Moving in a new home is an exciting milestone for everyone; however, it can be easy to forget a few important things in the midst of so much excitement. For this reason, it is important to take the time to plan each aspect of the move carefully. This will help to ensure that you have everything you need available to you upon your arrival. If you are planning an upcoming move, then the following checklist will help you plan for your move so that everything will go smoothly on your big day.

Turn on the Utilities

If your new home does not already have the electricity and water turned on, then you will need to contact your service provider to establish a time to have it connected. Additionally, many people find it helpful to already have other services ready before they move in their home. By arriving with everything already connected, you will be able to get straight to work.

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Stock Up on Food and Water

Upon arriving to your new home, you will need to have the basic necessities, such as food and water, available for you to quench your hunger or thirst. On your first day, bottled water and some snacks will be sufficient; however, if you have children, then you may need to plan for some more substantial meals. While stocking up on food, be sure to include some dishes and silverware so that you will be able to prepare a few simple meals.

Take Cleaning Supplies

One of the first things you will want to do in your new home is clean up the main living areas and bedrooms. Everyone has their own favourite methods of cleaning, so be sure to take along a broom, mop and any household cleaners you prefer. While packing, be sure to also throw in a few sponges and a toilet brush so that you can make sure that the most important areas of your home will be ready when they are needed.

Include Basic Necessities

On your first day in the new home, you will need a few basic items for everyday life functioning. Keys will be necessary to unlock the doors when entering. New homes also rarely come equipped with light bulbs so you may need to invest in a large package if your new home has several fixtures. Finally, throw in some toilet paper, disposable plates and paper towels to ensure that you have an easy way to clean up any small messes.

Bedding and Personal Care

After all the hard work you will do on moving day, it is essential to have a few items available to make bedtime more comfortable. Be sure to pack your bedding and pillows along with your favorite pajamas. If you have young children, then make sure that they have any stuffed animals or other comfort items. Finally, make sure to include anything you need for showering and brushing your teeth. Having your favorite shampoo on hand can help you get ready to face your second day in a new home.

Moving to a new house is thought to be one of the most stressful things that you can do. Yet, as so many of us are stuck renting for years, as we struggle to save a deposit and get approved for a mortgage, it’s something that we do more often. Moving to a new house never seems to get any easier, no matter how many times you do it, it still feels like a shock. But why, what makes it so stressful, and what could we do to avoid all this trauma? Let’s take a look.

Finding the Right House

The first stress of moving is actually finding a new house. This can be exceptionally challenging. Yes, there’s a lot on the market, but most of it won’t be right for you. Think about your budget, and the area you want to live in, then write a list of other requirements you may have, such as distance from schools or work, off street parking, a garden and how many bedrooms you need. Then, make another list of things that you’d like, but you are willing to compromise on. Now you are ready to start your search.

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Packing

Packing can be awful. Most of us like to start packing early so that we’ve got time to move slowly and take our time, but this can mean we’re living around boxes for a lot longer. To cut the stress, and use the opportunity to our advantage, take this chance to have a really good declutter. Instead of just packing everything up, ask yourself if you love it enough to pack and unpack again. If not, donate, sell or recycle.

Moving Day

Moving day itself can be both physically and mentally exhausting. Even if you’ve done a lot of work before the move, there’s sure to be a lot to do on the bigleftake things easier by labeling boxes, starting early and using a removalist. Then, at the end of the day, when everything is in, treat yourself to your favorite takeout.

Change of Address

One thing that many people fail to consider, which only adds to the stress of a home move is tellingleftne about your change of addresleftmay think that there are only a few people to tell, but this is unlikely to be the case. Right a list of everyone that needs your address, and everyone that you receive post from. When it comes to utility providers and other services you can usually tell them a few weeks before you move, so start as soon as you can. You can usually also let people know with a simple online form.

Yes, moving to a new house is hard work, and there is always going to be some level of stress. But, it doesn’t have to take over your life. Move bit at a time, write detailed lists of everything that you need to do, book time offleftf possible and take it a day alefte. Remember, it’ll all be worth it when you’ve settled into your lovely new home.

