{"id":60889,"date":"2022-03-02T16:23:01","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T16:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mymove.com\/?p=60889"},"modified":"2022-11-09T20:37:30","modified_gmt":"2022-11-09T20:37:30","slug":"how-i-survived-my-diy-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mymove.com\/moving\/how-i-survived-my-diy-move\/","title":{"rendered":"How I Survived My DIY Move"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It may not feel like it while we\u2019re in the middle of it, but most moves follow a common template: the work move, the first house move, the moving in with a partner move. And then there are the moves that seem to happen almost by chance \u2014 the right place just comes along at the right time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been living in Seattle for four years. When I came here, I drove across the country with my car filled to the brim with clothes, books, and a dog in the backseat. It was the classic sell-all-your-possessions-and-start-over move, and my studio apartment was an ideal place to do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a couple of years, I started getting the itch to upgrade to a one-bedroom. But I got stuck in that familiar cycle for renters: You have to give 30 days\u2019 notice before you leave, but a lot of apartments don\u2019t get listed until about a month before they\u2019re ready for move-in. That leaves you with just a week or two to find a place before you give up and sign on for another year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And like a lot of other growing cities with inadequate housing stock, every apartment I looked at had stiff competition. Years passed, my 20s turned into my 30s, and my dog and I were still in the same apartment we\u2019d been in for years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding the apartment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This year was different. Instead of signing another year-long lease, I was able to go month-to-month, something that dramatically changed the search process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of frantically searching for apartments the month before my lease ended, I could conduct my search without the pressure of a deadline. I still looked every day, but I felt more comfortable holding out for an apartment I really loved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a few months making the rounds on Craigslist, Zillow, and Apartments.com, I found it. It was right on the water, almost double the size of my current place, and had floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d been looking at apartments in Seattle long enough to know that this place was a gem. I scheduled a tour with the owner, applied on the spot, and signed the lease the next day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I did right<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once I’d locked in the apartment, I started making lists, doing some research, and (slowly) boxing up my belongings. Whether I can take credit for these things or not, here’s what went right in the month leading up to my move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gave myself some cushion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The timeline wasn\u2019t perfect. I looked at the apartment towards the end of January, and my new landlord wanted someone to move in by February. But I still had to give my old place 30 days\u2019 notice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We met in the middle and settled on a mid-February move-in. I would pay a half month\u2019s rent at the new apartment and the full month at the old place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wasn\u2019t crazy about spending so much money on rent that month (on top of the security deposit and all the other moving expenses). But it turned out to be a blessing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving is exhausting under the best circumstances. But with those two weeks of overlap, I was able to break it into more manageable pieces. (I was fortunate to only be moving about two miles away). I did all the big stuff and necessities on the first day, then made daily trips back and forth until the old apartment was empty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kept in touch with my landlord<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A few weeks before my move-in date, I got quotes from about a dozen movers. (That\u2019s far more than MYMOVE\u2019s official recommendation<\/a>, but there\u2019s no such thing as doing too much when it comes to moving.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once I\u2019d committed to a mover, I emailed my landlord with some questions about moving day. What time can I come over to get the keys? Is there a good place for the movers to park? What utilities do I need to get transferred?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That turned out to be a lifesaver. After hearing that I was hiring movers, my landlord reminded me that the only road to my apartment went under a low-clearance bridge, and most moving trucks wouldn\u2019t be able to get under it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I immediately emailed the dozen movers I\u2019d previously gotten quotes from. Do they have anything that could fit under this bridge? No one did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uh oh. Time to pivot (cue Friends<\/em> gif). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did the move myself (sort of)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Now that professional movers were out of the question, I started looking into my options for doing it myself<\/a>. I could rent a Uhaul truck that would fit under the bridge for about $50, but I\u2019d have to cajole my friends into helping me. But I\u2019d planned on a Monday moving day, and I\u2019d already taken the day off work \u2014 something that would make recruiting friends more difficult. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I looked at sites like TaskRabbit and Thumbtack to see if anyone could give me a hand with the big stuff. Within a few minutes, I found someone who was available that day, and had a moving van with all the gear we\u2019d need. I had to help move everything, but it ended up only costing around $200 \u2014 about half of what I would have paid for professional movers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cat
Don\u2019t forget to pack your pet.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What I wish I could do over <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even moving experts make some rookie moving mistakes. While my move went smoothly overall, these are the things I wish I could take a mulligan on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have a better game plan for day one<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Because I was just moving down the road and had a two-week overlap with both apartments, I convinced myself that I could skimp on the planning. Just get the big stuff over with the mover on the first day and bring everything else over gradually, I told myself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, the mover left around noon and I still had a good amount of time and energy left, so I got to work on the remaining boxes at my old apartment. These were mostly filled with books, and after moving a couple carloads into the new place, I was thoroughly tuckered out. (Did I mention my old apartment was a fourth-floor walkup?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was about 5 p.m. by this point, and the last thing I wanted to do was go get another load of boxes. But while I\u2019d successfully moved over every book I owned, I still didn\u2019t have a fresh change of clothes or my toothbrush. Back in the car, back up those stairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Books
Plenty of books and plants but no clothes or toilet paper in sight.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The moral of the story? Prioritize. All my books did was get in the way, while the things I actually needed \u2014 food, clothes, and toiletries \u2014 had to be retrieved after I\u2019d long passed my quitting point.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not enough prep work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Like the books debacle, the relative ease of my move let me convince myself that I didn\u2019t need to spend that much time preparing. I only packed up the stuff that was in the furniture that needed to be moved \u2014 books and clothes, essentially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rest, I figured, could be done piecemeal. While that was basically true, it didn\u2019t do me any favors. Instead of getting settled into my new place in the two weeks post-move, I was busy packing up dishes, donating clothes<\/a>, and selling furniture that didn\u2019t fit in my new apartment \u2014 all things that should have been taken care of before moving day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There were obviously some things I would do differently if I moved again, but overall, I\u2019m happy with the way things turned out. Amid all the stress and logistics and to-do lists, it\u2019s easy to forget that moving is usually a good thing. Whether you\u2019re starting a new job, buying your first house, or finding a better apartment, moving is a chance to start a new chapter in your life. (But I\u2019d rather not think about books for a while.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It may not feel like it while we\u2019re in the middle of it, but most moves follow a common template: the work move, the first house move, the moving in with a partner move. And then there are the moves that seem to happen almost by chance \u2014 the right place just comes along at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":{"name":"MYMOVE","image":"https:\/\/www.mymove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/e5db2460-52e6-11e8-872d-654d71b263a3-MYMOVE-Logo-Small.jpg","description":"MYMOVE is here to help make moving easier. 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