5 Tips for moving like a pro – I don’t know a single soul that actually likes moving or at least the process of moving. Below are tips that will at least lessen the blow of moving….
1/ Consult with your Real Estate Agent/Office and Conveyancer
I know this sounds blatantly obvious but I couldn’t tell you the amount of times I’ve seen a house that didn’t settle on time, or due to the sale and settlement of another property the days were pushed out, loan documents weren’t ready, or the previous tenant hasn’t left the house in the correct manner. This means that the moving day was up in the air.
It’s always best to check with the correct parties to ensure that all is on track leading up to the move day so you can gain access to the property. This will also save frustrations with removalists, tradies and family or friends helping.
2/ Pack like you are on holidays
Pack as if you’re going on holidays leaving ample clothes, toiletries, medication, any pet necessities (see moving with pets), food/water and cleaning goods. Having easy access to these items will ensure that if the move doesn’t go smoothly at least you can survive living around boxes a couple of days. This leads into…
3/ Be realistic and give yourself ample time
Don’t worry if you can’t unpack the whole house at once and you are living in boxes for the first week, give yourself the necessary time to unpack, after all you’re going be there long term.
Same can be said about prior to the move. Start packing a box or two each day spread out over a couple of weeks this will help spread the workload and won’t feel as daunting.
A handy tip is as you seal close the box, write the insides content on the outside of the box for quick reference. For example “kids toys, towels or kitchen utensils” – this will make your life easy when searching for that thing you have to have or when your kids are crying for a particular toy.
4/ Break up the load where you can
If you can, hire a company to do the bulk of the work. If not perhaps spread the actual move over the weekend or if you are fortunate enough to take holidays, then over a week. I know I personally like to get in and clean (yes I’m one of those) prior to even lifting a box, this means that once all my belongings are in I can concentrate on purely unpacking.
Also outsource or utilise services where ever you can (especially if they are free!). For example when changing over your utility connections you can arrange all you services like Gas, Electricity, Pay TV, Internet etc. (minus water as your conveyancer will do that for you) all “on the line” or “interwebs”. A couple of great companies are:
Connect Now www.connectnow.com.au
Direct Connect www.directconnect.com.au
Nowadays even Origin Energy have their own online connection tools. Also don’t forget to update you contact details!! For further planning tips see Change of Address Cheat Sheet.
5/ Make it an adventure!
My personal experience with moving; was as a child then into my teenage years, we moved 12 times due to my father’s work leading him all across Australia.
This lead to some great experiences and the one thing that always sticks in my mind is that my parents would always make it an adventure! We scheduled regular breaks, tried fun things along the way and didn’t sweat the small stuff, focusing on the new and exciting beginnings ahead.
After all, once you are settled in, the pain of moving is quickly forgotten and will become just a distant memory… who knows what new memories await to be written…
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