San Francisco is one of the most culturally diverse and beautiful places to live in.
While you might be excited for your move in San Francisco, the hilly, windy roads, the rules and regulations with parking restrictions etc can be a bit daunting.
If you are either new to the city or if you are moving from another city in Bay Area, by now you have had your fair share of exhaustion dealing with numerous open houses and bidding wars with other potential renters or buyers.
Once you have secured where to live in San Francisco, it is time to think about planning your move. To make your planning stress-free and to have a quick, affordable and simple moving experience, we have put together a few important tips for your upcoming move in San Francisco.
Purging Before Your Move To San Francisco
Whether you are planning to move on your own or hiring a moving company, things will be a whole lot easier if you got rid of unwanted items before you move. Most apartments in the city are very compact and having only what you want would mean more space in your new home.
While moving is an excellent time to purge, be careful about what you set aside by the curb for the garbage company.
San Francisco’s Recology, an aspiring zero-waste program, has very strict and specific rules about what can be disposed and on which bin. You can, however, schedule a Bulky Items pickup with Recology ahead of time, for things like old furniture, appliances or even mattresses.
If you have old clothes or linens, it can be placed in clear, tied plastic bags and placed in your blue recycling bin.
Choose The Right Moving Company
The city life can be quite expensive especially after all of the expenses like down payment for the new home or a security deposit etc.
Having the professional help would save a lot of time and money when you choose experienced movers. If you are on a tight budget, it would be wise to self-pack and have the movers do all the heavy lifting.
If you are a busy professional and would rather save time, you can hire movers for a full service move that would include packing and unpacking. Be sure to check reviews about the company, their licensing and insurance coverage as well.
Moving Into An Apartment Building?
Apartment buildings in the city can sometimes mean long hallways, narrow doorways and small elevators. Before you move into your new apartment, be sure to scope out the place. Many San Francisco apartment buildings were built in the early 20th century and might be smaller than the average apartment in the Bay Area. These apartments often have strange angles and corners and narrow stairwells.
Inform your movers about presence of stairs. If there is a freight elevator, be sure to check with the apartment management if it can be reserved for the movers for few hours. The less time it takes for the move, the more efficient and less expensive it would be. For high rises, it would be wise to check about reserving the loading dock or even a reserved parking space for the moving crew.
Some buildings have special insurance requirements for movers. Be sure to inform your moving company ahead of time about any such requirement and also if there are time limits for using either a reserved elevator or parking space.
Be Flexible With Dates
Depending on where you will be moving in the city, it might sometimes be wiser to move on a weekend as opposed to a weekday or vice-versa. Less traffic would mean less time on travel saving you time and money. Be sure to check with the building management or a landlord to see if there are specific days which are better for moving to the new place.
Parking Permit
Some neighborhoods in San Francisco require parking permit for moving vehicles to be parked. Moving permits provided by San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority (SFMTA) are temporary no parking signs that will inform the public that no vehicles may be parked in the reserved parking spaces. We highly recommend to get a parking permit since this will guarantee a closer parking spot the moving truck ensuring a quick loading or unloading.
Be sure to apply for San Francisco moving permit in advance since it takes a few days for the permit to be processed especially if there is limited parking outside your home, apartment or condo. You have to apply for a permit with the SFMTA and the permit can be purchased once it is approved.
Whether you are moving to San Francisco with family or by yourself, the bottom line is, living in San Francisco can be fun when you have proper planning, a healthy sense of humor and the right movers to help you. After all your hard work, take the time to try out the local restaurants and bars in your area, or stroll to the neighborhood park.
Once you are settled in after your move in San Francisco, be sure to take in the beauty of the city around you and enjoy it thoroughly, you are home!
