7 Easy Tips To Simplify Your Move Into A New Home
Moving is not something that’s reserved only for renters. Although they do move more often. Homeowners eventually have to do it, too. Moving to a new place takes organizing skills and patience to get right. If you don’t have them, or even if you do, we’ve lined up the best tips you can use to streamline your next move and easily get settled into your new home.
Are you selling your home? Have you found a new lease? If you’re about to start stressing about moving, don’t. Take the pressure out of moving into a new home with these best tips from our top London estate agents.
5 Weeks Before Your Move
Inform Institutions and People About Your Move
The first things you should start with are the ones that may take the longest to complete. And since the Post Office is not the most efficient tool in the box, getting your mail redirected is something you should consider weeks in advance.
Your new address must also be updated on your driving licence and vehicle registration and you will need to change the tax details you have registered with the local council. Banks should be on your list too. Update your details with them or with credit card and insurance companies to make sure no due payments slip under your radar.
Next, talk to your utility providers. Water, gas, and electricity providers should be notified of your move. Plus, you should also take date-stamped pictures of your meter readings to avoid any future debates on this issue.
All in all, notify all the companies you receive regular bills from as well as your GP and dentist. You can also inform your employer you may need some time off.
Get Removal Quotes
Shop around to find a removal company that suits your needs. There are plenty out there. Best practice is to get at least 3 options and choose the one that seems the most reasonable. Their offers should include insurance for any loss or damage.
Smaller companies may offer you better quotes than bigger names as they are struggling to gain more customers. If your budget is really tight, call on your friends and make sure they are available to help you drive everything back and forth.
Whatever you choose, check that there’s parking available at your new home. Leaving this to chance may prove to be a very bad idea.
Set Up New Contracts
Also shop around for offers from electricity and internet providers for your new home ahead of time. You’ll want to allow yourself enough time to compare pros and cons and make the best decision because these are costs you will be paying for a long time. However, don’t use up all of this period to ponder. Make a decision soon enough to have the contracts set up by the time you move in.
2 Weeks Before Your Move
Declutter
Decluttering is perhaps the most underrated action to take before a move. But our estate agents know it’s one of the most important because they’ve seen so many people struggling to move everything they have into a new home only to discover they could have discarded half of it.
Start decluttering plenty of time in advance. It will not only give you a chance to get rid of stuff you no longer need. It will also help you visualise and organize the stuff you do need to take with you. Not to mention that it will save you money on your removal services.
We all forget about half of the things we have stored away in the loft, the garage, or the cupboards. Go through everything and make piles of what can go to the bin or to goodwill and what must go with you.
Start Packing and Storing
Removal companies can supply the boxes and even pack for you. But if you want to do this yourself, you can easily get boxes from your local supermarkets or shops or buy them online.
The first things that should go into your moving boxes are the things you won’t need for a few weeks before and after your move. Things like your snowboarding gear or fancy suits and dresses. Or seasonal wear. You won’t be needing them for sure in the middle of a relocation.
Put everything in its own box and label them. It will make things easier for you when you have to unpack. You can box things by category or by room. Whichever way works as long as you can easily find them when you get to your new home. Don’t stuff the boxes and tape them well to avoid losing anything.
If there are a lot of things you can’t categorize, make a box for them and you’ll figure it out later.
Right Before Your Move
Gather Important Information About the New Home
When you move, you’ll also need to focus on the new home, not only the old one. Make sure you have all the information you need about it. Like instructions for the alarm and the boiler. Order any new furniture and accessories you may be needing in advance and take the necessary measurements. Also get the keys or arrange to have them there when you arrive.
The Final Steps
You can start consuming the food you have in the fridge and the snacks you have in the cupboards ahead of time. It will save you the hassle of buying food for a while and of moving them when it’s time to go.
Leave a box or a bag of essentials out when you pack and keep it handy. You will need to have your medication, an overnight bag with clothes and toiletries, and the tea kettle. You will also need bedding and towels. Throw in some snacks while you’re at it. You’ll surely want to nibble on something as you unpack.
Once you’ve finished packing, do a last tour of the house. Clean it up the best you can and close all the windows and doors. Make sure you leave all the keys and instructions for the new resident and you take everything you need with you to the new house. Like the keys to it or your car.
