Moving house is already one of the most stressful things you can do. You do not want to make it even worse by making one of the many common mistakes that many people regularly make when relocating from one property to another.
With that in mind, I’ve compiled a list of some of the most common house-moving mistakes people make. By being aware of them, you can prevent making the same mistakes and have the smoothest possible move.
1. Not decluttering first
Before you move house, it is always a good idea to declutter your possessions first. Why? Well, for one thing, moving home represents a fresh start, so why not start off right with only the things you truly love or need? For another thing, the less stuff you have, the less packing and unpacking you do, and the better the deal you are likely to get from your local mover. It really is that simple, and decluttering is actually a lot easier than you might think too!
2. Paying for packing supplies
Often, it is unnecessary to pay for all of your packing supplies. If you ask around friends and family, local businesses, and even on Facebook Marketplace and Freecycycle, you will probably be able to gather together all the boxes, bubble wrap, and tape you need. So, before you buy anything, it really is worth asking around before you head to the store and pay for supplies at a time when you are probably already spending a lot of money on moving home anyway.
3. Leaving it all to the last minute
Many people think that it is a good idea to leave the packing until the last minute so that they can keep their current home as it is and agave easy access to anything they need. I cannot overstate how much of a bad idea this is! Why? Because if you leave it to the last minute, lots of problems that wouldn’t otherwise show up start to rear their head, You don’t have enough boxes, you don’t have time to organize the packing, you end up staying up all night which means you’re groggy on move day, and it’s so much more stressful than it needs to be.
Start packing as soon as you can and just leave the basics, like toothbrushes, enough clothing to get you by, kettles, and so on, out. You’ll find that you can get by with much less than you usually do for a few days before the move and it will make life so much easier for you.
4. Doing your own moving
Okay, so if you’re a super-organized person who is great with packing, heavy lifting, and you are not at all clumsy, then hiring a U-haul and moving yourself across the country might just work out, but most people find the experience of running their own move to be an extremely stressful one where lots of things go wrong.
When you do your own moving, you have a lot of things to do and this means that you can get sloppy and end up dripping that box full of chinaware or feeling too tired to drive across state and having to stop more often. Hiring a professional moving company takes all of these issues away, You can even hire movers who will pack for you in this day and age! So, why give yourself the stress when you really don’t need to?
5. Not planning ahead
Many people who are planning to use a removal company do not get in touch with that company more than a day or two in advance. Not only does this often mean that they cannot find anyone to move them when they need to move, but it makes things rushed and needlessly stressful. Again, why put yourself through the stress when planning ahead and doing as much as you can in advance will mean that your move goes more smoothly and you feel a lot calmer throughout the whole process?
6. Lifting the wrong way
If you are going to be lifting and moving your own boxes, then you need to make sure that you are using the correct lifting technique or you could be one of the many people who injure themself when moving house.
When lifting heavy boxes, you should always keep your back straight and bend your knees. This is less likely to cause back strains that can put you out of action, and ensure that your move goes off without a hitch.
7. Not being insured
Many people naturally assume that their homeowner's insurance will cover any breakages that happen when they are moving, but this is not always the case. So, if you are moving house and you have any valuables at all, check with your insurer, and if items are not insured when in transit, then you may want to take out a separate insurance policy that will cover them. Sure, you may have to pay a few dollars more, but that is a much better deal than having to spend thousands to replace that priceless antique, I’m sure you will agree.
8. Not taking measurements
It is always a good idea, before move day comes around, to take measurements of your furniture and your new home, So often people struggle to fit their couches or whatever through the doors of the new house, which means they have wasted time and money transporting something that is going to be absolutely no use to them at the new house, and that they have not had the time to buy a new one, which means they have nowhere to sit for a period of time.
As you can see, there are a lot of basic things you can get wrong when moving house, but now you know about them, you can avoid them and ensure that your big day is as free from the stress and strains that may other people experience as possible. Good luck with the move!
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