Move like a professional to make yourself at home quickly.
Hooray, you have found your dream home! After all the excitement of viewings and negotiating, you are all set for your move. Whether you have bought a new home or are renting, for many the prospect of actually packing up their belongings and physically moving isn’t quite so appealing.
To help ease the burden we have compiled our top tips to make your move as effortless as possible.
1. Declutter.
Have a good look through your belongings and clear out any items that are no longer use. There is nothing worse than arriving in a new home, unpacking and realising that half the stuff moved you don’t actually need. Avoid a last minute throw out just because all your items won’t fit in the packing boxes so spend a few weeks in the lead up to the move taking time to go through clothes, books and other items to determine if you need to take them with you. Be realistic, if you are downsizing or moving to a property with less storage space, then a big declutter is on the cards.
2. Organise.
It doesn’t matter if you are moving 500 metres or 5,000 kilometres, it is important to be prepared in order to move in an organised fashion. Ensure you have strong and sturdy cardboard moving boxes in a variety of sizes, durable packing tape, the correct packing material for each item and a pen to mark each box so you know which room to place the box at the other end. If you have a particularly valuable item, then consider getting bespoke packaging made for it.
3. Rules for packing.
Remember that boxes do not need to be filled to the top. Fill a box with books and it becomes impossible to move. Create a cushion at the bottom of the box, place the heaviest items in first, and fill any gaps in the box with paper. All items should be wrapped separately giving extra special care and attention to breakables. Remember newspaper can leave residue and spoil silverware so acid free paper is recommended.
4. International moves.
If you are moving internationally there are a few additional things to think about. Firstly you may find it cheaper and easier to buy some items in your new country of residence rather than packing them up and paying to move them. Equally though, you may have some must have items that you cannot find elsewhere in the world. Research to determine what those items are to avoid any unnecessary costs. For example, in Thailand many items imported from Europe are subject to a luxury tax, easily adding at least 50 percent onto the price of that item. It is also important to check the country’s customs for any restrictions on bringing items in too. Australia has stringent rules on bringing wood into the country so do your research so ensure your items don’t get stuck in customs whilst checks are carried out, or worst still, disposed of.