Becoming a homeowner in Australia and moving to your new home can be one of the most exciting times of your life. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most stressful times of your life.

After you wait to be approved for a loan, have your offer on the house accepted, make it through the inspections, and finally close on the home, the stress doesn’t stop there.

You also need to worry about the move itself. Fortunately, there are a few things that you can do to make the moving process less stressful.

 

Purge Your Home Before You Pack

Before you start packing up your belongings, you need to go through everything and get rid of things that you no longer want or no longer need.

Even if you are planning to hire a professional packing company, you should still go through everything in your home.

If there are things that you no longer need but are still in good condition, you can give them away to Goodwill or you can have a yard sale to make a bit of money.

Anything that is in poor condition should be put in a separate pile to be thrown away. Finally, be sure to sell or toss your items before your scheduled moving day.

Research Moving Companies

A professional mover can make a move much easier and less stressful. Since the moving company will be handling all of your belongings and driving them from the old home to the new one, you want to work with a reputable company that you can trust.

You should look for a company that offers reasonable rates, that has the necessary licenses and insurance, and that has excellent reviews from former customers. In Brisbane, Scottys The Movers! provide furniture removalists at affordable prices for local and interstate moves.

 

Create a Master Schedule

A month before moving day, you should create a list of things that need to be done regarding sorting, packing, and making any necessary repairs in the home that you are leaving. When you have completed your list, you will need a calendar.

Write one of the chores on each day of the calendar. When you have just one small task to do each day, it will make the long to-do list less intimidating. You can also use a moving checklist to help organise what needs to be done.

 

Gather All of Your Packing Supplies

A few weeks before the move, you should get all of the moving supplies that you are going to need. This will give you an opportunity to do a little bit of packing each day.

You can purchase boxes at your local hardware store or at a truck rental facility. If you don’t want to spend money on boxes, you can go to your local grocery store to see if they have free boxes available.

You can also check neighborhood apps and Facebook to see if people are giving away their used moving boxes.

You are also going to need packing paper, bubble wrap, a Sharpie marker to mark the boxes, and packing tape. When you gather all of your packing supplies, you can cross it off your schedule.

 

Make One Trip to the Hardware Store

You shouldn’t go to the hardware store until you have created your master schedule. When you know exactly what you are going to need, you can take just one trip rather than wasting your time making several trips.

After your list is created, you will know if you are going to need caulking, paint, duct tape, and any other items needed to make repairs in your old home as well as for the move.

 

Handle the Mail and the Utilities Early

You should fill out a change of address card with the post office at least a before the move. There is a section on the form where you can write the date that you want to mail to begin being delivered to your new home.

You should also contact the utility companies as soon as you have a move-in date. This will ensure that you have all of your utilities connected on the day that you move.

If it is necessary for a technician to come out to your home, you should make the appointment the day before you move. This will make things less chaotic on moving day.

 

Recruit Helpers Early

If you are going to need help moving or unpacking, you should make arrangements with friends and family members early. Let them know exactly what time you are starting and what time they can leave.

Since they are taking time out of their day to help you, the least you can do is have a set schedule in place.

 

Pack Necessary Items Separately

Most people don’t get their entire home unpacked on the day that they move. There are going to be items that you need on moving day and if you don’t get everything unpacked on day one, it can make life in the home difficult until all of the boxes are unpacked.

To make your life easier, pack certain items ahead of time and keep them in your car rather than putting them on the moving truck. This will make them easy to find. The items that you should pack separately include:

 

• Cleaning Supplies

There is a good chance that you will need cleaning supplies while you are unpacking. You should put together a cleaning kit so that you have everything on hand at the new house.

There are several items that you may need while you are unpacking. In a clear bin, gather a change of clothing, medication, Ibuprofen, a first aid kit, pet dishes and food, and any other items that you use each day.

 

• Bedding

You should pack your bedding separately and keep it in your car. After a long day of packing, you are going to want a good night’s sleep.

If you have all of your bedding in a separate bag in your car, you can make your bed right when you get to the new home. When you are tired at the end of the day, you can go right to sleep.

Label Your Boxes

When you are packing, you should label each box. When you label, you need to write more on the box than just the room that it belongs in. You will have plenty of boxes for your kitchen.

If it takes you a couple days to get unpacked and you need a fork or a spoon, you would simply need to find the box market “utensils.” This will keep things organized until you every box unpacked.

Know a Few Packing Tips

• If you are going to be packing yourself, you should know a few packing tips to take up less room and to keep your belongings from getting broken.

 

• After you pad your dishes, stack them vertically rather than horizontally. If the box is dropped, you won’t need to worry about all of the plates getting broken.

 

• Rather than using boxes, pack what you can in your suitcases and baskets. These items have to get to the new house anyway so you might as well make use of them.

 

• If you have heavy items, you should pack them in the smaller boxes. If you fill a large box with heavy items, it might be too heavy to carry.

 

• When packing your clothes from the closet, there is no need to take them off the hangers. This will save you a lot of time when you are packing and unpacking.

 

If you follow the 10 tips listed above, moving day can be more exciting than it is stress. You can read more here.