Moving is an expensive and time-consuming process anywhere, but an NYC move is a challenge all on its own. Congested streets and buildings with no elevators are factors that might make you anxious about the big day. Relocating to New York is never easy, but these moving-in NYC tips can help relieve some stress. Moving is an expensive and time-consuming process anywhere, but moving within New York City is its challenge. From congested streets to buildings with no elevators, there are plenty of factors that can cause anxiety about move day. Relocating to New York is never easy, but these moving-in NYC tips can help take some of the stress out of your transition.
Helpful Moving in NYC Tips
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Map Out Your Move
The first step to reducing stress and having a successful move is to plan out the details. Whether you’re moving from the Upper East Side to Midtown Manhattan or you’re moving from California to New York, you’ll need to know how you’re going to get there and which route you plan to take. An important part of this is deciding which day you will move. You might not be able to move during the weekend. Check with management to see if moving a few days before or after the first of the month is possible.
Moving to NYC is also the perfect time to measure your furniture and make sure it’ll fit through the doorways of your new digs. Get measurements from your new place and check it against your bulkiest pieces to see what can make the move and what needs to go. New York is also an incredibly innovative city, so if there’s something you absolutely can’t part with, you could consider hiring a hoisting service to bring items through a window or porch door.
- Get a Storage Unit Ahead of Time
When you’re not swapping places at the last minute and you have some time to plan to move to New York, you can house extra items at a storage unit before the big day. The upside is that half of your stuff will already be packed and all you have to do is load up the boxes! This is also a great idea if you’re downsizing and want to hang on to some seasonal items, but don’t have the space for them in your new apartment. Keep tabs on what’s in your storage unit as you transition from place to place so you don’t accidentally buy two of the same item.
- Get Everything You Need All at Once
Tracking down all the supplies you need to move can be hard work. Luckily, there are plenty of services that provide moving kits. These come complete with boxes, tape, markers, and protective wrapping. These all-in-one solutions make it easy to get everything you need.
- Focus on Downsizing
You might think it’s hard to accumulate too many items in a tiny New York apartment. You might also be surprised by how much you have when you start boxing up your life! Moving is the perfect opportunity to declutter. Decluttering will also help minimize how many trips you have to make back and forth between homes. A good rule of thumb is to get rid of anything that you haven’t used in the past year that doesn’t have sentimental value. After that, you can easily sell, donate, or discard all the items that didn’t make the final cut.
- Keep an Inventory of Your Items
Clearly labeling your items will help relieve plenty of moving day headaches. Even with the best labeling system, you’ll probably be wondering where your essentials ended up pretty quickly moving in. Make a list on your phone of what’s inside each box and color code the boxes for easy unpacking. For example, every box with a blue dot could be designated for the living room. All bedroom items could be labeled with a green dot, simple yet effective. Or, save yourself the organizational headaches and leave the packing services to professionals.
- Hire a Moving Crew
Most New Yorkers agree that hiring a moving company is worth every dime. It might be more expensive, but it’s also the easiest. Most moving companies going to neighborhoods in NYC will want to have a list of how much you expect them to move. Some things to consider might be:
- Number of rooms being moved
- Inventory of larger pieces of furniture
- The exact or approximate number of boxes needed
- Floors/flights of stairs in the building (in case there’s no elevator)
You should also note that many NYC movers will charge extra for higher floor walkups in buildings that don’t have access to an elevator. Moving to NYC doesn’t have to be a complete headache. Our New York team at FlatRate can help you experience a stress-free move so you can get set up in your new place in no time!