Looking for and moving into your first apartment in Oklahoma City is an exhilarating, sometimes crazy, and almost always chaotic adventure. Planning is one of the best things you can to do keep everything from becoming mind-boggling. If you are moving into your first apartment, here is a list of five things you should be aware of before you get settled in.
1) Ask questions before signing the lease.
A lease is a legal, binding record between parties. Oftentimes, the language can get confusing and the terms might not be understandable. Or, maybe, you notice something in the contract that bothers you after you scrutinize it. Perhaps you see something in the initial walk-through that you would like to know more about. Whatever your question is, do not hesitate 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 later because you were confused about something in the beginning and never asked for an explanation.
Landlordology has a good list of questions to ask your landlord ahead of signing 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, ahead of moving your stuff in.
On moving day in Oklahoma City, before you get occupied with the nuttiness of moving in everything you own, see if you can get the landlord to do a walk-through of the apartment to inspect for damages or any other pre-existing issues that might have gone unnoticed when they were preparing it for you. This is a sound idea for multiple reasons. The first is so that you both can understand what is going on without the jumble of furniture and boxes. The second reason is that once you move your possessions in, your landlord can say that they have no way to know for sure the matter was there before you arrived. If the damage can be blamed on you instead of the previous occupant, the cost of repairs will most likely 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 being an adult is being independent, but part of it is also recognizing when you cannot do something by yourself and need to ask for assistance. In regards 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 inspection before you move in, make arrangements to have them do it for you. Be sure they are aware of what information to gather beforehand.
4) CLEAN before unpacking.
Usually, renters are supposed to make sure an apartment is tidy and in acceptable condition before they move out, and most landlords will give the apartment a more thorough cleaning between renters. However, sometimes, an apartment sits empty for weeks or months or things get missed. Then, there is the mayhem that happens when you move in. Cleaning up before you unpack will help you give attention to what might have been overlooked. It will also familiarize you with the space you have and give you a better feeling for how you can arrange things than you might have gotten during the walk-through.
5) Be considerate of your neighbors while moving items in.
When you are in the middle of moving in, it is easier to look for time-saving ways to get your stuff 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 a person. It is their community you are joining when you move in, after all. You will have an easier time assimilating with the community in Oklahoma City if you are considerate of them from the start.
If you are ready to find your first apartment in Oklahoma City, A-1 Freeman can help you every step of the way. We can handle every move, no matter how big or small. Click below to get started with your Free Estimate.
