Moving into a new house can be simultaneously one of the most stressful and rewarding experiences of your life. The house move itself is incredibly stressful, but the benefit is that it means that you can settle into a new chapter of your life.
Whether you’re moving into the home of your dreams, or this next property is a stepping stone in your journey, you still have to deal with the same moving process. This guide will help you to handle each step so that you can relax as soon as possible.
Buying and Selling Properties
Once you’ve found the property that you want to move into, the next step is to contact the buyers and work through the process of buying the property. If you own your existing property, then you will likely have to simultaneously sell your current home, adding another layer of complication.
You should involve a real estate agent and a property lawyer as soon as possible in the process. Your real estate agent can manage the sale of your current property and help you to find a new one. They can even help you to coordinate the sales so that things can move as smoothly as possible.
Your attorney can help you with the paperwork and get in touch with the other attorneys potentially involved in the sale. They can make sure that everything is above board so that you don’t make any mistakes that could lead to legal issues further down the road.
You also need to figure out how you can fund the house purchase. If you’re selling a property at the same time, the proceeds from that sale can pay for the new house, or at least put a dent in the cost. However, most people will still need to take out a mortgage.
Talk to your mortgage broker before getting involved in the sale, so that you can figure out what can afford. Then, be prepared to keep in touch with them through each step of the process. Once everything is in motion, one thing you need to do is to establish the moving date as early as possible. Once you know when the moving date is, you can better plan for it.
Start Early
One mistake that many people make when moving house is to leave everything for the last week, then suddenly have to deal with everything all at once. This will mean that your week becomes incredibly stressful. Not only that, but you could open yourself up to errors or other issues that could end up delaying the move.
Once you know the moving date, you should ideally have at least a month or two to prepare. You can start planning before you know the exact date, as long as you’re sure that the sale will go through.
Buying and selling houses can be a drawn-out process, especially if sales fall through due to money troubles or other issues. Buyers and sellers can change their minds for a variety of reasons, so you should be ready to be flexible. This can often be no fault of yours. Hopefully, if your lawyers are dealing with things and the mortgages have gone through, things will progress as they should.
In any case, the sooner you can start packing and preparing your property, the better. Knowing the moving date will make it easier for you to book days off work, as well as any other services that you want to help you with the move.
Packing Your Belongings
One step that everyone is aware of is packing your belongings. Rather than saving all of the packing up for the last week, it’s best to start packing your non-essential items early. First, be sure to invest in quality boxing and packing materials.
This is especially important if you’re dealing with valuable, heavy, or fragile items. You can often use cardboard boxes from deliveries and newspaper paper, but make sure that the boxes are sturdy. If boxes have been used a few times, they can start to tear and you risk the box breaking as you try to move it. Make sure that the load isn’t too heavy for the box.
Another benefit of dedicated moving boxes is that they often have handles to make carrying them easier. You can also get them in a variety of sizes, so you can pack them accordingly. A large box full of small, heavy items (like books) is impractical compared to several small or medium boxes.
Pack room by room and start with non-essential items, especially if you’re packing well in advance. When packing your clothes, pack everything except for a couple of weeks’ worth. True, living out of a suitcase for a week or two isn’t exactly fun, but it does make the final move much less stressful.
Storing Your Belongings
If you start packing early, you might wonder where you’ll put a lot of these boxes now cluttering your home. If you have a spare room or a garage, then you could store them there and keep them relatively safe and out of the way. However, many people don’t have this option.
Another way to keep your belongings safe is to use self storage. A storage unit can hold everything that you don’t need until it comes to the final move. Then, you can pick up the items from the storage unit and deliver them directly to your new property.
By getting some of your belongings out of the way in advance, you make the rest of the packing and moving process so much easier. Not only are you getting the work done early, saving yourself time and energy closer to the moving day, but you’re giving yourself more room in your current home.
Children and Pets
Young children and pets can, unfortunately, be something of a liability when it comes to the big move. If you have older children, you can send them to school during the day and hopefully most of the work will be done by the time they get back. Depending on their age, they can even help with the moving process.
Get your children to pack up their bedrooms and keep them involved and informed. Moving is always a stressful time for children, especially if you’re moving away from family and friends. However, if they’re able to understand what’s going on, it’s easier for them to adjust.
Young children won’t have to worry about leaving friends behind, but they also won’t understand what’s happening. This can be incredibly stressful for them, especially as you aren’t able to give them the same measure of attention they’re used to. The moving day can even be dangerous, as they might get in the way while you’re busy.
The same thing applies to pets. Most pets will get stressed during the big move. In most cases, it’s best to send young children and pets on a holiday of their own. Ask friends and family to take them for the day, so that you can concentrate on moving. If you can’t do that, then find a daycare or boarding service.
Moving Services
When moving everything from one property to another, you will usually need a lot more than your two hands and your little car. If you try to move on your own, it will take ages to get everything done.
First, you need to consider large furniture. You will likely at least need to hire a van to get your larger furniture into your new house. A large moving van should be able to hold your furniture as well as other items. The fewer trips you have to make, the better it will be for you and your wallet. After all, every trip costs petrol.
As well as making sure that you have an appropriate vehicle, you should consider having more people there to help you to make the move. You can ask friends and family to help you here as well, but make sure that you at least reward them with a takeout for their efforts.
Another option is to use a moving company to help you. They provide a van, as well as removal professionals who can safely and efficiently move your belongings from one place to another. This way, the whole process is more likely to get done as smoothly and quickly as possible.
Cleaning Up and Settling In
The final step is to clean up your new home, unpack, and settle in. This can be a huge task, so work room by room and make sure that it’s liveable. Focus on getting the bedrooms ready to sleep in before the first night. The other most important room is the kitchen, the sooner that’s ready to go, the better.
Everything doesn’t need to be perfect right away, but as long as the beds are ready, you can deal with getting everything just right in the days to come. Eventually, your property will transform from a house to your home.
*contributed post*
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