Almost half of Southern California’s households are renters. There is a major building boom happening right now, new apartment construction is at its highest peak of activity since the early 90’s. Millennial’s and baby boomers alike are taking advantage of the carefree living apartments offer for a variety of reasons. Working long hours leaves little time for yard maintenance and other responsibilities that come with living in a single family home. Making the transition from a single family home to an apartment has its own set of challenges. One of the biggest conundrums one will face is, “Where will I put all this stuff?”. Downsizing can be a tedious task that requires some sacrifice if you’ve accumulated a lot of belongings over the years. Laprom Movers has some helpful tips and advice to make this transition a smooth one for you and your family.

Measure Furniture when Moving to a Smaller Apartment

First and foremost, you will need to crunch some numbers. Consider the apartment that you will be moving into and figure out just how much square footage you’ll be losing. One of the biggest challenges we see people facing is moving their full-size sectional sofa with a large coffee table and end tables into a living room that is considerably smaller than the last, or moving a king size bed, 2 full size dressers and night stands into a bedroom that is half the size of the prior space it was in. While it’s nice to have the comfortability of a larger sofa, it’s just not practical for one looking to downsize. Consider replacing larger furniture pieces, with more practical pieces that will fit into the new space, while leaving you room to move around. Such as trading in that sectional for a sofa and loveseat, that king size bed for a queen, or maybe bunk beds will be a more practical fit for children who share rooms as opposed to trying to squeeze two beds into a smaller space.

Purge Unneeded Items Before the Big Move

When people have extra space, they tend to fill it with items that are sometimes unnecessary to have. How often have you decided to clear out a closet and thought to yourself, “Wow! These clothes don’t even fit my son anymore!”. You’re not alone. Plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time before you pack to sort through possessions that may no longer serve a purpose in your home, or that you don’t use on a regular basis. Put together a donation pile, a yard sale pile and a trash pile. If you haven’t seen or used an item in 3-6 months, chances are you’ll never use them. It’s time to find them a new home or toss them. And that garage full of yard maintenance supplies will likely have little to no use at your new apartment. Consider having a yard sale to make some cash for the move or give them to a neighbor in need.

Creative Ways to Find Storage in New Home

One big difference in a single-family home and an apartment is the storage space. When trying to fit your chosen possessions into the new space, remember that everything can double as storage, your oven can be used to store baking sheets and pans, or consider an overhead or wall rack for pots and pans storage. Instead of a coffee table, consider an ottoman with storage cubbies and remember that under your bed is a great storage area as well.

Local & Long Distance Moving in Tarzana, Encino, Reseda, Burbank, Calabasas, Glendale, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, CA & Southern California

Give yourself ample time to go through your possessions and plan for this move. Rushing through this process will likely lead to stress and frustration. You’ll want to have a yard sale and time to make accommodations if you need to replace furniture. Hiring a professional moving company will help to relieve a lot of the burden you may feel during this time. If your apartment is a second story or higher, you will definitely need some help! If you have further questions or would like more information on how Laprom Movers can make your big move a smooth transition, give us a call! We’re more than happy to help!