Few of us look forward to the stress of having to make a move, whether it’s close to home or somewhere far away. While it can be an exciting and hopeful time, the process leading up to your new beginning can be a nightmare if not planned properly. Luckily, there is a wealth of resources available to you which can make the move much easier. All it takes is a little prep work on your part to ensure your move goes off without a hitch!
Choosing the Right Ride
First, determine whether or not you’ll be taking your vehicle with you if it’s a longer move. If you’re going to rent a trailer and/or moving truck, do your research beforehand. Find out how much it will cost to rent the size you need, and determine, before ordering, the size truck required to move what you need most. You will also need to take into account how many days and how many miles the rate of the moving truck will cover. If you’re also moving your vehicle, price a tow dolly as well. Depending on what kind of vehicle you have and how much you will need to move, it may be cheaper to drive your vehicle and tow a trailer with your possessions instead. When weighing your options, take into account what your gas consumption will be when driving your vehicle with a trailer in tow versus driving a moving truck. It’s also important to take into account the reliability of your vehicle. If you will be moving cross-country and don’t have the most trustworthy vehicle, pulling a trailer may be out of the equation. In this case, it would be better to drive a moving truck with your vehicle in tow. Also, if you have a smaller vehicle, towing a moving trailer will probably not be feasible.
Well Hello Dolly
If you have larger items to move, consider renting a moving dolly or hand truck. Even if you have friends who can help, these devices are quite useful when having to move up stairs or forced to haul heavy items that cannot slide on the ground. While a hand truck can be used by someone strong enough to handle the load of the object, it’s much better to have someone else with you to help stabilize the object you’re trying to move.
Bringing in the Pros
You may also want to investigate how much it would cost to hire a full-service moving company. This may come in handy if either your stature or health problems will not allow you to move by yourself. While friends can come in handy when moving around town, it can be much trickier getting friends to help you move far away from home. There are also “self move” services that will drop off a container that you can load, which they will then pick up and transport to you. While these options are generally pricier, you may find the extra expense worth it if it saves you time, strain, and hassle. Professional movers are usually well-versed in the techniques involved in moving your belongings safely and quickly. Not only will this keep your back and muscles from having to endure the pain of moving, but your furniture and other belongings will probably arrive in better shape!
Take a few precautions, do a little research, and you’ll find that the move can be much less painful than you might have imagined!
Apartment living affords a special closeness with neighbors and fellow residents in your building. While this is great for fostering a sense of community and closeness, it’s also important to be responsible and respectful toward your neighbors when having a get-together.
As long as you’re conscientious while having friends over, any conflicts or issues with neighbors can be easily avoided and handled! After all, your apartment is your home, and you shouldn’t have to spend much time worrying about neighbors while you are entertaining. Remember, they probably like to have guests over from time to time, too!
It takes minimal effort to be considerate while throwing a party, and it’s a great way to maintain a respectful relationship with those who live around you.
First of all, if you’re going to have an especially large group of people over, it’s always a nice gesture to let your neighbors know you’ll be having guests. Even if you don’t expect to be noisy or for your company to be over late, it’s a considerate way of letting your neighbor know that you have them in mind and to make sure it won’t cause any conflict.
Once your guests have arrived, keep your party inside your apartment. You’ve probably been to a party or two that has gotten so crowded that guests started spilling out into the hallway or on to balconies. When this happens, it can bother neighbors who need to come and go. No one wants to deal with an obstacle course of strangers when trying to get to their apartment door, especially if they have groceries or other items in tow.
Beyond simply being an obstacle, it can also be a nuisance for the neighbor if they have to put up with the extra noise your guests might create for them. Remember, your apartment is exclusively your space, but hallways and shared balconies are part of the common area that you share with your neighbors. So, if you’re having many guests over and the gathering starts to spill out into shared areas, try to entice your guests to move back inside.
Be aware of what the noise level of your get-together is, and always keep your neighbors in mind while playing music. Take into account how thin or how well insulated your walls, ceilings, and floors are, and factor that into how loud you play any music. Even if your party is a little noisy, your neighbors are more likely to put up with it if it’s not a common occurrence or if it’s not keeping them up late into the night before a work day.
If a neighbor knocks and asks you to keep the noise down, keep in mind that they’re not looking for a confrontation, but a resolution. Understand their point of view and take their circumstances into consideration. There’s no reason a reasonable request can’t be dealt with courteously while still allowing your gathering to continue.
