Did you know that 40 million Americans move at least once each year? Some move due to new work opportunities, some due to the ongoing pandemic, and others still to stick with family or friends.
Moving out of an apartment is a difficult task, especially when you have already settled for years. After all, the accumulated stuff and nostalgia might be too much. If you haven’t moved in a while, you might feel like it’s overwhelming.
Don’t give up yet.
With the following tips, you’ll learn about the best methods of moving out of a building. That way, you can go to your new home without regrets. Learn more with our guide here:
1. Relax Before Planning
Hurried moves happen because you either had no prior notice before the move or you procrastinated and now you feel like panicking. Regardless, making a move within a week or less can hit hard, so take a deep breath before jumping into action. If you got to this situation because of the latter, never blame yourself too much about it since life can get busy and things can happen.
You have no time to reflect. Get to work.
Your first action is to make a plan. If you plan to hire apartment movers, you must do so now since you must find a reputable company. Search online for at least four reputable and licensed moving companies operating within your locality.
If you want to move out fast, you must sift through the thousands of movers willing to accommodate you. Pick the best and they’ll give you a schedule for an apartment inspection to get a quote.
If you opt not to use movers, think about ways to transport your things to your new place. In most cases, you must rent a truck, especially when you have years’ worth of inventory. Call one and take care of it as soon as you can.
2. Get Enough Supplies
You have no time to do more trips back and forth to the store. That means you must get enough boxes and other packing materials on the first go. The good news is that lots of online packing calculators exist on the internet, allowing you to estimate the number of boxes necessary based on the details you give.
If you’re living in a studio apartment, a good number of boxes is 10-20. Pick up some wardrobe boxes since it allows you to store your clothes without folding them. As for packing supplies, think about the number you think you need and buy an excess.
Never forget important things like packing tape and paper. If you move by yourself, include furniture protectors to your moving checklist.
3. Get Some Help
If you want to get out fast, you have no time to feel embarrassed about asking people for help. If you can, ask friends and family members to come over and help you pack and move. After that, give them your undying gratitude, both verbally and using other incentives like pizza.
A good alternative if no one is available is to go online and search for helpers. You might end up spending some money, but you get someone reliable. They can do everything—from packing to loading the boxes up to your moving truck.
4. Don’t Take All Your Stuff
If you’re moving in a hurry, it’s better to have fewer items to pack and move. Get rid of the hoarder mentality and toss items you no longer use. Examples of these items include:
- Clothes you never wore for over a year
- DVDs
- Old school notes
A good way to determine your needs is to separate all your unneeded possessions into three piles: trash, recyclables, and donations. Focus on donating and recycling whenever you can. Once you finish, run back and forth to the recycling bin and make the trip to the nearest Goodwill or other donation outlets.
Do you have a reliable friend? If so, ask them if they can pick up the items you’ll donate. The best case is that they’re willing to drop your items off, but storing them for you is good enough.
5. You Have No Time to Organize
A quick move is one of the few exceptions where it’s acceptable to throw the concept of organization out the window. Instead, do everything in your power to get your possessions from your old home to your new home. Your main focus is to pack everything, so it’s okay when your items aren’t neatly stacked together.
But always wrap all your fragile items in packing paper. It’s okay to have disorganized boxes, but ones filled with broken plates aren’t.
6. Never Forget the Details
You can get distracted when you must move out fast, but never let it veer you off from taking care of the details. This means you must file a change of address with the post office or shutting off your utilities before transferring them to your new home. With a quick move, it means you won’t match timelines perfectly, meaning you’re likely to wait for a while before you get your internet connection transferred.
If you can spare some time, make some quick phone calls to various service providers. Ask them to expedite these processes and ask whether you’ll pay extra. If you can afford it and you need the services as soon as possible, do so.
7. Hire Professional Cleaners
It’s always a good courtesy to leave your apartment clean for the next tenant. In some cases, your contract will require you to do so. If you have no time to clean on your own, hire a cleaning service to do it in your stead.
This will lift a great burden off your shoulders, allowing you to focus on more important things.
Moving Out of an Apartment? No Problem!
These are some tips if you’re moving out of an apartment within a week or less. Use these tips to ensure your move goes smoothly.
Of course, moving out of your apartment is only one step of the process. You’ll need to learn how to organize your belongings, how to get around your new home town, and more. To discover even more useful tips, we encourage you to dig through our other helpful guides today.
