Moving house has often been described as one of the most stressful things you can do in your life, especially if you’re moving to another country. As well as having to go through the process of buying or renting a new house, you’ve got to essentially pack up your whole life and take it somewhere else.
While it’s always going to be somewhat stressful, if you plan your move properly, you can cut down on this stress. Here are a few ways to make your house move much easier.
1. Budget For the Moving Costs
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. It’s an old saying, but it holds true when you think about any aspect of your life, including a big job like moving a house. If you’ve bought a new home, you might be familiar with some of the hidden costs of a property purchase.
As well as the new house itself, you will also need to pay realtor’s fees, legal fees, and, depending on whether you buy your new house before selling your old one, you might have to pay extra tax on both properties.
You should start planning and saving for this as soon as you decide to move house. If possible, you should time the moving days so that you can sell your house almost as soon as you move out, which can take some planning. Often, you might have a few days or a week of carryover, and in some cases, you might have to put your belongings in storage for a short time until you can move into the new house.
This is obviously expensive and stressful, but it’s why it’s important to get the moving dates sorted as soon as possible. It’s also worth looking up other options and keeping them in your back pocket so that, if something happens, you’re ready for it.
2. Packing Your Belongings
Once you have the moving day sorted, you can start packing. This is also a great opportunity to clear out your belongings and get rid of clutter, as you can do this while packing and decide what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of.
If you’re not sure, then think about unpacking it in your new home. If you haven’t used an item for a long time and it’s something you can do without, consider selling it or giving it away. If it’s literal junk, just chuck it.
Packing can take a while, so start in advance. Pack non-essential items first and pack on a room-by-room basis. Make sure to label everything properly so you know it can be unpacked easily.
3. Children and Pets
If you have children or pets, it might be worth getting them to stay elsewhere on the day of the move. While older children can help pack and carry things, younger children might need more care than you can provide, and they could also get hurt or get in the way.
Friends and family can be a great help because they can look after your kids or any pets that might get stressed during the moving process. You can then move them into their new home once you’ve finished.
4. Hiring Movers and Help
Moving house is a massive undertaking, and it’s especially difficult to do alone. While friends and family can also lend a bit of muscle power, you might not be able to ask enough people to get the job done. Also, you are still risking someone getting hurt or your items being damaged.
It’s often a better option to hire professional movers. As well as the skills and experience of moving lots of houses, they also have the vehicles and lifting equipment required to transport your belongings from one place to another.
5. Settling In
Finally, you need to think about the last step, which is settling into your new home. If possible, give it a spring clean before you unpack everything, as you will be able to access different parts of the house more easily.
If you packed properly and labeled everything, unpacking will be easier. The movers should have moved your furniture and the boxes to the right rooms so you can just unpack things and put them away.
As always, start with the essentials first. You can make your house look nice over the next few days, but you need to prioritize getting the big things and the important things where they need to be.
