To ask for your "moving house" top tops?

Have a lot of cable ties for tying up cables and tying together bed frames and that sort of thing. Plastic sheeting to wrap mattresses and other soft furnishings (lots of parcel tape). Plan meals carefully in the run-up so you eat the last of your food a day or two before moving and get the freezer unplugged and defrosted and the fridge empty and ready to go. And do whatever it takes to get someone to take the dc and any pets off your hands for at least a day and a night.

You have to ask them what it entails, but my packers packed it all and did take apart and reassemble furniture (they don't unpack the boxes though). It cost a few hundred.
I did have a cleaner do my old place, and I got the oven cleaned. And if possible I'd get the new one done if there's a bit of time between the sellers vacating (and they haven't done it themselves). Much easier and quicker to clean an empty house and your husband is wrong - I've moved into so many 'swept clean' places that were disgusting on closer inspection and I had no desire to clean up someone else's dirt.
Packers will pack EVERYTHING though! Rather than put notes in things you don't want packed put stuff you need in your car (change of clothes, bed linen, toiletries and kettle and some cutlery/plated for first night. Also school books and uniforms if needed - sorry can't remember if you have kids). Anything else not moving put in a room closet by themselves if possible or if something like a piano a big sign on it! They will pack up your rubbish and half dead plant etc - really they will just grab and wrap and stick it in a box! So be ready for them!
Give them some donuts for them AFTER they've packed the van. I also gave mine a case of beer.

I was moving everything into storage so the movers packed on the Friday and then on the Monday took everything away in the van. They just left out what I needed for a few nights, I stuck post it notes on things to not pack. They dismantled the beds, wardrobes and garden bench and reassembled them in the new house.

They literally pack everything though, rubbish included if you don't either get rid of it or stick a don't pack note on. I went out when they arrived and came home hours later to everything I owned packed. It was amazing and would pay three times the price for the service!

I think it cost us £600 on top of moving fees 5 yrs ago. Well worth it.

Get the removals firm to pack for you, but be aware they will pack absolutely everything*. If you want it to go in the car with you make sure it's somewhere they know not to pack ( we put overnight bags and valuables on the bed and essential kitchen stuff in the dishwasher). In my experience as well as being so much easier if they pack they'll take responsibility for anything damaged as they can’t claim it wasn't packed properly.
*They usually won't take small valuables like jewellery but may not look too closely when packing.

I prefer to pack and store as much as I can in advance, labelling boxes by room type, etc. Ideally, start with the loft as generally that's where the mementos, etc get stored and if they're 'keepers' then box gets labelled 'Loft', etc. The movers will appreciate it if the loft and outside aren't included (price reduction). Then maybe store most of the garden stuff next, given the time of year.

You can move a lot of boxed stuff in your average or smaller car. Some moving companies also have storage facilities for just this.

Start a month in advance and keep a box or two at hand for the give, donate and throw stuff. Trying to ensure you actually give, donate, etc - otherwise that's another box labelled 'stuff'.

Paying for 'packers' sounds ideal, but not everyone can afford that - it would be more than once that I've hired a van and raked up some help.

Oooh me! I've moved 3 times in 4 years! I also moved from a 3 bed house to a 2 bed apartment!

I decluttered alot! So much so that whilst it was 2 big vans from one house to the other it was only 1 from the house to the apartment. I gave stuff away on Facebook, took it to the charity shop, hired a skip for rubbish. I had a massive clear out so I had 6 vases and really only need 3, so that's half. 12 wine glasses but only kept 4 and so on.

I packed myself getting most of it done before the moving day. Then it was just the last minute bits. I packed a case with bed linen, pyjamas, toiletries, towels and a couple days clothing. I packed all important papers in my work bag. I packed an essentials box with tea, coffee, wine, silverware, mugs, cat food and kettle. These 3 things went with me in my car.

My movers moved the entire house in an hour onto the van. My movers took my table and the beds apart and put them back together.

I didn't complete this house straight away so I was able to go back and give it a refresh. But the house I had before exchanged the same day so I just gave it a quick top up clean on the day after spending weeks deep cleaning areas.

We moved, I made the beds ready for the night and had a takeaway.

How exciting for you!

Don’t forget to get insurance for when your stuff is in the van. Babs have been known to go missing.

Pay for a professional oven clean.

Absolutely get the removal firm to do a full pack if you can. The only thing I packed myself was a box of (ahem) personal items. I actually took the kids out for the morning to a toddler group and a cafe and came back when it was all done. It was 15 years ago but I think it only cost an extra £300.

Also - if your removal company will store stuff overnight then consider moving out the day before you exchange and spending the night in a hotel. We did this the last time we moved and it was a total game changer. It was the idea of the folks in the house we were buying & we actually ended up using the same removal firm as them to make it super easy.

All we had to do on the morning of the exchange was give the house we were moving out of a quick clean. Totally stress free!

We actually used storage but we're very strict with ourselves and only allowed four weeks. Two before and two after living date. It meant that on the day I'd the move we acted very quickly and then had two weeks to decant things into the stored house. Worked for us.

