You’ve found your new place in Brooklyn and you’re feeling very excited about moving to New York City and starting a new life there. Whether this is your first time moving to a new home or you’ve already done that, there are certain things to keep in mind. Here are a few tips on what to do and what not to do when you’re about to move to Brooklyn.
Don’t take too long before you start packing
We know you’re not looking forward to packing all of your belongings, decluttering and sorting your stuff is never fun. You might be dreading the moment when you need to start, but don’t wait for too long before you do. Especially if this is your first time, you might be underestimating the amount of time you’ll need to have it all done. Do yourself a favor, start packing early before you move to Brooklyn and avoid stressing out down the road.
Choose what to take and what to leave behind
Before you pack all of your stuff, make sure you take a chance to get rid of the things you won’t need at your new home and to get those you haven’t had so far, but you’ll need them.
Do you need a car in Brooklyn?
You might have never thought you could live without a car, but if you are about to move to New York City and specifically to Brooklyn, this is an option to consider. New York City has a very good public transport and if you choose the right area to live in, you could ditch your car with no problem. You’ll find grocery shops and supermarkets at a walking distance in many Brooklyn neighborhoods, so you’ll be doing just fine without a car.
But why would you do that? Wouldn’t it be great to have a car and use it for weekend getaways? Certainly! But there’s a problem, parking in Brooklyn is far from perfect and people end up leaving their cars too far away from home or risking fines. Sometimes it’s actually more convenient to live without a car in Brooklyn.
What clothes do you need in Brooklyn?
Almost all kinds of clothes, except for beach wear. So if you’re moving from California, consider leaving behind half of your wardrobe – or maybe even more. At the same time, you’ll need to get some winter clothes. The same goes if you’ve lived in Canada, you’ll probably need clothes for the summer and not as many options for the winter.
Take a chance to declutter before you move to Brooklyn
You want to start your new chapter light and move to Brooklyn with no clutter. If you have items you no longer use or need, moving is a great chance to finally get rid of them. Just ask yourself if you’ll need that particular item at your new home and in your new life. If you’re hesitant to say yes – be ruthless and get rid of that stuff.
Choose to donate, sell or toss out. If an item is broken or damaged, there’s no reason to think twice. If you haven’t worn a particular piece of clothing for more than a year, you hardly ever will. Consider if you could make some money selling it or if you should donate it. If you have too many books, ask yourself if you’re really going to read all of them all over again. Your Brooklyn home will be a much better place if you get all the decluttering job done before you move.
Don’t hesitate to hire professional movers
You might be considering the idea to avoid hiring professional assistance and just do everything by yourself. You’ll save some money and you’ll figure out what to do on your own along the way. Hey, it can’t be that hard, right? Well, it actually can.
Hiring professional movers helps you avoid risks of having your belongings damaged or lost. If you choose to hire professional assistance to help you with packing, it will save you time and even some money. Trained professionals will be able to pack your things so that they take less space, which will eventually lower your transportation costs.
Finally, when you let professionals do the work, you’ll avoid a considerable amount of stress. Not saying it will be a totally stress-free experience (and it probably won’t), but it will be a lot easier to handle for sure.
Get familiar with Brooklyn even before you move
Don’t get too occupied with moving and decluttering – think about the future as well and learn more about Brooklyn beforehand. This way you’ll minimize your chances of feeling lost when you get there. No matter how excited you might be before you move to Brooklyn when that eventually happens and you settle at your new home, some other feelings might kick in and take over from time to time. Get familiar with the place even before you get there, so that you could start feeling a local in no time.
Here are some books to get to know Brooklyn better (you can find any of those on Amazon):
- The New York Nobody Knows: Walking 6,000 Miles in the City by William Helmreich
- The Brooklyn Nobody Knows: An Urban Walking Guide by William Helmreich
- The Brooklyn Experience: The Ultimate Guide to Neighborhoods & Noshes, Culture & the Cutting Edge (Rivergate Regionals Collection) by Ellen Freudenheim
- Made in Brooklyn: An Essential Guide to the Borough’s Artisanal Food & Drink Makers by Melissa Schreiber Vaughan (author), Susanne König (author), Heather Weston (photographer)
- Insider Brooklyn: A Curated Guide to New York City’s Most Stylish Borough by Rachel Felder
If you want to dig even deeper, learn more about the borough’s fascinating history:
- Old Brooklyn in Early Photographs, 1865-1929 (New York City) by William Lee Younger
- When Brooklyn Was the World, 1920-1957 by Elliot Willensky
- Brooklyn Then and Now® by Marcia Reiss
- Lost Brooklyn by Marcia Reiss
Overall, start packing early, declutter as much as you can, consider hiring professionals to help you move to Brooklyn and get ready for a new chapter in your life. And then just enjoy exciting times ahead!