Moving into a brand-new home can be exciting. You and your family will be the first ones to live there, which means you’ll get to be part of the decision-making process. From the design and sizes of the rooms to the bathroom fixtures, having a new build home is a chance to really put your stamp on a house. But, just because the house is a new build, it doesn’t mean there isn’t the potential for problems down the line. So, what do you need to do to make the transition as smooth as possible?

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Final Walk Through

Before your builder packs up and leaves, it’s important to visit the property and make sure the job has actually been completed. Test all the lights and plumbing, look for any accidental damages that may have occurred while your builder was working and inspect the exterior of the property too. At this point, it may be wise to hire a professional building inspector that could spot things an untrained eye wouldn’t notice. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Flooring

Don’t try and move in without having your flooring fitted first. It’s a real pain to have to switch all your furniture from room to room while flooring is laid down if you’ve already moved in. Two of the main things to do before moving in is to replace your flooring and curtains for a nice look. It won’t just look nice when you do eventually move in, but it will also mean your furniture can stay where it is, and you’ll have the privacy you need after a long day’s work. The hardest decision will be choosing between carpet and wood flooring.

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Choose What to Take

Many people find that their current furniture doesn’t fit in well in a new build house, or they want new things to go with their new property. If you know there’s furniture that you won’t need or use in your new house, it’s better to get rid of it beforehand, instead of taking it with you. If you’re trying to save money, an old dining room table could make all the difference to your moving costs. The less furniture your movers have to take, the cheaper the cost. Once you know what you’re taking with you, clearly label things for each room so unpacking is easier once you’ve arrived.

Moving Day

It’s easier to move the big house items first, like beds, sofas, tables and chairs. However, if there are rooms in the house with new carpet, you may want to stay out of them while moving things in and out, especially if the carpet is a light color. It’s inevitable that some dust and dirt will enter the house while you’re moving, so you may want to wipe furniture down before moving it into carpeted rooms.

Once you’ve settled into your home, you may start to notice minor things that need to be changed. Get in touch with your builder sooner rather than later if they were already in your agreement.

Moving to a new home is always an incredibly emotional experience. As you prepare to leave the place you’ve called home for a long time, you will realize just how much you’ve enjoyed your time there. Of course, though, it’s not only joy, nostalgia, and excitement taking the stage, and you’ll have another feeling standing in the way of your move; stress. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring a procedure which will remove the element of dread from your relocation, all while making the job a lot easier for you.

To begin, it’s important to come up with a solid plan of action before you start working on the job itself. This plan should be made with your removalists in mind, as they will be the ones doing most of the hard work for you. Your plan should include the order, labeling, and methods you’ll use to get this job done. Of course, though, it also helps to think about unpacking at the other end. The way that you pack your items up will have a huge impact on your experience at the other end of your journey.

[Photo courtesy of Jillien Minera/unsplash.com]

Once you have a good idea of how you’ll be taking on your move, you can start to think about the resources you’ll be using to help you. Boxes will be a big part of this, and you have the option to buy them new or to go on a hunt for some free ones. But, most importantly, you need to think about your labeling system. Permanent markers are great for most applications. But, for items which can’t be written on, you might need some proper tags or labels to seal the deal.

After a little bit of shopping, you should be well on your way to being able to start your packing, and it’s time to consider the items you’ll be packing first. This sort of information should be covered loosely by your plan. But, for the most part, logic and organization will be the best tools to help you here. Starting with the smallest and least-fragile items, you should work on packing room by room. Each container or piece of storage furniture should have a box or two to itself which is clearly marked to help you with unpacking.

Some of the items around your home will be unlikely to fit into a box or other container, and you’ll need to devise a way to move these items easily, as well. This is where your labels come in. By marking which rooms each large item will be going to, you will make the job of unpacking a lot easier. Along with this, though, you could also consider investing in some plastic wrapping material. Not only will this protect your furniture and other big possessions, but it will also make them easier to move around.

Hopefully, this post will give you everything you need to start taking action and working towards moving home. In a lot of cases, people struggle with this sort of work. Stress and worry become big factors, making the whole thing a lot harder, and it can feel like there’s nothing you can do to make it better. In most cases, though, a little bit of work will go a very long way.

