There are two ways that you can feel about an imminent move to a new house: excitement for the thought of starting a new life there or dread for all the moving-related work that needs doing. Common sources of stress from the latter sentiment include getting all your things packed, making sure nothing is lost or damaged, retaining all your essential services, and making the property presentable to its next owner. All the while, you’ll be worried about whether you’ll survive the move, and whether the new occupant of your old home will be as happy there as you were.
Fret not as there are a few things that you can do to make the task of moving houses easier on you. These have to do with planning ahead, being extra careful about handling your possessions, and gradually achieving the same quality of life in your new house. Here are seven tips that you can follow so that the move will inspire more joy than stress!
Schedule
Schedule everything about the move as far ahead as possible. Contact your movers, cleaners, and home renovators as many weeks ahead as possible so that they will know which dates to work around. The more work you leave to the last minute, the more stressed you may get—and the higher the chance that something about the moving process will be overlooked.
Hire a removal service
For help clearing the property of rubbish, hire professional waste removal services. Before a new resident starts living on your property, you’ll, of course, want to do them the courtesy of leaving it clean. If you anticipate needing to dispose of large amounts of rubbish, hire a rubbish removal contractor. They’re the ones best equipped to help you clean large volumes of rubbish from the property.
Organized packing
Pack your things in an organized manner, and label everything that’s going into the boxes. It would help to sort and label similar items together, e.g., designating boxes for books, toys, clothing, and appliances. Pay attention to where fragile or breakable items are going and label them accordingly. This is so that your hired movers will know which group of items to treat with special care, and that none of your belongings will be damaged while they’re in transit.
Keep records
Keep records of what’s going in and out of the house. Ask your household members to help you do a quick inventory of your possessions, like tallying items from a certain room on a piece of paper while they’re being loaded into the trucks. That way, you can account for everything you need to take with you—and ensure that none of your items get lost during the move.
Sell or donate Items
Sell off, donate, or give away items that you no longer need. When moving houses, pack as light as possible. Offer items that you no longer use—or can easily replace—to people that they can serve better. Your moving away may be the perfect occasion to schedule a garage sale, a visit to a charity organization, or a trip to your local recycling center.
Notify service providers
Update your home service providers to let them know you’re moving somewhere else. Whoever provides your Internet, water, or electricity services should know that you’re changing addresses. The same goes for e-commerce sites from which you buy goods. This is so that they can continue providing the same services, as well as deliver bills and items correctly to your new home. If the change of address makes it less convenient for you to transact with them, enlist with new service providers as soon as possible.
Help the family adjust
Support your family through this big milestone. Don’t forget that moving away from home takes an emotional toll, and can even be traumatizing for some. Young children, the elderly, and pets, for example, may take a long time to adjust to a new neighborhood and way of life. Comfort them, continue the habits that you kept up in your old house, and see how else you can make them feel more “at home” in your new place of residence.
Conclusion
The journey to your new home—and your brand-new way of life—requires a lot of preparation. It’s a given that you’ll cycle between feeling very excited, feeling very stressed, or experiencing both sentiments at the same time. Staying on top of your preps will afford you a sense of peace about your move. You will have a sense of control over everything you need to accomplish. Once you have both, moving houses will seem like less of a trouble and more of the great milestone that you hoped it would be!