Finding and moving into your first apartment in Austin is an exhilarating, sometimes crazy, and almost always hectic adventure. Preparing is the best you can to do keep things from becoming overwhelming. If you are moving into an apartment for the first time, here is a list of five things you should be aware of before you move any boxes.
1) Ask questions before signing the lease.
A lease is a legal, binding document between parties. Sometimes, the language can seen complicated and the terms might not be understandable. Or, perhaps, you notice something in the contract that concerns you after you read through it. Perchance you see something in the initial walk-through that you need to know more about. Whatever your question is, do not wait to ask it. A good landlord would rather have you walk away with the answers and not signing a lease than see you sign it and have issues in the future because you were puzzled about something from the start and never asked for clarification.
Landlordology has a good list of questions to ask your landlord before you sign your lease - 20 Revealing Questions that Every Renter Should Ask (from a Landlord's Perspective).
2) Do a walk-through of the apartment with the landlord, if possible, prior to moving anything in.
On moving day in Austin, before you get caught up in the nuttiness of moving in all of your furnishings, request the landlord to do a once-over of the apartment to inspect for damages or any other pre-existing issues that might have been missed when they were prepping it for your arrival. This is a sound idea for two reasons. The first is so that you both can understand what is going on without the clutter of furniture and boxes. The second reason is that once you move your belongings in, your landlord can say that they have no way to know for sure the problem was there before you arrived. If the damage can be blamed on you instead of the previous tenant, the cost of repairs will possibly come out of your deposit when you get ready to move somewhere else. Depending on what that cost is and the terms of your lease, you might not get anything back.
3) Ask for help.
Part of growing up is being independent, but part of it is also recognizing when you cannot do something on your own and need to ask for help. When it comes to moving, you will always need help - with lugging boxes and setting up furniture on move-in day at the very least. If you have family or a friend you trust in the area you are moving to and you cannot do a walk-through before you move in, ask them to do it for you. Be sure they know what information to gather beforehand.
4) CLEAN before unpacking.
Generally speaking, renters are tasked to make sure an apartment is tidy and in good condition before they vacate, and most landlords will give the apartment a more thorough cleaning in between renters. However, occasionally, an apartment sits uninhabited for some time or things get missed. Also, there is the disarray that happens when you move in. Cleaning up before you unpack will help you catch what might have been missed. It will also familiarize you with the layout you have and give you a better sense of how you can arrange things than you might have gotten during the walk-through.
5) Be considerate of others while moving items in.
When you are amidst moving in, it is easier to look for convenient ways to get your possessions into your apartment. Unfortunately, the most convenient [methods|ways]166] to do so can make it a hassle for your neighbors to come and go as they need to and give them the wrong initial impression of you as their neighbor. It is their community you are joining when you move in, after all. You will have an easier time acclimatizing to the community in Austin if you are mindful of them from the beginning.
If you are ready to find your first apartment in Austin, A-1 Freeman can help you from start to finish. We can handle every move, no matter the size. Click below to get started with your Free Estimate.
