Moving can leave us with one of the most stressful experiences in our lives and can present its challenges, barriers, and great mistakes. We all start with the hope of easy moving, but something unplanned always seems to come up on the way.
However, most moving mistakes people make as they prepare to move are avoidable.
So, if you plan to move a house any time soon, it is essential to be familiar with the most vital mistakes to prevent them from happening as you move into a new home and to develop an efficient technique to avoid them.
Move as smoothly as possible by preventing these popular mistakes.
- Choosing a Wrong New Home
If you don’t do proper research of your new destination and see how it matches your lifestyle, your needs, and preferences when you select your home, you may make a grave and costly mistake.
When looking into your housing options, you must be careful about:
- Its location: You sure want your new home to be located in a safe and comfortable area close to a kid’s school, your workplace, good health care centers, recreational facilities, different local amenities, entertainment spots, lovely green areas, and so on. Even if the property you have found is affordable and it satisfies your entire requirements, a huge problem may arise as a result of inconvenient location and cause many problems in your daily life.
- Its type: If you have children and pets that need a spacious and safe place to play. If you decide to have dinner on the patio or prepare a barbecue in the yard during a warm summer evening, or if you dream to make a bonfire or have a backyard pool, and so on, you won’t be happy in a high-rise apartment building located downtown.
- Its size: Whether you like a house or an apartment, you must determine the size of the home you need. While you will be able to get a cheaper smaller apartment when you downsize your home, a 2-bedroom home may not be able to comfortably accommodate a family of five.
On the contrary, there is no sense in living alone in an excessively wide space or paying expensive rent/mortgage for a large property you can partially use. Do not buy or rent a home of irrelevant size as it will lead you straight to many inconveniences and possibly financial losses.
- Its condition: Carefully check the property you select in advance to determine its current condition. Remember that if it requires much repair works and renovations, this will make you feel more burdened and also take much of your time to get the new home in good shape.
- Not Performing Post-Move Cleanups in Your Old Home
Whether you are a homeowner in your new apartment or a renter, right before you lock your current home in, it is so much important to clean the house you are moving out from. Whether you are expecting other tenants to come in, or if no one is coming to live there, it is still important to clean the house. If not for anything, cleaning up your current home when moving will guarantee your security bond.
It is understandable that moving period is very busy time, considering different tasks associated with moving. This is one of the reasons to leave the work to professional cleaner that offer end of lease cleaning service. They have cleaning checklist for this purpose.
Aside from the house cleaning, below is other things to do before you move:
- Turn off all lights and other switches
- Leave a note that contains your new address so that your mails can be forwarded
- Say the last farewell to your neighbors and drop your new address with them
. Not Making Sure Your New Home is Ready on Time
You must make sure your new property is in great condition in time, to be able to take delivery of your shipment and to settle in without any huge setbacks. Not doing so will cause many troubles, so we advise you to:
- Check your new home: It is a brilliant idea to improve the plumbing and electrical systems in your new home, and the HVAC system available in your home, before moving in to get rid of possible troubles shortly. Check the place for structural damage, pests’ infestations, and take the right actions to fix the problems and reduce damage in time.
- Prepare for any necessary repairs and renovations to be done before the move-in day: If work is still ongoing on your property for restoration when your belongings arrive, you won’t be able to move-in your household goods to their actual places.
- Deep clean the home: A lot of cleaning will be required in the new home during the unpacking process. Yes, at least ensure that the windows are spotless, the interior is rid of dust and debris, and the air ducts cleaned when your goods arrive.
- Forgetting to Declutter
Immediately you are certain of your move, you may want to begin to pack your home in advance. This is a brilliant idea unless you later packed things you no longer need or want. Else, you’ll spend much of your money to pay your movers to move your dresser that you could have just transported to the curb without paying a dime.
Perform a thorough decluttering of your household goods. Sell, donate, or throw away any item you don’t want to move into the new house. It’ll be pretty easier to begin anew in your new home and change to an organized person you’ve always wanted to be.
- Not Taking Measurements
This is a simple task that can be easily left undone. Ensure your furniture will easily fit through the door and that all your items will fit into their designated room. Measuring in advance will save you stress and possible added costs.
- Not Transferring Your Utilities Quickly
Much of your time can be consumed by the process of transferring your utilities, and that is why it is important to get them done quickly.
You will need to call the attention of your utility providers about your move and give them a date to disconnect your services at your current home and connected at your new home.
- Not Remembering Your Pets
You will sure remember to take proper care of your pet while moving. Moving with pets simply means transporting them from one point to another and also taking care of them in the process. If your moving distance is long, consult the vet for the medical records of your pet.
Find out about the laws in your new location to determine if your dog breed is not on the blacklist. On the day of your move, ensure that your furry friends are kept safe in an empty room, kennel, or a friend’s house until the end of the movie.
