Top tips to reduce the stress of moving into your new home

If you're in the market for a new home, you're probably aware of the stress that can come with moving. As Metricon has been in the home building industry for over 40 years, we know a thing or two about building and moving. These moving and packing tips will help you to be prepared and avoid moving day troubles.

Donate, sell and recycle what you don't need

Once you've decided that you're moving, it's time to start the big clean and declutter of your home. Rather than packing everything, find what you don't need, donate it to op shops, sell it on Gumtree or recycle it. Don't take everything from your current home to your new home – you'll only waste space trying to find a new spot for it to gather dust!

Create a couple of packing kits

It pays to invest in the right packing materials, and keep them all bundled together. If you don't create one of these kits, markers and tape will somehow disappear and reappear in the strangest places. You can keep packing tape, bubble wrap, permanent markers, scissors, screwdrivers, a Stanley knife, and any other items that you'll need frequent access to in this kit.

Pack the non-essentials first

Every home has 'non-essential' items that you can pack before you've built or found your new place. Things such as artwork, out-of-season clothing, rarely-used kitchenware, and you can pack more up ready to be loaded into the moving truck. That way, when it's time to start packing, half the work is already done.

Label your cardboard boxes clearly

Make sure that you precisely label what goes into every moving box. Carefully considering your floorplan, add which room it will go to in your new home. Being able to place the boxes into the right room and not have to sort through them to find what you're looking for will be a lifesaver when you're setting up your new space and looking for important documents and items.

Pack the essentials last – and keep them together

Of course, there's an exception to every rule, and you'll want one or two boxes that are not labelled by room. These are your 'essentials boxes' and will contain all of the things that you cannot risk misplacing during the move. You can fill this box with a change of clothing, toiletries (don't forget the toilet paper!), phone chargers, breakables and more. Keep these boxes with you – not with the movers.

Find the right movers

Don't just pick a moving company at random. Ask around if any friends, family members or colleagues know of any removalists that did a great job when they moved. If you don't get many responses, make sure you chat with multiple companies. After talking with two or three movers, you should find one you feel comfortable with and then make arrangements.

Hire a babysitter or pet sitter

There's plenty of time for kids and pets to be excited about their new home – but right as you're arriving and unloading boxes and heavy items isn't ideal. If you have children and pets, we recommend finding someone to care for them during the day, especially as removalists bring larger furniture items into the home. There will be plenty of time to celebrate together on your first night in your new home.

Notify utilities, internet providers and Australia Post of your moving date

Ensure that you have all your services set up and ready for the day you move to your new address. Water, electricity, mail redirection and gas are all critical, but let's be honest – who can live without access to the Internet?

Following these hacks during the moving process will undoubtedly help it flow more smoothly. Coupled with Metricon taking care of plenty of the heavy-lifting when you purchase a design from us, moving into your new home and unpacking could be entirely stress-free!

Download our handy moving house checklist for homeowners so that you can mark jobs off as you go!