Top tips for a ‘less stressful’ house move

Homeowners reveal that moving house is more stressful than splitting up from a partner…

 A quarter (23 percent) of those polled in a recent survey claim that packing up their belongings and moving them to a new address is harder than starting a new job, as well as having a baby (22 percent), doing life-changing exams (21 percent) and finding out that you’ve been fired (18 percent). According to the new study, commissioned by St. Modwen Homes, the average Brit will move home five times in their lifetime, with each move involving NINE days of blood, sweat and tears packing everything up and moving it into their new home.

Adding to the worry and stress, the move causes an average of one minor injury like a sore back or twisted ankle, two arguments and three bouts of tears. Packing everything up (69 percent), unpacking all the boxes (42 percent), telling the bank, local council and water company your new address (41 percent) and having to fork out on estate agent’s fees (39 percent) are the most annoying elements of moving.

TOP TIPS FOR A SMOOTH MOVE

1. Declutter your home:

Take some time and channel your inner Marie Kondo by decluttering your home before you move. Packing up everything you own can be a time-consuming task, especially when we’ve accumulated an abundance of belongings over time. So, going through your things and donating or selling clothes, shoes, toys or anything you don’t really need or use anymore is a great way to reduce the amount of packing. Plus, using selling sites like Vinted and eBay, you could even make a pretty penny, too!

2. Label your boxes:

This one may seem like a no-brainer, but taking a couple of extra seconds to label your boxes once packed can make all of the difference once you’ve arrived in your new home. After all the excitement of the move, the last thing you want to do is hunt through an endless sea of boxes just to find plates for dinner on your first night in your new abode.

3. Don’t leave things to the last minute:

Another one that might seem obvious, but we’ve all been guilty of getting stuck into that ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’ loop. Then, all too soon tomorrow arrives, and there’s a million-and-one things that need doing with no time left get them done. Create a check list in advance and tick things off as you go – from cleaning to calling movers. Make the plan realistic so you can stick to it, and you won’t leave yourself with a seemingly endless to do list right at the last moment.

4. Ask your friends and family for help:

A burden shared is a burden halved. If you just don’t know where to start with your move and could use some assistance, reach out and ask your pals, parents, or siblings for a helping hand. If asking nicely doesn’t work, try bribery with favours or food (or a nice bottle of wine).

5. Create a folder for your important paperwork:

One thing that’s sure to come with moving house is paperwork, and lots of it. Get yourself a folder to keep your all important documents in one place so they don’t get lost in your move.

6. Create a budget:

When moving house there’s lots of little costs that can add up along the way – like packing supplies and moving services. To stop these expenses becoming an issue, it’s always a good idea to put together a budget to stick to and hunt around to make sure you’re getting the best deals for your money.

7. Pack by room:

Take your packing one step at a time, and more importantly, one room at a time. This not only makes the packing and unpacking processes more manageable, it also means you can avoid losing your toothbrush amongst your cutlery, or the tv remote amongst your shoes.

8. Make a packing and unpacking timeline:

It’s not just packing that you need to plan for. When moving into new home, we can sometimes find ourselves living amongst mountains of boxes for days or even weeks. By creating a realistic timeline to follow, you can avoid living in cardboard chaos in your new home. We’d recommend starting the bedroom first – you’ll appreciate a bed to sleep in after all of that heavy lifting!