.png)
Hello queens. I would like some advice on moving into a new apartment for the first time on my own. I have a few places in mind which are luxury apartments and they're nice, safe gated communities. I think safety is important when living on my own. Please give me some tips on both the moving process and after moving.
Lately I've been feeling like I really want my own space. And I get annoyed by little things that I shouldn't get annoyed by. I feel it's because I'm leaving my mid 20s soon and will be getting closer to late 20s. I just really really want my own space, especially my own bathroom.
I've always had roommates or stayed with family. For the most part, I've chosen family and roommates who I like. Splitting the rent and living costs with family and roommates has enabled me to travel quite a bit. The one down side is that moving into a place on my own will mean that I pay MORE than twice the rent I'm paying now. It could possibly be 150% increase in rent. I live in a very expensive city and the rents are not going down in my area. This is still in my budget, and I can afford it. But I wonder what your thoughts are?
I have my bedroom furniture and work stations but I'd have to start anew in terms of the living room, dining furniture, TV, kitchenware basically everything else besides the bedroom and workstations. I did buy the TV and some kitchware in the past. However, I earn 3x more than my family. So I'm fine with leaving everything else with them.
I would really appreciate some moving tips and things to know for renting on your own for the first time. I've already signed to terminate my lease in June.
I first moved into my own place at 26. its hard when you first start because every single noise you hear, you think someone is breaking in. 😂
When you live with others, there’s always noise. When you’re by yourself it’s so quiet!
I think it’s good to find a safe neighbourhood/building. I’d suggest since you’re going to be on your own , find a place at the low end of your budget. You never know what could come up and you won’t have anyone to help you financially. This also helps you save money and also have more disposable income.
You’ll realize real quick that you might not have as much as you thought. Since you’re used to splitting costs.
As for furniture and things you need to buy, you can find a lot of nice things at second hand stores. It takes lots of looking. Also dollar stores and Walmart have cheap stuff that’s nice.
overall, living alone was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. You think you’ll feel lonely, but it’s very much the opposite and you get to know yourself and you can do whatever you like in your space. If you can, I’d recommend getting a pet! They really help make your home feel more lively and I like coming home to my cats ❤️
Good luck! You’ll love living alone !
Ask your landlord to replace all ingress/egress door locks. Be insistent if they resist. You have no idea how many people before you made copies of that key and handed them out. All ingress/egress doors should be steel and fit snugly enough into the frame that a credit card cannot be used to depress the strike mechanism (a trick I use A LOT on abandoned or unoccupied homes I inspect). Replace the screws on the strike plates of your deadbolt with at least 3" long structural screws. Here's a video showing you how and why to do it. I would also go as far as to replace at least 1 screw in each hinge on the opposite side, even though those are generally better ones because they must hold the weight of the door. Get you a small cordless drill set to do this. I've had one of these for 15 years, it lives under my kitchen sink, and it's perfect for small home projects like furniture and hanging curtains.
Check all your windows. You want to make sure they open and shut easily, and the locks are in good working order. If any are at ground or near to ground-level go outside and try to open them even with the locks engaged. When you put in curtains, get floor to ceiling length heavy velvet or blackout curtains for dark (I use these and they work nicely, plus are great for midday naps) and heavy sheers for the daylight. The floor to ceiling length blocks out light leakage from both the inside and outside. Stay away from anything with a large open space like lace or net for your sheers, too easy to peek through them. Look for anything suspicious outside like a webcam set up in a window across the alley from yours, or a 'security camera' that can be positioned to look directly in your window. I had this issue in the last rental I lived in.
Check all vents, light fixtures, toilets, pre-installed electronics (such as thermostats, security alarms, smoke alarms, etc.) for cameras. Mirrors can be two-way mirror as well. Here's a video.