For most young people, buying a house is synonymous with freedom. Finally, you can do whatever you want in your home without worrying about what the landlord might say or about getting your deposit back. It is yours, and to put things clearly; you can put as many holes in the walls as you want to. Except, naturally, that buying a house brings a lot more than just a new sense of freedom. There are responsibilities — on the financial and on the practical sides for instance —, compromises and the discovery of new skills too. Buying a house together is truly the beginning of a new adventure. Unfortunately, for a lot of couples, it can also bring serious disagreements and difficulties to their relationship. In the end, the best way for yourself to prepare for this exciting journey into an unknown universe — the land of home ownership — is probably to hear about it first hand from those who made the journey and survived it!

Moving into your first home

#1. First things first: How much can you afford?

Does it need saying? Buying a home is naturally an important investment, and it’s likely to be the first of its kind for you. Most couples choose a combined mortgage option when they buy their first home, as it is one of the easiest options. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t look for other mortgage offers. To keep things basic, the more you borrow, the more you will have to repay. So it’s always a good idea to work with a housing loan calculator to determine first how much you can afford to pay back over a period of time. Sometimes, you might find that it’s easier to save or borrow from your friends or relatives to pay a large deposit on the house and be able to take a loan on a smaller amount.

[Photo courtesy of AlexanderStein/pixabay.com]

 How much can you afford?

#2.It’s all about money and planning

Don’t fall into the common trap of thinking that the cost of your home is the cost of your loan. It is far from it, especially if you hadn’t taken any renovation project into account when you agreed on a price. Affording home improvements can be especially stressful if you’re not used to it. But do you know that you don’t need to rely on an FHA loan to finance your home improvements? Indeed, first-time buyers can also focus on eco-friendly transformations that can be funded by governmental bodies, for example. For extensive renovation works, you can apply for a construction loan or borrow from your 401(k).

#3. Budget as a couple

In fact, the decision to buy a home together marks for couples the first struggle to keep a budget that cares for their individual and common financial needs. You may be used to keeping your own budget, but a couple budget is a whole new kettle of fish. For a start, you need to define your household needs in terms of mortgage repayment, bills, groceries, etc. These, while they are common, will be different to the kind of budget you had BEFORE you bought a house. Additionally, it’s essential that you and your partner agree on the long-term saving goals. There’s no point working towards separate goals.

#4. Combining furniture or buying new?

For some couples, buying a house is the first time they will be properly moving in together — it’s not uncommon for couples to spend time together but keep their separate apartments until they are ready to move in together properly. You might think that the hardest part about this is to share private details through the cohabitation. But believe it or not, most couples report that the hardest part of moving in together is combining their styles and furniture. Indeed, you need to be prepared to get rid of as much of your stuff as you expect your partner to. It’s only fair to keep the best of your common belongings, and it’ll avoid arguments in future. Besides you can also focus on buying new pieces of furniture together.

#5. You’re emotionally ready for the life together

Buying a house together might sound like a good idea. But you need to ask yourself first if you’re ready for this kind of commitment. Cohabitation becomes real when it’s in your own home. In a tenancy agreement, you can leave whenever you want. If it’s your home, you can’t leave. That’s why you need to be sure that you’re ready to move in together for real. Living with the person you love requires accepting levels of intimacy that you may not be prepared to deal with just now. For instance, as silly as it might sound, being able to talk openly about your choices, aspirations and desires for your relationship is a crystal-clear giveaway that you are ready for the move. The best test, though, is to observe how you interact with each other when you’re dealing with stress or financial issues, as these tend to be relationship killers.  

#6. You need to establish some basic rules

Buying your first home also means being ready to accept and share the responsibilities that come with it. You’ve guessed it right: Household chores are a big area of disagreement for couples. Indeed, as both partners often work in modern relationships, household chores need to be shared fairly between both of you. If you prefer doing the laundry while your partner enjoys washing up, then you can simply stick with your eras of expertise or preferences. Admittedly, nobody really enjoys doing chores, but you can work on the basis of things you don’t hate doing instead, as it’s a healthy way of sharing tasks.

