July 2, 2022

The Complete Guide to Moving to a Condo: Checklists, Tips, and More!

By: Melecio Martin G. Arranz IV

Congrats on your new home! You have finally found and bought your ideal condominium, and now you get to start living a new life. Moving into a new condominium is an exciting and hopeful time – but it’s also a lot of work. It can be overwhelming to remember everything you have to do. We’re here to help!

You can do plenty of things to prepare for this big event. Before you know it, you’ll be relaxing in your sanctuary. Here, we have a moving-in guide to help you prep and make this process smooth-sailing. 

Thinking Ahead: What to Prepare Before the Move 

Creating and following a “moving into a condo” checklist can ensure everything’s in order before you bid goodbye to your old home. Here are some tried-and-true tips you should remember. 

Documentation and other administrative tasks

The last thing you want is to take care of important administrative duties last minute. Begin the moving process two weeks or a month in advance. 

Prepare a budget for moving

Are you going to hire professional movers? Will you have to buy moving boxes and packing materials? Consider how much it will cost to move if you can’t do everything yourself. This is important because some professional movers charge an hourly rate. If you need more time for the big move, you’ll need to spend more. 

Inform the condo property management office of your intention to move in

Talk to your condo administrator about your plan to move in and schedule the big day ahead of time. If you also currently live in a condo, don’t forget to inform the landlord or condo office about your intention to move out, as well, so that both parties can iron out the turnover process.

Take care of loose ends

Things such as pertinent fees from your current place and unpaid utility bills need to be addressed before making the big move. This minimizes the headaches for you later on.

For your condo turnover, prepare the necessary papers and fees, such as the Certificate of Acceptance and utility application documents. Contact your agent or developer about the documents needed to avoid delays.

Reserve the elevator and arrange for a parking space for the moving truck

Once you have a schedule for your move-in, check with your condo administration if you can reserve the elevator at a specific date and time for moving large furniture. Ask them if they have a parking area big enough for the moving truck that will take your belongings. 

Set up your new utilities

Check your contract or lease for the new place to see which utilities you’re responsible for. For instance, some condominiums take over water and trash. This means the tenant will have to set up other services like internet, electricity, and gas. 

Change your billing address

Moving out means changing your billing address for your different accounts. Some companies require customers to update their information by submitting a customer information form. Make sure to notify your bank and process the information update before your move-in.

For credit cards, inquire with your provider about their address and contact information update process.

Deal with your belongings

Take adequate time to plan which belongings you’ll bring and how they will fit in your new place. 

Declutter

With the months or weeks leading up to your move, begin going through each area of your home to deliberate which essentials you’ll pack. You wouldn’t want to bring broken or unnecessary items into your new home. This maximizes your time when you have to start packing.

For unwanted items, you may want to sell or donate them so they can be used by others who need them.

Use up stocked food items

Start consuming  perishable items, frozen food, and canned goods in your pantry and fridge, so you have one less thing to worry about when packing and moving. 

Make a floor plan with your existing furniture

Based on the walkthrough of your new place and the photos you took when it was empty, plan where you’ll put your belongings and how they will fit in their respective areas. Use a measuring tape to measure your furniture and plan where and how you’ll lay out your items in your new condo. 

Clean up your current place

While some landlords clean the unit after their tenants move out, it will be helpful for you and your landlord if you clean up the place before moving out. Doing so may reveal some items you may have missed packing. Plus, this ensures you’ll receive your security deposit in full since you’re leaving the place in good shape.

Start packing

Begin packing weeks before the big day to ensure that the moving process goes smoothly and you’re ready to go before the moving day. You can start with your least-used items, such as Christmas decorations, books, and other non-day-to-day belongings. 

Set up your logistics

Plan how you’re going to leave and transport your belongings in the new condo to steer clear of preventable hassles. 

Search for and contact moving companies

Professional movers help ensure your move-in goes swimmingly. If you have large furniture and plenty of belongings and can’t carry everything on your own, get in touch with a moving company to help with the packing and moving. 

Procure spare moving boxes

You’ll be surprised how much moving materials can set you back. To save costs, you can ask friends or family members if they have sturdy cardboard boxes you can use. 

Measure your ingress and egress points

One of the common moving mistakes when moving is realizing that some of your furniture items won’t fit through the door. Likewise, it’s a bummer to arrive and start unloading the truck only to realize that your couch can’t go through your new condo’s entry door.

Be sure to measure all your items, especially the large ones. And if you’re still checking out online furniture shops, take note of the measurements and whether they come assembled or not to ensure they will fit in your place. 

How to Pack Securely and Efficiently 

Jot down the following tips to help you pack efficiently and make a successful move. 

Label and color-code boxes

When packing, label each box by room and with a note of its contents. Color-coding the boxes can also help organize them—one glance, and you’ll immediately know where to put them. This makes unpacking more manageable when you arrive at your new condo unit. 

Take an accurate inventory

Put an inventory note on each box to help you quickly find what you’re looking for when you need to take something out or unpack. Alternatively, you can take photos of the box contents to give you a general idea of where specific items are. 

Nest small items inside big, hollow items

If you have large items with storage, such as side tables, you can store small items inside. This applies to your dinnerware—you can put small dishware in large pots before packing them carefully. 

Bubble wrap fragile items

The bubble wraps you’ve collected from your online shopping purchases will finally have their use. If you’ve discarded them, you can buy bubble wraps from office supplies stores. Make sure to wrap delicate or easily breakable items to protect them during transport and unloading. 

