For the average person, moving house will only ever happen twice in their lifetime. That’s why it’s okay to be nervous, it’s okay to worried about your belongings and feel a little homesick. Luckily for you, as the UK’s longest established family removal company, we’ve literally moved house thousands of times.
Below we’re going to provide you with our top 5 tips on how to cope with moving to a new house both to support your mental and physical wellbeing.
5 ways you can cope with moving to a new house include:
- Hire professionals
- Pack thoroughly
- Load the day before
- Stay healthy
- Take trips to your new area
1. Hire Professionals
With this being such a new experience and turbulent time in your life, it’s also the time to spend wisely and often generously on those services you’re relying on. These services should include:
- Removals team
- Storage facility
- Solicitors
- Cleaners
Every service has a unique and important role in your house move, but the qualities you should be looking out for are all the same.
Experience
Fortune certainly favours the bold, and if the service provider you choose has years of experience (preferably more than 5 years for the above services) you know they’ve stood the test of time.
Passed down generations, experience is everything in removals.
Get used to asking how long they’ve been operating and how many situations like yours they’ve dealt with. By collecting a quote and a level of experience for each firm, you can make an informed choice on who will support you best at this pivotal time.
Reviews
In a but of a hurry? If you don’t have time to call every service provider and ask those burning questions, look for reviews. Google reviews are often the simplest and most transparent because the platform is so accessible, the service provider will likely have a range of reviews from people moving small homes and large homes.
Don’t be disheartened if a star rating is less than 5, sometimes things happen outside the control of the service provider. If you are concerned, have a look at the poor reviews and see if the business has responded. This can often offer peace of mind.
Recommendations
Reviews are one thing, but a recommendation from a family member or friend who you trust goes a long way. Most people in the UK will relocate their home around eight times during their lifetime, so finding a solid recommendation won’t be difficult. This person cares about and the last thing they will want is to set you up with a removals team or solicitor who isn’t at the top of their game.
So get on social media or the phone, and ask your friends and family who they’d recommend to support you during your house move.
2. Pack Thoroughly
Forming a sentimental connection to household items is completely normal, and as these possessions stand the test of time, supporting you and you family they become important to you. Therefore, ensuring these items are fully protected, packed properly and moved securely is absolutely essential during your house move.
Your removals company should provide packing equipment and high quality boxes. These boxes will be double-walled to offer extra support and sturdiness for delicate china items.
Secondly, ensure your boxes are labelled by room. Whilst this may seem a bit of time waster when you’re packing, you’ll save double the time when arriving at your new property because you and your removals team will know exactly where each box goes.
Ultimately, organisation is key and although this may take extra time on the packing day, you will save double that time on moving in day – the day that really matters.
3. Load the Day Before
And you guessed it – deliver the next. Especially if you’re moving from one large house (4+ bedrooms) to another large house. It’s nigh on impossible to load, move and unload in one day for these large properties. But even if you’re moving from a small home, loading the day before and unloading the day after can save a huge amount of stress when moving house.
Here’s how you do it:
- Day before day of completion – pack 90% of your belongings into the removals van, the 10% should only be possessions you need for the next 12 hours like a bed, some plates etc.
- On the day of completion – before 12pm, move the final 10% of your belongings into the van.
- At 12pm on day of completion – you will be ready for the exchange of keys, and prepared for any issues with financial transactions or contracts.
It sounds simple, but we have seen it go wrong in the past. Preparation is everything.
4. Stay Healthy
This sounds simple but eating and drinking properly are essential for cognitive function. Decision making, patience and communication can all be negatively impacted if you’re not keeping fed.
Pasta keeps well outside of a refrigerator.
Food and water can often become second priority on moving day. Here are some tips to make keeping healthy during your move much easier:
1. Quick healthy meals
That don’t require refrigeration or cooking. My recommendation would be mixed vegetable pasta pots which can be purchased at most supermarkets. Delicious, nutritious and easy to eat on-the-go.
2. Two Litre Water Bottles
Drinking enough water not only helps protect your spinal cord and joints but will also helps boost energy, making water consumption even more essential when coping with moving house.
Fill a 2 litre water bottle for every member of the moving party, set the task of finishing it by the end of the day. It sounds like a lot but you will lose water faster on moving day than an average day at work.
3. Schedule a Walk
Going for a stroll on moving day might sound crazy, but everyone needs a break and the human brain can’t stay focused for hours on end. It’s also a nice opportunity to say goodbye to some neighbours and exchange contact details.
Ultimately it’s about time, you won’t have opportunity for the three steps above if packing and organising are not kept to time. So wake up early, and look after yourself.
5. Take Trips to Your New Area
In the lead up to moving house, the last thing on your mind will be a holiday. However, if you have kids or pets, giving them and yourself a chance to adjust to the new area, visit the local shops, pubs and schools will help create a sense of familiarity before you arrive.
Find a local beauty spot and take a look around, you’ll soon fall in love with your new home.
This is an important step for any move, but if this is your first house move in over a decade then I would strongly recommend at least a day trip. The brain is programmed towards familiarity, safety and security so give your brain what it needs.
To learn more about our purpose-built storage facilities or removals services, take a look at out our website or contact Nathan. At Falconers we use meticulous moving techniques, passed down and perfected through generations for over 132 years, to ensure your goods are moved with expert precision and kept in perfect condition.
For more expert advice on how to pack, move and store your belongings — or other important information on how removals work — check out our removals blog page.
Written by Aled Nelmes for Falconer Removals.
