Once you have decided to move your house, you need to start thinking about getting ready to move out and into your new home.
You may be thinking move day is ages away but it will creep up quickly and being prepared is the best way to keep the stress levels in check.
Here’s a look at what you should be doing a few weeks out from the move to ensure you are as organised as possible for the big day.
The week you sign the contract
1. Book your removalist
The first decision you need to make is if you’ll be moving yourself or whether you’ll use a moving company.
If you decide to find your own removalists, make sure you source a few quotes from different suppliers and ask them:
- What their rates are
- What additional fees they charge. Some charge extra if the access is tricky or up multiple flights of stairs. It’s worth being very clear as to what you need moved, how easy it is to access both your current property and your new home.
- Packing and storage services
- Referrals / recommendations
- You may also want to ask them if they offer insurance
2. Rent storage if you need it
If you need to use storage facilities now is the time to look around for options, compare prices, location and space. Make sure you get a couple of quotes as pricing can vary significantly. This needs to be booked in advance.
3. Create a paperwork file
With important paperwork everywhere, create a file for all your important moving documentation. It is also worth keeping a record of all the mail you receive so you know who you need to notify with a change of address.
4. Start to plan the move
Start compiling an inventory list of all your furniture and Write down a list of all items of furniture that will be moving with you. This way you’ll be able to keep track of what you’re moving and what’s staying behind. This is also super helpful to give the removalists and help you work out how much packing you will need.
If you don’t have a floor plan of your new home, ask the real estate agent to supply you with one. This is a great way to work out where your furniture will go from your current property will go where in the new place.
A few weeks before move
5. Sort and pack
You don’t want to be moving clothing, furniture and ornaments that you don’t want to use in your new property. So spend a week or two, going from room to room and cupboard to cupboard. Pull everything out of the cupboards and put it on the floor. Start sorting it into four piles, keep, donate, sell, throw out.
Make sure you are ruthless here. This is the perfect time to cull unwanted and unneeded items. Firstly, there is no point spending time packing something you won’t use, nor do you want to pay for the extra packing materials or for the removalist to remove items you don’t want.
Put all the donate items in bags and drop the bags off to your closest charity bin. Make sure the items are still in good nick, as the charities don’t want dirty, stained or ripped clothes. It just wastes their time sifting through and getting rid of unwanted items.
Put all your sell items in another pile. If you have loads, you may want to consider having a garage sale or selling on online. You can also post lists at various Malls.
The items you want to keep – look at these with a critical eye. Will you use it again? If you aren’t sure it may be best to add to the donate / sell piles. Group similar items together and start to pack items you will not need between now and time you’ll move. Label the box with the content and which cupboard it came from.
Two weeks to move day
6. Contact your utility providers
Get in touch with Nairobi Water, Kenya Power etc to sort out your utility connections both at the old house and the new one, so that you are not inconvenienced when you move or pay unnecessarily when you are not using the services.
7. Get the kids sorted
If you have little ones around, it’s better if they are out of the way completely. Ask family or friends if they could help out for the day or organise a trusty babysitter to take care of them.
8. Make travel arrangements
If you’re driving a long distance to your new home, make sure your car is fully serviced and checked…you don’t want to have any issues on the way.
9. Start eating items in your freezer and pantry
Try not to buy too many groceries unless you have to and only buy items that you’ll get through in the next couple of weeks. It’s also a good idea to see what you have in the pantry and buy fresh items to help you use them up.
10. Continue packing As you pack, try to label each box with what’s inside, where it goes in your new home and any special instructions such as FRAGILE, THIS SIDE UP etc. Be as detailed as you can as it will make it much easier when you’re unpacking if you know what needs to be unpacked first.
A tip from the experts is to put a bright sticker on two sides of the boxes that contain essentials so you can easily identify them.
