Moving soon

Lots of good advice here. If I ever move again (please no!) I would have the removal people pack. Last time I did it - well in advance to be "organised"! - and our sale fell through ... (In this way I'm glad Mrs May called a snap election as it was our local MP who pulled out of our sale and he lost his seat!) Removal men, if you get a reputable firm, know their job and you'll be amazed how efficient they are. Ours (when we did move a year later) where brilliant. Good luck!

We put the tea making stuff, sandwiches and biscuits and some fruit in the car to take with us, and also our bed linen rolled up in the duvet, our toiletries and a set of clean clothes for the next day. On arrival I made tea for everyone while the removers carted our bed upstairs and set it up, we made the bed, and the rest was incidental! (Fish and chip supper that evening)

When we moved last time we also hired a cottage a few miles away. We had somewhere to stay that was clean, known to us (we had been there before) knew where shops/pubs were and didn't have to deal with the enormity of moving & emptying boxes all night as well as all day. We stayed away for about 5 days and by then were in quite a good position in the house and ready to move ourselves in. We packed most things ourselves but paid our packers to deal with the china/glasswear, pictures etc. All went pretty well. I wouldn't move again without a bolt hole to go to inbetween. (we did move 200 miles)

nice idea to get somebody else in to do it all, but not always financially feasible.
My biggest tips for you would be discard anything you do not want be that to the bin or a charity shop. and then everything you are keeping put in labelled boxes. the labels should state roughly what is in the box and much more importantly what room it is going into when you get to the other end, saves a lot of double handling and makes unpacking easier.
gppd luck with the move

We had the removal company pack our items they set up the beds at.the new house too. I packed personal stuff in suitcase prior to their arrival as didn't fancy them packing my (not so)smalls and sentimental pieces of jewellery

Check your home insurance and the remover's insurance to make sure you are fully covered for every article and every eventuality during the move - I read a distressing story about a lady's valuables going astray during a move and her insurance wouldn't pay out (and it was £xx,xxx) as she hadn't specified exactly how it was to be handled during the move.
The removers said they hadn't seen the bag it was in and again she should have specified valuables.
And if you think £xxxxx sounds a lot, it very soon mounts up. I have a fairly standard solitaire diamond ring, about 1.2 carats, valued at a five figure sum and three stone diamond ring valued at a chunky four figures. (both inherited!)
plus a LOAD of cheaper stuff, and junk that is valuable to me
I'm finding this thread very helpful, we're planning a move next year and will definitely get packers in, and possibly pay for a premium service too. There will be enough stress and hassle so I'm looking to minimise it wherever possible.
We've already started to declutter, (we are downsizing) but there is loads more to do. Shudder.

When we moved I made sure everything that I really treasured such as jewellery and expensive ornaments where packed in the boot of our car and left the rest to the removers who marked all the boxes for the correct rooms,a really good idea is the wardrobe containers for clothes as mentioned,then lock up your old house and go and stay at a hotel until the next day.

21 years ago we moved but nine miles from one house to another. As well as clothes, furniture fridges etc we had 50 boxes all numbered and the contents listed as bedrooms, dining room, kitchen etc .etc. Piece of cake? All up and running in a couple of days!!!!!So glad though that prior to to the move I had made and frozen two dozen pasties as that is what we lived on until those 50 boxes were unpacked and all items in their right place. Couple of days? in my dreams.

Would love to plan a move- any tips for selling a property not having much luck at the moment

Agree with you barbaralynne - have moved 9 times in total - two of them overseas, and the last one was downsizing. You can definitely take the headache out of the process by planning carefully. It's very silly to think that at this stage in our lives any of us are capable of moving with minimum help! A strained back or a wrecked shoulder from trying to lift or move boxes and furniture can cause problems for months afterwards and then you're no help to anyone!

Number your boxes and make lists of what is in them if you pack yourself, so you know which of x numbers of box to look for one particular thing in.

Either lodge your really valuable things and passports, extra credit cards and so on in the bank or pack them in a shoulder bag you keep on you at all times during the removal.

Pack anything you will need in the course of the first 24 hours, including the first aid kit, toilet paper and a toolbox in the box that goes into the removal van last and comes out first and make sure you know where it is placed in your new home.

Excellent advice from all. I can't add any more except to say that we moved on a Friday 13th and got the move at half price because nobody else would take that date. (It all went smoothly.)

I would never sleep elsewhere the first night of a move. Years ago I was woken in the middle of the night by someone trying to break in. Presumably someone who knew there was a house move afoot and looked through a window - curtains not yet hung - and saw piles of boxes. I was alone in the house and the phone was downstairs before the days of mobiles.
I put the light on and crept downstairs to ring the police and when they came a short while later they told me off for putting the light on as it scared him away. Nowadays I imagine that they wouldn't even come out at 4 in the morning!

