Are you preparing for your much-awaited condo move? 

Bid farewell to the hassles of snow shovels, grass trimming, and last-minute roof repairs. 

The feel-good moments of a sauna day, the mere convenience of having your FedEx package delivered to your building without getting stolen, and the ease of going to the gym at any time of the day. All these, among many, are some apparent benefits of living in a condo. 

But before basking in those condo benefits, let’s navigate the move. This blog will discuss steps to ensure a smooth transition to your new condo life.

1. Understand Condo Moving Restrictions

Moving to a condo is difficult when you don’t know what you’re getting into. More importantly, knowing what rules and important documents you need for this housing type is essential. 

Contacting your property manager is the first step in determining the building’s moving guidelines well in advance. 

This entails elevator and parking access. Not to forget pet laws, loading dock access, moving truck arrival status, and your move-in date.

Since you will now have other residents sharing the same space, the rules regarding quiet hours are equally essential. 

2. Get Freight Elevator Access

Many condos require a freight elevator or a designated loading space for a moving truck to unload items.

Hence, schedule a meeting with the property managers to inform them about your expected move-in day and moving hours. 

Notifying them early will ease communication between you and them and help you reserve your elevator spot early without hampering other’s move-in or move-out schedules. 

3. Choosing the Right Moving Truck for Condo’s Loading Dock

Many condos in urban areas have a loading dock where moving trucks can unload items and deliveries.

Checking the right moving truck size for your loading dock is essential to determine whether you’d go for a big truck box or a container when moving. 

4. Understand Parking Logistics

With limited parking spaces in condos, reserving a spot is a hit-or-miss process.

To address parking logistics, ensure you ask your condominium manager about the available spaces for your moving truck.

If the spaces are restricted, ask if you can get a temporary permit for your moving day. 

5. Book a Spot for Your Moving Truck

Check how quickly you can secure a parking space to avoid confusion with other residents. Additionally, prepare your parking permits to avoid unwanted towing or hefty penalties.

Most importantly, confirm early access to your building’s entrance when you get your moving trucks.

If you have the right moving company, work closely with the moving team to speed up your unloading and reloading on your moving day. 

6. Decluttering and Downsizing

Before labeling your boxes and filling your container boxes, ask yourself a few questions-

  • Do I need to carry this appliance to my new home, or do I need a new one entirely?
  • Do I have enough space in my new apartment for this lamp?
  • Do I repair my Vaccum cleaner before packing it?
  • Is it worth moving my gym equipment? 

Purging your old rusty items is not as scary as it sounds. Instead, it is a blessing when you plan to move to a new condo.

Before you pack a single box, toss old mugs, unused appliances, old rugs, wall art, toilet plungers, overused towels, etc. 

Decluttering and downsizing will free up space and save you the hassle of packing and the cost of packing supplies.

7. Choose the Right Packing Supplies

When packing, you don’t want things to wear and tear. Hence, choosing the right packing supplies will help you keep your items safe. 

Here’s what you will need to pack for a move:

  • Moving Boxes with Labels

Always use big boxes for medium-sized items like pans and side tables, while small containers are for smaller items like jewelry, electronics, and important papers. Using labels can help you separate heavy items from fragile ones. 

  • Packing Tape

Use Strong adhesive tape and a “tape gun” to seal boxes properly. It will help prevent them from opening during travel.

  • Permanent Marker

Sort your boxes by labeling them with a permanent marker.

  • Packing Paper and Packing Peanuts

Provide a cushion to your fragile items and valuables with packing peanuts. 

Here’s a Cue: Newspapers are a fantastic alternative to packing paper. If you can arrange enough, you can save a lot on packing supplies. 

  • Protect Your Fragile Items and Valuables

Properly packing valuable items ensures the safe transit of your fragile items; after all, it’s better to be careful than sorry. 

  • Bubble wrap

Secure bubble wraps around items with packing tape, and do not stack heavy items on top of fragile ones, even when using bubble wrap.

Pro tip: Provide that extra padding to your glassware using linens, blankets, and towels. 

  • Dollies and Handcarts

A dolly or cart has wheels that make moving your boxes and loading them onto a moving truck convenient without damaging your spine.

Use a dolly or handcart to lift and transfer heavy items safely. Straps around the boxes ensure the secure transport of your items through the cart. 

8. Save Space when Packing for Your Move

While preparing for a condo move, you need plenty of cardboard boxes. Sometimes, there are between 30 and 35 boxes or even more.

Carrying too many boxes can be time-consuming and expensive on a moving day. 

A simple hack to reduce the number of boxes here is to take a Nesting Packing approach, which will save a lot of space when you plan a move. 

