Pinnacle

The 10 Steps To Plan The Perfect Relocation

After selling your home and buying a new home, the biggest hassle is relocating. Whether it's a move across the country or across the city, the whole process can either go smoothly or have the overtones of a major life crisis. We've been on hand during transferee moves for some time and have come to the conclusion the "little things" make the difference between a smooth move and chaotic one. The secret is in the details that go beyond the usual common-sense procedures of getting belongings from one place to another. You'll have a better chance of a trouble-free move if you become familiar with our top 10 tips to a smooth move.

(1) Expect stress - First and foremost, you should expect a certain amount of stress and be as patient as possible -- with yourself and everyone else. When a whole family remembers to listen carefully and respond thoughtfully, things are easier for all concerned and will result in calmer moments for the family.

(2) Fix up and toss out - When a home is up for sale, the chore of clearing out clutter (for showing the house) can be combined with sorting and packing. Even if professional packers are scheduled to do the big packing job, time is saved at the destination when you personally box many items (off-season clothes, for example). Don’t get emotionally attached to all belongings and resist the tendency of hoarding everything that you have. Take a firm decision to toss out things that won’t have any use for your family in the near future.

(3) Keep a moving book – Get organized while moving. Having a personal moving book (a 3-ring binder plus pocket dividers) helps keep details in their place: checklists, daily reminders, mover information, and, especially, lists of what's where. (One of the most frustrating aspects of moving is not being able to find things that have been shuffled from here to there.)

(4) Print change notices - As soon as a home is sold, notices should be sent to alert utility and other services of cancellation dates, to transfer bank accounts and medical records, and to avoid annoying gaps in subscriptions. Remember to make a standard format of change of address well in advance, and send it to everyone concerned ( includes companies where your holding your fixed deposit, shares, debentures, utilities etc)

(5) Return and collect things - Returning borrowed things (library books, friends' belongings, etc.) should be on your move-out checklist, as well as a reminder to collect things -- from safe deposit boxes, the cleaners, storage places, repair shops, friends' homes.

(6) Carry valuables - It's often safer to carry jewellery, birth certificates and other valuables personally rather than trust them to movers or the mail. School records and proof of vaccinations also have a better chance of prompt arrival if they are conveyed personally rather than left for transfer to busy school and medical offices.

(7) Do the phones and utilities early - If possible, phone, cable, internet and electricity services should be installed before arrival at your new home, and floors and walls that need refurbishing in the new home should be attended to before moving in, avoiding having to move things around after getting semi-settled. It becomes chaotic to find that things are not in place after you have shifted and you have to follow up with service providers.

(8) Pack a survival kit - Packing a survival package takes care of all those small family needs at the new home on the first day: light bulbs, a flashlight, tissues, trash bags, children's toys, pillows, blankets, saucepans, canned food, paper plates, powdered drinks, plastic cups, a radio, a telephone, a hammer and screwdriver, etc. Depending on the needs of your family, you can add or delete items on the above list.

(9) Schedule extra time - It's wise, if possible, to allow plenty of time to recover, to unpack and settle in. A few days of dining out helps. After all, a home isn't built in a day.

(10) Last word - A prime reminder: Throughout the move, you can rely on your real estate and relocation specialists on each end of the move to help the relocation go smoothly. Remember they are experienced in these matters and it has made them much wiser people to help you with that move perfectly.

This is by no means an exhaustive list and you can keep adding to your agenda. The top tip is to remain calm and composed all thru the move and look forward to a great beginning in your new home.