#7. Create your decor together

Ah decorating. Who doesn’t love decorating? However, when you buy your first home together, you need to establish a fair approach to your interior decor. It’s not only a personal matter; it’s a matter of shared personal tastes. If you’ve got two different styles, it can be fun to blend both approaches to create an in-between style that will keep your decor eclectic and exciting. You will find the decorating exercise can get a lot easier if you can agree on a common palette of colors that can bring everything together. As a rule of the thumb, though, a good palette consists of five color schemes — by color scheme, we mean blues and grays, for instance, that offer many variations without one theme.

#8. Discover the joys of DIY

You can’t move happily in a house without knowing anything about the most basic home repairs. In fact, you will soon find yourself checking online tutorials to find out how to unblock the toilet or how to clean your grout. While nobody expects you to become a plumbing expert or a qualified electrician, your home maintenance requires some basic DIY skills. Tiling, painting, repairing wood or metal surfaces with filler compounds, or fixing the tap on the sink are essential requirements that every handy(wo)man needs to learn. And don’t leave it to the man in the house simply because he is a man! There’s no room for sexism in home maintenance!

[Photo courtesy of Free-Photos/pixabay.com]

Get your DIY tools with your first home

#9. Give your home a  housewarming party

You might be considering throwing a big housewarming party for your friends and neighbors. If you can; don’t skip on the party as it’s a great way to introduce yourself to a new neighborhood. But remember that once the party is over, you’re the one left to clean. So keep it civilized, friendly and alcohol-light!

In the end, there is a lot to consider when you decide to buy a home together. Your finances; of course; are a priority. But your relationship, your personal preferences and your ability to work together will transform your house into a home. Don’t be fooled: It won’t be perfect every day. But that’s okay because with time and goodwill great things happen.

Anyone who has ever moved home will know that it can be a surprisingly stressful experience. No matter how many times you might have done it previously, it is always stressful and there is always a real difficulty in keeping the stress at bay. However, there are certain things you can do to ensure that the experience is much less stressful than it might seem like it has to be. As long as you are following these simple steps, you should find that the whole experience is much easier to go along with and enjoy. Let’s take a look at some of the essential advice which could make all the difference.

[Photo courtesy of Unsplash/pexels.com]

Organise Early

Usually, the stress of such situations is merely the result of not planning ahead enough. When you fail to plan ahead, it means that you have to make a lot more decisions on the spot, and this can quickly lead to stress building up on the day itself. To avoid this, the solution is clear: simply get yourself organised as early as you can, so as to avoid such an occurrence happening. It’s true that there is plenty to do on the day, but if you organise as much as you can prior to it, then you are helping yourself out in a big way. This means plan what you will do on the day, what order you will do things in, and go down to the smallest detail you can manage on that. This really makes a huge difference.

Get Professional Help

Very few people can carry out such an event as moving day without any help at all. At the very least, you should try to enlist the help of your friends and family. But more than that, you might want to think about the kind of professional help that you could use. Chances are, you could benefit from some kind of help of this nature – so make sure that you go out of your way to find the best moving quotes that you can, ideally long before the big day itself. With this kind of help on your side, the whole experience should be considerably easier – and definitely much less stressful.

[Photo courtesy of Pixabay/pexels.com]

Pack Logically

One of the biggest mistakes that people make when they are moving is that they fail to pack in any logical way. The truth is, the way in which you pack your belongings makes a huge difference to how effectively the day pans out, so make sure that you pack in a way that really makes sense. Keep all like items together, and remember to clearly mark anything that is fragile or has specific needs. This way, everyone who might be helping on the day is sure to know what they are doing much more readily. With a logical packing system under way, you will find that you feel much more in control of the whole day. Your stress levels will be remarkably lower than they would be otherwise, and before you know it you will be relaxing in your new home.

Have you recently moved house, or have you got a moving date looming? Relocating is one of the most stressful things you’ll do. It’s up there with changing job and planning a wedding. If you’re knee-deep in boxes or tackling a lengthy to-do list, here are some tips that may come in handy.

