How To Prepare for a Move: 18 House Moving Tips

Moving to a new home is exciting. It’s a fresh start, a door to new chances, and the opportunity to create your new space. But it can be stressful and overwhelming. Fortunately, there is a way to avoid any discomfort.

We’ve brought together our ten 18 top tips for making your move stress-free.

1. Set a Moving Date

Friday is usually the most popular day to move as it gives the opportunity to unpack at the weekend. See if that works for you, too. However, note that as Fridays are popular, removal companies usually charge more. If you’re flexible, choose less popular times, such as mid-week.

2. Speak to Removal Companies

Make a reservation with your removal firm for your selected date, and get at least three separate quotes. Check if the removal company is completely insured and professional, as well as get a list of the services they provide. Most moving firms offer insurance, but make sure you understand what it covers and whether there are any restrictions.

3. Create an Inventory

Making an inventory allows you to keep track of all of your belongings and guarantee that nothing gets lost during the move. Using a moving house checklist might also be beneficial at this time. If you employ a moving company to pack your goods, they can generate an inventory for you.

An inventory is also useful as you can include it in the contract if you’re selling a home. So the buyer is aware of the fixtures that will stay.

4. Gather Packing Materials

You can ask for packing materials and boxes for your moving company, as they usually provide these. If not, you’ll have to buy them online or ask for excess boxes from supermarkets. Packing tape, bubble wrap, zip tie bags, labels, and marker pens are also going to be required.

5. Start Decluttering

Decluttering is a necessary activity from time to time, but it’s especially crucial before a move. Consider what you want to sell, donate, or throw out before you start packing. You’ll save money on house removal fees if you declutter because there will be fewer boxes to move.

Remove or give everything you don’t use, and inspect any broken goods to see if they’re worth keeping.

6. Start Packing

It’s time to start packing after you’ve spoken to the moving company and set the moving day.

First, make a plan. Create a room-by-room checklist of how you’ll pack as well as all of the packing supplies you’ll require. Some moving firms also provide packing services which might come in handy.

7. Pack the Least Used Rooms First

Rooms and products you use the least are an excellent place to start. Starting in a spare bedroom, garage, or attic is very useful. Leave ordinary goods until the day before the transfer, and keep any essentials, such as medication, in a different location.

8. Plan Your Utilities

When moving, it’s critical to get your utilities, such as council tax, gas, and home insurance. This will not only relieve a lot of tension once you’ve moved in, but it will also give you more time to settle in and relax in your new home.

9. Label the Boxes by Category

So there’s no confusion when you’re unpacking, label boxes with the room they’re heading to and a brief explanation of what’s inside. This will also assist the removals staff in determining the location of any fragile goods. To assist categorize rooms, consider utilizing colored stickers/labels.

10. Get Different Sizes of Boxes

For heavy objects, use small boxes. It may seem self-evident, but anyone who has ever had to move a heavy cardboard box full of college textbooks understands the importance of this advice.

Fill small boxes with heavier items. Use the large boxes with lighter items such as decorative pillows and towels.

11. Make a Survival Kit

Pack a separate bag with the items you use every day and night and keep it with you at all times. Medicine, face cream, toothbrushes, toilet paper, change of clothes, phone chargers, and other such items will be useful.

12. Organize the Paperwork

To ensure simple access, keep all crucial documents in one box or file, such as passports, house deeds, wills, and insurance paperwork. After that, put it somewhere safe where you won’t lose it.

It’s also a good idea to make electronic copies of key documents by scanning and saving them to a USB or cloud storage service so you can access them at any time.

13. Take Photos

Take pictures of the wires in the back of your television or other electronic devices. This will help you when you’re putting your new house back together. You can also snap images of any wall displays, ornament placements, or shelving arrangements that you like in your present home and want to replicate in your new one.

14. Hire Specialists for Special Items

It’s wise to entrust the transport of a priceless item such as a piano or artwork to the professionals.

The same can be said for transporting a vehicle prior to a long-distance transfer. Unless you intend to drive the vehicle personally, it’s best to hand over the keys to a professional vehicle carrier, not your friend.

15. Don’t Forget the Plants

Check your garden and decide which plants you’re going to take to your new home.

Because potted plants are typically heavy and fragile, see if you can give any of them to your neighbors. Larger plants, especially trees, are more difficult to move, but still possible. Just take into account a variety of conditions, including the season and different soil types.

16. Update Your Address

It’s a good idea to start changing your address with banks, post offices, or the doctor’s office two weeks before you move. Also, transfer your prescriptions to a drugstore near your new residence. You should also carry a month’s worth of prescriptions with you when you move so that you can get through the first few weeks in your new house.

17. Don’t Buy Groceries

Stop buying groceries a week or two before your move date. Try to prepare meals at home using all the food left in the house. Sticking to cheese on toast, microwave meals, or grilled chicken is a good option too.

18. Moving Day: Take Your Time

We know that you’re excited and want to get everything done as soon as possible, but the moving day can be exhausting. Set realistic goals for how much you want to do — it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to unpack your entire house on the first night.

Make sure you include everything you’ll need for teas and coffees, and snacks to keep your energy up in your moving day survival pack. Don’t skip lunch and dinner, otherwise, you’ll be too exhausted.

The Bottom Line

It will take time to unpack and decorate your new house, so don’t expect everything to come together right away. Take some time to relax. Unpacking does not have to be the focus of your life!

The rest can wait as long as you have your bed set up by the end of the moving day. Good luck with your move and enjoy your new house.