Moving to Hampstead in London and having to meet a certain deadline? You are definitely not the only one worrying about the success of the house move. Families move house literally every day and often they can’t even choose the moving date, because there are other factors determining that – they simply have to be ready to shift their entire household from one place to another. It is quite stressful, especially when you realize that there are certain moving details that require some time to get properly sorted out. A house move with a deadline can intimidate even the calmest of people, simply because it’s expensive, stressful and tiresome. Combined with all the things you need to take care of in advance, a house move looks like mission impossible.

Don’t worry too much though as this will certainly not help you with moving house. You need a solid organizational plan, a strict schedule and a detailed checklist. Based on these you can work out the budget you will need and try to stick to it. House moves are not exactly cheap these days – there is packing material that has to be bought, packers and movers to be paid, a moving truck to be hired and that’s not even the hardest part. The hardest and usually the longest stage of relocation starts after the actual move. Are you surprised? Most people think that if they survive after the strenuous packing process there is nothing else that hard to follow, but this is not true. Unloading and unpacking all the boxes, unwrapping, assembling and arranging all the furniture pieces and the appliances is in fact the hardest part of the move. It usually takes longer than initially planned and if you are hoping to go to work a couple of days after moving house, you need to reconsider.

This process cannot be rushed for sure, even if you hire packers to help with the unpacking process, this is still your home and your belongings. You need a solid house plan and an idea where each piece will go in the new house. This plan should be with you at least a few days before the move. Discuss the possible changes to the furnishing and the arrangement with your spouse. Understand that packing and unpacking are two processes that are more or less intertwined. Without proper packing, unpacking will be a huge burden for everyone involved. You need to make sure that each bundle, box and furniture piece is labeled (ideally with a coloured sticker too) so the movers know where exactly to place them. One of the great labeling ideas is to print out an A4 plan of each room and to colour the section were the item has to be placed. Then stick the plan onto the furniture or appliance and you are done – this will save you lots of time and unpacking and arranging the house will look like a children’s game.

Remember to stick to the initial schedule and don’t skip any task even if you are tempted to focus on something else. Advance planning will guide you throughout the moving process with ease. Keep track of your records and expenses – this way you will know. If you want to save time you need to utilize functional methods of packing and unpacking.