Ah just another thought, lots of suggestions about locking personal and valuable items in the boot of the car. A great idea and we did just that.
But do make sure you have the car keys on you at all times, if they’re mislaid or worse still, packed it’s disaster!
Packers will pack everything, no questions! In the past I have unpacked a sugar bowl full of sugar and a packet of sweets, both beautifully wrapped in packing paper.

I recently downsized and have moved several times in the past. I once had removal packing, however, I didn't know what were in the boxes and it took longer unpacking, do I've always done it my self.
I decluttered his time as we were moving from a 4 bed to a 2 bed.
1. Start packing early
2. Leave kitchen to a few days before move
3. Have a removal day plan e.g. Strip the bedding and put it in the car, because that will be needed the first night.
4. Always list what is inside the box & mark with the correct room.
5. The removal co will provide cardboard wardrobes, the clothes will have to be removed upon arrival at new house and therefore if there are no fitted or freestanding wardrobes, make sure you buy some folding clothes rack.
6.Try and get new house cleaned before moving in.

I always mark my boxes with numbers and its destination (i.e. kitchen, Dining room etc) and write down the details of each box in book with the number and destination. I still have unpacked boxes since my last move in the attic, but I know what's in them, because I have my book to refer to.

Remember to order enough medication to cover your move. My son moved to a different area last year and it was five weeks before he was completely registered with a new GP and his mediation reviewed.

When DH & I moved, downsized from large 4 Bed to smaller 2 bed we got rid of as much as possible beforehand, books all packed & lots of things we didn't need at that time but were taking with us. Removal men took as much as possible on day 1, we were putting everything in storage for approx 1 week, they finished packing on day 2.

Holiday flat booked for 1 week near to where we were moving to (new area). So enough clothes packed, personal papers which we would need. Jewellery & my teddy bear (he always travelled on moves with me).

When Removal Company turned up at new home I sat DH on a chair & told him not to interfere, removal lads said they like the woman to answer any questions. Bed was put together & bedding left in bedroom ready for us.

My move on my own after DH died I had removal firm to pack ornaments, china & glass. I had to pack a lot into my car as I was going to stay with DD, everything to go into store as I didn't have anywhere to move to. Make sure you take any personal papers with you, driving licence, passport, etc (lots of people pack them & put them into storage)

Accept any help, paid or unpaid & look forward to your new home

If you do your own packing, don’t use newspaper to wrap crockery and glassware - it’s so messy and leaves marks so you will have to wash everything before putting away.
I use kitchen roll - I know it’s expensive, but saves so much trouble. Being a stingy sort of person, I shove all the used paper into bags and use it for mucky jobs like floor spills, garage cleaning and window wiping. It’s amazing how soon the stash disappears, so it’s worthwhile.

Coconut says exactly what I was going to say. We are moving back from Spain and, while a van took a lot of our stuff two years ago (the house in Spain still has all of the furniture for normal living), my husband and
I have driven across twice, bringing personal things that we don't touch often That way, we can still 'live' in our house in Spain. We arrived here on Friday night with our second load and Spain now just holds a few personal items and enough clothes to get by on. But for electrical items, all furniture here in England is second-hand, so we are hoping that the person who one day buys our house in Spain will also want to buy the furniture.

Simple and smooth.

We bought lunch for the removal men. Sandwiches and a chocolate cake. They were delighted! We bought lunch two days in a row. They packed one day and unloaded the next. They were a great and friendly team.

Lots of good advice here , moneyboss. We've moved 9 times and by far the easiest moves have been those where the removers did the packing, or at least anything breakable. I had numbered markers for each room in our new home, stuck them on the doors, and had numbered the boxes and furniture accordingly. So easy on arrival. If you can keep a list of what is in each box that helps, but it's less easy to do if the removers pack. Definitely keep kettle and tea pot if you use it with you along with more snacks than you think could be needed, mugs, spoons, tea, coffee etc. We also take a bottle of wine and two glasses to toast our home when the removers have gone. If you are having the first night there definitely think takeaway if you can, you will need a proper meal. Breakfast out in the morning is also a good plan. You will be surprised how smoothly it can go. Take the ideas from responses here that seem sensible to you and get all the practical help you can. Good luck with it all.

Approach your local chippy to buy a parcel of unprinted wrapping paper , its wonderful for wrapping crockery

After numerous trips to the tip and even more trips to the charity shop, we'd de-cluttered all my DH was prepared to get rid of. We even gave one of the children's beds and our kitchen bar stools to charity as they wouldn't fit in our new home. Boxed and packed everything, only had TV's to do on the last evening, then disaster, the first buyers pulled out on signing day. So here we are surrounded by boxes and devastated, furious, upset and totally pi**ed off.

Oh dear how awful for you both
Fingers crossed that another buyer comes along soon.
For this evening I think
several a in front of your TV is all I can suggest