Moving house is the kind of activity that gives you more than you bargained for. Widely regarded as one of life’s most stressful events, it has a habit of taking longer than you think and being more work than you anticipated. No matter how prepared you think you are, moving house can throw trials and tribulations in your way that you didn’t see coming.
If this is your first time moving house, you’re probably wondering how much work is involved in this exciting new chapter in your life. If you’ve been around the block (or the world) a few times, you might think you have it sorted and that this time things will be different.
The truth is, the stresses and challenges of moving house can test even the best and most experienced of us. Whether you’re moving to a new city or just to a different spot in the neighbourhood, here’s what you can expect and how those expectations can end up different from reality.
The Expectation When Moving House
Whether it’s misplaced optimism or pure wishful thinking, many people expect moving house to be easier and less stressful than it turns out to be. They tend to underestimate the hard work and costs involved and overestimate how helpful others will turn out to be.
Some common misconceptions include:
The process will be easy and quick
From packing up your possessions to coordinating with movers, the logistics involved in moving tend to take a lot longer than most people anticipate.
The new house will be ready to move into
New homes are often far from perfect and there may be issues to sort out before you can really feel at home. If you’re renting, there’s also the possibility that previous tenants have left messes or other problems behind.
Everything you own will fit perfectly into your new house
It’s appealing to believe that you’ll instantly fit a place for your furniture in your new place and that everything will fit exactly how you wanted and imagined it. Yet, there are plenty of challenges that can arise. Sometimes, you don’t have sufficient space for your furniture, or it’s hard to find a place to fit it in.
Moving will be stress-free
The stressors of moving can come at you from all sides, hitting your energy, your health and your finances. There are last-minute delays and complications that can catch you off-guard, including broken items, packing material shortages and miscommunications. You might over-anticipate the willingness of family or friends to come to your aid or forget to hook up the Internet or other utilities at your new place.
The Reality of Moving House
As you can see, the challenges involved in moving house come in many varieties, some of them easier to predict than others. The biggest challenges you’re likely to find yourself dealing with when moving house include:
Hidden Costs
Common hidden costs that come up when you’re moving house include:
Parking
You may have to deal with not only having to pay to park on the street while you’re moving but also with parking permits and removalist costs.
Packing supplies
From boxes to bubble wrap to packing tape, the right supplies are essential for protecting your possessions while you move. Yet most of the time, they’re not free. If you’re hiring a removalist, they usually include packing materials costs in their bill. If you choose the DIY option, you’ll have to pay for it yourself.
Storage
You may find you can’t move all your belongings into your new place as quickly as you like. Maybe you have too much stuff, or maybe current tenants at your rental property won’t vacate in time. In those situations, you may have to put your belongings into storage, which comes with its own fees.
Connection and termination fees
Whether you keep or change utility providers, you’ll likely have to pay fees for closing your existing accounts and setting up new ones in your new place: connection fees, closing balances to settle, etc.
Time Consumption
Moving house is time-consuming, taking months to plan and prepare for and often requiring you to take time away from work. It’s best to start organising as soon as possible after you know you’ll have to move to minimise last-minute rushing.
Physical Toll
It’s important to look after your physical and mental health when moving house. Moving involves a lot of heavy lifting and carrying furniture in strenuous ways such as up and down stairs. The potential for injuries, strains, and soreness is high. If you forget to eat, drink and take breaks, you might feel even more fatigued, increasing the likelihood of an accident. A bad back can cause you a lot of pain even after your moving date is over, and stress can cause symptoms like headaches and insomnia throughout the moving process.
Tips for a Smoother Move
Fortunately, there are actions you can take to make your move more pleasant. Some tips for a smoother move include:
- Sell, donate or throw out items well in advance of your move so there’s less to pack and shift.
- Update your address well in advance of your move so important mail gets sent to the right address.
- If you’re renting, take pictures of your house after you’ve had it cleaned to help you get your bond back and document any damage. Take photos of your new house before you move in, too.
- Be thorough and precise with your labelling. Write down what’s in each box, which room it goes in, whether it’s fragile, etc.
- Protect your fragile and valuable items by wrapping them in materials like bubble wrap, clothes, towels and sheets.
- Schedule your utilities well in advance. Make sure power, water, internet, etc., are connected before you move in.
- The night before you move, pack essentials such as a change of clothes and your toothbrush into an overnight bag to keep with you.
Make Moving House a Reality with Ready Movers
The reality of moving is rarely as easy as your expectations. Luckily, there’s one guaranteed way to make it easier: make a booking with Ready Movers.
Ready Movers has helped more than 20,000 customers move successfully, and we can remove the stress from your move as well.
Our home removal services are at the heart of what we offer, and we’re trained to handle all kinds of moves, including local and interstate. For every home removal, we offer two men and a fully equipped truck, and we’re happy to supply more hands if you need them. We also provide full cover insurance options, a full pack and move service, an affordable hourly rate and your own dedicated move manager for interstate moves.
We know that packing is one of the toughest and most time-consuming parts of any move, so we supply materials and can pack and unpack a single room or your whole home. We offer affordable and secure storage services if you need a place to keep your possessions between addresses.
To find out more, call 1300 787 934 or contact the Ready Movers team for a free quote.
