How to prepare your house for moving out

Time flies when you’re busy organizing a move.

You need to arrive at the fateful date prepared, with all things ready, boxed, and cataloged/stored according to the destination.

Moving is one of the most stressful events in life, especially when you don’t know where to start and how to save time. However, there are smart tricks that will help you organize a move without stress and complete it in a less tiring and more effective way.

The watchwords for every move are: select, pack, and move.

Start a couple of months in advance with your planning. To avoid arriving unprepared for the day of the transfer, anticipate the bureaucratic procedures as much as possible and ensure you have thought of everything.

Bureaucratic procedures

Better to get rid of the most boring things first, such as canceling the house, which must be done within the contractual terms established, usually three months in advance, and the balance of all the remaining bills.

Anti-waste operation

Start the “empty fridge” operations in the weeks leading up to the move, consuming all the supplies so as not to waste food. Another vital thing to remember is to defrost the refrigerator and freezer, clean them and leave them open to eliminate any bad smells.

Painting the new house before moving in

Imagine arriving in your new apartment with all the moving boxes and thinking of painting it a few days later: what to do with all the boxes and suitcases? A foolproof trick is to paint the new house just before packing, saving time and effort. If you are considering other changes, such as changing the floor or covering the furniture, this is undoubtedly the most appropriate time.

Draw up lists

Apps like Todoist or Any.do are proof that making a list helps us solve the most trivial problems. In this case, list everything you need to do, from “buy a new desk” to “choose the transport company.” You can also draw up a to-do list and create subcategories to better organize the move.

Make an inventory

The inventory should contain everything you own. Among all the activities related to the move, the fundamental part consists of the correct classification of the objects you have at home. For example, another list can include all the different items of clothing and books, utensils and objects found in the kitchen, bathroom, or bedrooms, and even furniture. This way, when it comes to moving, the process will be much more efficient and orderly.

Decluttering

Get rid of anything that no longer serves you. To avoid waste, you can donate your items to relatives, friends, or charities (in the latter case, find out which ones are active in the area and where the collection points are). Alternatively, you can resell them at second-hand markets. Moving house is the perfect excuse to eliminate all the objects you no longer need; an excellent way to save a car trip and give new impetus to the renovation process.

Add new furnishings and accessories

Moving house can be the perfect opportunity to get rid of everything that no longer serves you and for changes that will help you improve your new life in the new apartment. The time has finally come to buy those furnishings you had longed for but didn’t know where to place.

Ask for help

Crises during a move are the order of the day, especially if you are a couple. 

In these cases, don’t hesitate to ask for help from third parties to speed up the process: ask for advice from friends or contact a moving company, and you will find new allies who can make this important change easier. A long-distance moving company is certainly the right one for you if you have a lot of furniture and there is a lot of distance to travel between the old house and the new one.

Pack it right

Packing the various objects is essential to avoid critical moments during the move: start with the things that you do not need immediately (for example, out-of-season clothes); wrap all the kitchen knives well; store the lamps correctly – you can provide a soft base on the base and surface so they don’t break – and arrange the books by size in the boxes to further optimize the space when it comes time to start the process. A helpful trick is to have an indispensable kit available: it contains everything you need for packing so that it’s always at hand (adhesive tape, scissors, felt-tip pens, cleaning cloth).

Write the contents on the boxes

You might waste a lot of time opening each box to figure out what’s inside. 

To save time, take a felt-tip pen and write the name of the contents on each package once the packaging operation is finished. Better to open the correct box than to open boxes at random. Another good idea is to write the name of the objects in the box and add the area of ​​the house (bedroom, bathroom) where the box belongs.

Furnishings scheme for the new house

A useful tip is to draw an approximate scheme of the furniture and its arrangement in the new home to save time during the move and immediately identify which furniture goes in which room. This also helps the operators of the moving company.

Read more: Is a small move right for you?

In Conclusion

Moving house can be long and complicated, and organizing is key to doing a good job. Remember to ask for help in case you need it; it’s a smart choice to rely on professional figures if it becomes too hard and frustrating. At the end of the journey, you’ll enjoy your new house!

Written by Alice Ibba. August 8, 2023

Alice Ibba has graduated in Architecture and is working as a freelancer, combining her passions for interior design, holistic wellness, sustainability, psychology, and graphic design. She defines herself as a multipotentialite. You can get in touch with her on LinkedIn .