Things You Need to Address Before and During Your Move
Moving into a new home is a complicated and time-consuming process. But does it always have to be that way? We think not! Unless you are being evicted or some disaster happened to your old house, moving into a new place should be the most exciting time of your life. Getting to know the area, meeting neighbours, finding your new favourite coffee shop, and so on are all fun parts of moving to a new city.
However, before you get to do those things, you first need to complete the move. So, to help you streamline the process and avoid any unpleasant surprises, we have put together a list of a couple of things you need to address before and during your move.
Proper packing
Moving your belongings to a new place requires proper packing and wrapping, especially when dealing with delicate and fragile items, such as dishes, picture frames, electronics, etc. You would be surprised how many people just stuff their belongings into card boxes without proper protection. Sure, clothes, books, sheets, and other sturdy items don’t need wrapping and styrofoam.
However, if you are transferring vases, ceramic dishes, glass picture frames, wooden furniture, or some other things that might get chipped, scratched or damaged during transportation, then you need to use proper packaging and wrapping. But don’t worry; you can buy everything that you need from your local home depot-type of store or even hire a professional moving company if you don’t have the time to do it yourself.
Prepare your new place for the move
Next, your new home needs to be ready for you and your family to move in. This includes cleaning the place, planning the layout of the furniture, and making sure you have all the essentials.
First, you don’t want to move into a dirty place, so ensure that it’s pristine before you arrive. Besides mopping the floors and dusting off every corner of the house, you should also check the indoor air quality, especially if you have kids. While this is a common practice in some parts of the world like Australia, others could learn a thing or two from the Aussies.
You see, checking indoor air quality can help you uncover hidden hazards, most severe ones being mould and asbestos. The latter one is extremely hazardous when airborne, which usually happens during renovation work in older homes. So, what are Australians doing that others are not? Most notably, asbestos air monitoring in Sydney is done in almost every home, regardless of how old it is. Sure, you probably won’t find asbestos in a brand new home, but mould, allergens, and other air polluters can be detected with these tests as well.
Second, you need to plan out the furniture layout in advance. While this is not the most important thing on this list, if you want to make it easier for yourself, you should take care of this before you arrive at the new place. Otherwise, you will spend hours moving your sofa until you find the perfect spot.
Finally, if you can’t move all your items at once, focus on the essentials only. Your TV, computer (unless you need it for work), paintings, etc. can all wait for the second run. However, pots and pans for prepping your meals, a bed to sleep in, and necessary cosmetics, are things you can’t go without even for one day. So, make sure you move them first.
Make sure that power, water, and other utilities are functional
Lastly, you need to take care of utilities at your new place. This is something that many people forget to do, which often results in unpleasant surprises once they arrive. So, before you hit the road, you need to contact your new utility providers and have them set up everything before you arrive. Of course, electricity, water, and heating come first, and the internet and phone second. The best part, you can arrange everything in advance and pick an exact date when to turn the utilities on. That way, by the time you get to your new house, everything will be up and running.
And that is about it for today. Of course, you will need to take care of some other things before you move into a new place, but these ones are of the utmost importance.