Another nice gesture is to consider inviting your neighbors to your get-together. If you’re having a strictly family gathering, obviously this isn’t a sensible option. But if you’re throwing a general party, consider inviting some neighbors, especially if you could use more guests. Perhaps they’ll stop by briefly, stay the entire evening, or not come at all. But your neighbors will most likely appreciate the gesture, and even if they don’t come, they’ll be less likely to feel contempt or resentment toward your party and be more understanding of your situation.
In the end, it’s all about having fun and taking very simple measures to make sure that you can maximize that fun while still being conscientious toward your neighbors.
Even if you take all the steps necessary to ensure a problem-free party, try not to make it a common event. Pushing the limits of your neighbors’ patience with too many parties can bring about unwanted strain on your friendly relationship and can even result in them complaining or taking action with management. All things in moderation!
For many living in apartment homes, especially first-time renters, living with a roommate is an inevitability. While the situation can be fun at times, getting together to pay bills can be tricky.
While you may save quite a bit of money by living with a roommate and splitting costs, doing so in a timely and organized manner is key. All it takes is one roommate being a little off-schedule to de-rail the entire process. With multiple roommates, it can be even more difficult making sure that each person contributes their proper portion of the expenses in a timely manner.
It’s important to make sure everyone is on the same page and understands the schedules and deadlines of bill payments. With roommates potentially getting wrapped up in their own day-to-day responsibilities, if your bill payment schedule is too flexible, they may forget due dates at the end of the month!
Organization
First of all, create a system that sorts paid and unpaid bills. Make this system available and understandable to everyone you live with to ensure that it’s clear what is paid and what needs to be paid. Simple organization from the very beginning can go a long way in making sure that everyone is on the same page. You might find it useful to post a chart on a communal area such as the refrigerator that explains which bills are due on what dates. Having a visual reminder that is available on a consistent basis will keep roommates accountable and allow no excuses as to not knowing what needs to be paid.
Make sure you know which bills are in whose name. This information should be known and available to everyone in the apartment so they know who to write their portions of the bills to. Any confusion as to where checks should be directed can result in missed or late payments, and those will reflect on the account of the person whose name is on the bill. If at all possible, set up accounts with more than one person on the account. If you live in an apartment with multiple roommates, designate two responsible roommates whose names will appear on the account. This keeps more people culpable, and tends to keep up awareness of unpaid bills.
Execution
Before paying your bills, check your account to make sure you have sufficient funds to cover them before cutting a check. It only takes one person bouncing a check to throw a wrench in the payment system. An overdraft can cause other roommates to have to pay more to ensure that bills are paid on time, and this can lead to tension in the home. Make sure that all charges on the bill are correct before making payment. You may find it useful to cross-reference paid bills with unpaid bills to ensure there isn’t a mistake made by the company. This exercise also allows everyone involved to stay informed as to what’s going on with bills, and why the charges are what they are. It’s also very important to make sure communication is open. If there is a change in payment amount, make sure your roommates know what it is and why. They may be in the habit of writing checks for recurring payments, and end up writing a check for an incorrect amount. You don’t want to have people re-writing checks or not trusting the reasons why amounts have changed. Communication is key in making sure that the process goes smoothly.
Sometimes the inevitable call of a new job, family situation, or new love, will present the opportunity to move cross-country. While moving from place to place within the same region can be daunting, making a move to an entirely different state or region of the country can be far more taxing, if you are not prepared. There is a great amount of planning and care that must be involved in a cross-country move in order to ensure you do it right.
Pre-Move Prep
Before you decide to move, make sure you do the legwork involved in finding employment near your new home. Should you choose to move before setting up a job, you may find yourself stranded in a new place with low finances and few options. Instead of having to make a mad scramble for the classified section once you arrive, planning ahead will take a great deal of weight off your shoulders
It’s also important to have your living situation sorted out before you move. While this may seem like a no-brainer, some folks opt to stay with relatives or friends in their new town while they take care of finding a new place to live. If you choose to stay with others, you may run the risk of over-staying your welcome or becoming a burden. If it is at all possible, find your new home and make arrangements to move in before you leave your current residence.
What’s Worth Moving
After you’ve squared your living and employment situations away, it’s time to take an inventory of your possessions. While this is never a pleasant choice to have to make, it’s vital in saving you time and money during the move. The fewer items you have to move, the less time and space you’ll have to take up when the packing process begins. This can save you a significant amount of money when moving time comes. The smaller the moving vehicle, the lower the price!
