Congratulations on your bigger house! Owning a bigger home certainly comes with challenges but the newfound extra space is warm and relaxing (at an entirely different level).
But don’t get too excited — otherwise, you might fail to plan well for the extremely stressful process that moving houses is, where your multitasking skills and foresight are put to rigorous testing.
If planned and executed well, moving houses can feel as easy as ABC — it can even substitute for a fun-filled family activity! But if rushed without adequate thought, it can turn into your biggest nightmare really quickly. And here are some tips to avoid that!
Find the right moving professionals.
You know, most people feel overwhelmed when it comes to searching for the right movers. Movers are a great help when it comes to moving simply because they’ve done it many times and know everything that could go wrong (and how to prevent or circumnavigate it).
But finding the right movers is difficult because there are so many options out there! Plus, thanks to fake reviews and other shady marketing techniques, you’re never really sure whether the company you’ve found after hours of research will be able to deliver what it says.
One excellent workaround for this are websites that allow you to compare moving companies on a number of criteria to turn hours of research into a matter of minutes. If you’re located in Australia, Muval’s removalist comparison website would be of immense help. Some of these websites even allow you to book a company right from their platform, taking convenience to the next level.
And once you’ve found a good moving company, you’ve conquered half the move!
Prepare well for your movers.
Just like everything in the world, movers function the best in a certain environment. And once you’ve hired a good company, it’s your job to prepare well for the movers so you can reap the maximum benefit from them.
And the best thing you can do in this regard is to pack your items properly. Movers are humans and if you get them to pick up boxes that are too heavy, there are two things that can happen. One, the movers refuse to lift a box (because it’s simply too heavy and might cause injury). And two, one of the boxes gives in and your items get damaged.
To prevent this, make sure you pack each box with a mix of light and heavy items. Other things that you can do to aid your movers include arranging a parking spot for them, making sure the route from various rooms to your front door is clear, removing items from your walls (to minimize the risk of damage as movers manoeuvre inside your house), and letting the company know in advance if you’d need tools (for example, to dismantle the furniture).
Tap the power of self-storage.
Very few people know about self-storage and it’s unfortunate. That’s because self-storage will be one of your most powerful tools when it comes to organizing a house move.
Self-storage is basically when a company allows you to rent a room (called a storage unit) for storing items temporarily. And there are two reasons why it’s incredibly useful during a house move.
First, self-storage will help you declutter effectively, which is essential before you can make a move. That’s because the fewer the items you have to take along, the easier it is to organize and execute a move (and keep everything safe).
But when you begin to declutter, you’ll realize that you can’t get rid of everything immediately. You will need time to donate or sell at certain times, and until you can do so, they’ll be lying around your house, sabotaging your move. If you use self-storage, you can store these items away briefly, complete your house move, and return your attention to them once you’ve settled in your new house.
Second, self-storage will help keep your fragile items safe. Items like art pieces are very likely to get damaged if you’re moving across large distances, especially if you haven’t hired movers and have loaded the truck yourself (which is a science in itself). There’s no need to take these items immediately, and you can store them safely in a storage unit while you move the rest of your stuff.
Once you’re snug and comfortable in your new place, you can come back and make better moving arrangements for these things!
Don’t forget the utilities!
This might sound like a silly “tip” but many people forget this. What good is a bigger house if it doesn’t have electricity and water and internet?
So before you make the move, make sure to get the utilities at your current residence cancelled and set up at the new place. All it will probably take is a few calls, which is another reason why it’s so easy to miss!
