Moving house is known to be one of life's most stressful experiences. We struggle not only with the uncertainty of our new start - a new area, new neighbours & a complete change in our routine, but the physical dismantling of our existing house is exhausting! We may have so many emotional connections to our existing house - good and bad - and moving on is hard. There are a few ways that we can reduce the enormity of the process to help us settle into our new home much more smoothly.
Get a Head-Start
The admin associated with moving house can be absolutely soul-destroying - so it can be difficult to think ahead when the physical packing and moving feels like a mountain to climb. However, if we start to look at our house slightly differently in the weeks or months leading up to the move it will pay dividends later!
Home Staging
Selling our existing house can feel like a nightmare if agents are struggling to sell your property, buyers drop out or the constant tidying between viewings feels like a second job! There are a few proven ways that we can make our existing house more attractive to prospective buyers, ensuring that you get the best price for your home & it sells in good time to reduce stress:
First and foremost - DECLUTTERING (I will talk much more about this process). If you have excessive 'stuff', especially on surfaces, it will distract from the potential in your space and make the rooms feel smaller. Also, although viewers want to view your house as a 'home', they need to be able to visualise themselves living there.
Clean - take the time to make sure that your home is clean, aired and fresh for viewers. Cooking smells in particular can be really off-putting to viewers. If you've done a good declutter, cleaning will be a breeze as worktops will be clear. Consider having a deep clean done by a professional, and having your carpets cleaned to ensure that everything feels really fresh.
Anything highly personal, such as clothing, toys or pet care items should be put away.
Some fresh flowers or plants give some life to your home and make it feel much more inviting.
Each room should have a clear purpose - if your dining room or spare room has become a dumping ground, take the time to restore it to it's original glory to maximise potential.
Decorating - if you can, make sure your decor is light, airy and inviting. Again, not everyone has the same tastes so pairing it back will be universally appealing. That Man United wallpaper might make your heart sing but strike fear into a viewer!
Lighting - I know we are in a cost of living crisis, but making sure lights, lamps and even bathroom lights are on for viewings will make your home seem so much warmer and more inviting.
Curb appeal. Viewers' first impression of your home should be a good one. Jet wash the driveway, prune any hedging, cut the grass & make sure there are no errant weeds making the front of your home look depressing as people arrive.
Before viewings, open the windows for a while to let fresh air circulate. You can fragrance gently with subtle fragrances with reed or oil diffusers, but some find strong fragrances off-putting so tread carefully! Place fresh towels in bathrooms & make sure there is some nice hand soap out.
Top tip: keep a box for sweeping every day surface items like oven gloves, kids' homework, pet toys and paperwork in for viewings. This can be tucked away in a cupboard so you can quickly bring it back out again afterwards to limit the intrusion of viewings.
Decluttering
If you only do one thing before you move - do this! There is no better opportunity you'll get to have a life-changing declutter of everything you own! Removals services are expensive, so reduce the time, stress and costs associated with moving & unpacking unwanted stuff - future you will thank yourself! Work from room to room, be ruthless and ask yourself whether you want to pay to move each item, and whether you want it in your space at your new home. It's a perfect time to shed some baggage and live in your home exactly how you want it. It's no secret that the more clutter we have, the more stressful we find our surroundings read my decluttering blog for more. We want our homes to be a sanctuary from the outside world, where we can feel truly relaxed, comfortable and safe - decluttering is a huge step to making sure your new home is exactly as you imagine!
Of course, if you are downsizing then decluttering is absolutely non-negotiable. You cannot move a 5 bedroom house and its contents into a 2 bedroom cottage & live comfortably. Just keep the essentials and you will feel far happier for it!
Decluttering has countless benefits, but a huge bonus when moving house is that it actually serves as an audit/inventory of everything you own. This will help exponentially when you come to unpack.
Categorise
As you declutter, place items that you want to keep into clear categories. When I help clients with a house move, I use containers for this so that removals can just place these into boxes (a great unpacking hack!). If everyday items like batteries, travel items, usb leads etc are all kept in categories, you won't have any boxes full of random mess on moving in day. Everything will make sense, it will be easy to find and keeping things in categories means that you can unpack more quickly into their proper home from day one. If you can maintain these categories in the weeks leading up to your move, it will save you so much time long-term. Also, putting everything back in its place every time is a great habit to get into to save time tidying!
Loft & Garage
Take some time to organise your storage areas into categories in clear, stackable, labelled boxes. This way, these can just be placed into their new home straight away (no unpacking) - these areas will be organised from day one, and you'll be able to find everything you need in record time!
Unpacking
On moving day, we are often so exhausted and impatient to move in that we just fling things into cupboards to move this arduous process along. However, if we can resist this urge and take some time to unpack in a purposeful way, settling into our new home will be so much nicer. I always prioritise kitchens & bedrooms - we need to eat & sleep! Unpack boxes into categories on the floor in each room, then place into cupboards where it flows and makes sense my kitchen blog will help you with this. The categories you made earlier will also help with this process, and create natural systems by keeping like with like.
Enjoy Your New Home
Once you've decluttered, moved and unpacked you will be ready to collapse on the sofa & enjoy your new home. Living without clutter and with organisation will save so much time cleaning and tidying - so you can settle in and enjoy your beautiful new home at its best!