How to line up your dates perfectly when you move

Preparation is key when it comes to moving and getting the timing right can smooth your road to success.

When it comes to moving house, how do you coordinate dates and times to ensure it goes off without a hitch?

We spoke to professional home organiser Robyn Amott to find out the best way to align the schedule for your move.

Connect utilities

According to Origin Energy, you can book your move online before 1pm to get power on the next business day. Meanwhile, natural gas can take up to three days.

Having said that, you can pre-book these connection dates in advance. It never hurts to get a jump on this task and give your energy provider notice.

Amott suggests you may want to have some overlap in energy between your old address and your new one — especially if you’re doing renovations or moving in over a number of days or weeks.

“If you’ve got access to your new house before you have to leave your old one, it helps to have power at both ends for the duration that you’re moving,” she begins. “Especially if you’re having something like a fridge delivered before you actually move in. You can have that plugged in and ready to go.”

Disconnect utilities

Speaking of overlap, how do you know exactly when to disconnect utilities at your former residence?

When it comes to disconnecting the old house, this can all be booked for your preferred day and usually requires three or four days’ notice for your provider to do a final meter read.

Just remember that services can be disconnected from 7am on the arranged disconnection date. Consider organising disconnection for the day after you’ve moved so you’ve got power available if you need it on moving day.

Book your movers ASAP

If you think you can just go to Google and book the highest-rated removalist for the following weekend, you’ll get a rude shock!

“As soon as you have a date locked in for moving, that is when I would book the removalist,” Amott says. “They’re the first thing I would book in once you know your moving date.”

Take into account that that weekends tend to be competitive and more expensive than moving during the week.

Packing hacks

When it comes to packing and unpacking, you don’t want to wind up doing everything the night before. A good rule of thumb is to prioritise your belongings based on how regularly they are used.

“If you have a long lead time, pack the things you don’t need first,” Amott says. “For instance, if it’s summer and you don’t need your winter clothes, you can start packing those well in advance.”

Do I buy before I sell? Or vice versa?

While Amott was hesitant to offer concrete advice — everyone’s situation is different — she did offer this: “If you know there are certain things occurring in your life, think about the lead time you might need on a sale, whether that’s a 30, 60 or 90-day contract.”

If, for example, you have a holiday booked or you have kids starting school, try to negotiate a settlement period that fits in with your lifestyle so you’re not trying to juggle too much at once.

If renting, remember there will usually be a minimum vacancy notice period built into your lease. This is typically around three or four weeks.

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