Relocating to a new home is never as simple as we think it will be. Like Murphy’s Law states: “If something can go wrong, it will”. You can never be absolutely prepared for every possible situation. But you can be very well prepared for things that ARE under your control to some extent, and in that way take the stress off the whole moving process. We have compiled five important things that should be done before the move, so you might want to read on to ensure they’re on your list too.
Table of Contents
Prepare
The first thing you should do is to make a to-do list, at least a month in advance. You will have to hire the movers, plan on notifying the landlord and other building residents, reserve a freight elevator, and so on. This stage of your relocation preparations are key to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. Also plan out what you’ll fit into a moving day survival kit because chances are you’ll be too tired for any extensive unpacking the same day.
Fix the essentials
Your new home should be pristine clean for the day of the move-in. So visit the place a few times to check the essentials – like lighting, water, utilities, electricity… if the house is older, you can install new switches and wall lighting to ensure uniformity and a breath of modern. You will want to have a fully functioning, clean house, so that you don’t bother thinking about cleaning up, on top of unpacking. The move itself is stressful enough.
Change the locks
This point cannot be stressed enough. As soon as you get the keys to your new home, find a locksmith and change the locks. Aside from the previous owners, odds are that the maintenance workers, realtors, maybe even their friends and family have a copy of the key. For a piece of mind, change the locks as soon as you get the keys. Even if the odds are slim, you don’t want to go through life knowing that possibly someone out there can enter your home at their own will.
Purge
Before even thinking about the movers, de-clutter your home. Completely rid your future living space of all that which you don’t need, including cupboards, overly-heavy dressers and/or utilities that maybe by now belong on the dump. Moving into a completely new place is best started with a clean slate. However, if there are things you are unsure whether or not to toss away, you can find a reliable furniture storage in Sydney to keep your belongings, until you are absolutely sure.
Choose movers
Be careful when you choose movers. There are two ways to go about hiring a company: those who charge by the number of items being transported, and those who charge by the weight. Hire a reliable company, and after a good research, not just after a brief google search. Learn quickly as much as you can about the company: see if they provide estimates of your items on the spot, and if the actual movers are directly linked to the company, or just the middle men, as it usually adds to the price.
To summarize
There are plenty of things to take into consideration before moving out of your old place. Don’t be fooled into thinking it just comes down to loading up your things onto a truck and moving stacks upon stacks of boxes. Pre-prepare at least a month ahead: make a list of all necessities, a survival moving day bag, do a background check on your movers and purge your home of any and all unnecessary things. Only then will you actually be fully prepared for what unpredicted situation may arise.
