I helped my Dad to move house a few months ago, so I picked up some great moving and how to pack tips, as well as the handful of times I have moved home of the years. Moving home can be a stressful time, remembering to do everything, pack and clean, but if you can stay organised you can get through this period with little worry.
As I’ve mentioned previously when moving I believe the key is to purge your clutter before you move, don’t take it to your new home. Take the time to sort through your clutter, sell or donate excess clutter or organise a garage sale.
Moving Home Checklist
So you have decided to move to a new home and you need some help to prepare for the move, follow through my moving home checklist to help you through each step.
6 weeks before move
- Create a folder to keep all moving documentation together (eg. checklist, quotes etc)
- Create a budget on how much you can spend on moving costs
- Organise quotes for removalists
- If renting, formally notify property manager you will be vacating
- If renting, book in to have carpets clean and house pest controlled
- Check when your new home last had its carpets cleaned and was pest controlled. If outside of 12 months, organise for your new home to have the carpets clean and it pest controlled before you move in.
- Enrol kids into new school and have their records transferred over
- Call your insurance company to see what changes may need to be made to your insurance policy. Ensure your new home is insured from the day it is unconditional, not the day you move in.
- Research and book storage facilities, if needed
- Start collecting boxes, newspaper, bubble wrap
- Organise time off work for moving
- Tidy the garage so you can use this space to place packed boxes
Full 6 week countdown checklist is available in the Moving Home Pack with checklist.
In this pack you will receive:
- 6 week countdown moving home checklist
- a page to list down all important details, such as moving day, time, your new address, phone number and more
- list of items to have in an essentials pack. An essentials pack is a group of items to have on hand at the new home, just in case it’s too late to unpack boxes, you have everything you need for a comfortable nights rest.
- list to keep track of utility companies you need to arrange for disconnection and reconnect to the new home
- list of services you need to contact and notify of your change of address
- cleaning checklist, this is especially handy if you are renting
- blank to-do list
- a cute page to write a message to the new home owners (note down which day is bin day or details on how to use things around the home)
- contact details, keep all contact numbers handy
- Door signs – blu-tak the signs to doors in the new home to removalists know which room is which (colour coded)
- Packing lables – print and tape the labels to your packing boxes, note what is in the box in case you need something before you have finished unpacking. Labels colours match door signs so removalists can easily drop boxes in correct room
- Fragile, open first and storage labels, print and tape to boxes
Moving Tips
- Research removalist or ask friends for a recommendation, best removalists is one that is recommended. Also phone around for several quotes as they all vary in price
- If you aren’t moving far take all the clothes hanging in the wardrobe, still on hangers and transport in your own car to the new house. Put clothes direct into new wardrobe, will save you so much time.
- Check the weather forecast, if rain is predicted keep some towels and tarps handy to protect furniture and other items from getting wet
- Make sure you pets are secured and safe for the day as more than likely doors and gates will be left open
Packing tips
- Take care when packing items, carefully wrap all breakable items and label the box as fragile
- Pack heavy items into small boxes
- The less space in the box results in less damage, so try to pack as much as you can into each box
- Pack items from each room into separate boxes, this will make the process of unpacking easier for you
- Remember to reinforce the bottom of heavy boxes with packing tape, this will make the box stronger
- Put bubble wrap on the corners of precious furniture so they won’t get damaged during the move
- Pack all jewellery and important documents in one box, keeping them safe and with you during the move
17 comments
Hey Kat, Awesome idea moving day printables…I will be using these soon! Not sure if it’s just my silly computer but the link for the garage sale bit wasn’t working, thought I would let you know 🙂
Thank you Anne-marie, no the link wasn’t working, my fault, thank you for letting me know I really appreciate that x
Hi Kat, I also found when moving to number boxes & keep a separate book or list of what is in each box as we weren’t going to unpack every box straight away. We moved last August & still haven’t unpacked everything!!
That’s a really great idea Jody, especially when you really need something it ail make it easier to locate.
Omg, this is absolutely genius! I’m moving this August with the perspective of another moving in the winter, so this would help me a lot! I’m not going to unpack everything so it will be easier when packing for the winter move! Thank you so much!
Haha, I saw this JUST after moving yesterday, & hope I don’t need to use your Moving Kit for a long time now! 🙂
Ooh no a day late, I hope your move went well Danni
Thanks Kat! The actual move went a lot quicker than expected but now I have a unit full of boxes… 🙂
Great tips when moving to a new home! Every renter is definitely going to need this so I’m definitely suggesting this to those who are moving to a new residence. I’ve done some of these tips myself when I moved to apartments in Deerfield FL so it the move was hassle-free.
thanks for recommending it Pepper
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Great! If an item fits in a box pack it in a box (lampshades, small appliances) this reduces the time it takes to load and unload and keeps your items safe.
Be organised and get your packing materials organised well in advance so you can pack up your least used items to reduce the last minute rush and stress.
These are some really great tips for house moving and removals. It’s always a good idea to get a checklist of sorts set up to help you get ready for the big move!
Really great and helpful tips… I will recommend these tips to needed person. Hope these will make their move smooth and safe.
These are really great tips. These tips are very helpful for everyone.i must recommend these tips to others.Hope this will make their moves smoother.
Your tips are very helpful and should be followed by everyone that needs guide and help with relocation. As we all know that it’s very stressful thing to move to a new place and every bit of help should be appreciated. I am surely going to share your post with my friends to spread all the helpful info you put out. Thanks!