If you’ve been following my blog over the past 12 months you’ll know that I’ve undertaken a pretty major project to overhaul the house which included but wasn’t limited to a complete kitchen, bathroom and en-suite re-fit. This wasn’t a decision that was made lightly as I had to weigh up the pros and cons of doing up the house versus moving. The costs of each differed quite dramatically however I opted for the less stressful approach of doing my existing place up.
Is the stress of moving worth it?
The decision to do up my existing house got me thinking as over the past few years of having this same conversation with family and friends it dawned on me that no-one really likes moving house. Let’s be honest, how many times have you heard a relative or friend say, “never again!” when they have moved into their new pad? A lot right? It’s because moving is stressful!
It takes a lot of organisation and time to move all your belongings and treasured possessions from one home to another and leaving behind the home that you loved so much adds that extra layer of stress and emotion.
Use a home owners checklist
It’s tough to find anything online to help reduce the stress of moving house however I recently came across a pretty handy guide from the guys over at Rattan Direct which I felt was certainly worth sharing.
The Home Owners Checklist splits everything you need to know about moving home into four broad categories. This covers;
- The pain of saying goodbye to your old home and what you can do to help you let go and look forward to your new pad
- The organisations and companies you need to inform of your new address
- How to get the best from your removals company, including how to save money on moving costs too
- It also addresses some of the jargon in the selling and buying process
- What you need to do and check for in your new home when you arrive.
Despite being excited about what a house move might bring, it is a daunting process and not one that we enter into lightly. There are so many things that need to be done and planned that it easily turns into a logistical nightmare. These types of moving checklists won’t remove all of your stress but they will absolutely go some way to making things that little bit easier to deal with.
Consider a homebuyers survey
Now that you’re prepared for your move, next up is getting fully prepared for living in the property itself. One of the most important things you can do is to have a survey carried out on your new property.
I had a homebuyers survey carried out on our house and it was very useful. A property survey will uncover any hidden defects or issues in your new home. Any defects highlighted at an early stage will save you a huge amount of stress further down the line.
So although I opted for staying put and making my existing place better there are actions that you can take to really reduce the stress of moving house. A checklist will go a long way to keeping you on track and keeping everything in order and a homeowners survey will in almost every instance give you peace of mind that your new home will either be in order or make you aware of what you are walking into!
Do you have any other tips to reduce the stress of moving house? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Thanks for sharing, the guide is really good. As long as you’re organised moving house can be bearable, but as you say it’s never something people look forward to!