Those who have moved home more than once don’t need telling how many things can and do go wrong with a house move. Whether you’re moving a few doors down or you’re moving across the country, there are so many variables involved in a house move that it’s sometimes inevitable that you will experience a few bumps in the road.
And that’s not to say a house move can’t go smoothly, far from it. Millions of moves occur globally each year, and not all of them are fraught with problems. Just that, if there was one scenario where things are more likely to go wrong, it’s when you’re moving home.
And often it’s not the big obvious things that catch people unawares, it’s the smaller problems that are easy to overlook, or even not something you’re aware of, that trip you up.
So with that in mind, let’s take a look.
Underestimating How Long It Will Take to Pack
Spoiler: You own more than you think you do.
Packing last or leaving it too late will mean you pack in a rush, and things will get crazy chaotic fast on both sides of the move.
Even if you don’t actually own too much stuff, packing takes a while. And if you’re using this time to declutter so you’re not taking unwanted junk with you, it’ll take longer.
Ideally, experts suggest giving yourself around 4-6 weeks to pack prior to a move. But not everyone has the luxury of time. So, packing as soon as you have locked in your moving date or you have a date you need to leave your current abode is essential.
Create a checklist, go room by room, break it down into cupboards or drawers or sections, ie, clothing, bedding, towels, seasonal stuff, and move through it methodically. It doesn’t matter; just get started as early as you can.
Not Prepping an Essentials Box
No, it doesn’t need to be a disaster or doomsday prep kit, but it does need to be something that has your essentials in it. Because come moving day, you won’t have access to those things you need or rely on to get through the day.
An essential box could contain items such as the following or similar:
- Toiletries
- Medication
- Charging packs
- Charger or wires
- ID
- Pet care essentials
- Snacks
- Change of clothes
- Important documentation
There’s no one hard and fast rule, but it should contain those things you need to find fast and have to hand without wading through boxes of items to find.
Underestimating Moving Costs
Moving costs are more than just hiring movers to get you from A to B. It’s the packing costs, it’s any costs associated with disconnecting and reconnecting services, changing addresses on important accounts, i.e., banks, insurance, etc, it’s packing materials, it’s the buying of new items because you can take your existing ones with you. Costs such as DIY or cleaning equipment to make the property like new if you’re leaving a rental to get your deposit back, or carrying out repairs to make sure you can move right in, etc.
It’s not just the cost of a removal van, which too can vary depending on the size of van you need, the distance you’re moving, and the services you want or need; it’s everything else too.
Forgetting to Measure Up
A big “uh-oh” moment comes when you get your belongings out of the removal van, and suddenly they won’t fit through doorways, or if they are too big or small for the room you had planned for them, and suddenly things get cramped and chaotic fast.
Not all furniture fits in all spaces, even if the room sizes are similar; the layout might be slightly different, impacting how you arrange furniture or even get it into the property.
You need to measure both your furniture and the new place, i.e., doorways, walls, etc, to make sure that when you take your furniture with you, it can fit in the house easily without accommodations, and it will go where you need it to.
Missing Deadlines
There are many changes you need to make when you move home, and some of them come with notification deadlines that can be costly and have a huge impact on you.
Neglecting to change your address in time with your vehicle registration, insurance, utility providers, etc, can increase stress and pressure as you’re settling in.
Forgetting About Moving Day Logistics
Sure, you’ve got the van arranged, you know when they’re arriving, and you’ve organized who is doing what and when. But what about everything else? How long will it take to load and unload the vans, or where will you eat, and how or even who will be looking after kids and pets?
Understanding how the actual day’s activities will impact your normal routines is vital. Having outside help for child or pet care can be a great option; using services like daycare for both is a good idea if you already have these options locked in.
Don’t forget about medications you might need to take or routines that need to be adhered to for health conditions. How will you work these into the moving day process so things aren’t forgotten or missed? You need to look at how this change to your routine will impact your life and what adjustments you need to make to help you keep on top of everything that cannot be missed or rearranged for another day.
Not Organizing Boxes
As tempting as it is to just throw everything together and sort it out at the other end, it’s not usually a great idea. You need to be methodical when packing. This means everything is labeled and taken care of as you pack. So when it arrives at your new home, it lands exactly where it needs to be, and there’s no running around, rearranging boxes, or a scramble to find things you need.
It doesn’t take long when packing to write on the box what room it’s for or put a color on it that you can attach to a certain room, i.e., red for kitchen, blue for bathroom, etc. And it will make life so much easier when it comes to settling in once everything has been moved.
