From the ups and downs of selling and buying to the logistics of packing and moving day, it’s common to feel overwhelmed.

At Homefulness, our professional organisers helped with many home moves over the years and have learnt plenty about what’s important to consider in the lead up to, during and after moving day!

We understand that moving home has the potential to be a stressful time, so here is our list of top tips on how to organise a house move to make sure your next move is as organised and easy as possible.

Start decluttering early

You should begin decluttering as far in advance of your move as you can.

Purging each room before packing up will help you to eliminate any items you no longer use or don’t need in your new home. You should sell, donate, or trash any unwanted items before your move so as not to waste time or money packing them up.

Additionally, take this opportunity to move any item you come across that is in the ‘wrong’ location within your home to the correct location. So that when packing does happen, all items will be packed (and unpacked) in their correct location.

Create a dedicated moving folder

As soon as you know that you’re going to be moving home, we recommend that you create a dedicated moving folder.

This should be a physical folder where you can group together all checklists, plans and your moving schedule (which should include all key dates) along with any other moving paperwork.

Keeping everything grouped in one handy place will allow you to feel organised and in control of your move.

Block out time in your calendar to work on your move

It’s really important to block out time in your calendar to work on and coordinate your home move.

This should include requesting time off work on and either side of your moving date as well as blocking out time in your schedule leading up to the move to work on any moving admin.

Book appointments with people who can help with your move

As soon as you can, you should start booking appointments with companies/people who can help facilitate your move. This could include:

• Movers (to provide packing materials and help pack-up and move your possessions to your new home)

• Professional organisers (to help manage your move, declutter beforehand and set up your new home)

• Handymen (to dismantle furniture / build or rebuild furniture, hang artwork etc. in your new home)

• Cleaners (to clean your new home pre move-in and your old home post move-out)

• Childminders (to take care of your children during the move)

• Kennels/Catteries (to take care of your pets during the move)

It’s a huge task to coordinate and complete a home move entirely on your own, so book these services early to avoid missing out. Be sure to check with friends and family who have recently moved for any recommendations.

Pack room by room and stay organised with labels

The best way to pack up your home is room by room.

Begin with rooms that contain the fewest daily use items, for example the garage, then dining room etc. You can start packing these rooms up to three months in advance, just be sure to label all boxes as you go; both by room and subsection within the room.

Your movers will appreciate having this information clearly labelled and it will make it easier for them to unload into the correct room without your direction.

Pack a ‘last in, first out’ box

This is the box that will be packed away last and unpacked first. It should contain all the essential items that you will need for a comfortable first night in your new home.

Think logically when packing this box; eating, showering, and sleeping are the essential first activities you are likely to do in your new home. Therefore include food, toiletries, medications, towels and bed linens along with pyjamas, a change of clothes and kids’ stuffed animals!

Unpack your most-used rooms first

Once you and your belongings are safely in your new home, it’s best that you begin by unpacking the rooms you use most frequently first. This normally includes bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen followed by the home office, laundry room, playroom, dining room etc.

A detailed labelling system (as previously mentioned) will have assisted your movers in placing the correct boxes in the correct rooms so now all that there is to do is start unpacking and setting up your new home.

How Can Hiring A Professional Organiser Help With My Move?

They’ll optimise and style your home ready for selling

Getting ready to sell your home?

Don’t forget that first impressions can make or break a sale. A neat and organised home, free of clutter, is far more attractive to potential buyers and has a better chance of selling faster.

But where to find the time to get your home in ‘selling’ order alongside work, kids and other moving admin, without spending a fortune on expensive home stagers?

That’s where a professional organiser comes in. Unlike a home staging company who charge you to rent furniture and decor, a professional organiser can help you declutter your house and then neatly present items that you already own.

They will figure out what looks best in your space, and what can be packed away for your new home.

By bringing in a professional organiser to prepare your house for selling, you are not only making your home feel more inviting to buyers, you are also preparing for a stress free move into your new place.

They’ll help you declutter possessions pre move (and save you money!)

A professional organiser can help you declutter your possessions pre move, ensuring that the possessions coming with you are items you truly care about and want to see in your new home.

An experienced moving house organisation company can help you sell any items that you don’t want, schedule donation pick-ups, and dispose of recyclables and larger items such as furniture.

They’ll take packing duty off your hands

When it comes to moving home, amidst all of the anticipation and excitement, comes the dreaded packing. Bad packing can lead to unnecessary removal costs as well as slow and inefficient unpacking in your new place.

Unlike movers, a professional organiser will help you evaluate items for packing rather than just packing everything into boxes.

For example, they will sort through your pantry contents, make-up and medications and anything else that has expiry dates. They will then pack and dispose of these items accordingly.

You can trust a professional organiser to pack up your home strategically and efficiently, adding detailed labels to boxes to make unpacking at the other end simple.

When you hire a professional organiser to pack up your possessions for you, you’ll save both time and money and you won’t need to worry about losing something during the move as everything will be labelled logically.

They’ll manage moving logistics so you don’t have to

An experienced professional organiser is a godsend when it comes to managing moving logistics. As well as facilitating moving your possessions, they can help out with the many other logistics involved in a home move.

An expert organising company will have knowledge of all the best resources in the area to help you settle into your new home. They can help you find a hauling service, handyman, cleaning service, and more.

As well as this, a professional organiser will work closely with your moving company, ensuring that all special requests are met. On the inevitably busy packing and moving days they will work efficiently, supporting you and communicating with your moving team to make sure everything goes smoothly.

They’ll unpack, set up and organise your new home perfectly

Hiring a professional organiser will help you to feel settled in your new space, stress-free, unpacked and organised right from the start!

A new house is like a blank canvas and a professional organiser can help make that canvas as organised as possible. Doing so will prevent clutter and disorganisation building up further down the line.

Unlike moving companies who will only remove items from boxes and unwrap them, a professional organiser will figure out organising systems for your new home.

Their knowledge and experience means they will bring the right organising products that will make your home even more functional, saving you time and money in the long run.

They will not only unpack all of your items, but will also put them away logically, organising and systemising as they go.

Get expert help for your home move

Hiring a professional organiser can help make this major life event less stressful, more streamlined and more cost effective. Clients tell us that they never imagined that they could be settled and organised in their new space so quickly.

Our home organisation experts can help take the hard work of moving home off your hands by coordinating your entire move, working alongside you during packing, moving and unpacking.

Our goal is for you to be settled in your new space, stress-free, unpacked and organised! Get in touch with us today to discuss your next home move and how our organisation services can help.