Getting ready to move home over the next few months?

The good news is that a lot of excitement awaits, whether you’re moving to give yourself a truly fresh start or to enroll your children in a better school. The bad news? Moving home is stressful. 

Really stressful

However, it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. In fact, there are plenty of effective ways in which you can actually set about reducing your stress levels during this time. Don’t believe me? 

Read on to find out more! 

Figure out what you need (not what you want)

Arguably, one of the most stressful aspects of moving home is finding a property that you like. After all, there are so many variables to consider, from the location to the pricing of the home itself. However, in order to make this stage as straightforward as possible, you should have a clear understanding of what you need from a home. 

For example, a specific number of bedrooms is likely necessary. A pool, while a nice addition, is not. Of course, this can vary on a case-by-case basis, but it’s important that you understand what your non-negotiables are moving forward. This will make it easier to narrow down the list of potential properties! 

Furthermore, it’s important to remember that while a property may fit your needs functionality but needs a lot of work further down the line, there are plenty of steps that you can take to create a home you adore.

Set yourself a realistic budget

Money costs more money than you’d think. As such, it is important that you carefully research the average cost of moving house beforehand – remembering that this can vary based on location, property size, and even the time of week you’re moving! 

After all, moving isn’t just about putting down a deposit for a house or sorting out your mortgage. Additional costs are incurred when hiring realtors, getting your home ready for the market, and even on things such as boxes and packing tape. As such, having a budget in mind is key to ensuring you don’t run into problems further down the line. 

Get your home ready for the market

Another stressful aspect of moving is selling your current property. After all, this is a necessity for the majority of movers, who would be otherwise unable to finance the transition from one home to another. Fortunately, there are many steps that you can take to get your home ready for the market. 

For example, you should start by sprucing up the exterior of your home. While this may not initially seem as important as the interior, enhancing your curb appeal is often considered critical to making your home more appealing to buyers. After all, this is the very first thing they see! 

You can also get your home market-ready by: 

• Deep cleaning and decluttering 
• Staging your home 
• Applying a fresh coat of paint 
• Dealing with any pressing maintenance issues
• Changing the lighting 

Work with legal professionals

Whether you’re not sure how to initiate the sales/buying process or want to make sure the contract you’ve been handed is sound, working with a legal professional that you can trust is critical. As such, you should seek out the support of experienced property lawyers, such as a member of the team at Harper Macleod.

This will provide you with much greater peace of mind moving forward, as you know that you’re following the correct processes and don’t have to try and wrap your head around complicated legalities independently. 

Hire movers in advance

With thousands of people moving home every year, moving services and removal teams are in a much higher demand than you might expect. As such, it is crucial that you hire them as soon as you know your moving date. Otherwise, you may find that you’re forced to do a lot of the heavy lifting yourself or pay a much higher fee than you would if you were a little more prepared. 

Start packing as soon as you can

Many people leave packing until the last possible minute. While this may seem reasonable, considering everything else you have to do, this is a great way to cause your stress levels to skyrocket when moving day approaches. After all, this means that you then need to ‘rush’ the process of packing. Not only that, but it is much more time-consuming (and tiring) than you may think.

As such, the sooner you can get started on packing up your home, the better. For example, you could get started right away by packing up things you know you won’t need or use before the move! This could include things such as Halloween and Christmas decorations, books, and old photo albums. 

This also gives you the opportunity to carry out some good old-fashioned decluttering. Remember, having fewer things to take from A to B means cheaper moving fees and less to unpack when you get there. As such, try to be as ruthless as you can. You could even use this as an opportunity to earn some extra money by selling anything that is still in good condition! 

Don’t let every waking thought be about the move

Now, this piece of advice is a little easier said than done. After all, if you’re excited about the prospect of moving, the chances are that you won’t be able to get the idea out of your head.

However, this isn’t always the best mindset to be in, especially if you already feel as though your stress rates are higher than usual. As such, you need to surround yourself with distractions when necessary. For example, you should still make sure you leave time in your routine to hang out with friends and your hobbies. This way, when you have to focus on moving tasks once again, you can do so with a clear mind. 

Let people know you’re moving

While you may have already discussed your intentions to move with friends, family, and colleagues, it’s important to remember that there are many other people you need to inform. For example, this could include your bank, healthcare provider, and anyone else who may send mail or correspondence directly to your home. 

Final thoughts

Many of those who have recently moved say they hope to never have to do so again. Why? Because of the amount of stress, they had to deal with as a consequence of this. 

For example, one study found that 50% of movers found the process more stressful than having a baby, getting a divorce, or searching for a new job. Fortunately, there are plenty of steps that you can take to ensure that you’re not in the same position. 

As discussed above, you can do so by: 

• Understanding the differences between needs and wants when looking for a property 
• Setting a realistic budget for the entire process 
• Getting your home market-ready to ensure a speedy sale 
• Working with legal professionals to ensure everything runs smoothly 
• Hiring movers as soon as you have a moving date in mind 
• Starting packing as soon as you can 
• Letting people know that you are moving 

By following the guidance above, you can make sure that your own moving process is as simple, straightforward, and stress-free as possible. This way, you’ll have less to worry about and more time to start thinking about how you will decorate your new home or the housewarming party you’ll throw when you are finished unpacking!