Tips to make moving home as smooth as possible

If you've recently had an offer accepted on your new home, you'll likely be excited and apprehensive in equal measure. Moving house is an exciting time, but there's lots to remember and organise, which can become stressful. To help ensure your move goes smoothly, we've put together a list of things to help you stay organised in the days leading up to moving.

We’ve been helping people move home for over 30 years, so we thought we’d share our top tips for making your move stress-free:

Get organised early on

• Have a clear-out - A few weeks before you move, take some time to sift through your belongings and have a big clear-out. Box up bits and pieces for charity or sell them online on sites such as Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree.
• No more food shopping - Don’t do a food shop the week before you move otherwise you’re likely to end up throwing away lots of food. Instead, work your way through your freezer and tins of food (or treat yourself to a takeaway or two...!).
• Remember to defrost - Defrost your fridge/freezer at least 24 hours before you move and give it a quick once-over.             
• Organise a babysitter - If you’ve got young children it may be worth organising a babysitting or nursery place for the day – it will mean you can concentrate fully on the move which will speed things up.
• Book kennels/cattery - Not only will it be stressful for your pets on moving day but it’s also dangerous with furniture and boxes being carried around so book them into a kennel or cattery for a couple of days.
• Plan parking - Whether you’ve hired professional movers or you’re moving yourself, you will need a parking space as close to your new front door as possible. Check there is room in advance to avoid problems on the day and reserve a parking spot if you can!

Hiring professional movers?

• Leave the packing to them - It often doesn’t cost much more to get the movers to pack everything for you too. They will do it much faster than you could and won’t spend hours reminiscing over old photo albums.
• Number your boxes - Number the rooms in your new house and boxes accordingly and then when you get there you can stick paper on each door with the corresponding number. This will help the removal workers no end.
• Sketch a floor plan - Decide roughly where you want each piece of furniture to go and then give the floor plan to the movers – this will help you to avoid lots of heavy lifting after they’ve left.

Moving yourself

• Packing prep - Make sure you’re prepared and purchase strong tape, bubble wrap, and save old newspapers for lining boxes.
• Use your suitcases - Make the most of baskets, laundry bins and suitcases to cut down on the number of cardboard boxes you need.
• Label the sides of boxes not the top! - So you can always see what belongs where even when the boxes are stacked on top of one another.
• Freezer bags - When you dismantle furniture, use sealable freezer bags to store nuts and bolts and sellotape them to the relevant bit of furniture.

The things you might not have thought about…             

• Pack overnight bags - Pack bags for each member of your family as if you’re going away for a weekend and keep them somewhere close to hand, such as the boot of your car – don’t forget toiletries!
• Insurance for the move - Check that your contents insurance, or your movers’ insurance, will cover damage and breakages during the move.
• Take photos of electrics - This will help you remember what wires connect to what.                      
• Pack an essentials box - Keep a box to hand with a kettle, tea, coffee, milk etc., phone chargers, house paperwork, contact numbers, snacks, drinks, sellotape, scissors, toilet roll and a vase (someone is bound to send you flowers).
• Cleaning products - You never know what state your new home will be in, so keep some cleaning products to hand and try and wipe down all surfaces before the movers arrive.
• Prep the beds first - Setting up the beds should be one of the first things you do in your new home so you don’t need to worry about this later – this is especially important if you have children!
• Food delivery - It’s a good idea to order an online food shop to arrive on the evening of your move. That way, you won’t need to worry about going out to do a food shop when you have boxes to unpack.

On the day        

• Cash - There are always hidden costs on moving day – paying the movers, buying food for lunch, getting a taxi back from the van hire place. Plus, you may not know where the nearest ATM is, so always keep cash to hand.        
• Mobile phone - Make sure your phone is fully charged on the day of your move.
• Light bulbs - Take some light bulbs with you – you never know what the previous owners will take with them and the last thing you need is to be in pitch black on your first evening.

Still searching for your next home? Register your details with your local Leaders branch and the team will send you details of any homes that match your requirements as soon as they come onto the market.