So, you consulted our list of tips and tricks for finding an apartment or condo, and you FINALLY found a home in New York City. Sadly, apartment or condo hunting is just half the fight. Really moving your things to the brand-new location is next, and it has to do with as fun as planning for the L Train shutdown while stuck in an escape room with no A/C in August, just to re-emerge into a dystopian hellscape where boozy brunch is banned. That is, it's no one's preferred weekend.
That's why we're here to make the entire process a little less nuts. Below, you'll discover an extensive guide: ideas, services, and hacks (including some notes crowd-sourced from friends) for moving as efficiently and inexpensively as possible. Welcome home.
You can change your mailing address online here-- it takes 10 days to process.
Contact all entities that pester you for cash on a monthly basis
Credit card business, trainee loans, Con Edison, and your cable television business need to know you're moving. Log onto your Con Ed account and click "Solutions and Outages" to change your address and shut off service at your old house.
Be Wi-Fi-enabled on Day 1
" If you plan on getting internet/cable in your new house, learn who the provider in the structure leads time and established the installation for the afternoon you move in," Jamie R. states. "When the Time Warner person is 2 hours late, you'll still exist creating that cabinet from Ikea anyhow. Now at least you can finish it while viewing the new season of Apprehended Development on Netflix."
Step the doors and areas of your brand-new apartment
Some doorways in NYC houses are insanely small, and you'll wish to make certain your sectional couch will fit through the door, and in the real living space, prior to you carry it up five flights.
boxes
Purge your house of everything you have not utilized in the last 6 months
It's time to be discerning. You probably don't need the cumbersome armchair in the corner that nobody rests on ... ever. And you definitely don't require that record player that looks like a suitcase that you got at Urban Outfitters. Rather of throwing them away, donate them, offer them on an app, or put up flyers in your structure and have a great old-fashioned stoop sale. The less stuff you have to move, the more affordable and less lengthy moving day will be.
Safe packing supplies ...
For reliably sturdy dependably new boxesBrand-new City Moving Boxes sells new boxes and rents reusable ones multiple-use free same-day totally free. Buy/rent boxes and bins by the piece or in entire packages, based on how much you're moving.
With Bin It, a mini-storage system, a set of stackable plastic bins will be dropped off at your location, and got at your new pad after your relocation two to 4 weeks later. U-Haul likewise offers cardboard moving kits/boxes by the piece.
... But do not ignore the "Free" section of Craigslist
Boxes discovered through a quick search of "moving boxes" definitely may (read: will) fall apart, however they will be totally free. The free area is also excellent for eliminating old furniture-- many people are happy to manage get if they believe they're getting a great offer.
Scavenge for boxes
Facilities that receive significant deliveries on the reg will likely have a large supply of cardboard that more info they're seeking to unload. Attempt the closest grocery store/liquor store/furniture store and let them understand you're searching for shipping boxes.
pals moving
" If you go with this alternative, stock the fridge with beer and white wine BEFORE moving your stuff in so it has time to get cold," James H. states. "Nothing is even worse than the 'are the beers cold?' check every 5 minutes." Solid recommendations, James H. Solid suggestions, certainly.
Ask your proprietor for the keys a couple of days before your lease start date
By doing this you can use the train or cab to bring stuff to the brand-new place over a couple of days, which will eliminate the bulk of the work on the real day. Even if you have to spend for the extra days, it's typically worth it, particularly if it allows you to get a much better deal on a truck/movers.
Use Zipcar for little moves
And take smaller products over in shifts. Zipcars run from either $9.25/ hour or $89 for the day (plus a $25 application cost and an annual fee of $70 if you're brand-new), so ensure how many journeys you require to make. Keep in mind though, a lot of cars won't be huge enough to fit a mattress!
Rent a U-Haul for the huge stuff
Pickup trucks and 9-foot vans begin at $20 a day plus mileage. Rates vary by zip code, but 10-foot trucks will run you about $150. Bear in mind: anything larger than a van is thought about a truck, so make certain to map out a truck lane path if you move in between boroughs.
Install your A/C before you move anything
Trust us if you're moving in the summertime.
Make certain you have someone on truck-watch while you bring stuff in
Explain the job you need done-- help packing, aid with one big product, or someone to move your entire apartment or condo (van consisted of)-- and the site finds regional "taskers." Each tasker has their own per hour rate, in addition to user reviews and recommendations. Depending upon what you require, prices differ from about $40 to $100 per hour.
movers
There's a billions of these people around, some of dubious trustworthiness, however Man With a Van or NYcityVAN are great locations to begin. Unlike moving business, whose rates fluctuate depending on numerous aspects (square footage, distance moved, products to be moved, and stairs or elevator), male with a van costs are quite fixed and more affordable total.
Bite the bullet and hire real movers
It's the simplest (read: most pricey) method to move-- you likely won't get away with spending less than $400, consisting of idea. Simply keep in mind, many companies require you to send an in-depth stock and even arrange a home call to get a concept of your space and how much they're moving previously providing you a quote.
For a little studio with very little furnishings, Rabbit Movers will probably run you near to $400. Undoubtedly if whatever in your home is big West Elm pieces, the price will reflect that.
Some companies like to show up and screw you by charging additional for every single little thing. Dumbo Moving is not one of them.
Clean Cut Moving breaks pricing down by apartment size. A barebones studio house move will start at around $300, and a two-bedroom will go run about $600. Intense Movers is understood to have comparable rates, and FlatRate Moving starts at around $500.
Move on an "off day"
If you do choose to utilize specialists movers, they're generally busiest at the beginning and end of the month, and weekends. Negotiate a discount by moving mid-week or mid-month.
Suggestion your movers
Five percent per mover is industry requirement-- simply put, the least quantity of cash you can get away with. That's just $20 per individual if you were lucky adequate to score an expert move for just $400. Wouldn't it feel nice to double that amount? Or even make it a nice, crisp, $50 per person? You 'd still have moved with pros like some kind of Rockefeller for under $500. If they were on time, efficient, and didn't break anything, no one's gon na balk if you provide them a little extra.