MOVING LESSONS NOT TO LEARN THE HARD WAY

By Harvey Lucas

After a couple of missteps when moving from a rental to a newly purchased home, Harvey, 27, gives his top tips for moving the right way, to ensure a stress-free transition.

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Buying a new home is incredibly exciting. After the intensity of house hunting, having your offer accepted and final settlement is done and dusted, it’s finally time for the big move… or is it? Learn from my mistakes as I tell you what I wish I knew when moving out of my rental.

Connect your utilities

You’ll need to connect the electricity and gas to your new home before you arrive. It’s a good idea to call several providers and choose the best tariff available. You’ll also need to organise phone and internet; however, these can take quite a bit longer than the electricity and gas to connect. It’s best to begin organising these services several weeks before your move or once you’ve reached your settlement date on the new home.

Make a plan for your pets

Moving home can be equally as stressful for our furry friends. With the hustle and bustle of packing, moving boxes and then unpacking at the other end, pets can have trouble adjusting to their new surroundings. It may help to have your pets looked after by a friend or family member, or even at a kennel for a couple of days, while you move boxes and furniture to your new home.

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5 Label your packing boxes

Labelling can seem like tedious work, but your future self is going to thank you when you’re surrounded by a sea of brown boxes on move-in day. One of the simplest things you can do to make the unpacking process stress-free is to label each of your packing boxes with details such as:

• What room the box belongs in

• What the box contains

• Who the box belongs to (i.e., ‘Brad’s clothes: Main bedroom’)

8 Ensure your insurance is sorted

In all the excitement of moving, it can be easy to forget things like your insurance (I’ve been there). Save yourself some trouble and let your current insurers know you’re moving but be prepared for some adjustments in premiums for things like car and contents insurance.

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Hire a removalist or organise transport

Whether you’re planning on doing the heavy lifting yourself or hiring a removalist, you’ll want to organise these well in advance. You may need to hire a truck if you’re moving on your own, however in many cases the costs for these two options are similar. Hiring a removalist – like hiring a cleaner – can save you a lot of time and energy.

9 Find your local supermarket, doctor, pharmacy, and other amenities

The last thing you want to be doing on your first night in your new home is making an emergency trip to the doctor. However, all signs may point that way after a day of moving boxes and assembling flat pack furniture.

Once you’ve unpacked and settled in, many people choose to focus on the garden as their first project. Fortunately, in Australia there is so much we can do with our outdoor spaces to allow for quiet or active enjoyment of the great outdoors.

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