At the first of this month, my roommate/bestie and I got a new apartment! If you live in New York City then you understand just how horribly stressful moving in NYC can be. Of course, moving anywhere is hard — but let me tell you, the struggle is REAL when it comes to the Big Apple. The combination of how fast af everything moves here, not having a car, and how expensive everything is makes finding and moving into a new place a lot harder than it would be in most other cities any other city.
This is my FOURTH move in NYC. After spending a year in grad school in Syracuse, I officially moved to the city in 2017 and stayed in a five bedroom sublease in Harlem. After a pretty rough few months of struggling to pay bills on an intern paycheck and dealing with bed bugs and mice, I ended up moving in with a friend in the South Bronx as a temporary situation. Once I had a real job and was able to get approved for an apartment (about five months later) me and Kailena got a two bedroom in Long Island City, Queens. We stayed in that tiny, sunlight-lacking apartment for about a year and a half. Now, we FINALLY have a place that we truly love!!
We live in Astoria, Queens, not too far from our last place. We have WAY more space, sunlight pouring into every room, and a neighborhood with tons of restaurants and boutiques. The glow up is REAL. (I’ll be sharing a moving vlog on YouTube soon, so make sure you’re subscribed to my channel.) But, as you can see, it was not an easy journey to get here. Now, I basically consider myself a pro when it comes to moving in NYC. I want to share what I’ve learned with you guys so you can learn from my mistakes and hopefully have a much smoother time! And although my experiences are about moving in NYC, many of these tips can apply to anyone, anywhere.
Looking for an apartment in NYC
Don’t start looking until the actual month you want to move.
This may sound crazy if you live in another state, but I swear you will not be able to find something if you look too early. Realtors and landlords are looking to move people in ASAP. If you start looking for an apartment the first week of the month, they may even want you to sign for the 15th. And if you won’t, they know someone else probably will.
When you find a place you like, pay attention to the location. Is there a laundromat and grocery store nearby?
Some people may find this more important than others and it’s not as big of a deal if you have a car. But, we learned the hard way at our last apartment that getting on the subway every time you need groceries is a hugeeee pain.
Try to avoid moving during the summer if you can.
Summer and back-to-school season are the busiest times to move in NYC. We purposely moved on Nov. 1 because it’s not too cold yet and the prices are lower. In addition to finding a good deal, you won’t have to worry quite as much about someone stealing your apartment. Trust me, someone else could put that deposit down two seconds before you if you ponder a bit too long.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions!
You’re the one who has to live there so don’t feel weird about asking questions. Is gas and electric included? Is the apartment rent stabilized? Are pets allowed? Why did the last tenants decide to move out? How does the landlord like rent to be paid? Is there a brokers fee? Any question is valid.
While you’re moving in NYC
Hire movers if you can!
I can’t stress this enough. Hire movers and book them as early as you can. Me and Kailena never hired movers until this move and let me tell you, it was worth every penny. In all transparency, there were issues. We hired a company called FlatRate and they canceled the day of our move! It could have went a lot worse than it did, but luckily our landlord at our old place let us stay an extra day. The movers came early the next morning and the two men were great, but it was obviously super stressful. However, with all that being said, having professionals do all the heavy lifting and making sure nothing got damaged was still worth the $600 we paid. Friends of mine have had a good experience with Two Men and a Truck, so maybe check them out.
Also, make sure you tip your movers! They’re doing hard work and they deserve it.
Label your boxes
Don’t forget to label and maybe even color code with markers. This will make unpacking SO much easier. We labeled by room (bathroom, kitchen, living room). Also, one of our very kind movers suggested to us that we write our names over the tape, once the boxes are closed. That way we can tell if a mover or anyone else tried to go into our boxes (it happens!).
See if you’re able to get your keys a few days early
Sometimes this just isn’t possible if someone is still living in your new apartment. But, if you can get your keys a few days early or even a week early then it can be super helpful for getting some stuff moved in early. Kailena and I took a bunch of clothes over to our new place ahead of time so we could lower our inventory a bit for the mover estimate.
Did you switch over your address? The electric? Set up the wifi?
All of these little things apply to any move, but it’s always good to be reminded. I was able to switch over my address and my electric online and it was super easy. But, when it comes to our wifi, it’s taking a lot longer than we expected (because we’re getting Fios). So, we’re without internet for a couple weeks. And do not forget to shut everything off at your old place!
After the move
Get renters insurance
This is something that I just signed up for for the first time, but I recommend getting it right now if you don’t already have it. I got mine through Lemonade and it only costs me $7.50 a month. Better safe than sorry!
Set a schedule/deadline for unpacking
Unpacking is hella time consuming. You have to figure out new ways and places to store your things and you want everything to look nice. And majority of the time in NYC, you don’t have a ton of space to work with. I’m constantly trying to find new ways to keep my shoes and clothes organized in a small bedroom. But, you don’t want to stare at those piled up boxes for too long. It will just cause you stress. We’re trying to be completely unpacked by December, which gives us one month in total. It’s ambitious, but surprisingly we are already down to our last few boxes. This way we can try to have a housewarming party before everyone goes home for the holidays. I’ll have to keep you guys posted on that!
Here’s a sneak peek of my new apartment:
Do you have any tips for moving in NYC that I forgot? Let me know in the comments!
xoxo, Kayla
