You finally bought a new house and are over the moon with joy. Don’t let us rain on your parade, but the hard part of moving homes is not striking the deal. Neither is getting the keys or finding new friends, although all of these are not as easy as they sound. The toughest challenges in front of new homeowners are mainly with the moving part and how they deal with their belongings. Naturally, if the 40-year-high inflation, the constantly rising interest rates by the Bank of England and the impending massive economic crisis are not enough to deter you from purchasing a new place, neither should these ordinary challenges that have easy and quick solutions. To help you in this time of uncertainty, here is how to solve the top 5 most common problems people face when moving homes.
Deciding what to take
You can never truly appreciate how much stuff you own until it’s time to pack and move them. Moreover, that’s when you remember that this sweater that sat at the bottom of your wardrobe for a decade is actually adorable, and you just can’t throw it away. Unfortunately, however, it is painfully out of fashion. The same goes for that doll that your daughter used to play with as a child, but she is already in college and will hardly look for a plaything she abandoned more than a dozen years ago. Yes, memories are precious, but at the same time are our most formidable enemy. You don’t need everything that you own, and you know it. Still, you are not ready to detach yourself from the emotional value of some useless items you haven’t looked for in years.
According to a Fantastic Services nationwide survey, over 70% of people find packing up and moving their belongings the most stressful part of acquiring a new home. It’s the most common topic for argument when moving homes as well, as more than 80% of those who happen to get into an altercation when changing their residence agree that’s their breaking point.
There is an easy solution that doesn’t require any additional funds. Just a little time. Create a list where you write down everything you will take into your new home. That includes a detailed list of your clothes, kitchen appliances, furniture, sports equipment, and long-forgotten presents you never opened. If you can’t remember something exists, you don’t need it, and it’s practically already gone.
When you go through your stuff, you will find, without a doubt, things that will trigger instant memories. Put those aside, and after you’re done packing, it’s time to make a decision. Will you use those things you’ve put aside in the next year? If the answer is yes, then take them. If not, get rid of them. Of course, there are some obvious exceptions, like family heirlooms, wedding dresses and other highly valuable stuff. This way, you will have the space to create new memories and leave bygones be bygones.
Finding help to move your stuff
Packing your belongings is one thing, but transporting them to your new place is a whole other gig. On the one hand, there is the stress of damaging your stuff during the move. Surprisingly, this is not the most stressful part of moving homes, according to the Fantastic Services survey. Only about 56% of respondents claim they feel such anxiety. Moreover, less than half of the movers confess they are distressed about potentially damaging their old or new place while moving.
While these aspects are not initially at the top of our minds, we certainly need to find someone to help us move. The obvious choice is to ask friends or family, as 85% of all movers claim they have done. Still, this may cause some trouble, as 20% of all movers admit to having argued with their friends or family during the moving period. Another 20% were angry at their spouse. 15% admit that they were mad at their friends and family for refusing to help with the move, while about a third (29%) of all who started an altercation ruined their relationship with their relatives and close ones.
This comes to show that relying on your family or buddies might be the cheaper alternative, but it ends up costing you your relationship. On the other hand, there is always the option to ask a professional company to move your stuff. It will take a lot less time, there will be practically zero chance of damaging your belongings, your old house or your new one, and even if there are such mistakes, you will be compensated accordingly. Moreover, with a professional removals company, you wouldn’t have to put the energy, time and, more importantly, your relationships in line. Instead, you will only have to allocate some additional funds.
New house not being ready
This one is not as uncommon as you might think. If you are a first-time homeowner, you are most likely moving out of a rental place. This means that you need to move out by the end of your lease, but that does not always coincide with the home preparation. Even if it’s for 2-3 nights, you still need to have a place to store your belongings since you can’t bring them to a hotel, and it will be a bit over the top to crash with all your furniture and stuff at a friend’s home.
So, if you find yourself in such a situation, the best thing to do is to ask your landlord if it’s OK to stay for one week extra. If the place is not already rented out, chances are they will agree, albeit to inflated rates.
However, if you don’t have this opportunity, you will need to find a good storage room to place your stuff. There are a ton of storage unit providers in the UK, so you should check for someone, who can actually come and collect your stuff, or at least have 24/7 access, has climate-controlled storage and flexible tariffs, so you won’t have to pay for a month or even a year if you need the space only for a week or two. Naturally, this will cost a bit extra, but if you want to keep your belongings safe, you shouldn’t go with the cheapest option. Ever.
Cleaning before leaving
Getting your deposit back is not as easy as you might think. Shocking or not, landlords are not too eager to give back several thousand pounds to their tenants as a farewell gift, even though they are required to do so by law. As a result, deposits can easily go as high as several thousand pounds as, legally, owners can charge up to 5 weeks’ rent as a deposit. So if you pay the average for the UK £969 per month, your deposit will be anywhere between (£3876 and £4845).
Getting this money back is not a small thing, and you should maximise your chances by leaving your former place of residence exactly how you found it, or even better. You can try doing it on your own, but to be honest, results are not guaranteed even if you invest several days to a week scrubbing all the walls, floors and windows, as well as cleaning the furniture, white appliances and everything in between.
An End-of-Tenancy cleaning by a professional crew will save you not only a lot of time but will maximise your chances of getting your deposit without any objections from the landlord. Moreover, with all the other stress you will experience when moving homes, it’s a no-brainer you can go without needlessly slaving away for several days straight. Instead, you will pay between 180-240 pounds for a 1-bedroom home (depending on where you live) and leave it up to the professionals to scrub, wash and clean. The money is definitely worth it.
Unpacking
Finally, when you are eventually at your new home, it’s time to unpack. That sounds easier said than done. True, your furniture probably already has a predetermined place, but it’s hell to move everything at once, even if you have all the help you need. If you decide to trust a removal company, it will be a lot less complicated, as they will put everything in its place.
Still, you will have a ton of boxes to unpack. Usually, it takes up to a year for a family to fully unpack. That, however, can be done in about 2-3 days if you dedicate the time and follow a few simple tricks. First and foremost, everyone should take part. You should sort all boxes and start unpacking room by room. First, go through larger items and leave the small details for last. Finally, don’t let the kids unpack on their own, as they simply won’t do it. Make it all as a family. Make a game out of it and try not to stress over it, but to enjoy the time spent with your family.
Follow these five simple pieces of advice, and you won’t have to go through the most stressful part of moving your home. Instead, you will enjoy your new property fully, and your first memories of your new home won’t be screams and arguments. Now that’s worth every additional penny.