Hey There my Friends,
So your moving out for the first time? Or maybe its not the first time but wanted to learn some tips or tricks. Well you have come to the right place!... (hopefully :D) I have had a think about it & compiled a list of some of the things I have learned from over the years.
For some of you out there it will be your first time leaving the family nest... off to college or maybe you just feel ready or have taken a job far away from your home house. Its all very exciting but can also be over whelming!! I remember!! As long ago as that was.
I first moved out of my family home for college 7 years ago (God thats crazy to even write!! 7 Years ago!!) Since then I have have lived in many places ... *Just a moment*..... 6 places and I am currently in the process of moving again. To be honest at this stage I do wish I could just pay someone to do it all for me and I could just walk into my new place all sorted and ready to rock & roll... but thats not going to happen #sadface. On the upside I did learn from every place I stayed in so I feel confident in sharing my moving experiances with you!!
Here are my Tips!!
1. Start Looking as soon as you decide to move
The renting and property market is a fickle thing and depending on the area houses can go up and be snapped up in 24 hours (and they are also usually the ones with the best location, in the best condition and going for the best price) Before you start, make a list of what you are Ideally looking for ... How many bedrooms, Price range, Location, Rent the house / apartment or house share, double or single bed, Parking and all that good stuff. After a while you will begin to realize you are going to have to negotiate and compromise with somethings. For example - The closer you are to your college or the city the higher the prices go. However if you know what you want then its easier to find the house that fits most of the requirements and it will also make you more focused. You never know you could get lucky and find you ideal place. If you are a student the colleges will generally have a list of landlords that will rent to students or have a student only accommodation on or near the college campus. Get in contact with your college and im sure that they will be happy to help!! If you are not going down that route or are not a student then make sure to check rental property websites as often as possible new properties are put up all the time!! The Ones I go to (Ireland Only) Are Daft.ie and Rent.ie
2. Organise your finances
Initial Cost
Usually Landlords will want a deposit (the cost of a months rent) and first months rent. This so that if you decide to jump ship on them then the landlord will have something while finding someone to replace you or if the house was not kept in the best condition then they would have money to fix or replace whatever was damaged. If everything is fine and you dont runaway before the end of the contract then you will recieve your security deposit back on departure. Some student accommodation will expect to be paid by the term so this can be a lot more of an expense initial cost!! they will offer discounts for early payment and sometimes cash or online payment so be sure to look into it.. and find the one that suits you best.
Bills, Bills, Bills
Another thing to look into is whether your bills will be included or just sorted out by the landlord and requsted when they arrive either monthly or bi-monthly. By this I mean Gas, Electricity, Waste or Water charges, Wifi and so on... Most student accommodation will have it built into the price but most other rental properties will have it separately and will have to be paid when they are due. Dont forget to take this into account when looking for your ideal home. More less likely the landlord will have nothing to do with the bills and you will have to sort it out yourself (Yup this has happened to me once) It is a learning curve believe me I had no idea about any of it but slowly you begin to work it out. Nothing makes you learn quicker then sitting in the dark, in the cold with no Wifi (I joke) but still you get where Im coming from. If this happens to you the best thing you can do is ask your parents or find an adult friend to help you out with it!
Travel Expenses
One other thing to think about is travel .. to college or work. If you decide on a house / Apartment that is a little bit futher away as it is cheaper just remember that your travel expenses may increase therefore you are paying out the same money regardless. Its seems simple but can be so easily forgotten. Look into all the methods of travel available and work out how much a month it is going to cost you just get around!
