Move to NYC

My keys arrived today!

• All of the furniture I don’t need has been sold.
• Everything but my computer equipment, my craft bag, a short stack of magazines/novels/sudoku puzzles, clothes/toiletries for the next 13 days, my coat, and the cats has been packed and is in the storage facility, awaiting the movers.
• The car is prepped and ready for sign over on the 23rd.

Now I just have to do the last minute things: change of address with the USPS, cancel local accounts (dry cleaning, library card, cafe club), and plan the last round of visits to the people and places I’m leaving behind.

With Moving Day just three weeks away, it’s time to get rid of what I’m not bringing. Over the last week, I measured furniture and sketched out floorplans of each room to see what would fit in the apartment.

Items I couldn’t use or didn’t need were compiled into a list and first offered to friends and family (my sister took a fabulous cherry end table and a lamp; my parents nabbed the HEPA-filter vacuum). I’ve just now listed the four pieces they didn’t want on Craigslist—already have a buyer for the Baker’s Rack and the Sofa Table, waiting to see on the microwave and the other end table. (They’ll be delivered to Good Will on the 21st if they aren’t purchased by then.)

Later tonight, I’ll begin packing clothes.

... is moving day.

The next big task is selling my car. I have a buyer, thankfully, so the hardest part is conceivably done.

1. Call DMV and get the official scoop on what forms are required, who needs to sign them, and who needs to witness the signings. (i.e. Do both buyer and seller need to be present at DMV during business hours, or can we handle the transaction and then just file the paperwork?)
2. Keep appointment at Credit Union; pay off loan (yay, debt diminished by another $3000), request Title Document that indicates the property is lien-free. Completed 03.04.09, Lien-release document received.
3. Clean vehicle inside and out
4. Sort through paperwork to pass to new owner, completed 02.28.09
5. 03.23.09 = turn in plates and registration
6. 03.23.09 = fax green slip to Insurance Agent, cancel policy
7. 03.27.09 = file transfer-of-ownership documents, collect payment, turn over paperwork and keys to Brandon

Whew.

according to my countdown calendar. If you look at the entry below this one, my massive list of “To-Dos” has shrunk to three!

I found an apartment in Fort Greene on my trip Saturday, and am going back to the city on Friday to sign the lease, turn over an astronomical sum of money, gather parking permits for my movers, take room measurements, and take photos.

I’ve got the lease on March 1, but as my office won’t be ready until the 24th, moving day is slated for the 29th. HURRAH!

And now I’m getting very nervous. There’s just so damn much to do, and it’s crunch time.

• Compile my rental history (addresses, landlord contact info, dates lived, rent paid) (completed 01.21.09)
• Arrange for reference letters from last two landlords (requested via phone and email on 01.21.09)
• Arrange 3 professional letters of recommendation
• Arrange 3 personal letters of recommendation (confirmed on 01.23.09)
• Request, Receive, and annotate a copy of my credit report
• File 2008 Taxes (completed on 01.21.09)
• Compile 2 years of W-2 statements and 3 most recent paystubs
• Request employment and salary verification documents
• Arrange travelers’ checks and/or money orders with the bank

• Conclude all financial steps
• Continue building network of leasing agents/landlords
• Build 3-day house-hunting itinerary (verify whether or not friends can accompany me on any part thereof)
• Buy and annotate pocket-map of Brooklyn (ordered on 01.21.09)
• Arrange transportation/finalize travel plans for house-hunting trip
• Find apartment
• Sign lease
• Collect keys
• Move in

If I weren’t such a control freak, this might be simpler.

I have a NYC bank account (PNC Virtual Wallet is tremendously cool), a leasing agent (from Halstead), movers (my uncle’s company), and a hard date when my new office will be ready (March 24, 2009).

Wahoo!

I’ve spent an insane number of hours over the last week comparing boroughs and neighborhoods, in terms of cultural connections, geography, transportation, access to things I care about, access to people I care about, and general livability. After many “interviews” with friends and colleagues with a variety of knowledge and experience, research via non-biased web and print sources, and some real estate information gathering, I’ve decided on Fort Greene in Brooklyn for my new hometown.

Now, to locate an apartment.

I’ve decided to sign on with a Real Estate agency for apartment hunting. Finding an apartment in NYC is a full-time job; I can either pay someone else to take that on for me, or I can take on that work on top of everything else. It’s an expensive investment, but one that makes a lot of sense for me considering all the other work that goes into moving and the office workload that never seems to diminish (i.e. the reason I’m moving in the first place).

I’ve selected Corcoran as I’ve met several of their agents, love their website, am impressed with the variety and quality of the rental properties they have listed (and the obvious specialization of their agents), and have heard great things from other happy customers. (Edited 12.20.08: Dropped Corcoran like a hot potato; distinctly unimpressed with response-time and service mentality.) Since I’m not interested in moving between apartments once I get to the city, it’s really important that I get this right the first time.

Now I just need to decide between Manhattan and Brooklyn. I know, I was all excited about living in a tiny downtown studio—then it got cold and I started spending all of my time indoors, and I started looking at available properties, and rental costs per square foot based on location. Interior size, very specific neighborhood elements, and access to outdoor space are far more important now than I thought they were four months ago. So, I’m torn. Tips?

I have completed the transition from my little townhouse into temporarily crashing with family. All of my belongings are packed and now in a 10’-15’ climate controlled storage unit, waiting for me to find a flat in lower Manhattan and schedule movers to transport everything for me.

My boss has reserved an office for me in our building on 32nd street; I can assume occupancy on April 1. Thus I can begin apartment-hunting in January. I suppose I can kick back and enjoy living with people again for the next three months. :o)

My list (see prior entry) is nearly complete. Tomorrow the furniture and heavy kitchen boxes go to storage, then I’ll do the cosmetic and clean-up work on the apartment; should be effectively “out” by tomorrow night.

Hurrah!