When getting ready to move, make sure you cut all ties. Forward your mail and make sure you change your address asap once you've locked down the new place. Check the mail situation. Is it individual lockboxes or a mailbox that anyone can look through? It's a federal offense to go through someone's mail but I've watched people do it. Might be worth it to rent a P.O. Box. Make a point to drive through any possible new rental neighborhood at several times of the day. Especially during rush hours where you want to drive your route to-and from work just as if you'd live there and see what issues you'll run into. Hang out in the neighborhood for a bit on friday and sunday nights to see if your neighbors are party animals.
When you're packing up to move, be ruthless about what you want to actually take with you. You're starting over in a new space. Unless you're starting from scratch you shouldn't need as much as you think. If you plan on upgrading anything get rid of the old before you move and have the new delivered to the new place so it's less effort. Remember also that decorating is a process, don't go broke trying to have it perfect soon after you've moved in. FB marketplace and craigslist are great places to find what you might need.
Any other more specific questions feel free to ask me. I've been in construction (both residential and commercial), property management (personal and worked for companies) for many years. My most recent day job before moving back to the family business was in security hardware and monitoring systems. Part of my inspection process was to break into a site usually with the owners or managers in tow to show them just how quickly a pro can do it.
Like you, sharing in my 20s meant I could travel. However, it got to a point where the chaos of sharing started costing me too much and I decided to live on my own more and more. You can always make more money. You'll need help with moving. If you have friends/family who are reliable and willing, go that route, otherwise hire packers, and of course, movers. Consider whether you want the new place professionally cleaned before you move in. There are moving checklists you can find online to help you make sure you've got everything covered. Moving in on your own means ALL the responsibility falls on you (other than the property of course, if you're renting rather than buying), so just be organised around the move out and in process, your future self will thank you. Pre-move is a great opportunity to declutter and get rid of anything that doesn't need to come along into this new chapter of life. Also, if you're into that kind of thing, you could consider some basic Feng shui for good air-flow and energy flow in the new place. Finances wise, I'm not sure what your situation is, but obviously you want to still be able to keep putting aside cash for savings, nest egg/emergency fund (+investing if you can). So hopefully with the extra rent you're not totally maxed out, and can do this. Is there anything specific you're wondering about? Your post is kind of general... so not sure what exactly to speak to... Otherwise consider changing locks for new place...
https://www-rent-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.rent.com/blog/tips-for-living-alone-as-a-female/?amp=&_gsa=1&_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQIUAKwASCAAgM%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16842576958642&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rent.com%2Fblog%2Ftips-for-living-alone-as-a-female%2F
https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/lessons-from-women-living-alone-first-time-37049351
https://reolink.com/blog/safety-tips-for-single-women-living-alone/
Congratulations on making moves to provide yourself with additional peace and safety. Roommates become increasingly challenging as one ages. I have one suggestion that perhaps you’ll consider if you decide you’d rather keep more of your budget for travel, savings, etc. And especially if the cost of living alone is more than 30% of your salary. Many luxury apartments offer 2 bed / 2 bath units. Could you find a compatible female roommate, so you can enjoy the additional comfort and personal space for your own private bathroom in a luxury building, while not being hit so hard by the increased cost of rent that comes with living alone in a premium apartment?
I moved into my very own apartment when I was broke. I had it with roommates. My safety and health significantly improved when I had a place to call home that was my Sanctuary, and my Sanctuary alone. Money was tight, but luckily I've always been good with personal finance and I was able to stretch every dollar to reasonably afford living solo.
My advice is to always listen to your gut and your intuition, not necessarily what you hear online. People out there making blogs, tik toks, or whatever about safety tips might unintentionally scare you into thinking that living alone is dangerous for women. I have been living solo for about 9 years and I feel safe, AND I live in a city that the media loves to describe as a murder capital. Again... don't listen to others: listen to your gut, intuition, surroundings, and inner voice!
If you're using a moving service try to find a reputable one. When I moved into my own place I just used one I found on a local buy and sell website. They ripped me off (charged me for an extra hour) and then when I called to tell the company nothing happened. I also want to add that neighborhoods change. I still feel safe where I am, but as the area becomes gentrified there is also a homeless problem which has lead to car break-ins and other crime.