GETTING READY FOR MOVING DAY BY MARK WELTON
I feel particularly qualified to offer my suggestions as to how to deal with the moving process, not because I am an estate agent, but because I have just moved house myself and the pain (and joy!!) is very fresh in my mind!
I am assuming that you are involved in a selling and related purchase transaction as this requires the most amount of thought and forward planning. Those of you are who are just selling or buying have got it easy by comparison, but can hopefully benefit also from some of the suggestions that I have to offer, borne out of my own experiences!
Let us assume that you are about to exchange contracts and embark on the (supposedly easy and fun) side of the selling and buying process, here is my ‘check list’ of things to consider to give yourselves the best chance of a hassle free move;
1) Try and negotiate a reasonable period between exchange of contracts and completion; this gives you time to get things done properly and plan sensibly. Historically, the period was a set 28 day completion following exchange, however, in today’s market, 24 hour completions are not unheard of even completion on the same day as exchange!! However the more ‘faint hearted’ among us, it would be reasonable to aim for a 2/3 week or so timescale.
2) Make sure that you choose a professional, recognised, and above all, fully insured removal company to take care of things for you.(Please do not try and move yourself as it is likely to end in tears!) Make sure that they will supply all the boxes and packing materials for your move (some do not!) and get it all confirmed in writing. If like me, you are totally impractical, or just cannot be bothered, ask them to quote for taking beds etc apart and re-assembling them at the other end. It takes a lot of un-necessary stress away from you as there is little worse than sitting in despair at 2.00 am wondering how you are going to find the energy to put your beds together just to fit in some sleep before the next day begins in earnest! I had a large trampoline in the garden of my old house, the potential dismantling and re-assembling of which had been giving me heart palpitations for months! Well, it was all done for me so I need not have worried. My removal company was first class in every way, so if you need a recommendation to help you on your way, give me a call and I will be happy to pass on their details to you.
3) Start packing and clearing immediately. DO NOT leave it until the last minute as so many do and be focused on getting it done. Start in the roof space and garage if you have one as this is where junk builds up without you even knowing it. It is so easy to put things that you have no immediate use for in the loft or garage and then totally forget about it until 24 hours before the day you move! Try and use the move as a “cleansing process” and get rid of the ‘baggage’ you do not use as it is great feeling. Be ruthless, my maxim is that if I have not used or worn it for 3 months, I probably never will! Invest in a skip container if you can, and dump all the unwanted junk.
4) Label ALL your boxes with the contents that are stored in them and the room where the boxes should go. It will help you enormously at the other end in getting things sorted out early. I found it helpful, as did the removal men, to ‘colour code’ each box with a sticker of the corresponding colour placed on the door of each room.
5) Do not pack your kettle, tea, coffee, sugar , biscuits etc. You will need them more than ever on moving day to help you along as will the removal team!!
6) Do not try and pack with the assistance of your 2 year old! This will be a 1 step forward and 5 steps back situation as they love to ‘help’ by un-packing what you have carefully packed 10 minutes ago! Seriously, try and get young children looked after by a friend or grandparents, during the packing process and also on the day itself if you want to avoid a nervous breakdown!
7) Get plenty of sleep. This seems obvious, but it is so easy when you are focused on your move to just keep going until the early hours of the morning and lose complete track of time. You cannot afford to ‘burn the candle at both ends’ as it will make the whole experience far more stressful than it needs to be.
8) Give yourself plenty of time to notify your change of address to all your utility providers, bank, policy providers etc. This notification process can easily take a whole day of un-interupted telephone and email work if you decide to do it all in one session, so again, do not leave it all to the last minute! If you need phone or broadband capability for when you move in, notify your providers as early as possible. A call on the day will not suffice!
9) Do not make ‘optomistic’ promises to your buyers that you should be out of your house ‘early’ on completion day, otherwise your buyer and their removal team will take you at your word and start putting the pressure on if you are delayed. Leave it to your own removal company, it is over to them on the day and there is little more that you can do to influence the timing.
10) Leave a good impression to your buyers. It is their new ‘dream home’ so do not spoil it for them by leaving the house dirty or unkempt on your departure. Make sure that you repair things that do not work, cut the grass, and do a ‘spring clean’. Leave out useful information, such as how appliances work, guarantees and useful numbers. Clearly label all your keys so that the new owners are not scratching their heads with a handful of keys in front of them! Leave your telephone number for them so that they can contact you if there is anything they do not understand or experience a problem.
11) When you get to the new property, focus on un-packing and getting your new home in order as quickly as possible. Try and take some time off work if you can, to get things done. It can be quite depressing sitting among boxes for weeks on end so “hit it hard’ and enjoy the results of your efforts by relaxing in your new environment.
I hope that some of these tips may help you as your own move unravels and hope that yours is a stress free, organised and (almost!) enjoyable experience.