7 Things to Clean Before the Moving into Your Apartment

When I’m not busy blogging about my love for Texas, I also work as a real estate agent. In addition to helping people find homes, I help the occasional client with apartment locating. Moving into a new apartment is exciting and a new adventure. If you have already signed the lease, packed up your belongings and hired a moving company, there is just one more thing for you to do — give your apartment a thorough cleaning before you move in. Here are seven items that you’ll want to freshen up.

1. Scrub the Cabinets

Before you place your cups, plates, and glasses into the kitchen cabinets, you need to wash the inside shelves. Hot water should remove most of the dirt and debris, but if see any tough stains, try using a small amount of baking soda combined with water and gently scrub. After cleaning, line the inside with contact paper.

2. Tackle the Fridge

A cleaning crew has already completed some cleaning on the refrigerator after the last tenants moved out. However, they probably did not give the fridge a deep, thorough cleaning. You might as well tackle this challenge now since you don’t have any food stocked. Remove all the drawers and shelves and wipe them down. Spray the inside of the fridge with disinfectant and scrub the walls.

3. Scour the Shower or Bathtub

Germs live in all types of environments, especially the bathroom. Even if the shower or bathtub looks clean, it really needs to be washed with some extra care. To do a proper job, take some kosher salt, baking soda and borax and sprinkle all three in equal parts all over the area that you are cleaning. Next, take a damp sponge and lightly scrub (Make sure that these abrasives are not scratching any surfaces by testing a small patch first.)

4. Run the Dishwasher

Another item that you want to clean is the dishwasher. You can freshen it up by placing one cup of vinegar on the top shelf and running a full cycle through at the highest heat setting that is possible. Your next step is to place a few small spoonsful of baking soda on the bottom rack and run a short cycle at the highest heat setting one more time. This will leave your dishwasher smelling fresh and ready for your dirty dishes and utensils.

5. Sanitize the Garbage Disposal

Your garbage disposal has an important job in the kitchen. It constantly clears small food particles and sends them out of your apartment. Unfortunately, the inner depths of the garbage disposal can start to smell a little funky. The remedy is to take a small lemon wedge and toss it inside the disposal. Run hot water through the pipes and turn on the switch to get a disposal humming. Add some dish soap and continue running water for another 30 seconds.

6. Disinfect Areas You Frequently Touch

There’s no telling how many individuals have touched the doorknobs and light switches in your apartment. These touch points can contain nasty bacteria. Be sure to wipe down any touch points that you frequently put your hands on such as thermostat knobs, oven switches or alarm pads.

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7. Bathroom Exhaust Fan Cleaning

Often, this item slips by and never receives a cleaning. Over time, lint can collect in a bathroom exhaust fan. When this occurs, it presents a possible fire hazard. To remedy the problem, just take a can of air and apply a few bursts to the inside of the fan. This should remove any lint that is sitting there.

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Top Ten Reasons Moving to San Antonio is a Great Idea

If you love affordable living with the convenience of the big city at your fingertips, there’s no better place to be than San Antonio. A city is known for its vibrant culture, arts scene, authentic Mexican cuisine, and low cost of living, San Antonio is home to nearly 1.4 million inhabitants. I teamed up with my friends at San Antonio to come up with our list of the top 10 reasons so many people decide to call San Antonio home.

1. Big City Living Without the Big City Feel

While San Antonio is the country’s 7th largest city, it doesn’t have the traffic and congestion of mega-metropolises like Los Angeles. San Antonio has 14 unique neighborhoods, each with something different to offer residents. Downtown San Antonio boasts shopping and famous attractions like the Alamo while Southtown has dozens of art galleries and restaurants. No matter what you’re into, there’s sure to be a neighborhood that suits your taste.

2. Low Cost of Living

Despite being one of the ten largest cities in the United States, San Antonio boasts a low cost of living. The city has a cost of living index of just 92, eight points below the national average, according to Sperling’s Best Places for several factors including groceries, health care, housing, utilities, and miscellaneous living expenses.

3. Affordable Real Estate

While the national median home price is just over $212,000, the average home in San Antonio is almost $30,000 less. According to Fortune Builders, a real estate development company in Texas, the average home in San Antonio is just $184,200. Home prices in the city have appreciated more than 20% over the last three years thanks to high demand, strong employment, and strong job growth of 2.5% over the last year.

4. Excellent Education Opportunities

San Antonio is a major education hub in Texas with 31 colleges and universities that serve more than 100,000 students. San Antonio is home to the famous Texas A&M University-San Antonio campus along with other public universities like the University of Health Science Center at San Antonio, and the University of Texas at San Antonio. The city also has everything from art schools and community colleges to private schools like Trinity University.

5. Affordable Rentals

While apartments and other rentals are increasingly in demand, rent for San Antonio residents remains affordable. In more than 75% of San Antonio neighborhoods, median rent is just $950, which is substantially lower than the national average of $1,300.

6. Strong Employment Opportunities

The job market has improved nationwide, but nowhere is this more apparent than Texas. San Antonio has a strong economy thanks in large part to its military bases, banking industry, oil & gas production, and medical centers. Like the rest of Texas, San Antonio survived the 2008 housing collapse and recession largely unscathed. Today, San Antonio attracts many young professionals looking to being their careers in a variety of fields.

7. Delicious Local Cuisine

San Antonio isn’t just famous for the Alamo; locals are quick to point out the city’s famous barbacoa, a slow-cooked, Mexican-style meat. Barbacoa is a staple ingredient at San Antonio’s popular (and abundant) Tex-Mex and Mexican restaurants. Gobble up local flavor while you sip on margaritas at Alamo Cafe and Rosario’s Mexican Cafe Y Cantina.

8. Rich History

San Antonio has a rich history extending well before the Alamo, but the namesake Battle of the Alamo that took place in this historic structure, may be the most commonly known tidbit of San Antonio history. The former Roman Catholic mission still stands today in the heart of downtown San Antonio, but history buffs won’t want to miss out on also exploring four other 18th century missions in the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park.

9. Low Taxes

Your money definitely goes further in Texas. Along with low rent and home prices, San Antonio offers business tax incentives and lower taxes for residents. Additionally, Texas is one of just 7 states with no personal state income tax. In fact, only five states have a lower individual tax burden than Texas!

10. There’s Always Something to Do

San Antonio locals love enjoying the city’s warm weather year-round with dozens of major events to attend. Enjoy free attendance to the San Antonio Museum of Art every Sunday, then head to the park for a free Fitness in the Park Bootcamp every Monday. The first Friday of every month is First Friday, with art gallery openings and art events throughout the city. Every spring, the city also hosts Fiesta, a citywide celebration with over 100 events and 3 parades that has been held every year since 1891.

There are so many things to love about the city of San Antonio and this post doesn’t come close to covering all of them. You’ll have to come see for yourself why moving to San Antonio is an easy decision!

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