Five Things You Should Do Prior to Moving into Your First Apartment in Wichita Falls

Five Things You Should Do Prior to Moving into Your First Apartment in Wichita Falls

Looking for and moving into your first apartment in Wichita Falls is an exhilarating, sometimes crazy, and generally frenzied experience. Preparing is the best you can to do keep things from becoming mind-boggling. If you are moving into your first apartment, here are five things you should think about before you move the first box.

1) Don’t be Afraid to Ask Questions before signing any paperwork.

A lease is a legal, binding document between parties. At times, the language can get confusing and the terms might not be understandable. Or, perhaps, you notice verbiage in the contract that concerns you after you review it. Perchance you see something in the initial walk-through that you want to know more about. Whatever your question is, do not wait 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 problems in the future because you were puzzled about something in the beginning and never asked for an explanation.

Landlordology has a great list of questions to ask your landlord prior to 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 belongings in.

On moving day in Wichita Falls, before you get caught up in the craziness of moving in all of your possessions, see if you can get the landlord to do a once-over of the apartment to inspect for damages or any other pre-existing issues that might have been overlooked when they were preparing it for you. This is a good idea for multiple reasons. The first is so that you both can see what is going on without the clutter of furniture and boxes. The second reason is that once you move your belongings in, your landlord can say that they have no way to know for sure the problem was there prior to your arrival. If the damage can be blamed on you instead of the previous tenant, the cost of repairs will likely come out of your deposit when you get ready to move away. Depending on what that cost is and the terms of your lease, you might not get any money returned.

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 support. When it comes to moving, you will always need help - with lugging boxes and putting together 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 understand what information you need beforehand.

4) CLEAN before unpacking.

Generally, renters are supposed to make sure an apartment is cleaned up and in acceptable condition before they move out, and most landlords will give the apartment a more thorough cleaning in between renters. However, at times, an apartment sits vacant for weeks or months or things get overlooked. Also, there is the mess 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 area you have and give you a better sense of how you can arrange things than you might have gotten during the walk-through.

5) Be considerate of others 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 possessions 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 are accustomed to and give them the wrong initial impression of you as their neighbor. It is their community you are joining when you move in, after all. You will have an easier time assimilating with the community in Wichita Falls if you are mindful of them from the onset.