Moving house at Christmas – beat the stress with our top tips

Posted on December 4, 2017 | News, Property

Moving house at Christmas can be a recipe for stress so make sure you’re prepared for every eventuality with our top tips

While most people wouldn’t pick Christmas as the optimal time for moving house, it’s not uncommon for contracts to complete in December and for homeowners to be left facing a festive move. All is not lost. As long as you prepare carefully, you can look forward to a successful move and a happy Christmas!

Plan ahead
As soon as your completion date is confirmed, start putting your plans in motion; it’s best to avoid any date between 24th and 26th December, though, so work around it with your buyer. Book your removals company immediately and ask them to do a prompt assessment of your requirements – you don’t want to find yourself a van short on removals day.

Start packing
Get the packing process underway as soon as practicable. It goes without saying that it’s best to label everything carefully so your removers will know where your boxes are destined to end up. Make sure you also pack some festive boxes with decorations and other Christmas essentials so you can unpack everything you need for the festivities, even if you’re still surrounded by boxes.

Factor in shopping
Get your gift shopping out of the way early and ask if you can store kids’ presents with friends and family till you’ve moved. Think about the food and drinks you’ll need for Christmas and consider booking a supermarket delivery to your new address to arrive on the day that’s best for you. Again, do it early as all the best slots will go quickly.

Re-route your mail
You don’t want Christmas cards and gifts to go AWOL, so provide all your contacts with your new address (send a group email or have some labels printed). It’s a good idea to pay for your post to be forwarded for a month or so until you’ve changed your address details with everyone.

Exchange useful info
No-one wants to arrive in a new house in the middle of winter without knowing where the fuse box is or how to switch the heating on. So make sure you prepare a few notes with information about utilities, bin collections, recycling days and any central heating foibles for the new owner of your house. Ask your seller to do the same for you.

Prepare for winter weather
Moving day may well dawn fine and bright. But if a cold front sweeps in and you’re facing ice and snow, be prepared with salt and sand and warm clothes – as well as a flask of hot tea!

Then, settle into your gorgeous new home, get the decorations up and the sherry out – and enjoy your first Christmas!