Resource Guide for Relocators
Moving out can be an exciting or stressful time in your life. Having a checklist could ease your stress. Whether you are relocating for pleasure, business or both it may feel impossible to remember everything.
Moving out
Cleaning: Remove the grease and grime from your stove, oven and microwave. Defrost the refrigerator. Clean the sinks in both the kitchen and bathrooms. Scrub the toilet, tub and shower walls to remove any soap/mold build up. Make sure to remove all items from shelves, storage and medicine cabinets. Remove any plants that you may have had. Vacuum rugs. Spraying an air freshening product such as Febreze may help if you’ve smoked. Clean the fireplace and remove any logs left. Sweep the stairs.
Tidying Up-
If the place you last had was furnished, make the bed and ensure all sofa cushions are back in place. Check for any loose change in between the cushions. Check that all faucets aren’t dripping. Don’t forget the washer and dryer along with the oven and or microwave having anything in them. Have a patio? Clean it up and pick up any items before moving out. Example: Cigarette butts, cups, matches…
Utilities: Disconnect your phone, cable, electric, gas, water, magazine and newspaper subscriptions, bank accounts and trash pick up.
Moving in-
The inspection- Have the landlord take you through a tour of the property. Pick up a condition report and take it with you through the tour. Inspect the ceilings, walls, windows, floors, carpets, appliances and fixtures. Are there any stains, broken applications, cracks in the tile and or fixtures? Don’t overlook this. Inform your landlord so you won’t be blamed if you move out. Get it in writing to make sure.
Test- Test the heat and AC to ensure they are working properly.
Research before moving-
1. Renters Insurance
2. Prices for utilities (prices subjected to change at anytime)
3. A finance back up plan. (Ensure that you have money for items that you may have
forgotten but can’t live without.)
4. Security/safety (Is there a security system in your new place? Limited access on the property?)
5. Visit the area. (Perhaps take a vacation, check out the area and the locals.)
6. Population, city data, income information. You may have had a vacation at the area but are you ready for a place that may be bigger or smaller than where you live now? Remember there’s other things to consider when moving in and out. Don’t wait to do everything last minute.
Apartment Renting
Apartment renting can at times be frustrating. You may have pets who are apart of your family. But did you know that some places charge a deposit for your furry friend? In fact some places charge a monthly fee just to allow your companion to live with you. Do you have a car? If so you may want a garage which could cost you extra. Or you could have an assigned parking space that costs a one time fee or even a monthly fee. Before falling in love with a place based on an ad, check online if they have a website about extra fees. If the website doesn’t include this, you can sometimes find out on apartment renting websites.
Some apartment renting places require you to register an account. This usually requires your user name, password and e-mail. Be aware of apartment renting that wants your mailing address. This could lead to loads of spam in your mail box. Http://www.rent.com requires you to register but if you find an apartment on their website, you’ll receive $100.00 reward card. You inform your landlord and rent.com. Of course also read the legal details before signing up for anything.
The resource page for rent.com offers help with finding out your credit report for free. It also offers a place to search for jobs where you’re going to relocate. Moving to your new place requires a lot of moving. Rent.com has links for full service moving, self service, boxes, storage and trucking. If you’re planning on moving in with a roommate or need one, you can easily search under their roommate service. It offers free search,listing and messaging after you register.
Apartmentsource.com won’t allow you to do much unless you register with them. They claim it only takes 30 seconds to sign up. When clicking on their roommate section you are taken to roommateclick.com You can search without registering. Sending a message to a roommate you’re interested in will require registration.
Rentals.com allows you to enter a city and state. It’s nice not to have to register but you don’t get to choose when searching how many bedrooms or bathrooms you want. You may end up with listings for more or less than what you’re looking for.
Rentnet.com allows you to choose the state, city, apartment renting price range and yes or no for pets. This website gives you information such as what the unit features, community features, the prices, square footage, leasing, payments accepted and what utilities are included. Contacting is a breeze with an easy to fill out form. You can even e-mail the property to a friend or print out a brochure.
Apartments.com allows you to choose what apartment and community features you’ve just gotta have. And it lets you decide the price range and what type of housing you’re looking for. Some listings even have a 360 virtual tour. You are required to have Quicktime for the tour to work. This website goes a little bit further in offering all you need to know before moving in. The closest transportation, highways, schools and dry cleaning are listed for convenience. It even informs the potential apartment renter vehicle parking information and how much pet deposits are.
Many listings offer several pictures and angles of what the property has to offer along with floor plans. You can e-mail a property by filling out a form. Also you can print a brochure and send a email to a friend about the listing. On the left hand side they offer easy several moving and credit resources. They even offer connecting utilities with one easy click. Some areas do not offer all services to be connected under one company. But do offer information on who to contact for each utility.
Three top online resources for checking your personal credit are: www.freecreditreport.com, http://www.credit-factor.com and www.FreeCreditReportsInstantly.com. If you need a moving quote, check out http://www.123movers.com They offer quotes from several different moving companies.
If you’ve never been on your own before, calling each company for utilities can be nerve racking. Not to mention remember to pay each separate bill. But there’s an easier way. Connect all your utilities and pay one simple bill each month. http://www.connectutilities.com/, http://www.moveutilities.com/ and http://www.allconnect.com/ offers a simple way to get connected fast. Worried you’ll be connected with unknown providers? Take comfort! Each website provides information on who you’ll be connected with. Some even allow you to choose which company you prefer for each utility.
When thinking about moving to a new area it’s a good idea to see what the crime ratio is. Along with population and income statistics. One of the best resources on the web is http://www.city-data.com Some cities even include pictures of the area. If you have a picture of a city, you can submit for others to view. For childcare services, check out www.daycareproviders.com/ and www.childcare-directory.com .
If you’re moving out to start a new life, you may decide you also want a new car. So what do you do with the old one and how do you purchase a new one? You could sell it to a friend. Or sell it online. There are many places to do this. Ebay.com known for being the world’s largest marketplace has a auto section to sell your automobile. But be careful how small you start your bid price for. You may end up selling your vehicle for only $0.01. Autotrader.com has an easy to use form to buy or sell your car. Some cars are being sold directly from the owner while others are listed by dealerships. The website offers tips and a checklist when creating for ad. A standard ad costs $34.00 and can go up to $64.00. Carsdirect.com charges $25.00 to list an ad to sell your vehicle. They offer a free vehicle report for each model e-mailed. Autos.com requires your mailing and e-mail address to be able to get quotes when looking to purchase a car.
A roommate can be fun or annoying. http://www.roommates.com/, http://www.aimrelocation.com/roommates/, and http://www.easyroommate.com/ are 3 websites that are easy to use when searching or posting an ad for a roommate.
If you feel unsure about a roommate, you can check their background for a fee. Some that will do a background check are: http://www.intelligentinvestigations.com/
http://www.publicbackgroundchecks.com
http://www.bestbackgroundchecks.com/
Abika offers free background checking @ http://www.abika.com/Reports/Freebackgroundchecksandverifications.htm But be careful, only paid searches are confidential, free ones can be viewed by the public. Even if someone does check out, still be careful when choosing a roommate.
When you are finally moved in, look into getting the local paper to keep on top of local events and news. If you drive, a new driver’s license and car plates will be needed. Keep all receipts from moving in one area so you’ll be all set when tax time comes. For security reasons you may want to have your mail box at the post office. The best time to start getting ready is 8 weeks before you move. Good luck and have fun!