Whatever is non-essential or can be re-purchased cheaply should be sold, donated, or discarded. If you don’t feel like having a yard sale, sell them online. Beyond the convenience, online selling generally assures you will get a much higher return on your item than you would through a yard sale or garage sale. Old furniture, books, DVDs, appliances, and other things which may weigh down your move are usually sought after by others. If you don’t want to take the time to sell these items online, donation is a helpful option.
Toting Your Stuff
If you’re going to rent a trailer and/or moving truck, do your research beforehand. Find out how much it will cost to rent the size you need, and determine, before ordering, the size truck required to move what you need most. Consider vehicle towing, mileage and gas consumption in order to determine the best method of transporting all of your essentials.
Don’t be afraid to be creative when making a big cross-country move. Perhaps a relative or a friend would be willing to drive your vehicle and belongings across the country for you, simply for the experience. If this is the case, you can offer to pay for their gas, food, and lodging for their trouble. Depending on the move, this may be more cost effective than using a moving service or vehicle shipping service. Or, if you don’t have many possessions in the first place, it might make sense to let go of all your large items and move by airplane, train, or bus.
There are a myriad of options and services at your disposal! Decide what suits your needs, do a little homework before the move, and enjoy your new home … wherever it may be!
Most of us who have moved around a bit know what it feels like to move into a new apartment. Transferring your items, decorating your new space … it can all be quite exciting! But, what about a brand new apartment? How about an apartment that has never been lived in before? What an interesting prospect to be the very first resident in your very own space! With new apartment communities going up quicker than ever before, it’s something you can try first hand!
When moving into an established apartment community, even the best maintained apartment homes can show signs of wear, tear, and general use. Sometimes the decor or hardware in an older apartment can appear dated or faded. With a brand new apartment, all of the amenities and details are modern and up to date! Not only is it fun knowing that you are the first occupant of your new home, but you get to enjoy the new look and feel of a modern apartment community! While some newer apartment communities can be a tad more pricey, it’s worth it for many to be surrounded by amenities and a new home that is sleek, untouched, and contemporary. Beyond the look and feel of your new apartment, many of the modern appliances will save you energy and money every month!
There can also be a pioneer spirit that comes with moving into a brand new apartment home. This can bring about a sense of community and camaraderie with your new neighbors, since you are all sharing in the experience of being the first to live in your new home. With many new apartments, the features of the community will be interesting and different from most of the older apartments you may have lived. Some new communities, such as Brewster Commons on the New Orleans Northshore, offer fun amenities like a tanning deck and yoga room!
While there’s nothing wrong with moving into a previously lived in space, it’s nice to be able to call a brand new space your own. Consider it if you’re looking for a change of pace or want to be part of breaking new ground. Like upgrading from a used to new car, you’re sure to find the modernistic atmosphere of a brand new apartment to be a luxurious step up!
NFL Season is Around the Bend
With the NFL lockout ending and football season gearing up to begin, Saints fans in the Gulf South are pumped up about the prospects for the 2011 season! With the addition of a solid defensive end in Cameron Jordan, a versatile and tough running back in Mark Ingram, and a potential steal at linebacker in Martez Wilson, this draft seems to have been just what the Saints needed! So, beyond sporting your Brees jerseys (or whatever player is your favorite), how do you get ready to enjoy the big game at home?
First of all, there’s the all-important game day décor! You want to show your team pride, but you don’t want to over-do it with the decorations. Why not throw up banners, posters, newspaper headlines, or rugs in your living room? If you have any team memorabilia or souvenirs, display them prominently to get in the spirit! If possible, changing the color scheme of the room to match the team colors is always an interesting touch as well. Team colors can also be used for dinner plates, napkins, and cups when you’re eating game day grub!
Speaking of game day food, it might be even more important than the décor of your room. This is where you can really let your colors shine, because any football watch party isn’t complete without plenty of food! There are the classic chips, dip, buffalo wings, hot dogs, burgers, popcorn, and soda. However, if you really want to take it to the next level, try grilling or cooking something a little special in the oven. Steaks, burgers, or sausage will always keep your fellow football fan guests happy. Make it an indoor tailgate!
Finally, get your friends and family pumped up for the big game with some music! There’s the always popular “Stand Up and Get Crunk” if you’re a Saints fan or “When the Saints Go Marching In.” With a quick search, you can come up with quite a play list to get people ready for the game!
However you choose to enjoy the game, enjoy the upcoming NFL season and GO SAINTS!
1st Lake Properties | P. O. Box 73709 | Metairie, LA 70033 | info@1stlake.com
