5 TIPS FOR MOVING INTO YOUR FIRST HOME
For many people, moving into their first home is an exciting time. There is a lot to remember, which adds to the excitement. We’ve put together a list to help make moving into your first home a whole lot smoother.
1. Get to know the neighbourhoods beforehand
Getting to know your future home town is a good idea well in advance. It’s a good idea to find out the differences, pros and cons of the neighbourhoods well before you move in. You should start by thinking about what is most important to you and what you might be prepared to compromise on. Is it the location in the city centre, in the centre of services, or perhaps a library nearby? Do you enjoy the jogging trails from your doorstep or is it important to have as short a journey to the campus as possible? You can find out more about the different neighbourhoods in Lahti by watching videos on our website.
Lahti has suitable neighbourhoods for many different needs, and LOK + Lahden Talot homes can be found in good locations throughout the city. For example, in the Ahtiala, Hennala and Pirttiharju residential areas, nature opens up right from the front door. In Paavola and the Keskusta area, you can enjoy the proximity of services and the ease of city centre life.
If you’re looking for a lakeside setting, check out the homes in Jalkaranta, Kartano or Möysä. For those who appreciate excellent transport connections, the right address is in Asemantausta, and for those who love sports and staying active it’s in Laune. The Hollola and Nastola areas offer a village atmosphere and soothing forest landscapes.
2. Choose your type of home!
Once you’ve identified your favourite areas, it’s time to find your ideal home. LOK + Lahden Talot has over 7 200 apartments, with options to suit every lifestyle. The first thing to consider when choosing a home is the type of housing: would you prefer to live in an apartment block or do you prefer the peace and quiet of a terraced or semi-detached house?
Special needs and wishes of students are particularly well taken into account. For example, all the apartments in the wood-frame student house in Svinhufvudinkatu are comfortable studio apartments and the homes are built with high-quality, durable and timeless materials. The building also has multifunctional spaces for socialising. There are also shared apartments for students, where you can share a home with friends as well as your study equipment.
3. Remember the contracts
Be sure to update your electricity contract, insurance and move notification at your new address. The move is also a good time to compete for contracts, so it’s a good idea to start looking at contracts well in advance of the actual moving day. As a tenant of LOK + Lahden Talot, your rent includes free internet access, so you’ll be connected from day one.
You also have access to many tenant’s benefits. For example, you can get a home from LOK + Lahden Talo without a security deposit, which will certainly ease the burden on many people’s budgets.
4. Make your home your own
Once you’ve found the right apartment and signed the lease, it’s time to make your home your own. A variety of personal choices, objects, flea market finds, use of colours and patterns in the interior design will bring out your personality.
A home should feel like a home – that’s why LOK + Lahden Talot offers a free interior design kit. The kit includes a wide range of paints and wallpapers to help you personalise the surfaces of your home.
Your home should also have a good atmosphere. LOK + Lahden Talot wants to increase the comfort of living by investing in the quality of living, which is reflected, for example, in the choice of materials for new buildings – spacious and functional floor plans, vinyl tile floors and laminate kitchen surfaces bring comfort to everyday life. In addition, the apartments in the newest houses feature induction cookers, dishwashers and shared washing and drying rooms. In addition to newest houses, Lahden Talo also regularly renovates older properties. In the basic renovation projects, all surfaces in the apartments are renewed and the equipment level is raised to the same level as in the new projects.
5. Time to get to know your new neighborhood
Now that the move is finally complete, it is time to get to know your new neighborhood! Good neighbourly relations often make living there even more enjoyable. Lahden Talot has almost 60 tenant committees, which look after the affairs of their own building and also come up with ideas for improvements such as planting, yard furniture or new activities in the shared club rooms. The committees also organise events for residents.
It is also worth looking carefully at your own garden and its potential. For several summers now, tenants of Lahden Talot have had the opportunity to try urban gardening using planter boxes brought into the courtyards of their homes. This summer, Lahden Talot will once again provide its residents with planting equipment and tools for growing a variety of plants.
Cycling or skiing is a great way to explore the area around your home. Grab a Lahti Mankeli city bike or take to the streets on your own scooter and you’ll instantly get a map of local services, convenience stores, forest trails and the best picnic spots!
