{"id":19279,"date":"2014-03-29T09:55:43","date_gmt":"2014-03-29T16:55:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/?p=19279"},"modified":"2019-07-16T15:48:57","modified_gmt":"2019-07-16T22:48:57","slug":"dos-and-donts-of-a-first-apartment-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/29\/dos-and-donts-of-a-first-apartment-move\/","title":{"rendered":"Do&#8217;s and Don&#8217;ts of a First Apartment Move"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- [if gte mso 9]&gt;--><\/p>\n<p>The time has come\u2026and you are ready to spread your wings and fly to your first apartment, your first place away from home.&nbsp; This is an exciting season that is full of possibilities, though not without its challenges.&nbsp; Use some of the tips below to help your first apartment move go as smoothly as possible.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><b>DO Plan Ahead<br \/>\n<\/b>You may be a \u201cfly by the seat of your pants\u201d kind of person, but your first apartment move is not something you want to procrastinate on!&nbsp; Give yourself 2-4 full days to look at apartments, drive through neighborhoods to get a feel for the area and make a plan for your move-in.&nbsp; There are many online resources and apps for your phone, such as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.zillow.com\/\"><b>Zillow <\/b><\/a>and <a href=\"http:\/\/hotpads.com\/\"><b>Hot Pads<\/b><\/a> that can help you check out what is available in your price range and in your desired area.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><b>DO Ask for Help<\/b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-19300 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/DSC01011-961x1024.jpg\" alt=\"apartment moving \" width=\"404\" height=\"430\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Ask a friend or family member to join you when searching for a possible new pad so you have a second opinion. &nbsp;Ask around to see where other friends or acquaintances live or have lived in the past.&nbsp; You\u2019d be surprised at what you might learn just by asking for help, and you might avoid an unforeseen problem!&nbsp; When it comes to the actual move-in day, everyone knows the truest test of friendship is helping a friend move\u2026so ask your friends!<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">&nbsp;<b>DO Enjoy It!<br \/>\n<\/b>As much as you have to do, try to appreciate the process.&nbsp; This is an exciting time and an adventure, so be sure to take time to enjoy this next step you are taking.&nbsp; It\u2019s okay that not every place is perfect or that your dream apartment might not be available at the right time.&nbsp; Go with your gut and you will find the best place for you.&nbsp; Know that wherever you live, you can and will <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/uhaul\/apartment-moving\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">make it your home<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><b>DON\u2019T Limit Yourself<br \/>\n<\/b>Keep an open mind when you\u2019re apartment shopping.&nbsp; Be willing to try an area you might not have considered before.&nbsp; Is your dream apartment too expensive?&nbsp; Consider recruiting a roommate so you don\u2019t have to sacrifice the dreamy view or great swimming pool amenity.&nbsp; By not placing limits on your search, you will keep the process fluid&nbsp;and fun.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">&nbsp;<b>DON\u2019T Take a Risk<br \/>\n<\/b>Live somewhere you\u2019re comfortable with, where you can afford the rent, where you understand the neighborhood and whether it fits your schedule and lifestyle.&nbsp; If you value nice, quiet nights indoors, you want to be sure you aren\u2019t moving into the party district! Nothing puts more of a damper on your living arrangements than placing yourself in an uncomfortable situation.<\/p>\n<p><b>DON\u2019T Rush<br \/>\n<\/b>You may be tempted to rush yourself because you are eager to move forward with this new stage of life.&nbsp; Leases are not easy or fun to break, and you do not want to put yourself in a position where you committed nine months or a year to living in a place that doesn\u2019t work for you.&nbsp; Take your time and carefully evaluate all of your options.&nbsp; Even if you are tight on time, don\u2019t panic or push yourself.&nbsp; Ask to stay with a friend or pay a family member for a space at their house before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/Truck-Rentals\/?utm_campaign=uhaulsm&amp;utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=trucks&amp;utm_content=20140329-dosanddontsof\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">moving<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The time has come\u2026and you are ready to spread your wings and fly to your first apartment, your first place away from home.&nbsp; This is an exciting season that is full of possibilities, though not without its challenges.&nbsp; Use some of the tips below to help your first apartment move go as smoothly as possible. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":198,"featured_media":19330,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,198],"tags":[1038,112,143,174],"class_list":["post-19279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-moving-2","category-planning","tag-finding-a-home","tag-moving","tag-planning-move","tag-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/198"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19279"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19279\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50925,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19279\/revisions\/50925"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}