- Not Changing Your Address
Even though you would love to avoid the huge bills, you want your mail sent to your home. Remember to check the post office or the USPS website to fill out a form for a change of address five to ten days to your moving day. You can get this done by yourself and don’t have to pay a third-party to handle it for you.
The process of changing your address online is fast and costs just $1. If you receive an offer from a company to handle this for you for a low price of $30, it is a scam.
- Not Inspecting Delivered Items
The excitement of receiving your belongings might make you check the delivered goods, compare them to your inventory list, and check if they are well sealed and in good shape. You are responsible to check your bulky belongings for damage and confirm your valuables.
Unless you instantly make a report of loss or damaged items to the moving company, you may not have a peaceful resolution to the problem and block the chance of reaching a mutual agreement.
Filing a complaint against the movers may be too late if you allow too much time before you discover that something is not right with your items. You may not get compensation for the damage or lost item if you make such a mistake during the final stage of your moving.
- Unpacking Wrongly
If you can make use of the good resources available to prevent the popular moving mistakes in preparation for your move, you certainly don’t want your efforts rendered useless by making silly unpacking mistakes.
So, as you set up your new home, do not even try to:
- Rush things:Instantaneous decisions and swift actions may lead to chaos, wasted time and efforts (several rearrangements of items), or even injuries and accidents. So, be sure to take your time to unpack your items and carefully think through every step you are about to take.
- Procrastinating: Even though you are exhausted by the toughness of the moving process, unpacking the essential items and keeping your home filled with unpacked boxes will not be helpful. The earlier you arrange your belongings, the easier you will have access to all your stuff and the sooner your new space will start feeling like a home. So, out in one last effort and complete the adventure right in your new home.
- Making furniture reassemble or appliances set up a DIY work:If you lack the relevant experience, the tools, and the technical knowledge required in reassembling furniture and/or set up your household goods, we recommend getting help. Contact professionals or friends who have relevant skills to get the task done in a faster and efficient way. Else, you might ruin fragile materials or sensitive equipment.
- Disposing of packing materials as trash:Ring unpacking of your goods, your home will be filled with boxes, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and other packing supplies. There is no way you can clean up your new home with all these supplies still in there, so you will have to figure out the best way to clean them up. Avoid disposing of them just anyhow; store custom-made boxes and other specialty packing supplies for future use, repurpose relocation supplies that are in perfect shape (you can store some of your items in sturdy boxes, cover the floors with packing paper while performing repair works, and so on.
Or just sell neat and sturdy boxes and cushioning items for a smaller fee or just gift them out to people who are moving out very soon, and recycle the entire materials that are recyclable. Make sure you dispose of moving supplies that are no longer useful in an environmentally-friendly manner and make good use of those that are still good.
Cleaning just after you are done unpacking: To get rid of too much dust and debris from your home, you must get rid of trash and vacuum the floors regularly. Immediately after unpacking a room, deep clean to ensure that your home is in good shape and needs just some finishing touches to begin to feel like home.
Final Words
So, what do you do after moving into a new space? Stay away from all the ten mistakes mentioned above to avoid a rough start in your new home.
Hiring and screening movers, organizing your packing, and taking care of every little here and there will make sure you move like a professional and fast.
You can count on our experienced and knowledgeable cleaners at Clean House Melbourne to perform any type of cleaning for you, regardless of the property you are moving to, a home, or an office. We are here to give you a free quote upon request.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I store items in drawers when I move?
You can leave clothes in the drawers if you get them out. The drawer can work as makeshift boxes for your move. Take out items from the drawers if they are loose, delicate, or expensive. Make sure the drawers are kept in a string, sturdy dresser if it will be positioned upright all the time.
When should you begin packing in preparation for a move?
Your packing for a move should commence three weeks before your planned moving date. The exact moving preparation process should begin at about six to eight weeks before moving. The earlier you begin to pack up, the easier your life will be when your move date rolls in.
How are drawers packed?
Very simple: just remove each drawer from the dresser, fold each in it and at their position, and use plastic wrap to secure the drawer in place to prevent it from opening. Then move each drawer separately like it is just another box.
How is decluttering for a move done?
To declutter before a move:
- Consider the amount of money at stake
- Start with the heavy item and all the easiest stuff to pack
- Approach your items by category and not by room
- Create five piles: pack, keep, sell, donate, and trash
- Change how you ask a question about decluttering
- Get help from a declutterer if you are a keeper
How do I make sure my drawer remains shut during my move?
Create a simple drawer pull using a piece of tape so you can easily open it up, and then wrap the entire thing inside the plastic wrap. The drawers will not flip open when you are about to move and the plastic might also prevent your furniture from dings and scrapes.