It’s been just over 2 years since our last move and I think it’s about time for me to share with you some of the things I encountered during that period. Change in any form is never easy. These easy relocation tips are here to serve as a reminder when planning your next move as well.

So, without further ado, checkout these 5 easy relocation tips from my experience.

My 5 Easy Relocation Tips

1. Do lots of research

When relocating, to make things easier, you need to master the location and know where the nearest grocery store is, the closest A&E department as well as the following points below:

• Make sure you ask the previous owner or the landlord where the stopcock to shut off the water is, the electricity and the gas meters and where the thermostat is.
• Ask if any surface of the new house needs special cleaning,
• On what days does the garbage truck pass around to pickup trash?
• Where the nearest park is found and many other things such as the pharmacy.

It is always a good idea to acquaint yourself with the entire neighbourhood in case you may need something urgently. We were lucky to have met amazing neighbours who were happy to answer all of our questions.

2. Putting things in order

This is not only about cleaning, but about packing things neatly and getting rid of those things you may not need in your new home. There should be a donation pile too.

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Moving can be a stressful time especially for those who acquire stuff regularly. Try to get rid of some of these items beforehand and it will make your move to be a lot easier. You can donate or sell and buy new ones as soon as you move into your new home. If you don’t know where to donate, just check online for any local charity shops.

Things are a lot easy for those who rent furnished property. They just have a few things to deal with. As for me and my household, we had a lot to put in order. The kids’ toys (most of which we donated), the furniture, clothes, kitchen items (it was so difficult to throw away some because they had become like a ‘family’).

We did a lot of cleaning and tidying up before leaving our old property. This will make the relocating to be easy for the new occupant too. Keep the house the way you would have loved to meet it if it were you.

Involve the children in packing. It is very necessary. Packing is not just some easy thing you can do all alone. The most difficult part is unpacking. Knowing where and what was put in what pack. Children have a very good memory when it comes to such.

Unpacking should be done in an orderly manner so as not to scatter things around and making it difficult for you to organise them. Your child(ren) should be of help in such a situation.

3. Plan things ahead of time

I made mention on how you need to know your new neighbourhood as one of my easy relocation tips above. Another thing you have to also plan well ahead is how to move your things to the new location. Here, I am talking more about the cost. You need to decide whether to use a moving company or hire a van.

In our case, my two uncles, Pitche and Ray, in addition to my husband’s friend Abena and his cousin Nick were around to help us. We were very grateful for their presence.

If you do not have family/friends around to help you, I will advise you go with a good moving company. There are many relocating companies around, you just need to do your research. The only problem is that they maybe more expensive and some could break your stuff. However, there are some great movers out there.

4. Make sure you clean your new as well as old house before moving

Before you leave your old house, make sure you find out from your landlord whether you are responsible for the cleaning or not. Sure that some landlords don’t care about you leaving the place ‘messy’ because they will hire someone to do it or because they may want to carry out some changes.

As for us, we cleaned up everything without the consent of the landlord. We just wanted things to be easy for the new occupants when they come as well as make sure our deposit is returned in whole. 🙂

Just as our cleaning may or may not meet the taste of the new occupants, we also need to make sure that we check on with our new location. We had to make sure it was not grimy before moving in.

In spite of the fact that it was really neat, we had to make sure everything was in place the way we will want it to look like. We made sure the cupboards were not grubby or walls covered with finger marks or scraps. Luckily we did not have to do any painting or retouching.

5. It’s going to be emotional

Some people find it difficult to move on to a new place because they have become so emotionally attached to the old one. The friends, the activities, and leaving the house itself makes you feel somehow depressed.

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The exhaustion helps push this further and the ‘attachment to the unknown’ is always there when you plan to move out to a new location. You need to mentally reassure yourself that things will be fine. New things will come with new opportunities, new friends and so on. Focus more on the benefits and other opportunities that this change will present before you.

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Some other things to be taken into consideration:

1. Be aware that you may end up spending more money than you had planned.
2. Your move may take longer than you thought. That not withstanding, you have to prepare yourself to accept certain things that will happen because of your relocating.

Final Thought

One big lesson I learned was that you really must research well in advance. You also need more time to prepare your mind because the mental part of moving is more difficult than the physical part.

THE END

What are your thoughts and top tips to an easy relocation experience? You can share it with us in the comments section below.

Thanks for reading. Stay safe and see you in the next post.

Further reading: Moving home checklist