Whether you’ve just purchased your first or tenth NYC apartment or you’ve scored a wished-for rental, the next big hurdle will be moving in. Preparing to move into a new home can take a lot out of you. Done incorrectly and inefficiently, moving can zap the joy right out of getting a new place. Done correctly, moving can be completely manageable. Check out the following tips for how to move into your new home like a champ.

Image Source: Flickr

1. Make Sure Your Utilities Are Turned On By Moving Day

Schedule your utilities so that they switch on the day you move in at the latest (and preferably a couple of days before). That way, you can hit the ground running when you’re moving in. Make the call to have your service set up two weeks ahead of your move-in date. Sometimes turning on a utility is as simple as flipping a switch, while in other cases, the utility may have to come to your apartment to do the installation. Find out what’s required. Few things are more annoying than sitting surrounded by boxes in your new home and finding out that one or more utilities isn’t turned on.

2. Consider Letting Movers Do All the Hard Work

The million-dollar question with moves always boils down to whether you hire movers or whether you hire a U-Haul and ply your friends with pizza and beer. When it comes to hiring movers, you can have them move your stuff from Point A to Point B, or you can have them come to your home, pack everything up, load it into the truck, drive it to the new place, unload the truck and set everything up. Between these two extremes are several other levels of service. Think carefully: Does the idea of someone else doing all the heavy lifting make you instantly feel more relaxed and happy? If the answer is “yes,” then do it. Getting recommendations is key. There are moving companies that are less than honest out there; word-of-mouth praise means everything in the moving business.

3. Take a Photo of Your Electronic Wiring Hookup

If you’ve got a lot of electrical equipment, make sure that you take a picture of what the setup looks like so that you can recreate it easily once you’re in your new place.

4. Have a Plan for the Stuff You’re Not Taking

If you’ll be getting a new sofa or other items for your new place, you need to get rid of the old stuff. If you’re going to sell your items, list them on sites like aptdeco.com or online classifieds sites two to three weeks before you move. It may take a bit of time to get a response, and then it may take a bit of time for the new owners to come and pick things up. If you can’t sell it or give it away, make sure you’re able to leave it curbside for garbage pickup.

5. Color-Code Your Boxes

Use colored duct tape to label and color-code your boxes. For instance, pink could be for the kitchen. The “small appliances” label would be pink. Your living room label would be green. So “table lamp” would have a green label. It sounds silly, but it actually helps make packing and unpacking easier.

Main Image Source: Flickr/Cory Doctorow

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