Use your linens and towels to wrap glasses

Put your towels, bed linens, and covers to good use when packing. Use them to wrap fragile items like mirrors, vases, and other glassware to skimp on bubble wrap. You can pack your items, save money on wrappers, and bring your sheets and towels along. 

Remove fixtures that are jutting out

Disassemble large items, specific objects, or accessories with protruding parts for easier packing and transporting. For instance, you can dismantle your monitor clamp or take apart your aesthetic side table to pack it more securely in a box. 

Sample Packing Checklist by Room

A room-by-room checklist will make your packing more efficient. Find out what items to pack in every room with this list. 

• Living Room
  • Sofa
  • Television
  • TV cabinet
  • Electronic cords and other components
  • Coffee table
  • Artwork and mirrors
  • Books, vinyl records, CDS, and DVDs
  • Draperies
  • Lighting fixtures 

• Dining Room
  • Dining table
  • Dining chairs
  • Chinaware and glassware
  • Cabinets and coffee nook
  • Decorations, such as artwork, ceramic displays, and pictures
  • Lighting fixtures 
• Bedroom
  • Bed
  • Cabinets and shelves or organizers
  • Beddings and pillows
  • Decorations, such as photos, artworks, and display pieces
  • Lighting fixtures 
• Kitchen and Pantry
  • Refrigerator
  • Kitchen rack
  • Pantry organizer or cabinet
  • Small appliances, such as oven toaster, microwave, coffee maker, and rice cooker
  • Cutlery, silverware, and dishware
  • Pots and pans
• Home Office
  • Desk
  • Office chair
  • Important work files and documents
  • Monitor, printer, and other peripherals (mouse, webcam, microphone, keyboard, etc.)
  • Bookshelves, filing cabinets, and organizers

What to Do During the Big Move 

The big day has come. After all the prepping and packing, don’t forget to do the following to stay on track.

Confirm with the movers

Call your movers first thing in the morning to confirm your appointment for the moving day. Verify if they have the correct address and your contact number in case any issues spring up. 

Do a final sweep of your home

Walk through every room in your home for one last time before the movers arrive. Check the shelves, cabinets, and storage spaces. There might be an item you forgot to pack. Take the final sweep as your last chance to ensure all your belongings are packed and ready to be out of the home. 

Make sure that all your packed items are near the exit

Place your boxes near the exit. It’s more convenient to transport your items to the truck when they’re close to the door. This will make the job easier and faster for your movers, requiring less time—and ultimately, cost—to load your belongings. 

Keep the condo’s moving rules and regulations in mind

Condominium communities have their own condo moving rules. For instance, some condos only allow moving in of furniture and appliances between a specific time and days (e.g., 8:00 am–8:00 pm, Mondays to Saturdays except holidays). You may also only be allowed to use the freight or service elevators when transporting items to and from your unit.

Guide the movers where you want your furniture and appliances to be placed

When it’s time to unload, give the movers a quick tour of your new home and let them know where specific furniture pieces, appliances, and boxes should go. Lead them throughout the unloading process. 

Unpack what you need

When the unloading is done and it’s time to unpack, take out only the essentials you’ll need for the rest of the day. This may include your bathroom and bedroom essentials. Continue unpacking for the next few days. 

After the Move

Now that you’re past the hard part and you’ve finally moved into your new condo, you’ve reached the final phase of the process: getting things in order. 

Unpack

It’s not possible to unpack everything in one day, especially if you’ll do it yourself. So, take this process one area or box at a time. Unpack what you’ll need first for the following day. This may mean setting up your dining area, living room, or home office first—whichever is most important at the time.

Tip: Clean the site before you unpack to get rid of any construction or past residue. 

Recycle your packing materials

Moving homes leaves you with a pile of boxes. Don’t dispose of these. Instead, recycle them or give them away to those who need them. Condominiums like The Grand Midori Ortigas feature a Material Recovery Facility for recycling and a Garbage Holding Room per floor for segregation and proper waste management. 

Decorate

Now, onto the exciting part: decorating and organizing your new place!

Once everything seems in place, start decorating how you want your space to look. It’s time to give your decor pieces their proper home. For instance, position your ceramic vases or light fixtures in places where they will elevate the room’s aura or make your condo look bigger. 

Meet the neighbors

Unpacking takes a lot of time and coops you at home for days. Take a break when you need to and meet your neighbors. If you have prepared some goodies to share with tenants on the same floor, don’t forget to hand them out.

You’ll come across them more often than you think, so it’s nice to introduce yourself and build a connection when you arrive. Hospitality is a classic Filipino trait. Who knows, maybe the person next door offers to give you a hand or merienda in your first few days. 

Check out the amenities

Of course, celebrate the successful move-in and tour the condominium to check the amenities you can enjoy. Visit the fitness area and wellness center, landscape area, open lawn, pool lounge, and other indoor and outdoor features in your new place.

Federal Land properties, such as the Four Season Riviera and Valencia Hills Tower E, are thoughtfully designed to nurture communities and accommodate people who desire to create memories, celebrate milestones, and seek the finer things in life. Their amenities elevate the tenants’ standards of comfort and convenience. 

Prepare for a Smooth Move 

With so many moving out and moving in notes, papers to deal with, and emotions to handle, you may easily get overwhelmed with the whole process, especially if you don’t prepare an organized checklist and prep weeks in advance. It’s important to cross out a task from your list one by one and make small progress each day so that when the big day comes, you’re all set and ready to go.

Are you in the market for condos for sale in the Philippines with high investment potential? Federal Land offers quality and well-designed properties, RFO, and pre-selling condos strategically located in prime spots around the country. Get in touch with our experienced real estate professionals to guide you in your homebuying journey.