Make your move – moving house tips

Packing up your life can be overwhelming, but with the right preparation, organisation, a good checklist, and our handy four-week-plan, it doesn’t have to be.
So, you’ve found your new home, congratulations! And now it’s time for the fun part – moving.
Check out these tips and tricks to make your next move more manageable, and settle into your new home with (relative) ease.
4 WEEKS TO GO
Book your removalist
If you’re doing it yourself, you’ll need to rope in some friends to help you move. Let the removalist know of any unusually heavy items and brief them about access to the new place. They’ll need to know about stairs and steep driveways. Work out if you’ll be using your own boxes or the ones they provide. If you’re feeling flush, you could arrange them to do all the packing too.
Think ahead
What furniture will you need at the new place? Draw up a floor plan to help you figure out what will fit and what you’ll take with you. Create a list of furniture you’re taking and put the numbered furniture on the floor plan so that the removalists will know where it all goes. Then, start sorting and culling – sell or donate your unwanted or unused things, so there’s less you need to move. Hold a garage sale or donate any items in good condition to charity. Use Facebook marketplace and your local Facebook community groups to rehome or sell your things. Book a kerbside collection with your council for any bulky items that need to be thrown away.
Visit your new place and have a think about any issues with access that might affect your move. If you’re moving into an apartment, find out how you can inform the building you will be moving in, for example a noticeboard in the foyer. You could even letterbox the neighbours of the new place to step off on the right foot.
2-3 WEEKS TO GO
Organise your relocation and change of address for your home internet, electricity, gas, water and the redirection of your mail.
Here’s everything you need to know about relocating your Optus services.
Get in touch with your insurance company, so you can make sure you’re covered in your new home from the day you move in.
Contact the removalists and send over your floor plan you made earlier with the furniture placement marked. Tag your furniture to correspond with the floorplan. Send it over to the removalists.
Say your goodbyes
You may want to drop a note in the letterbox of the neighbours letting them know you’re moving. Let them know the approximate times that trucks will be at your property, especially if they’ll be blocking a common driveway. Leave your new contact details if you wish. This is also the time to bake a cake for the little old lady that looked after your cat. You get the drift.
Pack your life away
Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start packing items you know you won’t need until after you move. Pack up each room and label each box on all sides, with the details of the contents. Consider having a spreadsheet that details the contents of each box.
Don’t forget to leave essentials. Perhaps have a moving day box as a sort of starter kit for that first day and night in your new place. That could contain a kettle, the toaster, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, garbage bags, mobile devices, chargers, medications, toiletries and a towel.
Safe, not sorry
Protect your valuables, and insure anything valuable. Make sure you have enough bubble wrap or packing peanuts to keep your delicate items safe inside the boxes. Back up your computers just in case, preferably both to the cloud and to an external hard drive.
If you have pets, it may be an idea to arrange to have them looked after elsewhere on moving day. If you’re moving far away arrange transportation so they arrive safely.
3 DAYS TO GO
The last thing you want is to be ready to go, and the removalists don’t turn up! So take the time out to contact them to confirm all’s set. Run through what their expectations are for the day and update them with any unforeseen changes to what you had previously agreed. Continue packing but avoid packing loose bits and pieces into garbage bags as they could be mistakenly thrown away in the days ahead.
THE DAY BEFORE
This is your last full day at your old place. It can be a bittersweet experience. So be kind to yourself. Embrace the moment and mentally bring your time there to a close. Take some photos, say goodbye to any neighbours you missed informing earlier. Get a good night’s sleep, tomorrow’s a big day. Make sure you’ve got the keys for the new place and get spares cut just in case.
MOVING DAY
Action stations! It’s the start of a new phase in your life. It’s an exciting time, but it can be stressful. Get up early and have a good breakfast – you don’t know when you’re next going to have time to eat.
It’s time to split up
Decide who stays at the house to supervise and who goes ahead with the van. The forward party should go ahead (once the new place is ready) with a car with last minute loose items to the new place to make sure all’s ready to receive the removalists. Don’t forget the key! Give them a print out of your floor plan so they can instruct the movers on arrival.
Lights, action
Then get ready to meet and supervise the removal crew. Walk them through and explain the scope. They would have been briefed, but it’s important that they eyeball what’s to be moved so they can plan the packing of the truck.
Let’s have a toast
Think ahead so that you have food and drinks available for you and your helpers, once the move is all done. Perhaps treat the removalists to a cold drink too. Moving is a big deal for everyone! Cooking is the last thing you’ll want to do and you’ll likely be too exhausted (and sweaty) to go out and explore the neighbourhood, so you might want to order home delivery online from your smartphone.
WHEN THE DUST SETTLES
After you move, there are a few more organisations you’ll need to update such as the Australian Electoral Commission, your bank and Medicare. Here’s a handy checklist you might like to read over. And of course, you’ll need to update your details with us using My Account or in My Optus app.
Phew! It’s a lot of work but you did it – and now it’s time to unpack, settle in and enjoy your new chapter.
Here are some tips to decorate your new home.
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