Make moving day a breeze with a moving out checklist that ticks all the right boxes.
Upsizing, downsizing, sea change or tree change, whatever your motivation is, moving house can be an exciting time. But let’s face it, with the logistics, physical labour and time, there’s a reason why moving house is one of the top five most stressful things in life. Not only does it indicate change which alone can cause stress and anxiety for many people, but it’s also not a fun thing to do. That’s why so many people put off organising and packing right up to the last minute.
With a little organisation, time management, and our moving out checklist, all those feelings of overwhelm and stress will fly straight out the window.
☑ Do a stocktake of your belongings
Canstar suggests that before you start packing, do a stocktake of all your belongings to see what will be coming and what will be donated or sold. If you have boxes that haven’t been unpacked since your last move, seriously consider whether you need the items inside them.
☑ Book a removalist service
Hire a truck and round up your family and friends to help you move, or book a professional removalist service - cheapest is not always best. Check online reviews and make sure your removalist service is qualified and can move specialised items, such as pianos.
☑ Host a garage sale
There will inevitably be furniture and items that don’t make the cut for your new house, especially if you are downsizing. Host a garage sale a few weeks from moving day, and whatever you don’t sell at the sale, sell online or donate to charity.
☑ Collect boxes – free is always better
If you’re using a professional removalist service and they are packing for you, then the boxes will be included. If you’re packing your belongings yourself, reuse boxes by collecting them from family and friends, grocery stores, bookstores etc. Otherwise, storage companies sell new and second-hand boxes.
☑ Label and create an inventory of valuables
When packing your belongings, label your boxes using coloured tape or stickers for each room. As you pack, create an inventory of what valuables are in what boxes – doing both of these will make life so much easier when you’re unpacking.
☑ Measure your whitegoods
Fridges, washing machines and dryers are some household white goods you need to measure to make sure they will fit in the allocated spots in your new home. Some white goods, such as fridges, have moving instructions – such as keeping them upright. Being across all of this will make moving day easier
☑ Take care of outstanding bills and repairs
Make sure you are on top of all your bills to avoid any nasty surprises later on and fix up any repairs around the house – this could affect whether you get your rental deposit back or not.
☑ Disconnect and connect your utilities
While you’re taking care of any outstanding bills, and once you’ve locked in your moving date, request to have your utilities disconnected on a set date and connected at your new address. The big ones here are gas, electricity, water, phone and broadband/NBN.
☑ Organise home and content insurance
If you haven’t got it already, having home and content insurance safeguards your furniture and personal belongings. Make sure your provider covers your belongings during the move in case anything goes missing or is broken in transit.
☑ Mail, subscriptions and change of address
Be sure to change your address with all of your subscriptions, organise mail redirection for each person in your family with the post office and change your address on your driver’s license, with the electoral office, banking institutions and insurance companies.
☑ Organise cleaning of the home
Once you have removed all your belongings from the house, organise the property to be cleaned. If you’re moving from a rental, there will be particular areas you will need to pay attention to, to get your bond back, such as carpet cleaning and oven range hood.
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