Alright, real talk. Nobody likes moving house. It’s a logistical nightmare and an enormous time sink. At least, it can be if you aren’t properly organised. Planning the move is key to ensuring everything goes smoothly on the day. Here’s the fast track to a fast and painless Moving Day.

4 – 6 Weeks to Moving Day

Starting this early leaves you plenty of time to start the ball rolling so that you aren’t running around later on. Book your removalist now. Many removalists, like Your Local Movers for example, provide quotes online and give you an idea of what to expect price-wise before you book anything. Start getting rid of any items you no longer need – donate what you can, there are plenty of charitable organisations that can use your pre-owned goods. Start using up any food in the pantry, fridge and freezer as you can. No sense taking it all with you.

Around this time, you should also keep to hand the contact details of a home-buying service that offers to “sell my atlanta house fast” (or a similar service operating in your current location). This is because, if the deal for the sale of your current home falls through, you’ll likely not want to have to miss out on the purchase of your new one. Additionally, contracting with a dedicated home-buying service may also mean that you do not need to focus on cleaning or repairing your current home as most home-buyers will take properties independent of condition.

2 – 3 Weeks to Moving Day

Start updating your address with the relevant bodies and get the ball rolling on any utilities (internet, water, gas, electricity, etc) for the new location. Now is probably a good time to book a cleaner for when your current place is empty. You should be slowly packing loose items and anything that isn’t regularly used into boxes now.

1 Week To Moving Day

Start disassembling any furniture that comes apart. Mark packed boxes with the rooms they contain items from and place them in areas that will be easy for the removalists to retrieve them from. Drain your lawnmower and start removing batteries from anything that contains them. Put together an essentials box that contains all of your bits and pieces – remotes, keys, bed legs, shelf supports, phone chargers, etc.

The Day Before

Many parents like to put together a Survival Box a few days before the move to ensure that their kids are entertained and can be looked after while the grown-ups take care of business. It can contain toys, food, games, medications, first aid and stuff for the grown-ups too like work clothes, sleep wear, toiletries and any essentials for the following day. Empty out and start defrosting that fridge. Anything you want to transport yourself, now would be a good time to load the car up. Now would also be a good time to write and stash a spooky letter for the next tenant to find if you’re feeling sassy.

Moving Day

Alright, its Go Time. No visitors unless they’re here to help. They’ll only distract you. Have a plan for where furniture is going to go when it arrives at your new place. Any perishable food left goes in a cooler box. Keep checking around the house for anything you may have missed while the truck is being loaded – low shelves and the tops of cupboards are likely spots. Turn off the power, lock up and make sure you drop the key in or leave it in a pre-designated spot.

Make sure you’re there to give the removalists a hand if they need it and be there to guide them into the new place, with clear directions on where to place furniture and any boxes they’ve brought over for you. Be a good customer and offer them a drink and some food if you have any. Those guys work hard and it’s probably coming up to lunch time by now. As you can see, getting Moving Day to go off without a hitch is all in the planning. Take the time, have a plan of attack and you’ll be fine. Got any pro tips for moving home? Got a Moving Day horror story? Drop it in the comments below!