*gets handed keys* “So now what…”
^ buyers and renters standing in total silence in their new empty apartment dissociating instead of addressing the overwhelming void that is what to do next
Things that boomers love:
The thumbs-up emoji
Zooming in on pictures, both when actively taking them and looking at them
Nautical themed home decor
Using speaker phone
Mustard
Complicated TV remotes
Overusing ellipses in texts
Printing out emails
While I am fully aware that millennials also have been the source of comedic relief by younger generations even though half of the reasons could’ve been avoided with the normalization of therapy, most of our (my) idiosyncrasies I find charming or defendable. That is, until I recently moved. In absolute horror, I found that I kept…every Apple product packaging I’ve ever received, and both have no recollection of doing so or any idea why I felt this was necessary. After quick crowd sourcing, I found out that there is an other-worldly force at play in that, even though no one has the intention to ever resell our apple products, millennials must keep the box to preserve said-resale value. Or at least that’s what we tell ourselves. And then there’s the years of old charging cables we keep that are incompatible with anything we own but we’ll leave that stone unturned.
Beyond coming face-to-face with my abhorrable collection of empty AirPod boxes, moving was a nice reminder of a completely displacing and chaotic life change my clients go through after every transaction. So in an attempt to make everyone else’s lives a touch easier, I went through all the must-do’s, good-to-do’s, and you-may-want-to-do’s to make your next move less painful than mine.
^ everyone, setting up their ConEd and Spectrum accounts
Back to the important stuff: if you’re purchasing or renting, the things you need to think about:
1. Movers – There are tons of movers in the city, all with both good and bad reviews online, but personally I’ve used Oz Movers and had nothing but an amazing experience. They do a video consult prior to giving you a quote so they can accurate assess the space, all communications were prompt and thorough, and the move itself was seamless and dare I say, enjoyable. Also I cannot stress enough how much the pack and unpacking add-on is worth it. Besides any valuables you want to pack yourself or things you will need to access easily for the next day or so (like daily toiletries or an outfit for later that day), you do absolutely nothing prior to your move. Then a team of ~5 people with come, pack your entire apartment, take everything off the walls, empty every corner of your space in about 2 hours, move you, then unpack everything in logical places you can help direct in about 2 hours. The amount of time this saved was worth every penny and nothing was broken or lost. My move started at 8:30am and I was moved and fully unpacked y 1pm. And also – with pack and unpack, they both bring and take the boxes and packing materials. Incredibly underrated.
2. ConEd – Con Ed covers your cooking gas and electricity, which you and mostly everyone else in NYC is responsible for (as heat and hot water are more often than not included in your rent/maintenance). Go online and set up your service to begin on your lease start date so that your legal occupancy is covered.
3. Spectrum – Spectrum is most likely your internet and cable provider. Give them a ring if you chose to have one or both….or if you plan to go the Amish route, don’t call them. Every building in New York is wired for Spectrum; most are not set up for Verizon. For the chosen few who have Verizon, continue to gawk at us peasants and you can google “Verizon” yourself on your reliable connection.
4. United States Postal Service – If you’re currently living in the city and switching addresses, you’ll need to actually file for a change of address at the USPS so they can forward your mail from your previous home. It takes about 2 weeks for your mail to get actively forwarded so do this as soon as you can – it’s quite easy online.
5. The Department of Motor Vehicles – Ugh the DMV…just typing this gives me PTSD to the three times I failed my driving test. But beyond that. You should most likely change your license to reflect your new address because that is a responsible, adult thing to do. Your parents would be proud.
6. The Department of Sanitation – If you’re not planning to take any furniture or mattresses with you to your next home, you best believe you can incur a massive fine for just leaving those out on the sidewalk. Not only for city cleanliness, but everyone is terrified of sidewalk mattresses, mainly due to omnipresent and crippling fear of bed bugs. When you know your move out date, go on the Department of Sanitation website, file for what type and how many pieces of furniture you’ll be leaving on the sidewalk, and they’ll come the following morning so you don’t get hit with a penalty/ruin the lives of all the passerby.
