A lot of people say that moving home is one of the most stressful experiences you will ever go through, short of arranging your wedding day. It’s simply not true – if you organize your activity and if you abide by a bit of a checklist, it can actually be a very simple process.
In this post we will run through some basic suggestions for what you should be doing and when you should be doing it.
Packing your possessions:
Moving is a great opportunity to start decluttering – you’ve spent years collecting insurmountable volumes of “stuff”, now is the single best opportunity to weed through all of it and throw out what you no longer need. Try and be brutal with this – it’s quite easy to be nostalgic about possessions, but ultimately the vast majority of possessions you own will simply occupy the same untouched space in your new home so really consider whether you need to take them with you.
By reducing your possessions, you will save on removal costs too, not to mention the time it takes to pack everything up.
Plan in advance: your choice of removal:
When it comes to moving your possessions you have two options: hire a van and do it yourself, or call in the professionals to do it for you. Needless to say, hiring the professionals will take a lot of the stress away, however if you choose to go down this route make sure you make contact with the removal company at least two weeks prior to your departure date. Secondly, call around for competing quotes – don’t simply rely that the first quote your source will be the best value (it’s also worth checking to make sure the removal company is a member of the British Association of Removers).
If you choose to go down the DIY route and move your possessions yourself, then evaluate just how best to do it – will one van be enough? Remember, if you book in advance you may be able to qualify for special two day hire van rates; much like hiring a professional removal company, it’s always worth browsing around.
Make sure you are insured:
Breakages can be common in the removals industry, so always make sure that the removal company you choose has insured your possessions – if you plan on doing the move yourself, make sure your precious items are covered by contents insurance.
It’s also worth noting that anything you pack i.e. the possessions you pack up yourself, may not be covered by the removal companies insurance – always check first.
Remove all distractions:
When it comes to packing your possessions and the day of the move, try and distance yourself from all distractions – it will make the job much easier. Ask a friend to look after your pets or children for the day and give yourself the entire day to make the move, don’t try and fit it in to your schedule.
Prepare the removal company:
It’s always advisable to prepare the removal company you are working with – make sure they know the layout of your new home in advance of the move. Give them scaled drawings to ensure that they know where everything goes when they arrive, this way you will save yourself a lot of work moving everything around when you arrive.
Lastly, prepare a full and comprehensive inventory of EVERYTHING you are moving – the last thing you want is for things to go missing, or left behind.
Moving home can be a high pressure activity, but ultimately the more you prepare in advance the less stressful it will be.
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