Relocation Tips: Starting a New Life In Your Area
The world is changing. These are volatile times we now live in, and our ever-evolving global community sees more people on the move than ever before. It’s widely considered to be humanity’s third most stress inducing activity, and still a staggering 2.3 million Brits relocated in the year 2010.
With so much to consider you may find yourself wondering where to start, and of course not all of us can afford to employ expensive Relocation Planners so if you’re committed to upheaval in the coming months, you will find the following relocation tips very useful. Here are our top five relocation tips for a successful move:
- Research your destination – Don’t rely on common opinion. Spend time there and make sure the area has everything you are going to need. Visit your potential new home at various times of the day and night, as you may have missed the neighbours from hell or the gangs of hoodies on your first viewing. Research the area crime statistics as well as the Ofsted reports on the local schools. Order the local papers to get a feel for the community.
- Start planning early – Make a list of jobs that are essential to your move 8 weeks before, then prioritise them and give them a completion date. Stick to it! Some tasks can be completed ahead of time, so get them out of the way early. Similarly, some jobs have to be left until the last minute – know what these are and estimate the time you will need to complete them. Rescheduling close to your move date is very stressful and often expensive.
- Pack yourself – Divide your belongings into two piles: Essential/Expensive & Dated/Replaceable. Your most valuable items should be stored safely and transported personally – remember that other people won’t place the same values on the things you love. Clear out your old possessions, as this will cut down on transportation costs. Don’t trawl the supermarkets for old boxes – this is false economy; specialist packing boxes are stronger, easy to carry and can be stacked properly.
- Cash in completely – Relocation is expensive, so try to minimise your costs. Take the old items you just packed to market, real and online. Schedule the disconnection of utilities in advance and ask them to use up any credit you may have accumulated. Ask for a pro-rata rebate of membership fees when you cancel the subscriptions you’ll no longer need. Get creative with the food in your freezers and cupboards, and try to use everything. We’ve written plenty of buying house tips on our website, so be sure to check them out while you prepare.
- Take care of you – This is going to be hard, so make sure you’re performing at your peak. Never skip meals and drink plenty of water. Stretch! Remember that well planned schedule allows for regular break time, and reward yourself for the tasks you have completed. Breathe!Enlist the help of your friends and family (make sure you reward them too!); and understand that you can’t do everything yourself.