What is a Nesting or a Russian Doll Packing Method?

The nesting packing principle, based on Russian nesting dolls, is a concept in which painted dolls of decreasing size are stacked to fit inside one another.

The Russian doll principle is an object-within-object technique that’s highly efficient when you want more space when packing a move. 

For example, your cups, pots, and bowls are almost evenly shaped and can be nested together.

A smart packing hack would be to stuff your shoes with socks or stack your small jewelry, accessories, and headphones in sunglass cases to optimize your hollow spaces efficiently. 

9. Loading and Unloading Strategically

Your first step into your new condo can be frantic. When you enter your new building, you look at those new condo entrances and parking spaces.

Followed by unfamiliar hallways and unknown faces next to the elevator.

The newness can make you nervous, mainly when you have unloaded all your boxes from your moving truck and are ready to settle in. 

3 Tips to Load and Unload your Boxes Efficiently on your Moving Day:

Create a Loading and Unloading Plan

A well-rounded loading and unloading plan can help you stay on track on your moving day.

When loading the truck, consider what items you would unload when you reach your new condo.

Placing essentials like fragile items, kitchen boxes, and toiletries at the front and electronics at the back will make unloading much more organized. 

Use the Right Equipment for Loading and Unloading

Choosing the right moving equipment can significantly affect your loading and unloading plans.

Invest in equipment such as moving trucks, carts, dollies, furniture sliders, etc. These tools are perfect for lifting oversized and bulky items. 

Stair Climbing Dollies are also the perfect equipment for carrying furniture through stairs, both manual and battery-operated. 

Seek Help from Family, Friends, or Professional Movers  

A helping hand can go a long way. Ask your friends or family for help. 

However, hiring a professional moving company can help speed up the process.

They use well-equipped tools to navigate your furniture through tight corners, narrow hallways, and elevators, reducing the chances of potential accidents.

They are also well-trained in handling condo rules and regulations, minimizing your challenges of dealing with them. 

10. Navigating Unexpected Moving Challenges in a Condo 

The limited elevator and parking access are just small challenges. Even after a well-thought-out plan, you will encounter surprising challenges on your moving day.

The narrow hallways and tight spaces can cause hassles when carrying household items. For example, maneuvering large or oddly shaped furniture, such as frames with unequal edges or a mattress. 

11. Unpacking and Organizing

Your boxes are appropriately labeled and sorted. To avoid the stress of breakages, you can start unpacking by opening the fragile items first.

As you settle in, follow a room-by-room checklist when organizing your new condo. 

Pro tip: Unpacking the kitchen items first can help you quickly fill one space and eliminate those container boxes. 

12. Handling Furniture Assembly and Disassembly

You have already set up your frequently used rooms, such as your kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms.

The next step is to set up your other rooms, which require extra precision and proper furniture placement. 

For instance, your delicate dining table might require you to detach the legs when packing when setting it up again in your new condo.

As a result, you must carefully place the glass on the legs, ensuring it stays intact. 

Similarly, setting up a fragile piece of furniture or your entertainment center requires expertise and accurate handling.

Moving companies offer assembling and disassembling your furniture, preventing damage risks and ensuring safety. 

13. Post-Move Cleaning and Maintenance

The aftermath of moving is more critical than the actual moving. After a few days of unpacking, you realize you have empty cardboard boxes, furniture dust, dirt, and a pile of papers. 

Invest in quality cleaning supplies to make your new apartment tidy and refreshing. Ensure every piece of furniture is polished, spotless, and dust-free, and you will feel at home.

14. Changing Your Address and Utilities

Notify all your power providers, water providers, banks, and other utility companies about your address change. This will help you get convenient access to your utilities without fail. In addition, you will not miss out on your mail if you update your address on time. 

15. Know your Neighborhood 

Unpacking and organizing can take a few weeks, and that is normal. When moving to your new condo, a fair idea about the neighborhood is also significant. Explore the nearest grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies, public transport, banks, and gyms. 

To further ease your transition, get to know your neighbors. Building relationships with them earlier will help you make reliable friends in your new condo. 

Final Thoughts 

Now that we have unveiled the hidden challenges of moving to a condo, you must understand that paying attention to small details is necessary.

Those can be as simple as verifying the rules and regulations with condo managers on time, taking additional care of your oversized furniture in narrow hallways, and finally settling into your new condo with less clutter and more space. 

Remember, when in doubt, hiring professional movers is always the safer option. They are proficient in solving all your moving hassles. Learn how Let’s Get Moving offers comprehensive residential moving services for your next condo or apartment move.