Moving house is placed in the top 10 most stressful situations. Why so?
According to the Holmes Nad Rahe scale significant changes in living conditions is in the top ten most stressful situations in life. It is not the actual selling of the home that creates the stress, but rather the "extra" conditions that come with it that stir up the stress pot. So we have decided to lift your burden, find you the best ten tips for relocation!
1) Consider a removal company that packs for you. What is your stress worth?
Many corporate employees are travelling from state to state and even overseas and will often hire someone to do this for them as part of a package. Imagine, walking away with your essentials and having another person take care of ALL that packing? Negotiate a price with the removalist company. The money you will save on the other tips listed here will help pay for this! It is also worth checking with your accountant as often this expense can be claimed as a tax deduction.
2) Hire a helper! This won't cost thousands of dollars!
And if you have sold with Next Address you will have some spare cash!. You need to make a list of delegated items that need ticking off. Phone calls, extra tasks, grocery shopping, you name it, write it down. Find a local PA service, or find a young responsible Uni Student looking to earn some extra cash. This can include notifying all the people you need to that you are moving house. Designate how much money you want to spend per hour and the limit you are going to pay. You are investing in your sanity!3) Hire a reputable conveyancer or your legal representative who communicates well!
Set out your expectations with the people with whom you have contracted. Let them know that communication is essential to you and negotiate regular contact so that you are all kept in the loop. Lack of communication when buying and selling a property is the most significant source of stress.
4) Be clever with your packing!
If you are going to pack yourself, go to your local supermarket and ask them for their old polystyrene boxes they use for vegetables. Make sure they are clean! Often they will give them away before they pay to get them removed by a waste disposal company. Polystyrene boxes have lids, areas to carry, stack well, are easy to write on, and it avoids having boxes that are too heavy and will strain your back. Many smaller poly boxes are much easier to cart, imagine big lego blocks! Best thing? They are free!
5) Know the Service Providers you want to use!
Keep your latest bills from the last six months together in a folder clipped together. Highlight the utility company's phone numbers, so they are ready at your fingertips and be sure to re-negotiate plans and connections with utility companies. We are living in a very competitive market these days, and you will be so pleased with yourself when you save time and dollars. You can even use applications like iselect.com to find the best rate for you; they make all the comparisons for you with energy companies. You should also keep all your property sale information there at your fingertips.
6) Pack an essentials box!
It needs to contain the things you will need first. The kettle, tea, and coffee, some towels, etc. You get the picture! How good will it be not to have to unravel box after box finding the things that you need?
7) Insurance! Make SURE your property you have moved out from is covered by insurance in between transition. And make sure the new property is insured too. According to choice.com.au, you should:
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Get quotes from three insurers - some will match or beat competitors' premiums
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Vary your excess, as small increases in the excess, can lead to big savings on premiums.
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Many insurers offer cheaper premiums for new customers than they do for renewals. Simply checking your renewal price on your current insurer's online quote calculator could save you plenty.
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Most insurers offer a discount for combining home, contents and more. If you can get the cover you need by combining insurance, it's a useful way to save.
8) Declutter! Leading into selling day, then packing day or moving day, declutter and release all the old items that are no longer needed. Often carrying extra items with us that are unnecessary can burden us subconsciously. According to Dr. Susan Whitborne of Psychology Today: Clutter is an insidious and seemingly harmless outgrowth of people's natural desire to appropriate their personal spaces with possessions ... contributing to personal distress and feelings of displacement and alienation. Getting rid of the clutter in your home seems to be a key factor that you may not have realized is so important to your feelings of happiness.
9) Donate your old stuff!
If you have old items that are still usable, you no longer need, rather than paying for expensive and time-consuming tip runs, ring local charities to see if they are interested in those items and ask them to pick them up. You can also utilize that Personal Assistant to list them for free on places like Facebook Market Place and Gumtree.
10) Time Out
Now for you!. Book yourself in for some nurturing after moving day. A relaxing day with a massage or some time in nature, this will give you something to look forward to and may also iron out those back aches and stressed shoulder tensions. Congratulate yourself on reducing your stress levels; your property know-how and your Savvy do it yourself determination. You are now an energy and money saver!
Cheers to happy stress free moving
