Every now and then we bring you some pearls of first apartment wisdom found on the web. Today’s crop includes latest advice from the “Getting Started” column in the New York Times and the news about IKEA’s new design/photo sharing blog. (While the NYTimes advice is very New York-specific, a lot of it applies to anyone looking for an apartment in a large city.)
The “Getting Started” column about open house visits has some good ideas, but seems to be mostly geared to people who are looking to buy co-ops or condos, not your typical first apartment hunters. However, there are some tidbits that are helpful for all, for example, how your should not only check the apartment, but also pay attention to the common areas and the neighborhood. And if you are one of the lucky ones looking to buy, it’s another source of advice to make you feel more confident in your hunt. For the rest of us, here’s MFA’s take on checking out a rental.
Next, “Getting Started” tackles the topic of moving in NYC. Again, a little up-market for most of our readers who often end up U-Hauling or hiring ”two guys with a van” but useful for someone new to NYC and it’s myriad parking rules and many buildings’ moving restrictions. It also covers protecting against the latest moving nightmare, bedbugs.
We have blogged about the nitty-gritty of moving several times, from packing to managing the actual move.
The latest “Getting Started” gives some excellent advice on how to check out the public transportation options in those neighborhoods where you are looking for an apartment. They even cover how to find out if the local subway stop is scheduled for closing and how bad are the weekend repair schedules. Again, very NYC-centric, but applicable to any city where you’ll be relying on public transportation.
Finally, our reader’s favorite go-to place for everything “first apartment”, IKEA, has launched a design blog with photo sharing. Here’s how they describe their mission, “Our design blog, as well as the “Share Space” microsite, has been created as a space for our fans to trade ideas, discuss design and talk about the challenges of Life at Home. We hope to encourage you to share tips, ideas and inspiration, and to “steal with pride.” And maybe brag just a little bit about your own remarkable style?” We’ll be keeping an eye on this blog.
Relocating to other places is exciting at the same time challenging. The first time I moved to another state was when I was in college. At first, I did not know if I would be meeting great friends or if the culture would be different from the place I grew in. It takes time to be familiar with a new place. Thank you for sharing this post. I learned a lot.
Wow, lots of good information! Anytime you are looking to move into a new space you want to plan ahead for your budget and your lifestyle. You definitely don’t want to get into a place that ends up taking all your hard earned cash. There are lots of great deals out there so take your time to look around. Also you don’t want a little shoebox apartment if you enjoy entertaining or a three bedroom suite if all you do there is sleep. Compare your options and never settle.