Securing That Viewing
So now you have found a few places that have taken your fancy?? What next?? Most websites will have an onsite way of emailing the advertiser. This way you can express your interest on the property and also request a viewing with ease. If not there will definitely be a number available to ring the advertiser. I think ringing the advertiser is usually the best way for immediate response but what with my work schedule I have to email lately as the times are not convenient for calling and I have found that most places are quick to respond. Just make sure you either have notifications on your phone if you have your email hooked up to it or you are checking your emails regularly. I also think that you should always respond even if its not the answer you wish to receive from them. Just to say thank you for getting back to me. People appreciate being acknowledged. Not only that they may have similar properties and or remember you in the future when you are looking again for a place to live. At the very least it is always nice to be nice.
At the Viewing
Congrats you got the viewing! Nearly there. So what should you looking out for??
- What will your new landlord be like?
- Are there new people to meet?
- What condition is the house in?
- What condition is your 'new room' in?
- How thick are the walls? double glazed windows? - This is an indication of how warm/cold the house is going to be in the winter/summer periods. Also how expensive its is going to heat the place
- Is it clean... will it be easy to keep clean??
- Storage space in both bedroom and kitchen (size of fridge and freezer)
- How bright is it. Is there natural sunlight?
Now some of these are again just preference and not deal breakers but some are very important. The main thing to look for is a safe, comfortable environment where you can see yourself being happy for the next 9 months - a year.
What should you ask the Landlord/ Other tenants?
- The money side of it... don't be afraid. You need to know when rent is due, bills are due and any other expenses so you can be fully prepared and not take on more than you can handle.
- If you don't know the area you can ask about bus times or closest food shop
- You ask about other tenants if you don't know them yet. Just so you can get a feel for the environment you may be living in... party house.. or .. quieter house.
- Also you may need ask how things work if they are different to what you are used to e.g shower, washer/dryer.
Anything you wish to know now is your time to do it!
This is the time you may also be signing a contract or else it could happen on moving day. This will be decided between yourselves during this viewing. Unless the landlord has other potential tennants then you may have the horrible situation of waiting for a call to find out whether you have gotten the house or not. Etiher way there a couple of things to remember when signing a contract. First of all READ IT! Seems simple right but lots of people will gloss over it and sign it just because they are excited or are so happy to finally find a place. However not reading it could cost you, You could end up accidently breaking a rule (resulting in losing your deposit), signing to pay more than you thought you were agreeing to or not knowing important dates like maintenance calls or when you have to move out & secondly If you have any questions about it again now is the time to ask or for trying to make any sort of negotiations. Again if you have not already read it how can you do this. If unsure ask someone to do it with you like a parent. You prospective landlord wont mind and will probably be impressed that you are responsible.
Moving Day!
Congratulations!! Its moving day!! This can be bit of a stressful day so once again my advice... be as organised as possible. If you dont drive you may need to enlist the help of family or friends. If it is going to take more than one trip to move then make sure to take all the essentials first & if not make sure they are all packed in the same bag as you may not be able to pack everything immediately but atleast you know where the important stuff are. For example have all you bed clothes, toiletries, technology (laptop, chargers, earphones... ) Pjs and anything else you will need first. That way even if you cant unpack in one day you have everything you need to have a comfortable first night. This will also be the time to head to the shop pick up some food items and all those things you never seem to think about when you are living at home like toilet paper. Also from viewing the house you will know how furnished it is so make a list of anything else needed like teatowels, oven gloves, cups or anything like that. you can usually pick them up and you nearest pound shop or 2 euro store. Its all going to take a bit of time and usually takes about a week or two to get used to everything.
Enjoy!!
Now all the hard work is done you can relax and enjoy your new home!! Hope everyone has a great year!!
This has been quite a long post but I hope it was helpful! I will have more posts on moving coming up for you guys so I will be there for you throughout your moving experience!! If you have any comments, questions or queries then please don't hesitate to leave them down below!!
Are you moving out for the first time?
Do you have any tips or tricks to share?
Have you seen my previous posts?
Also 3 months ago when I was moving into the place Im currently living in (summer lease hence moving so soon) I wrote a post on the upside to moving you can click on the link here to check it out
The Upside to Moving
Thank You For Reading
xox
