possible when moving your home.
