The world is vast, exhilarating, and often intimidating, and what better way to experience it by striking it out on your own? At some point in a person’s life, moving out from your parents’ home is the biggest step towards proper adulthood.
Moving out for the first time then evokes a mixture of worry and excitement. You may feel the impending unbridled freedom you will gain, yet at the same time, you have innumerable details to think about.
Focus and breathe. The team at Ecosa have had our fair share of moving experience and have put together our moving tips and tricks to ensure your move is as smooth and stress-free as possible.
We have a checklist you can edit and use to organise your move, while the following are some of the best tips for moving out for the first time.
A New Roof Over Your Head
Moving out means eating, sleeping, and living in a new home. Where that new home will be is up to you, and the search can be quite challenging. If you have friends already living on their own with a room up for grabs, you may find it easier to move in with them. Apartment or house hunting, however, takes up more time.
A first-time mover must first think about the location they want to move to Do you want to be close to friends or family members? Do you want to be near your workplace? What kind of facilities need to be close by? Answers to these questions come down to preference, but other factors have more lasting effects on your first apartment choice.
Working Within Your Budget
You will be your own person when you first move out of your parents’ house; you will be “adulting”, in other words. Budgeting will then be one main factor of your move, most especially your new apartment choice.
Do you want to live alone? You will have the freedom and the privacy to do work and play in your own place, but monthly expenses will also be high.
Do you want company? Living with other renters will bring costs down, yet you will also have to navigate the dynamics with your new housemates.
Other budget factors include utilities for water, electricity and internet. Like rent, you will probably pay less for these if you have flatmates to share the place with.
Depending on what you have when you move, you may also have to budget for some furniture. As an alternative, you may go apartment hunting for fully-furnished places, but these can be more costly in the long run with higher weekly rent.
Remember One-Time Costs
Moving to your first place may have extra costs, which first-time movers often forget. These costs include removalist fees, contents insurance, security deposit, and a month’s rent in advance. It’s smart to save extra, just in case any sudden costs pop up and you’re not left scrambling for cash.
On your moving day, you may try move your belongings on your own, especially when you only have a few bags. If you’ve got plenty of furniture and appliances, hiring a moving truck will make the move much more comfortable. Removalists are great if you’re not capable of moving heavy objects, or don’t have anyone to help.
Next, contents insurance is another optional but practical cost when moving house. It covers your belongings for theft, flood damage, fire damage, and more. If living in a rental, the owner may have home insurance, but that won’t cover any of your belongings. Hopefully, your things stay safe in your first place, but one can never be too careful.
Third, you may follow a good rule of thumb: set aside enough money for a security deposit, also known as a bond. The landlord or real estate agent will require it as insurance in case of damages to the furnishings or the rental unit itself. The cost for the deposit is usually equivalent to a month’s rent. Make sure that your bond is lodged with the appropriate parties (e.g. RBTA in Victoria) so you can easily get it back at the end of your tenancy.
Lastly, sometimes landlords also require an extra month’s rent in addition to the first month. This advance reassures the landlord that you will stay in the rental unit and is simply a security measure. This cost will likely be an addition to the security deposit as well, or perhaps the security deposit may already serve as the advance.
Living with Responsibility
Yes, moving out for the first time may be the biggest and best decision in a young person’s life. On the flip side, being alone for the first time may sometimes make movers forget that as their freedom increases, their responsibility increases as well.
Whether you like it or not, you will have to do chores, and you may have to do all of them. Living alone means living responsibly by cleaning the dishes, sweeping the floors, buying toilet paper, and more. You also have to change essential documents, records, or information with the government, school, or work to your new address.
When living with flatmates, creating cleaning rosters is a great way to make sure everyone is pitching in and means the house stays clean and tidy.
You will have no one else to rely on except yourself. You may thank yourself later if you develop solid adulting habits. At the same time, your wallet may thank you too, since carelessness in living alone may lead to damages to the apartment. Of course, any damage to the apartment means deductions to your security deposit.
Live responsibly for you to enjoy your newfound freedom properly.
Making Your Home
Despite all the chores, it’s so much fun to move out on your own. When you first move, decorate to your heart’s content! Get a coffee table that matches your sofa. Buy bright-coloured cleaning supplies. Do anything that creates a homely space, but be mindful about sticking anything to the walls – check your rental agreement.
Creating a living space the way you want it becomes a big step in moving out. When you want to take it up a notch, you may even dive into some DIY with furniture or décor for your new place. Once your apartment feels like home, your first night alone may be a truly great experience.
Wow! Smooth Move
You now have everything you need to know about moving out for the first time! You can make your move, but don’t be afraid of making mistakes too. Mistakes are part of the learning experience So, get on to it! Save your money, pack your things and move out!