Our recent survey found that Britons rank moving home as a more stressful life milestone than having children, changing jobs or getting married – but we’re here to change that with our top tips to make moving less stressful.
1. When is the best time to sell?
If spending more time at home over the festive period has led you to start thinking about a house move, you’re not alone. Traditionally there’s a surge in people searching for a new house from Boxing Day and into mid-January, known in the industry as the “Boxing Day bounce”. This then tends to translate into more people moving house from February into late spring/ early summer.
Family homes generally sell slower in summer, as those with school-aged children are often on holiday during this period. Those looking to enjoy a warmer winter in an energy efficient home are perhaps likely to start thinking about moving during the coldest months, again, from December to February.
2. Assess your finances
Almost 1 in 3 Britons (28%) see the cost of moving house as the main obstacle to buying a new home ahead of stress (23%), logistical challenges (16%) and the emotional implications (15%). There are lots of financial factors to consider including Stamp Duty, removals costs, household bills including energy costs and council tax, plus the monthly mortgage repayments.
With our easy-to-use mortgage calculator you can use the slider to see how much your mortgage repayments will be based on the property purchase price, the deposit you can put down, the repayment term of the mortgage and the interest rate. It’s a great tool to help work out how much you can afford to spend on a new house.
Don’t forget to account for the savings you could make in a new house on your energy bills – see tip 4!
3. Do your research
Deciding where you would like to live is a big decision with lots of factors to consider, particularly if you’re looking to move to a new area. Having a moving house priority checklist can help you work out what’s most important to you and the things you may be able to compromise on while you’re searching for your ideal home.
In the age of hybrid working, transport links may be less important than they used to be, whereas good broadband connectivity could be more of a priority. If you have children or are planning a family, find out what the local schools are like – do they have good Ofsted reports and are there places available?
When it comes to the location, think about the amenities already in the area and those that may be planned as part of a new development. Remember to visit the area at different times of day to get a real feel of what it would be like to live there. Look at the average house prices in the immediate neighbourhood and the surrounding areas.
4. New vs old
Buying a new home rather than a property someone else has lived in can help reduce moving house stress. You’re at the top of the chain and so won’t have to wait for the previous occupants to move out before you can move in.
There are no surveys required, we can recommend new homes mortgage specialists and solicitors to handle the formalities of buying a new home. Because everything’s brand new, you won’t have to worry about inheriting DIY disasters from the previous owners, plus your home will be easy to maintain in the future.
New houses are generally much cheaper to run than older properties thanks to improved energy efficiency. Move from an older house to a new build house and could save an average of £2,600 on your energy bills.
5. Declutter and clean
A simple way to reduce some of the stress of moving house is to plan ahead and declutter well in advance. Deciding what to keep, donate to charity or throw away may seem daunting but if you break it down room by room it becomes more manageable.
Giving each room a thorough clean once you’ve decluttered is a great way to prepare your own house for when you put it on the market and should help you sell. Plus, having less to move and find a place for in your new home, will make your move easier in the long run.
You can read our room by room storage hacks and cleaning tips here or for more home organisation tips to help with moving, check out our podcast.
6. Seek recommendations
If you’re looking at how to cope with the stress of moving house, there are lots of experts you can call on for help. But how do you choose which estate agent to market your house with, the solicitors to deal with the legalities of buying and selling, or a removals company to help with the physical move?
Ask friends and family for recommendations of companies they’ve used when moving home or look at reviews online. Alternatively, Redrow can provide recommendations to help your move go smoothly and using one of our panel of experts can often speed up the process.
7. Make a moving checklist
Once you’ve found your future home and a buyer for your existing property, it’s all systems go. It’s an exciting time with lots to think of.
Make a moving house checklist of everything you need to do, pay, arrange, set up. Ticking off each task as it’s completed will feel satisfying and help ease the stress.
We’ve included handy checklists on My Redrow to help with preparations for moving.
8. Ask questions
If there’s anything you’re unsure of, worried about or simply want more information about don’t be afraid to ask questions of the experts – your estate agent, solicitor, mortgage broker and our sales teams have all done this many times before. Remember no question is too silly to ask.
9. Keep all your documents together
One of the easy ways to avoid some of the stress of moving is to keep organised by storing all of your important documents in one place.
Have a box file for paper documents and create a dedicated folder in your email account for anything related to your move. Many lenders manage the mortgage process online now.
When you buy a new Redrow, everything is done online and all of your documents are stored together in My Redrow – the members’ only area of our website.
10. Book removals early
Once your completion date is confirmed, it’s all systems go and time to start planning for moving day.
If you want to use a professional moving company, source quotes and check availability as early as possible rather than leaving it to the last minute. You could even instruct a company to pack, move and unpack for you.
If you do choose to move yourself, you could ask local businesses if they have boxes for moving house or you could hire them. Remember to label boxes so that you know what to put where. Plan who can help you with the move or perhaps by looking after the children. If you’re hiring a van, think about what size you’ll need to fit your furniture in or how many trips you’ll need to make.
11. Start a list of post-move priority jobs
Deciding what to put where and then unpacking isn’t the only task you’ll need to think about once you’ve moved into your new home. Making a checklist for post-move can help.
Things to think about include paying your final utility bills from your old home; changing your address with the bank, DVLA, car insurance and local authority for council tax purposes.
For more tips on how to get ready to move house, read our guide.