{"id":522,"date":"2026-06-17T15:38:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T15:38:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.mydecortrade.com\/?p=522"},"modified":"2026-06-17T15:38:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T15:38:50","slug":"i-was-scared-and-happy-at-the-same-time-fays-first-apartment-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms.mydecortrade.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/17\/i-was-scared-and-happy-at-the-same-time-fays-first-apartment-story\/","title":{"rendered":"I Was Scared and Happy at the Same Time”. Fay’s First Apartment Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

#Space Notes ep1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 21, Fay made a decision many young people dream about but few make early: getting a place of her own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A student, singer-songwriter, and social media manager based in Lagos, she recently moved into a self-contained apartment after previously attempting to live independently. While the move represented freedom and personal growth, it also came with lessons about planning, moving services, budgeting, and adapting to life alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We spoke with Fay about her experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell us a bit about yourself. What kind of apartment did you move into, and what prompted the move?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hi, I’m Fay. I’m 21 years old and I live in Lagos. I’m a student, singer-songwriter, and social media manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I moved into a self-contained apartment. I had actually tried living alone before, but it didn’t work out at the time. I was living with my sister and eventually decided I wanted my own space, so when the opportunity came again, I took it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was going through your mind when you first got the keys to the new place?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Honestly, I was scared and happy at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was happy because I finally got what I wanted; my own personal space. But I was also scared because living as a young woman alone in Lagos can be intimidating. Most women I know live with friends or family, partly because of safety concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was also scared of the responsibility. Once you’re on your own, there’s nobody to fall back on when things get difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was the first thing you noticed about the apartment that made you excited or nervous?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What excited me most was actually how quiet and tucked away it was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The apartment is in a community that’s quite difficult to locate, and I liked that. I’m very introverted, so I loved the idea of being somewhere peaceful and unreachable most of the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, that was also what made me nervous. I was far away from everyone, and that feeling came with mixed emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What part of moving or settling in turned out to be harder than you expected?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Finding a moving company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn’t have a lot of belongings, but I still needed people to move my things safely. It was difficult finding people I could trust because most moving companies ask for deposits upfront.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The process was also much more expensive than I expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you work with any artisans, movers, or vendors? What was that experience like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I worked with a moving company to transport my belongings, but I handled setting up the apartment myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The experience wasn’t perfect. We agreed on a price before the move, and I gave them my exact location. But halfway through the journey, they increased the amount they were charging because they claimed the location was farther than they expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remember wondering what would have happened if I couldn’t afford the extra amount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hire Reliable movers and Artisans<\/p>\n\n\n\n

visit mydecortrade.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was there a moment during the process where something went wrong?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Definitely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were repairs that were supposed to be completed before I moved in. Some bathroom issues and part of my kitchen cabinet needed fixing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was told everything would be sorted once payment was made, but after paying, nothing was fixed. Eventually, I had to start figuring out how to handle those things myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was the first thing you bought, changed, or arranged that made the apartment feel personal?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My bed and my curtains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once I arranged my bed properly and hung my curtains, the apartment finally started feeling like my own space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything else was a bonus after that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you have a clear vision for how you wanted the space to look?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes, absolutely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I already know exactly how I want my future home to look. The only challenge is budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right now, this apartment is more of a building phase for me. I’m growing, learning, and doing what I can with what I have. Eventually I’ll create the space I truly envision, but that will probably happen in a bigger home later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back, what would you do differently if you had to move again?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I would plan much earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would spend more time researching service providers and making sure I was working with professionals. I would also invest more in quality furniture and items from the start instead of buying things that may need replacing later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nothing beats proper planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn’t really plan as much as I should have, and because of that, the process became overwhelming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did this moving experience teach you about creating a comfortable home?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It taught me to invest in comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re buying something important for your home, buy something that will serve you well for years if you can afford it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also taught me to be very careful about who you allow into your home and who you choose to work with. There are honest professionals, but there are also people looking to take advantage of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most importantly, it taught me to plan better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If someone was moving into a new apartment tomorrow, what’s one thing you’d tell them?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pay attention to the details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If possible, inspect the apartment during the rainy season. Ask questions about the area. Speak to people around the neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was fortunate that flooding doesn’t affect my apartment, but that’s something I didn’t properly consider before moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, work with a trustworthy agent and verify everything yourself. Don’t assume every fee or charge you’re given is fixed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take your time, do your research, and don’t let excitement stop you from asking important questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Fay, moving into her first apartment wasn’t just about changing addresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was about independence, responsibility, and learning that creating a home is a process. One that takes patience, planning, and sometimes a few hard-earned lessons along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get first apartment tips and guides from us<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sign Up to our Newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

#Space Notes ep1 At 21, Fay made a decision many young people dream about but few make early: getting a place of her own. A student, singer-songwriter, and social media manager based in Lagos, she recently moved into a self-contained apartment after previously attempting to live independently. While the move represented freedom and personal growth, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-whats-new"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.mydecortrade.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.mydecortrade.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.mydecortrade.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.mydecortrade.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.mydecortrade.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=522"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms.mydecortrade.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":524,"href":"https:\/\/cms.mydecortrade.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522\/revisions\/524"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.mydecortrade.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.mydecortrade.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.mydecortrade.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.mydecortrade.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}