7 Steps To A Stress-Free Move

When our clients buy a new house, they are very excited. They plan and visualize every room, and build a mental picture of their daily life in the new house. But the part they don’t like, is packing and moving. Moving is stressful, especially if you have a large household. To make our client’s transition smooth, into their new house, we recommend a few steps:

Before you Move

Step 1: Decide a date that you plan to move. Make sure you haven’t planned anything else on that day. Moving can take longer than you think. Start looking at the professional movers in your area & book in advance. Inform the purchaser who bought your home and the previous owner of your new home, about your move date. Contact us to help you coordinate.

Source: Area Texas Realty

Step 2: Once you have finalized the move date, four weeks from then, start notifying the service providers that you will be moving soon and provide the date to forward or terminate the services.

A brief list of the services you need to consider are:
• Newspaper delivery
• Milk delivery
• Telephone
• Internet
• Cable
• Gas
• Electricity
• Water

Also, fill out change of address forms for:
• Bank
• Credit card companies, i.e. visa, diners, fuel cards
• Post office for redirection of mail
• Registrar of electors (at Post Office)
• Registrar of motor vehicles & driver’s license
• Tax department
• Insurance companies (house, contents, car, health etc)
• Hire purchase or finance company
• Investment companies
• Local council
• Shops where you may have charge cards
• Clubs and organisations
• Police (if you own and store firearms)
• Friends
• Relatives
• Publications you subscribe to
• Doctor
• Dentist
• Church
• Accountant
• Think who else sends you mails, maybe even once a year.

Step 3: You have finalized the Movers and you are three weeks away from moving to your new place. Start taking inventory of your belongings, their worth and what things you would take to your new house.

Step 4: You are two weeks away and you are excited. You have already planned the colors of the walls, the curtains and the furniture. But you still haven’t moved out, so packing would look like a mountain, especially if you haven’t taken the full services of packing and moving services.

Figure out the logistics and organize everything

• Obtain a supply of boxes from places like the supermarket
• Obtain packaging tape and heavy marker pens
• Arrange for a furniture removal van
• Arrange transit insurance
• Arrange for care of your children on moving
• Make suitable arrangements for any pets
• Arrange contents and fire insurance for your new home. Talk to your Move Realty consultant regarding this.
• Remind and confirm the moving date with the purchaser of your old property and the previous owner of your new one.

Schedule “move out” cleaning service, carpet cleaners and heavy appliance disposal if necessary.

Step 5: You are one week away from moving. Make sure you set aside a ‘moving day’ box, clearly marked, so you are not sifting through boxes on move day, searching for your slippers and clothes when you arrive at your new place. Include all basics you will need for your first 48 hours as a new home occupant.

Source: www.upad.co.uk

Everyone loves to move into a well maintained clean home. So, before leaving your existing house, make sure you leave it spick ‘n span.

Remember to:
• Clean the stove
• Defrost the fridge/freezer
• Tidy the yard
• Ensure that the chattels that have been sold with the property aren’t accidentally packed
• Disconnect all appliances
• Disconnect the TV aerial
• Return any borrowed items
• Throw out items that you don’t intend taking with you (organise garage sales)
• List valuable items for special care when moving
• Advise removal company of dangerous goods being moved i.e. ammunition, petrol, spirits, chemicals
• Securely pack all jewellery, money, special documents and papers (i.e. legal, tax, insurance etc)
• Set aside items you will need on the day of the move so you can take them with you, e.g. food, drinks, cleaning products
• Pack each room leaving the boxes stacked and labelled with the room they are to be moved to i.e. kitchen. It is a good idea to write on each box a list of its general content
• Boxes containing breakables label ‘FRAGILE’ and identify these items to your removal people
• Pot and pack away plants and cuttings you are taking with you
• Explain your packing procedure to the removal people and be at your new home when they arrive

Don’t:
• Put breakables or liquid filled containers in drawers
• Overload drawers and make furniture too heavy to shift (too much weight can damage furniture)
• Move netting, barbed wire, timber, wood, coal etc, without special arrangements being made
• Store perishable goods where they might be overlooked

Make arrangements:
• See your solicitor to sign transfer documents/mortgage discharge documents
• Advise your children’s school that your children are leaving and the name of their new school so that files can be forwarded
• Enrol children in new school

Step 6: On the day of your move, walk around the house and have one last check.
• Nothing left behind?
• No clothes at dry cleaners?
• No gear stored away from your property?
• Electricity and gas turned off?
• Telephone disconnected?
• Water turned off and no taps left running?
• Light switches off?
• Windows and doors latched?
• Keys with solicitor? (if appropriate)

After you have moved

Step 7: Ask the movers to place each box and furniture in the appropriate room, in your new home. Once they have left start unpacking one room at a time, starting with the kitchen and one bathroom. Make the bed also as early as possible, if you will be sleeping in your new home.You have moved into your new home.
• Have spare keys cut
• Make an insurance claim, if any damage has occurred during the move
• Familiarise children with how to get to and from school
• Enjoy your new home
• Keep in touch with your Move Realty consultant. We’d love to hear how you are going.