If you have packed and moved your household goods in the past, I am sure you would agree that there were lots of silly mistakes that you could have avoided or could have done differently. Whether you book a mover or do the entire packing and moving yourself, there are certain silly mistakes that you are bound to commit. We have talked a lot about what to do when moving a house and shared lots of tips on how to do hassle free home shifting in India.
Today I have decided to write about what I could have done differently while moving to a new house. This post is based on my discussion with several people I have helped. As we all know, moving is complicated and by ignoring small little things like not convincing your kids and family members about your move may be terrible. Let’s check what I could have done differently while moving to a new house.
Here’s what you can do differently when moving to a new house
At the time of packing and shifting, We pay more attention to the obvious things like finding movers, negotiating with them and getting things moved. But there are a few other important things that you should think about. Not sure what? Just read on.
Talking to children and family
When you pack and move from one city, to another or from one house to another within the same city, its not that you are just moving your house. Coping up in new society, missing old friends, changing school, tuition, hobby classes etc may sound easy, but it is really difficult for kids. When I moved from Patna to Kolkata, It was really tough initially for my kids and family members.
I think you should communicate with your kids and ask them to collect their friends’ email address or phone number to keep in touch with them. Talk to your kids and let them know how exciting it is going to be in the new house. Involve them from the beginning in the process and they will love it.
Leaving it to the experts
I am a big fan of do-it-yourself approach and I often like to do it myself. But then there are certain things that we should better leave to the experts and packing of precious fragile items is one such task. I still regret the day when I decided to pack my wine set myself and how I got it damaged during the move.
Packing of hardy things should not be an issue if you want to give it a try. But you should never try your hands in packing fragile items when moving. It should be left to the movers and packers because they can do it much efficiently and ensure the safety which is important.
Keeping important things with myself
There are certain things that you should essentially carry with yourself when moving. The important items like jewelry, bank passbook, financial documents etc should always be packed and carried carefully with yourself. You should not handover these goods to the movers for transporting. I remember what I went through when I was unable to locate the bag of document because it was packed with some other stuff in a separate trunk. It’s important to carry important items with yourself for extra safety. You should not get it packed with rest of the materials and send it through the movers and packers. If anything goes wrong, you will regret your decision.
Getting the possession of new house before moving in
This is very important – Imagine you come up with a full truck of goods and you notice that wall painting work is still going on in your house where you have to move in. That could be terrible, no? I have experienced this in the past when I was moving to a rented house where wall painting work was still on when we reached with our goods. We then kept everything in one room that was finished and had to stay that night at a friend place before moving in next day. Some time it happens – you signed the lease agreement and scheduled your move accordingly, but for some reason general maintenance work could not get completed and that could be very bad.
Getting pest control done
It is always safe to get proper pest control and cleaning done at your new house before moving in. By getting general pest treatment done you can ensure that your new house is ready for moving in. especially when you are moving into a house which is locked since last few months. We all know how hazardous cockroaches, termites, bedbugs and mouse can be. So before you move, make sure you get pest treatment done in your new house.
Turning off main power switch before moving
So just before you leave your old house, make sure to switch off the main switch. I remember when I moved last time, I left the main switch on and the fan in the main bedroom was also on. Only after three months we noticed that power is being consumed and then got it switched off. So just before leaving your old house, make sure to check all of the switches and possibly switch off the main switch.
Changing the locks
Are you absolutely sure that you have not provided your key to any one consciously or unconsciously? If yes, then it is safe to change your key lock system before you move. Changing lock is important and one should take this seriously. This will fully ensure your home safety and that means only you can have the access to your house (obviously with keys).
Collecting deposits
My friend, Nil, forgot to collect his deposited money from the landlord at the time of leaving. You should not commit the same mistake. Before you move out, just make sure to let your home owner know in advance and collect the deposits. Not only from your home owner, you should also collect your security deposits from library, CD shop etc.
Closing bank account
Before you move, you should make sure that you have closed your old bank account and transferred it to a nearby bank situated close to your new home. That means you don’t have to go too far from your home to avail bank service. This will not only save your money but also save your valuable times.
Essential shopping
There are certain things like buckets, broom, jugs, water bottle etc that we leave and usually don’t carry. That’s a good thing actually. But you should not forget to shop these essentials immediately because you can’t do without these items even for a day.
Getting the address right
After shifting the first thing that you have to do is to remember your new address. Imagine when you order food from a nearby restaurant and instead of 2/22 you mentioned 22/2. Imagine how weird it can turn out to? It’s easier to forget or get confused about your address so just get it right.
Understand the locality
Before moving in, just do a little bit of research about the locality, area, society, landlord etc. Also check from where you can buy vegetables, groceries etc. Check for the nearest bus stop, bank, hospital, medicine shop etc. When you are moving to a new society, it could be really difficult to find a medicine shop in case of an emergency, no? You should research well before moving and this is very important.
Conclusion
We hardly think about these small little things when packing and moving a house. Our priorities are different like finding movers and getting it all done as fast as we can. But as someone who has relocated many times, I can tell you the more attention you pay; much smoothly you will be able to move. Home shifting is not all about packing and getting things moved from one place to another or from one house to another house. It’s more than that, just think about it.
