Hooray! You’ve just accepted an offer on your house – congratulations! But now the hard work begins, and where do you start? Having a whole house to pack and a move to organise can feel a bit daunting, but we’re here to help you prepare for a smooth house move.
When is it a good idea to start getting quotes for a removal?
Most removals companies will ask for 4-6 weeks before completion so that they have time to prepare materials for packing and make sure an appropriate vehicle is available for your moving day, but as much notice as possible once you have a guaranteed completion date is always appreciated.
It’s probably a good idea to start putting feelers out soon after you have accepted an offer so that you can get an idea of the dates the company is going to be available.
On average in the UK it takes 13-16 weeks to completely move house from accepting an offer so this gives you plenty of time to find and book a removals company. You will also need to decide what kind of package you are looking for. Here at Pitmans we offer a wide range of services to suit all preferences and moving requirements.
Packing
If you are too busy and need to be doing other things leading up to the move then perhaps having someone pack all your things is going to be the service you need. We can provide all the packing materials to protect and transport even the most awkward shaped items, giving you peace of mind that your possessions are going to get to their destination in one piece. The complete service includes packing after consulting with you to determine which order your items need to be packed in, transporting, unpacking and removing all the packing materials for you so you don’t have to worry about how you are going to get that antique dinner service from A to B without damage. We have years of training and experience under our belt in moving precious items.
For more information on our services you can find it here!
If you would prefer to pack and unpack yourself, we can still be there to help by providing the packing materials and transporting your goods to your new home. We will even come and take the packing materials away once you are done unpacking.
Open communication
Make sure you keep in contact with the removals company with any changes, requirements or questions throughout packing. This will help for a smooth move overall and keeps everyone in the know.
How to Pack:
Non-essentials first
We suggest you start with your non-essential items for example, photos, ornaments, extra glassware, kitchen items that aren’t used often. You can even do these bits and put them in storage before you put your house on the market to help speed up the time it takes to sell.
Group and pack the items together by room or relevance and most importantly label your boxes clearly. For example:
What’s in the Box Glasses
What’s it’s importance Non-Essential
What Room Dining Room
Used but not often
Next look at items that are used once a week at most can be packed in the last couple of weeks before the move. For example things like certain clothes or shoes, pieces of furniture or utility items.
Used once a week
Items to pack in the last week are things you only use once a week. Belongings such as spare televisions and games consoles, kitchen equipment and any other technology items that won’t be used in the week leading up to moving. Other things to think about at this time are emptying your freezer and fridge of food.
Essentials and Overnight Boxes
The last items to pack are the essentials boxes that you will need to unpack first, things like kettles, toasters, mugs, etc.
It’s also a good idea to pack a overnight box, that you can take with you and keep hold of which may contain
- Toilet Roll
- Toothbrush and Toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Mugs
- Tea or Coffee / Other drinks
- Clothes to be worn the next day
You can then make sure the boxes are in the transport in a bit more of an order and therefore the stuff you need first will be easiest to find.
Last few days before the move…
Once all your packing is done you’ll want to start your final clean. To do this, either clean the centre of the room, then push everything into the middle and clean around the outside of each room or if you can, move all the furniture and boxes to one room that easily accessible clean all the rest of the rooms and then you’ll only have one room to clean once all the boxes are removed. This might also give you a job to do whilst waiting for the call to say all money has been exchanged.
So, the countdown is on! We are here to give advice or physically help you move house across Dorset or further afield. Get in touch with any questions or to book your move.
