There’s a lot to consider when you decide to buy your first home or switch to one that’s bigger, smaller or in a new location. While finding your ideal property can be tricky, it can also be an exciting adventure!
Then comes the far more fraught period of sealing the deal and taking ownership, so to help things go more smoothly, here are three moving house tips you should know about.
Timing is everything
It’s common knowledge that orchestrating the timing of a home move is one of the most stressful aspects, including booking time off work and then tying up the other parties (including removal firms) so you can exchange keys and get into your new property with no last-minute hitches.
If you’re starting to get swept away with what is the ‘norm’, or the expectations of other people, stop.
For example, Friday is the most popular day to move house in the UK, and August has seen the highest number of home moves for the past decade, according to the HomeOwners Alliance.
However, you need to organise moving to your next or first home at a time that best suits you. Particularly as banks, solicitors and other involved parties could be busy on Fridays, and the tension of meeting deadlines could be torture.
Would a different date make the financial wheeling and dealing better for you? Work patterns are more flexible these days too, so you may not need that weekend window of opportunity to unpack. Also, if you shop around for cheap removal firms and other support services, you may find you save money by avoiding peak times.
Make lists, and stick to them!
This is one time when forward-thinking – and abundant list-making – is essential. The more strategic planning you do, the more confident and smoother moving house becomes.
For example, map out how you’re going to get your insurance, electric, gas, phone and broadband connections ‘live’ from day one. Organise mail to be forwarded from your old address from moving day onwards and think about who needs to know you have moved.
The best-movinghouse checklist is only as good as your resolve to stick to it though. Keep checking to make sure everything is ‘in hand’, so you stay in control throughout. It’s amazing how much peace of mind comes from ticking off to-do items one by one!
Pre-book quick fixes
Finding your kettle when you move could be the least of your problems if you struggle to find a tradesperson to do an installation, repair or reconnection post-move. So, another of our moving house tips you should know about is thinking ahead about whose help you’ll need in the first few days.
Of course, you could add more longer-term projects to your list, like decorating to stamp your personality on the rooms. However, to start with, you just need pre-arranged visits for more essential work, such as carpet deep cleaning, connecting your washing machine or changing the locks on your new home for added security.
You may not cover every eventuality if you use these three moving house tips, but you should at least have much more control and greater peace of mind!