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things to do before you unpack
So you've made all the preparations and managed to get yourself and your stuff over to your new digs with minimal stress. Hooray! Before you start tearing into the boxes, take a little time to get the place prepped.

First off, give the whole place a detailed inspection to make sure that everything's in working order. Check plugs, check appliances, check light switches, faucets, toilet… you get the idea. Inspect walls and carpets for pre-existing damage. And be thorough. If anything appears to be busted, let your landlord/apartment management know asap, so you don't get charged for it later on. Make sure too that all those utilities you so wisely set up in advance are actually functioning.

The next step is vacuuming and cleaning. Yes, the folks in charge should have cleaned the pad for you, but it never hurts to give the place your own scrub and vacuum just in case their standards aren't up to yours. Heck, even if your standards are very, very low, it's a good idea to take the extra time to clean house now. Once all that furniture's in place and you're beginning to settle into normal life, you're not likely to find the time to do stuff like clean the windows and dust the baseboards. Treat yourself to a spic-and-span nest now, before the chaos of day-to-day living makes serious cleaning an unlikelihood.

With the apartment now a pristine blank slate, now's a good time to start visualizing what you might want to do to personalize the space as well. Specifically, if you think you might like to paint any walls (and your lease allows for it; if you're not sure, you can always ask and even offer to repaint before you leave), you'll find it's far less effort to do it now, when all your furniture is safely corralled away and the walls are readily accessible.

Lastly, for posterity's sake, try to remember to snap a few pictures of your empty pad. Because you're just about to get to the fun part -- turning that bare space into something resembling a home. Take a few moments to get some pix now and later, when you're stuff's all unpacked and the place is finally fully furnished, you can show off your mad decorating skills to all your loved ones, oohing over just how much better the place looks now that you've decked it out just so.

o

settle down now move to a new city and like it too | moving right along a checklist | in the box how to pack for a big move | begin the begin how to start decorating 

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