Buying a home or selling your own can be stressful. I know of a few people that have sold their homes this year and they’ve all uttered the same thing, “never again!”. With the market being strong now to buy and sell a home, I thought I would piece together the 5 things you need to get ready for a house move.
1) Make a list
It’s one of those things that can take some time, but by making a list you are doing two things; firstly you are making sure that you have everything covered off as much as possible. Secondly, you can start getting together a list of responsibilities for each particular job. The key is complete organisation, it allows you to not stress over anything that isn’t essential and prioritise the more important items first. Something you can’t forget when moving home is to make sure you have the correct home security. This is very important, especially if you have young children. Fast Keys have a range of security products for you to choose from and be as safe as possible. Have you considered a removals service? You should think about it, particularly if you have kids running around. You can get a lot from a dedicated removals service as they will be the people who can get you organised for the big move. You need to consider how much time you have around your job and your family, and you should also take into consideration how far you are moving. Sure, you can hire a van and do it yourself, but who has the time for that when you can call a moving company to help you out?
Most removal companies will even offer a packing service or a dismantling/rebuilding service. This will help you out if you have a lot to pack, you’re time-poor and you have some large pieces of furniture to bring down and put back up. Making a list of what you need from a removals company will also help you to choose the right one. Take the time to make a pros and cons list, too, so that you know what’s a priority for you and which removals companies out there will meet your needs. Your lists will keep you organised throughout the move and throughout choosing a new removals company – it’ll make all the difference.
Top Tip: Create a list on your phone or even better a shared spreadsheet and print it out and keep it in a folder, when something has been done, tick it off and mark as a different colour at the end of each evening when the job has been done.
2) Utilities & Change of Address
You will need to change your address on several documents as well as informing the police about your driving license and so on. So where do you start? There are a few areas that you would need to clear up as soon as possible, these are;
- Water
- Gas
- Electricity
Get your final readings and provide these to the utilities companies. Once you’ve done this, inform them that you will be moving to a new address. (You will need to do this about 1 week prior to moving). Following your utilities you will need to inform the following people;
- Insurance companies; car, home, personal
- Your employer
- DVLA for your licence
- Your bank and building society
Once you have covered all of these off, you need not worry. Your payments will always go out on time, but by having updated your address it keeps things easier should you ever need proof of identity or if you need a home visit by any utilities suppliers. You can then start working through other companies you have contact/contracts with.
3) Start boxing things up
It’s not the boxing up that is the problem, but it is keeping everything organised. This is where having a list can come in handy. You can coordinate your packing over a period of time, throughout the home and make sure that you have all the essentials packed away. The last place you want to pack up is the kitchen, however, you should have a spring clean at the start of the house move to see what perishable goods may need to be consumed for when you do move home at the start. Go to this page if you need a quote for removal services .
Top tip; Marker pens are your best friend, label each box on all sides with the marker pens and perhaps use different colours for different rooms to differentiate each box at first sight.
4) Plan ahead for kids or pets
When you’re moving home the likelihood is going to be that you will spend a good portion of one day getting heavy items into house and then into the new rooms. With this being the case the last thing you want to cramp your already stressful day is having any small children or pets under your feet; after all, you don’t want to trip or hurt anyone on moving day.
Top tip; See if you can get family or friends to look after the little ones or pets for the day and then collect them that evening.
5) Are you insured
So you will have informed your utilities and insurance providers of moving home, but have you covered yourself for actually moving home? One of the best things you can do in this case is actually check if they cover you for a house move. If not, most home insurance providers will add extra cover for the moving days to make sure that you are covered. (Even the most careful of people can scratch, damage or break the more valuable objects).
If your insurance company doesn’t cover you, use a price comparison site to get you the best quote for the day to get you covered for the moving period and take out the policy.
Top tip; Once you’ve moved, contact your insurance company and cancel the policy, or else you could be paying insurance out for a product you no longer need.
This is a partnered post, and i’ll be referring to it in the new year when we finally get to move!
Great list! The only thing I would add is have a massive, massive clear out beforeyou pack. Don’t shift all the junk from one place to another.
this is true! If only there was someone to do that job for me!