Many of us spend our entire lives living in the same area that we grew up without question. Many of us enjoy the simplicity of routine and familiarity. We have our haunts that we like to frequent and we want to stick close to the people we know and love. But at the same time, there are various logical reasons to move house, town, state or even country. Perhaps you just want a change. Maybe you want a new start. You might even be offered a study placement or job opportunity away that would allow you to live a much better quality of life. But wherever you go, there are a few steps that you can take to make the entire moving process as pleasant as possible. True story. And you won't even need to call in that dreaded favour from friends!
“I give you this to take with you: Nothing remains as it was. If you know this, you can begin again, with pure joy in the uprooting.”
― Judith Minty, Letters to My Daughters
Attend Open House Viewings
House viewings in your local area are simple. You don’t have to travel far and if the property isn’t quite for you, you don’t feel like you’ve wasted too much time or money in the process of elimination. However, house viewings further afield require a whole lot more time and effort. You’re likely to have to travel and take time off work to attend them. However, it’s extremely important that you do attend house viewings and do a reconnaissance of sorts. Otherwise, know the risks of agreeing to live somewhere with no idea of what it looks/sounds/smells like in real life, as you could be in for a nasty surprise when you eventually get there. While estate agents may well be helpful, they can be extremely clever with the photographs that they take of any given property, using lighting and angles to their advantage, making the property appear more appealing than it may be in person. You also want to check out the local area to ensure that you’re surrounded by everything that you might want or need. Viewing every property ensures that you know exactly what you’re signing up for as soon as you make your mind up and start signing contracts or deals. To save time and money, try to organise multiple viewings in one day or one trip. This saves you heading back and forth multiple times and keeps each property fresh in your mind for comparison.
Hire Professional Removalists
When it comes to moving into your property, you're welcome to attempt to move everything yourself, conducting back and forth trips from your current property to the new property. While this may be effective (albeit, still time consuming) for short distance moves, it’s not practical for longer distances. You end up wasting so much time, fuel, enthusiasm and often your sanity in the process! Bite the bullet and use professional removalists who carefully and quickly take everything you own in one swift trip. They will also be able to help when it comes to loading and unloading the vehicle, quite literally taking a huge weight from your shoulders. It's worth it.
Introduce Yourself to the Neighbours
It is reported that many individuals suffer from feelings of loneliness and isolation when making a long distance move. You can ease these feelings by introducing yourself to your neighbours in your street. This will ensure that you always have someone nearby should you need and will help you to immerse yourself in your new local community. While it may feel a little daunting to take the first step, you should definitely make the effort and most people appreciate the friendliness and connection. If you find some cool folks you'd likely get along with socially you've just taken the step to providing some company and potentially building a new friendship. Plus most folk are happy to give you any information that you might need about the local area, such as good places to shop, nice restaurants to eat at, and whether there are any local clubs or facilities that you might like to join. Be brave and take creating a community or becoming part of one into your own hands.
Though the process of moving house can be a little intimidating, you’ll be
surprised at how well you can cope with the overhaul to your life when you follow these steps.
What's the best move you've ever made?
Let us know in the comments below, and share this with anyone about to make theirs!
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