Moving house is one of the great anxieties of modern life. Between the packing, planning, logistics and budgeting, you’re leaving behind a place that has been your home base for quite some time, and that comes with its own emotional weight. With all of these factors in mind, many people are deciding to take a more DIY approach to moving house.

If you’re planning on taking on the moving process without a removalist, there are several things to keep in mind to avoid disaster. That’s what we’re here to discuss today. So, without further adieu, let’s take a look at a list of things to remember when moving house yourself, without the help of a removalist.

First thing’s first…

What are the Benefits of Moving House Yourself?

When moving house, hiring removalists seems like a no-brainer. After all, they take care of getting your beloved possessions to their new home, including packing and unpacking the truck. However, just because something seems like the obvious option, that doesn’t necessarily make it the best choice for you, and there are many benefits that come with taking a DIY approach, including:

Taking Total Control Over Your Move

There are so many schedules and timeframes you need to balance in a move. However, by ditching the movers and handling everything yourself, you can take more control over the process, and in turn, take a more relaxed approach to your move. You don’t have to worry about movers misunderstanding the meaning of “fragile”, and you don’t have to deal with things ending up in the wrong places.

It’s Budget-Friendly

Moves are expensive, even if you’re not factoring in the fact that you just paid for a new home. By moving house without removalists, you will be amazed just how affordable the process can be. The price of boxes and moving van hire is going to be exponentially lower than it would be to hire people to deal with the manual labour.

You’re Free to Pack How You Want

When dealing with a professional moving company that provides packing services, you’re mostly stuck with their processes. This is generally for a reason, as it mitigates the chance of your movers breaking something accidentally, but it can make packing much more complicated, especially for unusually-shaped items. By moving house yourself, you’re free to take this on how you see fit and pack as many or as few things as you like.

So, now that we know why people move without removalists, let’s get into things to keep in mind while planning to dive into DIY.

Compare Truck Prices Ahead of Time

As we mentioned earlier, moving is stressful, so you don’t want to be leaving anything important to the last minute. Unfortunately, in all of the planning and stress, a lot of people fail to factor in an essential piece of the puzzle: the truck. Checking out truck prices well in advance will help you to avoid a sticky situation where you have to go with the first truck you find, or worse, see that all the vehicles in your area have already been reserved for that time period.

Label EVERYTHING

When you’re at the packing stage of moving house, your brain is so focussed on getting everything done and dusted that it can feel like the placement of each item is permanently seared into your mind. However, give it a few days, and your perspective will shift from zen-like wisdom to frantic, fevered panicking as it dawns on you that these unlabelled boxes all look precisely the same. By labelling everything by room and/or utility, it will be much easier to stay positive once it comes to unpacking. Do what you can to help future-you, because you know they are going to be far more sick of this process than you are now.

Start With Your Least-Used Rooms

The number of people that pack their bedrooms, kitchens, and living areas first, only to find that they have nowhere to sleep, prepare food, or relax, would likely surprise you. Make sure that you’re leaving your most-used rooms until last, as this will ensure the least amount of disruption to your day-to-day activities possible. Trust us, any amount of time spent without your kitchen supplies is more complicated than you may anticipate.

Use High-Quality Packing Materials

“I only moved here a few years ago…” you may think.

“Why should I buy new boxes? The ones I used last time are still in the basement!” the more frugal parts of your psyche might tell you.

“It’ll be fine.” said so many poor souls before you.

One weak cardboard box might be the factor that determines whether you see your fine china in once piece again. Sturdy boxes are an absolute necessity when it comes to packing up your possessions, and we don’t just mean the extremely fragile items. A rip in the side of a box, coupled with the tough walls of a moving van, can leave even the sturdiest of items looking worse for wear, and that’s if they survive the journey in the first place. It may add a little extra onto your move’s price tag, but if it means the survival of your prized possessions, it’s well worth the additional $50.
Moving house can be an exciting experience, but it’s also one with a lot of potential pitfalls. So, make sure that you prepare for all possible issues and take the time to get everything absolutely right. For more updates on the rental and housing market, stay up-to-date with the My Rental blog. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a more innovative approach to property management, contact us today to discuss how we can help you.