This is a Content Corner guest article. Learn more here. This article was provided by Apartment Insiders.

Welcome to Nashville, Tennessee! A city rich in history and full of life, with a culture centered around the entertainment industry. With so much to offer, it’s no wonder Nashville is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. If you’re new to town and moving into your first Nashville apartment, we’ve rounded up the top tips for making that move as seamless as possible since our job is to take the stress out of people’s apartment searches every day.

1. Timing is everything

If you can help it, opting for the best time to move will make all of the difference during the process – not only the season but also the time of day and day of the week.

Choose shoulder seasons or cooler periods, rather than months prone to higher temperatures like mid-July and August. If you can’t help the time of year when you’re looking to make a move, consider doing the bulk of the work during cooler times, such as morning or evening. Save the hotter times of day for unpacking in your air-conditioned apartment.

You’ll also want to avoid moving on a Friday when you can. Should something go wrong, shops and banks might be closed or have odd hours on the weekend.

2. Hire help

The process of moving and leaving one place behind while simultaneously settling into a new one is incredibly stressful. Hiring movers will help alleviate unnecessary stress and allow you to focus on the things that matter most.

There are plenty of cost-effective moving companies that will help you move across state lines or within a geographical area, but perhaps none as cost-effective as your loved ones. Friends and family are usually more than happy to assist during major life changes like your first apartment in the city! If you’re having trouble finding volunteers, a little bribery might do the trick. Offer cold beverages and a warm meal at the end of the day, and you’re bound to get some helpers.

3. Perfect the layout before the move

Save yourself a headache and plan where everything will be before you get to the new apartment. If your soon-to-be apartment community provides a floorplan online, consider all of your items and create a general outline of where everything will go when you arrive. Then pack accordingly and effectively.

This step is handy if you have extra hands helping you out. Having everything preplanned, you can avoid late-night reshuffling after moving in, saving yourself from extra work. This step is also helpful when it comes to your boxes. By labeling each box with the room it will be in, according to your new floor plan, you skip the step of figuring out what is what and where it goes later on.

4. Pack a go-bag

There’s nothing worse than moving into a new place and not knowing where anything is when you need it. Especially true if it’s your first time in a new city, you’ll want to be sure you have everything you need for those first few days.

Be sure when packing your old place, you create a “go bag” with all of the necessities for the first few days, including medication, snacks, change of clothes, toothbrushes, as well as your computer and charger. Then, keep that bag with you and safe at all times during the move in case anything goes wrong. Because let’s face it, part of the reason moving is so stressful is that so many things go wrong!

5. Schedule some time off

You’re moving to Nashville, TN, one of the best cities in the country – you deserve to celebrate! There’s a reason you chose this city to be your new home, so schedule some time during the moving process to relax and explore a bit.

Those half-full moving boxes will still be there the next day, week, or even month (shh, we won’t tell), but you can always get back to unpacking. So, don’t feel guilty for taking off a couple of hours or an afternoon as you continue to settle into the city. Little breaks here and there will help you preserve your sanity during the moving process.

Final thoughts

Music City offers plenty to do and an abundance of charm, roping in visitors and hopeful residents year-round. But moving, no matter the place, does come with its fair share of stress. With that being said, it doesn’t need to be the worst experience of your life, either. With these helpful tips, your move to Nashville can be a positive, potentially fun experience too. After all, this is a major life change – take it easy and enjoy the process!