You have decided or had it decided for you that it’s time to move and it’s a big one, interstate! WOW! Your first reaction is one of OMG. How are we going to organise this?
What not to do - worry!
Before we go there though, it’s worthwhile looking at some important points about handling the task rather than the task itself. It’s worth asking yourself the value of getting into the worry cycle. I know that you can’t help but stress with so much happening at once but consider how much you can change by worrying about your move. That’s right, absolutely nothing! All that you are doing is weakening yourself for the challenge ahead rather than strengthening yourself to face the challenge.
Good planning and a cool head will strengthen you far more than taking your daily dose of worry pills.
Have a look at and consider how the positives of your move outweigh the negatives, involving the whole family, so that they can all feel like they have a part in the new plans for the family’s move. Everyone needs ownership.
How to beat the worry and focus on the positives of your move.
So how to defeat worry is by focussing on the positives of moving and the first that comes to mind is the excitement and adventure of a new environment or community. That new and shared experience for you and your family is what makes life interesting and you will find at the end of the road that it was all worthwhile. New opportunities, challenges, adventures, friends, culture, perspectives, all the richness of life. The stress factor is not necessarily a bad thing if you use that stress to sharpen your focus so that you become a warrior of change rather than a victim of it.
Helpful points to help you move hassle free
Now that you are energised towards you and your family’s new vision let's look at some of the most helpful points involved with an interstate move.
Planning
- Sit down with family and friends and make a plan that includes factors like timing, school holidays, kid’s school terms, work schedule, time of day for the old and new location (avoiding peak hour considerations), travel arrangements, in-transit accommodation and maybe consider enjoyment stopovers to break the boredom of the trip, especially important for the kids.
Vision
- Build the vision of what you and your family’s new life will be like in your new location. There is a potential here to create something new and exciting for you all, with a refreshing change in lifestyle, friendships, culture, adventure, scenery, outlook, with all sorts of new opportunities, business and private.
Accommodation
- It might be worthwhile spending some time, as a family if possible, in the new location to gauge accommodation availability whether renting or purchasing. Maybe there are family or friends in the new location that you could stay with for a short time. This will give you an idea of variables like weather, property values, affordability, shopping and other facilities, traffic issues and any other location defining factors.
Education opportunities
- It’s a good time to check out where your kids will be going to school and look at the various options for them along with sporting clubs or other extra activities. Keep your children’s further education in mind also like easy access to university or colleges may be a factor to take into account.
Insurance covers
- Be sure to insure your new location before settlement day or handover because you don’t want to move into a burnt-out or damaged house. You should also keep your insurance cover on your old address until after settlement so that your old residence remains covered in case of accidental damage.
Storage
- Keep storage in mind if you have difficulty marrying up your move from your old address with moving into your new address. Storage is not usually too costly and may give you the breathing space you need. Check out whether your contents insurance covers your precious possessions while they are in storage before arranging this.
Decluttering
- We all have stuff at home that we haven’t used for a year or more. Time to get rid of it rather than carting it to the next place. Set up a garage sale or put it on Gumtree, eBay, Facebook Marketplace or other similar sites for selling stuff. You might find that you can recoup some of the costs of moving through your garage or online sales.
Packing up
- This one can be easier than it looks at first. If you have the right resources at hand it can be a piece of cake. You will need stout cartons, labels, strong packing tape, ziplock bags for fluids to stop spillage, textas, and most of your linen and tea towels. bubble wrap, noodles, or your preferred packaging material. Have a look online as there are plenty of providers of these types of material.
Labelling
- Remember to clearly label all cartons so that you know where to place it in the new residence. This saves you a heap of trouble when you arrive. If using a removalist put your name and the destination on the cartons as well.
Photos
- Take photos of TV or other electronic equipment wiring setups before you dismantle them to help enable your reassembly when at your new address.
Address changes or notifications you may need to make
- Postal changes
- Electoral roll
- GP’s and medical
- Driver’s licences or other licences of various types
- School children’s details and transfers of academic records
- Car registration, caravan/boat rego
- Local government/ council rates, library details and return of books
- Subscriptions for magazines or newspapers
- Clubs or organisation membership details
- ATO or Centrelink details if applicable
- Banking or financial institutions
- Sporting clubs and other social activities
Cleaning and closing up
- You can save yourself a small fortune by cleaning the house yourself. It’s so much easier when it’s empty. Get some friends to help you, many hands make light work. Remember to turn the power/gas off, tell the energy companies to finalise the accounts and remember to lock up well before handing in the keys.
Second car
- Keeping in mind the need to arrange for the second car or boat or caravan to be transported or moved to the new location. Sometimes for little cost, you can get a car transporter to take them for you if that suits your situation. Check out whether your insurance covers the vehicle being transported before making arrangements though.
Remember reputable removalists
- Unless you intend moving all your possessions yourself, be sure you use a highly experienced removalist and if you are moving long-distance, hire interstate removalists.
Heavy lifts
- Be very safety conscious if you are considering moving yourself. It would be a tragedy to arrive at your new location and have to lay up for a few months because you have a severe back strain problem. If unsure leave it to the experts.
Now you know how to get rid of the worry of planning an interstate move and you have the key points that will help you do this stress free, so it’s time to get planning. Remember to stay positive about the whole operation because times of relaxation and refreshing are literally around the next corner for you and your family. Bon Voyage!
Article first featured: realestateVIEW.com.au >>