Before you move

If you haven’t moved yet, try and plan ahead. If you can get organized in advance, this will really help when it comes to moving day. When you move, you’ll probably realize you’ve got more stuff than you imagined. It may also take longer than expected. Book some time off work, and start packing as early as possible. To save stress, get a removals firm in to help. You can tailor your package to include packing and unpacking, or just the actual move. Some companies offer a list of services, including international and interstate moves. If you’re looking for firms, you can see these movers here.

[Photo courtesy of Caitlin Childs/flickr.com]

The first night

After a day of heavy lifting and climbing endless flights of stairs, you’ll want to relax. The last thing you need is to be trying to track down pajamas or find the kettle in a kitchen full of cardboard. Label your boxes when packing, and create an essentials kit for the first night. Put together an overnight bag with toiletries, a change of clothes, and sleepwear. Pack a box with everything you’ll need immediately. You may want coffee, tea bags, and some cereal and bread for the morning, for example. Most of us don’t want to think about cooking after a long day, so check out the local takeout options and put your feet up.

Once you’re in your new home, you can then do an online shop, to save you time and effort. You can choose your delivery slot, and you don’t have to worry about traffic or carrying heavy bags.

[Photo courtesy of Kai Chan Vong/flickr.com]

Tackling priority jobs

Have you got a list of things you want to do in your new home? If so, it’s important to decide which tasks are going to take priority. It’s impossible to get everything sorted straight away. Think about what you actually need to do to live comfortably. Once the major things are ticked off, you can focus on the details. You may wish to get your bedroom, the bathroom, and kitchen sorted before the spare room, for example. Be methodical when it comes to unpacking. Sort out the boxes you’ll need before those that are going straight into the attic.

Asking for help

Moving house is no mean feat. If there are people around offering to help, don’t turn them down. Invite friends and family over to help you unpack or even just make you a coffee when your energy levels are running low. You’ll get through jobs much faster if others muck in.

If you’re moving house, every little helps! Take these tips on board to keep stress at bay. Ask for help, investigate removal services, and try and be as organized as possible.

Good luck in your new home!

You’ve spent the past few months packing up you old home into cardboard boxes. Moving day is getting closer and closer, and the excitement of a new house is building! Don’t blow your good mood by forgetting to prepare the house you are moving into, though! A new home is essentially an empty shell, and no one wants to live in such a sparse space. Even if it is just for a few nights while you try and get sorted. So how can you move into a comfortable and livable home? Here are five things to organize before moving into a new home.

Photo Credit: Pexels

Air Conditioning

If you are moving in the middle of summer, it is a good idea to get some air conditioning arranged in your new home before you move in. If possible, turn on the Air Conditioning the day before you move, so the air will be fresh and cool on the day. Sometimes you might not be able to get into the property before moving day. Therefore, you can’t install an efficient air conditioning system in time. So pop in a portable fan or air conditioning system on the morning of your move. This can freshen up the rooms while you bring in all your boxes.

Kitchen and Bathroom

Most of the time, you will move into a home which is already furnished with a kitchen and bathroom. However, if your home is going to be empty, one of the first things you’ll need to organize is a kitchen and bathroom installation. As with the air conditioning, it is best to try and get all this sorted before you move in. If you don’t have access to the property until moving day, try and negotiate with the previous owners. If you explain that you would like to put in a kitchen and bathroom before you move in, they are likely to understand. They may be in a similar situation themselves!

Flooring

Flooring can often be a problem when you move into old properties. Homeowners rarely update their flooring, so you may find that you want to replace the old flooring in your new home. Especially if it is made from a natural material, such as wood, as these can scuff easily. Rather than moving in all your furniture and then having to move it again when you get new floors, try and arrange new flooring for before you move in. This will be much easier for you in the long run!

New Address

Don’t wait until you have moved in to notify your bank and other important institutes of your change in address. Tell them in the run up to your move. It doesn’t take long – you can update addresses online most of the time. This is then one less job to do once you are getting settled into your new house.

Once you have got the above jobs sorted, you can start to think about the day of the big move! Once it’s all done, you will have fewer jobs and more time to make your new house a home!