Selling & Moving House: A Week by Week Checklist
12 October 2015
Moving can be one of the most stressful times in a person’s life, and in Perth, the most common time to buy and sell homes is November. With some strategic planning, you can minimise the stress on you and your loved ones and make sure you’re settled in your new home before Christmas!
Take time each week leading up to your moving day to do a little bit. We’ve put together a week-by-week checklist of things to mark off each week.
Prior to putting your property on the market for sale:
· De Clutter – show your property off with a little tidy up & clear out anything you don’t intend to move with you or leave behind. This can add thousands to the sale value & helps people envisage their belongings in the clear space. Book a skip for large items.
Eight Weeks before Moving Day
· Book a Moving Company – Get some quotes and book removalists for your moving date.
· Tell Your Community – If you’re moving far enough away that your kids need to change schools and you need to change family GPs etc., now is the time to make arrangements. Collect records from schools, and doctors, and start planning for new schools in your new area.
· Get Moving Supplies – Stock up on boxes, packing tape, markers, bubble wrap and anything you’ll need to pack and move your belongings.
Six Weeks before Moving Day
· Decide What’s Coming & What’s Junk – It’s time to go through your things and decide what you want to move and what you want to get rid of. Consider how far you’re moving, the size of your new place, and whether you can part with any old furniture, clothing, appliances, etc. (Use the rule: Love it, use it or lose it).
· Plan a Garage Sale – Yard sales are a great way to make a little cash, and six weeks out you’ll have some time to plan.
Four Weeks before Moving Day
· Travel Plans – Decide how you and your family will get to the new house. Will you fly? Are you driving your own belongings? How will you move your pets?
· Pack Lesser-Used Items – Start packing things you don’t use often, like out of season clothing, items from the shed, garden furniture etc.
Three Weeks before Moving Day
· Utilities – Make plans with your utility service providers to disconnect your old home and connect at your new home – the main ones to remember include Telstra or other providers for phone and internet, Foxtel for TV, Synergy for Electricity and Kleenheat or Alinta for Gas.
· Get Insured – Make sure that your new home has insurance, or that your existing insurance can transfer.
· Hire a Skip Bin – One of the best things about moving is it gives you a chance to clear out the old furniture and clutter. You’ll be surprised how much stuff won’t be making the move with you – certainly more than your green and yellow bins can handle. That’s why it’s important to hire a skip bin while you’re in the packing process. You may think a weekend is sufficient hire time to get everything cleared but it’s best to keep a bit longer – probably around two weeks. While packing is underway you’ll probably decide you can live with a lot less stuff than you planned at the six week mark! We offer short-term small-medium skip bin hire for home clear-outs like this and you can book online.
Two Weeks before Moving Day
· Pack – Continue packing things that you won’t use during the next two weeks. At this point, most of your belongings should be packed.
· Change your Address – Make a list of places you need to notify your change of address. Your utilites should already be taken care of since last week, but you need to inform additional service providers like the bank, the vet, the doctor and even online shopping accounts.
· Set up mail redirect – You’ll likely forget a couple of places so make sure to set up a postal redirect with Australia post. This costs around $40 for three months and you can add your whole family to the list.
· Give up Groceries – Aim to eat as much food from the fridge/freezer and pantry as you can, and don’t purchase more unless you absolutely need to.
One Week before Moving Day
· Laundry – Do your last load of laundry before the move.
· Pack a Bag – Each family member should have a bag of essentials: clothes, toiletries, and anything you can’t live without during the move and unpacking phase.
· Pack Everything – This week, you need to pack everything that isn’t already packed.
· Book a Cleaner – Unless you plan to return to your old home to clean it up after the move you’ll need to book a cleaner to do the job for you.
· Get the Keys – Arrange to hand in your old keys and to get your new ones.
Moving Day
· Make a List – Write down any information that you want your movers to have: your phone number, your new address, etc. Make sure you have their information too!
· Move! – Follow your moving plan.
When choosing a skip bin provider at three weeks out make sure to choose a green one (like us!) that has a materials recovery plant where they take your waste to recycle anything they can before taking what’s left to the landfill.
· De Clutter – show your property off with a little tidy up & clear out anything you don’t intend to move with you or leave behind. This can add thousands to the sale value & helps people envisage their belongings in the clear space. Book a skip for large items.