Prestige Property
Home, sweet home
It’s ranked as one of the most stressful life experiences we
will have to encounter – alongside divorce, bereavement
and new parenthood. But when it comes to moving house,
there’s plenty you can do to scale down the stress factor.
Whether you’re down-sizing,
setting up home for the first
time or moving up to something
bigger, the moment your property
purchase or rental agreement
is confirmed is the time to start
planning for moving day.
Being well prepared goes a long
way in taking any potential sting
out of the moving in process,
and that starts with getting
measurements of all the rooms,
making notes of any fixtures and
fittings that will be remaining
(and which you’ll therefore have
to work around) and starting to
build up a plan of where your
furniture and possessions will go.
Anything that clearly isn’t going
to fit into the new place should
be disposed of well ahead of time
– either passed on to friends or
relatives, taken to a charity shop
or maybe even sold to help pay
for some of your removal costs.
If you can get into the new
property to clean it ahead of
moving in, that’s always a good
idea because the previous
inhabitants might not have
left the place exactly as you’d
want it – and it will be much
harder to clean once your stuff is
unloaded from the removal van.
Make a checklist too before
removal day, for essential tasks
such as finding out who the
energy and broadband suppliers
are, where the stopcock and gas/
electricity meters are located,
and if there are any warranties or
instruction manuals for appliances.
You’ll also need to arrange for
re-direction of your post and
get some quotes from removal
companies - or van hire firms if
you plan to do the job yourself.
It’s an idea to book your removal
as soon as possible, especially if
you plan to do it on a Friday as
that’s often the most requested
day. On the other hand, if you’re
prepared to be flexible, firms
may quote a lower rate for
less busy days of the week.
You can never start packing early
enough! Doing one or two boxes a
day is far less stressful than trying
to cram everything in at the last
minute. Take care not to over-fill
boxes, though, especially with
things like books, as they’ll be too
heavy to carry and are more likely
to break open in transit. And don’t
forget to write the contents in
big, easy-read letters on the box.
It’s also worth taking a little
essentials box and carrying
with you rather than putting it
in the removal van. In there,
you might put tea, milk, biscuits
and snacks along with your
kettle, and life-savers such as
light bulbs, screwdrivers and
spare screws and bolts.
Finally, take some deep breaths
– and enjoy your new home!
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