7. On the note of how to dispose of a mattress…FYI you can get fined for improper disposal of a mattress, mainly because of that aforementioned citywide fear of bed bugs.
- Schedule a mattress pick up with the Department of Sanitation
- Buy one of these mattress bags on Amazon to seal up your mattress in before lugging it out to the sidewalk
8. Homeowner’s or Renter’s Insurance For renters, landlords won’t require renter’s insurance but they’ll strongly encourage that you get it. For owners, coops and condos will require it, as will the bank if you’re financing. Definitely look into different options – it’s all very affordable and usually protects much more than you think. Example, (well, dark example) if you ever get mugged like yours truly did, you’re covered!
9. What should you do with your unwanted belongings? While I know the thought of donating unused items is all good and dandy, the actual act of it unfortunately is kind of a complete pain when you live in the city and don’t have a car to transport bags of items easily. While there’s no getting around the inconvenience of it all, less fortunate individuals in the city could benefit from your bit of extra effort. Curbed put together a nice piece detailing where to donate furniture, electronics, books, and just about everything.
10. Other places your should be contacting that may legitimately want to know where you live
- Your bank/credit card agency
- The tax agencies
- Social security
- Your employer
- Loan providers
- Insurance providers (health, car, life, ect.)
- Any subscriptions you have, both for print (like the New Yorker) and physical goods (like Ritual and Nutrol)
- All your online shopping sites you frequent, especially Amazon (it’s surprisingly easy to place an order quickly and forget to update you address)
- Voter registration
- Any streaming services
- Mapping services and car services (you don’t want to have a few drinks and go to the wrong default for “home”)
- Doctors, dentists, lawyers, ect.
- Any Alumni organizations or club affiliations
11. Make copies of your keys – and keep one at your office. If you live alone, with a significant other, or with roommates, the most frustrating and powerless position is when you’ve lost your keys or locked yourself out of your apartment with the keys inside. If you have a super-in-the-building or doorman, life is a bit easier. However, if the super or landlord isn’t close by, this can turn into a long affair. I always keep a copy of my apartment keys somewhere hidden on my desk in my office so if god-forbid I get locked out, I know there’s another set that I can get without bothering anyone.
12. If you’re moving into a condo/coop or doorman building, email the managing agent or super intendant to reserve the elevators for your move-in date and time. While most walk up buildings let you move-in whenever you please, anything with an elevator will require that you sign up for a specific time window so that they can pad the elevator and reserve it for a few hours for your use only. Usually in bigger buildings weekend move-in’s are not allowed, so keep this in mind when you’re planning ahead.
13. Thredup and The RealReal– When you’re packing during your move, do you find yourself coming across articles of clothing that you haven’t worn in years but for some reason (probably a reflection of how much money you spend on it or the unrealistic “maybe I’ll need it for a [insert highly specific and rare instance]”) you just keep lugging it around. There isn’t an easy way to donate clothes and typically schlepping your things to a GoodWill during its 10-5pm business hours is impossible. Thredup is a fantastic service that sends you a prepaid bag for your clothing, you ship it to them, what they can resell they will and throw you a profit, what they can’t they’ll donate or repurpose. You aren’t going to make a fortune on this resale option but they make it so simple and hands off that it’s a no brainer way to give back without having to put in any effort. Higher end items? The RealReal is my favorite and they do pickups and also have easy drop off locations in the city.
14. Tip from a real estate professional – if you’re renting, when you go to your new space, if you see any aesthetic issues – for example, a crack in the counter top – take a photo of it and email it to yourself and to management just so they are aware this wasn’t your fault and to have it time stamped. This is just a measure to protect your security deposit protected!
Moving here for the first time? I’ve spent 12 years finding people I love – dentist, dermatologist, laser hair removal, cobbler, seamstress, general health doctor, women’s health doctor, etc. Having been premed, I now use my Bachelor’s of Science solely to diagnose myself with life-ending illnesses, so have in-turn accrued a rolodex of gifted professionals in every area of medicine who have successfully talked me off countless ledges. If you need a professional or service in any capacity, email me and I most likely have a tried-and-true name.