The thought of uprooting yourself (or along with your partner or the whole family) can be enticing and exhilarating. Imagine living your life and studying or working in a brand-new location!
However, the act of making the move itself rarely elicits the same level of excitement. You need a plan. You need to prepare. And you need to invest time, effort and money into the whole project.
Does moving to a new home in a different part of the state or country always have to be dreadfully difficult and stressful?
Not if you steer clear of the following common mistakes.
1. Procrastinating
Moving will require serious planning and plenty of actual grunt work. In addition, it has to be done according to a tight schedule that involves several other things, like arranging for utilities to be cut off at the house you are leaving and turned on in the house you are moving into, or scheduling meetings with the principal at your children’s new school.
As such, there is no place for procrastination in the picture if you want to be able to successfully make the move on the designated date. Each stage of the moving phase requires your time and focus, so don’t delay and risk failing to accomplish crucial tasks.
Start early. Create a checklist (or more than one) so that you won’t forget anything important.
2. Refusing to hire a removal service
You are no Superman. It’s impossible to do everything on your own, especially since, as previously mentioned, moving to a new location involves several stages and different tasks.
Hiring an experienced Gold Coast removalist will save you from a spinning mind and back-breaking work that results in sore muscles. So why not let the experts take care of the bulk of the work and enjoy a more stress-free move?
Once you’ve decided to hire a removalist, make sure to take time to find the most reliable one. Consider a company with the appropriate insurance, reasonable estimates, well-trained employees and a proven track record of providing exemplary work.
It’s also a good idea to book your removal company in advance, especially during busy times of the year.
3. Taking everything on the move
A new home is a new beginning. While there are some household items you simply can’t leave behind, there are also some belongings that will not fit into your new place and should not be brought along.
Before your move-in date, take the time to sort the things you need and don’t need in your new home. If you are leaving things behind for a family or a friend to use in the future, consider making life easier with modular mobile storage. Consider donating or throwing away items you no longer need to avoid filling your new home with unnecessary or redundant items.
By getting rid of unnecessary items, you can save money since you’ll be paying less to move fewer items. You can then be sure to fill your new home only with the things you truly need and cherish.
4. Failing to sort possessions by box
For the items that do make it into your packing boxes, an organization is a key to a less chaotic unpacking stage of your move.
Flip-flops, fine china and brass hangers obviously don’t go together. When packing your belongings, make sure that you aren’t simply putting everything in a box. Improperly packed boxes can cause damage to your items and will call for endless searches to locate a particular item.
For fragile and expensive belongings like paintings and porcelain, add a layer of bubble wrap or packing paper. Take note that boxes are only made of cardboard, so make sure not to overload them.
5. Not taking inventory
Packing your items with bubble wrap isn’t enough. You may like to keep a record of all your belongings inside each box to ensure that you know where everything is. This will also help you identify if any items have become damaged or missing during the move.
Having an inventory will save you more time when unpacking at your new location and ensure that nothing is left behind. With a list of your household items on hand, it will also be easier for you to file a claim for insurance, if required.
6. Improperly marking boxes
Without proper labels on your boxes, unpacking can become a frustrating and overwhelming ordeal. Writing a clear description will give you an idea of exactly what is inside each box. Doing so will make removalists aware of whether or not the contents of the box are fragile, where each box should go in the new house, and which boxes should be loaded first or last.
It’s also a good idea to number your boxes to keep track of how many they are. Make sure to place labels on all sides of the box to make them visible even when stacked.
7. Decorating before unpacking
Once you’ve arrived at your new home, it’s understandable that you would want to set everything up and decorate your new space as soon as possible. But before you start hanging up your art pieces, it’s more crucial to direct your energy towards cleaning and unpacking the most important items first.
If you don’t want your new dwelling to become crowded and untidy, prioritize unpacking over decorating. When your bigger appliances and pieces of furniture are in the right place, and the daily essentials that will get the whole household functioning like normal also set up, you will have more freedom to move around and finish getting the house in order.
Once that is done and dealt with, you can think about making decorative improvements to your new space.
Moving to a new home is a huge feat that should be taken seriously. Any mistake you make can equate to additional costs and cause extra stress. To ensure that you stay on budget, stay on track, and stay sane, remember these seven tips for a hassle-free move.
Author Bio
John Pfeiffer has been the proud owner of Ashtons Removals for over 40 years. His attention to detail, a product of his accountancy background, and his emphasis on training and empowering his team members, has ensured the vast number of Gold Coast families who have been moved by Ashtons Removals, have had their furniture and effects moved undamaged and with minimum fuss.
