You’ve Moved…Now What.

The day that you thought would never arrive is finally here. You are now the proud owner of a quaint, two-storey flat, with a wooden patio leading to what would eventually be a beautiful garden, perfect for summer barbeques. Chapeau! Welcome to homeownership! You close the door behind you and step into the hallway. The din of the real estate agent’s car grows fainter and the proud, cheesy smile plastered across your face slowly neutralizes. You look at the reality in front of you, piles of boxes strewn along the corridor and more stacked in the living room. Anxiety starts to step in, where are you even going to begin? No need to despair, hopefully, you’ve already read our articles on The Artform that is Box Labelling and Five Apps for a Seamless House Move. If not, here are a few do’s and don’ts for your first weeks after moving in.

Don’t rush!

Unpacking is not to be rushed. You likely did not pack up all your belongings in one week, so why pressure yourself to unpack them in the same amount of time or less? We won’t sugar coat it, there are a lot of things that you have to get done this week, but feelings of anxiety and overwhelm, which will probably arise once you’re rushing, can be formidable deterrents. So keep calm and…you guessed it, make a list! If you’ve been checking our blog for some time now, you already know how fond we are of lists. Now is the perfect time to make a list, maybe even two or three in order to keep you on task during this part of the move. Trust us, you’ll thank us later.

Don’t try to be a “know-it-all”

Now we all love that feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction when we finish a DIY project. Ironically, when it comes to moving house, doing some things yourself often leads to frustration rather than gratification. In fact, some would say that moving house is one of the most challenging things they’ve ever done. So if your budget allows, seek professional help, especially when it comes to installing appliances, plumbing and electrical work, even handling bulky furniture or fragile items. Very often the cost to repair or replace an item damaged by the homeowner exceeds the imagined savings. So try not to be penny wise and pound foolish, please, we beg you. On the other hand, if your budget really does not allow for professional hires, think long and hard about your personal network. Do you know anyone who might be a licensed professional or has a few years of experience in a particular field that might be useful for one of the many tasks in this stage of your move? Why not consider asking for their help? The worst-case scenario is that the answer is no. On the flip side, you might be surprised to find that they are willing to help in some way; provide free assistance, accept a payment plan, or refer someone else. As the saying goes, “nothing ventured, nothing gained”.

Do prioritize

If you’ve followed our advice and created an impeccable colour coding system for your boxes, you’ve just saved hours on the unpacking process. The next step is to put boxes of the same colour in the assigned room. For example, if you’ve assigned yellow to the kitchen, blue to the bathroom and green to the guest bedroom, place all yellow labelled boxes in the kitchen, blue labelled boxes in the bathroom, and green labelled boxes in the guest bedroom. Simple, we know! Once the boxes are in their assigned locations, list your rooms in order of importance. For some, unpacking the master bedroom and kitchen is a priority since they value a good night’s rest in a tidy room and a proper breakfast in the morning above all else. Regardless of your list’s make-up, having a list will help add order to an otherwise chaotic process. It will also ensure that you finish the task. We all know when it comes to home-making, whatever we put off will very likely remain undone. How we dread that unfinished room…so make your list and stick to it! If you’re curious about our list of priorities for the first day of the move in, you can view it here.

Do schedule breaks

If you’ve taken time off from work to settle in, you may feel somewhat pressured to get the most done every day. The truth is that we may all be a little guilty of getting so caught up in a task that we forget about stopping to hydrate or grabbing a bite to eat. However, the benefits of scheduling regular breaks are numerous. When it comes to unpacking, taking frequent breaks can boost productivity, help stave off fatigue, reducing the likelihood of breaking something, misplacing an item or injuring yourself. So set the timer on your phone and get to work. Once the alarm goes off, take a break! At the end of the day, we’re certain you’ll be surprised at how much you were able to accomplish. Then you can enjoy the best break of all, sitting back with a cool glass of wine, a chilled beer, a warm cup of tea or whatever tickles your fancy.

Oh and did we mention that we also provide unpacking services? With years of experience in removal services, a sterling reputation in York and hundreds of satisfied customers, let us help you move beyond unpacking and on to creating new memories in your new home. Feel free to contact us for your quote today. We’ll be pleased to chat with you.

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