When you are moving home there is more to think about than just choosing your next home. Although this is one of the best bits about it, you can’t forget about what goes into a house move. You need to think about things including school locations, your needs/wants, planning the move, your daily commute, and more. Moving can sometimes be stressful, there are ways you can minimize the stress. 

Image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay 

Let’s have a look at some of the things you need to consider before you move house: 

Your Ideal Location

This is undoubtedly one of the most important things you need to think about when you are moving. You need to get it right. Whether you are moving to be in the countryside, for a new job, or to so you can be near fantastic schools, the location counts. Some of the things you need to think about include: 

• Your commuting distance 
• School catchments 
• Distance to amenities such as shops 
• Employment opportunities 
• Traffic levels 
• Crime rates 
• Parking 
• Greenspace
• Regeneration
• And more 

Your Ideal House

This is likely the first thing that you will think about when planning a move. After all one of the main reasons you are moving is so you can climb or get on the property ladder so you can get your forever home. Whether you are looking for a home for the short term or are looking for a forever house, you need to consider a lot. Your needs will be very personal to you and your family. The best way to ensure you get the needs when house shopping to write them down. Think very carefully about what is a need and what is a want. Do you need an open plan living space or is that just something you want? Do you need to be within 20 miles of work or could you compromise slightly and extend your search parameters? Often extending your home search by just a few miles can be the difference between finding your perfect home and compromising on your needs. You should try to tick off as many needs as possible but don’t allow them to stand in the way of a great house. For example, if you feel as though there isn’t enough space downstairs, could you potentially extend it? Do you need an extra bedroom? Is there the option to convert the loft? 

Plan Your Move

This is often considered the worst part of moving – moving day. It can be stressful and tiring. However, there are ways you can minimize the stress. 

• Plan as much as possible 
• Use the online booking for your storage needs
• Be organized and review your plans regularly
• Contact everyone you need to about your move including utilities
• Look into moving services compared to hiring a van yourself
• Arrange childcare and pet care for moving day 

Start To Declutter

If you know that you are going to be moving, in fact, as soon as you start to look for a new home, you should start to declutter your home. House moves can be unpredictable, especially if you fall on a property that requires a quick sale or the sale on your home replies on a quick sale. Decluttering your home before you find your ideal house and need to move can save you a lot of hassle when it comes to packing. Everyone declutters every now and again, but before a big move is a perfect time. You should have three piles including: 

• Throw away pile: these are things that aren’t good enough to be donated and need to be gone. 
• Donations: This pile should include anything that you are happy to donate such as clothing that is in good condition but no longer gets worn. 
• Sell pile: Things that are in good condition to sell could come in handy to help reduce the costs of moving home. 

Decluttering will not only aid your move, but it also will be a therapeutic way of getting you ready for a fresh start. 

Pack As Early As You Can

Once you have chosen your home and are at the stage of having a moving date, it’s time to pack. If you want to be productive and have a smooth move, you should pack as early as possible. Put a plan of action together, think about everything from what you will pack and how to what you will need to keep it safe during transit. A good way to start the pack-up is to start it room by room. 

Starting with the rooms that you use the least are the best to begin with. These include areas like your garage, shed, attic space, and spare bedrooms. If you have a larger property, especially if you are moving far from your current home, renting storage is a great way to get your packing off to a great start. 

As you get closer and closer to your moving day you can pack more and more. Box up anything you don’t use on a regular basis, you could even reduce the items you have in your kitchens such as minimizing it to just one utensil per person and one cup. Remember to label anything you pack. This is just in case you need to find it before the move and so it is easy to place them in the right room during the move. 

Updating Your Address Details

When you know your moving date it is important to start letting the people you need know about it. These will include important places such as your bank, your dentist, your doctor’s surgery, and others. 

You will also need to make preparations to move your utilities and find out if you can have the services moved to your new address. These include energy, amenities, home insurance, and council tax. This will help to minimize the stress of your move, one less thing to think about during your settling period is a good thing. 

This short guide should help you to get on the right path when looking for your next home and planning a future move. Do you have any other tips to share? Please add them to the comments. 

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