How to make moving easier
Whether you’re moving into a rental property or relocating to your dream home, moving can be a mentally and physically exhausting process.
But there are some tips to help make the shift easier in a bid to ensure it’s as stress-free as possible.
Here’s our guide on how to make moving easier.
Declutter early
It’s the little things that really add up when it comes to moving. From decorator pieces to books, memorabilia, extra furniture and clothes you no longer wear, all these items are extraneous things that you will need to cart to your next property.
That’s why it pays to declutter well in advance of any move. Go through your house identifying what you intend to keep and what you can live without.
Then get rid of the items you won’t need by selling them, throwing them out, giving them away or taking them to the op shop.
It also helps if you set a target for this decluttering. For example, if you’re moving to a house that’s a third smaller than where you live now, set a target of eliminating at least a third of your items.
Then keep that goal front of mind as you work through each area of the house.
Be ruthless with your cupboards
Cupboards and storage spaces are places where items tend to accumulate. Tackling one room or area at a time, go through each of your cupboards and be ruthless.
If you haven’t required the item in the past six months, ask yourself, do you really need it? If not, get rid of it.
If it’s an important piece of memorabilia, but something you rarely use, box it up in a plastic storage container.
Start packing well in advance
You don’t want to be caught packing at the very last minute, so start well in advance.
To assist, consider tackling each area of your home over consecutive weekends leading up to the shift.
Then work backwards, allocating time to go through each area, declutter and also pack what you can.
The earlier you start packing items you don’t use regularly but still need, the better, as this leaves you less to sort through and pack in the final days before the shift.
Make an inventory list
As you pack your boxes, number them, label what area of the house they will go to, and have a notebook handy.
Inside the notebook, jot down the box number and list the types of items that will be found inside.
This helps when you reach your destination as you can quickly determine where you will find things.
Clean as you go
As you work through each area, give it a quick clean, wiping over shelves and surfaces.
This is not the final clean that you will do, but it will assist during those last days when you give your current home a full once-over.
Leave plenty of changeover time
During the moving phase there will likely be a period of crossover.
In other words, there’s a good chance you will have access to your new home, and still also have access to your previous address.
Ensure you leave plenty of time for this crossover. Whether it’s a few days, a week, or even longer, this is the phase when the removal will occur, followed by cleaning the property, and completing any required maintenance.
It’s surprising how long this stage can take, especially if you’ve lived at your previous address for a while, so consider exactly what tasks will need to be done once your furniture and items have been removed and allocate enough time to complete them.
The final word
The key to a stress-free move is being organised. Although there’s often a lot involved in shifting from one house to another, it helps if you can chip away at the packing and cleaning in advance of the actual move date.
How we can help
Our experienced property managers pride themselves on establishing great relationships with both rental occupiers and owners.
We manage every property as if it were our own and you can learn more about our property management services here.
Alternatively, if you are looking to rent a property, you can view the properties we currently have available here.
