MOVING HOUSE? TRY THESE PACKING TIPS

[This post is a paid partnership with online mortgage broker, Trussle]

While this might be the first home I actually own, I’m no stranger to an epic move. I’ve moved up and down the country over the last 10 years, and everywhere we rented before this home was unfurnished, so we’d already built up quite a haul of furniture. 

I know a lot of people are buying for the first time at the moment, especially with the stamp duty holiday extension, but I’ve also seen a lot of people relocating  as many  are now working from home and don’t have to worry about ties to an office. 

According to research from online mortgage broker, Trussle, in spite of the pandemic wreaking havoc, the size of the average deposit has grown year on year. 87% of first time buyers can now afford a housing deposit above £15,000, while 76% of next time buyers now have a deposit of more than £25,000.

With that in mind, I thought I’d share some of my home moving tips with you. I’ve never hired a professional mover, so our moving process tends to be a couple of car loads and hiring a Luton van for the furniture and bulky bits. 

START EDITING YOUR HOME NOW

Honestly, you can’t start an audit of stuff you don’t want to take to your new home quick enough. Moving is a physically and mentally exhausting process, so why spend that extra energy carting something you don’t even want all the way to your new house. The sooner you make that decision, the more time you have to find it a new home. I’m a relatively recent convert to Facebook Marketplace - it’s honestly so much quicker than eBay, and if it’s something quality, you’ll get a fair price for it that you can contribute to buying something for the new home. 

DON’T LEAVE FURNITURE TO THE LAST MINUTE

True story - on our last ever night in Manchester, we had some friends around to say goodbye - the only things left in the apartment was the furniture we’d sold to the people buying it, and our bed, so that we had something to sleep on. The next morning, however, we realised we didn’t have the tool to dismantle the bed. It was from IKEA and needed a special key to take it apart and put back together. 

Long story short, we ended up having to leave the bed in Manchester - lesson learned to make sure you know how to take apart those bulky items way in advance. 

PACK PLANTS LAST

One thing homeowners and renters both love is houseplants, so everyone can relate to this tip. When packing up your home, leave your houseplants until last to pack. You never know how long it can take to unpack at the other end, especially after a long, tiring move, so they should be left to get the most sunlight possible, but don’t water for 48 hours before the move as this will make them heavier and messier. The other benefit of packing them last is that they’ll be last in, first out the moving van. 

You can box up plants if you want to, just use a little bubble wrap to protect the pot and bulk out the box so it can’t move around, but don’t go mad. You can get a felt circle and cut a slit in it to place over the pot top to stop loose soil moving around in transit. Make sure you label the boxes so everyone knows there’s something fragile inside!

Image: Pexels

MAKE AN UNPACKING PLAN

Everyone loves a list, right? If you have loads of unpacking to do, make a plan to help make the process as painless as possible. Think about your routines to start with - unpacking your bedding should be first, so you’ve got a comfortable place to sleep at the end of the day, and then think about cooking essentials, work clothes and anything else that’s a necessity for everyday functioning. Print it out and stick it somewhere everyone can see, and stick to the plan. It’ll make your mountain of unpacking feel manageable and prevent you living out of boxes for the weeks and months to come. 

About Trussle

Trussle is an online mortgage broker that combines technology and trustworthy human expertise to provide customers with high quality, independent and free home financing support.

They search over 12,000 deals from 90 lenders to find the mortgage most suitable for you, working closely with lenders to improve their mortgage recommendations. 

Why not try Trussle’s Stamp Duty Calculator and Mortgage Calculator to find out where you stand?

Warning: Your home may be repossessed if you do not keEp up repayments on your mortgage.