I’d echo everyone else and say pay for a packing and unpacking service. Was so nice to have all our furniture in the right rooms, all had to do was make up the beds the first night.

It may not apply to you but if the removal company need to park on street please check re the notice period you have to give the local council for a parking bay. We had to book two weeks in advance if I remember correctly.

It’s not batshit
This is what we do
We’ve had furniture damaged by removal guys. On one occasion two legs from my sons bed ( an antique ) were Brocken and the removal guys tried to convince us that they were Brocken before. They lied, my son hadn’t been sleeping with his head at a lower level than his feet ! They didn’t wrap a bible box ( dated 1708 ) and just put it in the back of their van and it arrived with a huge gash on the lid. Clearly a new gash and again shrugged it off. I could go on and on. These aren’t the same company either but all had good reviews which these days I don’t trust.
The only thing we get moved by others is the piano as the mechanism has to be protected properly.

Plus
Being able to open the door and move in a relaxed manner makes the whole process far less stressful.
As does cleaning the house you’re leaving as the furniture is all gone already. It’s so much easier and quicker
I know most people use a removal firm but as we have moved a lot this is our experience and subsequent method we have found works best for us and our processions.

Declutter.

Declutter.

Then declutter.

Be very brutal - if you do not need it, do not pack it.

Pack an overnight bag for everyone - PJs, clean undies, tooth brushes, hair brushes, tampons, phones, chargers, book, or whatever you would take if you went away for a night or two, so everyone has got what they need easily to hand.

Make sure you know what box the kettle, teabags, mugs, biscuits, cereal and pizza takeaway menu is in.

If you are only moving a few streets, is it possible that the place you are going to might have an empty garage a day or so beforehand? We had cleared our garage and gave the buyers a key and let them use it a few days before completion. It was made clear it was at their risk, not ours.

Have a clear plan of where stuff is going in the new house and write this room clearly on the box so it gets to the right room and also list the contents of the box.

Declutter.

This is batshit. Move some precious stuff yourself but seriously ... i'm leaving the shifting of large stuff to the guys that do it all day. They work really hard. I'd rather get straight in a day or so than a few weeks of hassle and back wrecking lifting.

Ps
This also gives you plenty time to clean your old house
and
If you want to clean your new one you can as the furniture isn’t being moved in the moment you open the front door ( whether they’ve cleaned or not as we always clean before we move our stuff into place )

You might want to get new toilet seats as well. I always buy new ones, just can’t stand the idea of using someone else’s and I’m not into hovering at home no matter how much bleach we use I just can’t stand the idea of someone else’s toilet seat.

We’ve moved house a lot and I’m fed up with things getting Brocken by removal guys who then completely deny everything.
My dh collects antique glasses ! So it’s too risky

We pack everything ourselves and store in a storage unit by hiring a self drive van and doing it at our own pace.

Apart from the piano we move everything ourselves
On the day of the move all that’s left is our mattresses, bedding, some chairs, and the coffee pot.
All that’s left to do then is read the meters and move to our new place.

We spend a week ( or a few weekends ) ferrying everything back to our new place. It’s easier now as we have three sons in their early twenties to lift the heavy stuff but when they were small we did it ourselves with the help of a few friends ( that we helped too )

The last time we moved ( a few years ago ) removal guys wanted £2500 just to move us with us wrapping and packing.
A waste of money ( a storage unit and van hire is much cheaper )
Too stressful doing it all in a day
Stuff gets Brocken

Probably already been said, but you will never spend better money than to pay the removal firm to pack the house too. Never regretted that money for my last 2 'big' moves.

Get the packing service.
They will though "pack" a full waste paper basket. There are a few things they won't take (normally cleaning products), so you'll have to take them yourself.
Pricing is fluid, so an expensive firm can be reasonable if they don't have much on.
They will dismantle and reassemble things like beds.

Make sure you know where the stop cock is.

Get the kids rooms sorted first. And if possible get some kind of childcare or a play date.

And good luck🍀

Not moving day tips but before you exchange go and have a proper look at the house. Check all the radiators work, check the boiler, check all taps work, look for leaks or signs of damp, check the windows close tight - a few of the things I WISH we'd checked before we moved.

Get packers - it's worth every penny.
Think about your new house.
I think kitchen is trickiest - so many boxes!!! I counted up kitchen cupboards, how many shelves etc and really thought about where my stuff would go. I had a plan so as each random kitchen box was opened I knew where it was going.
I've moved having decluttered and moved having not. Decluttering is hard and painful. Wonderful afterwards but moving is stressful and I'd question if you're not downsizing whether now is the right time.
Getting a working home set up for the kids asap is most important.
Don't pack their bedding - ikea bag it and have it in your boot with overnight bags.
Don't underestimate how much room hoovers, mops etc take up.
Do buy 15 packets of biscuits for the removal men. They will be pleased and they will eat them. The guys moving the buyers stuff into my old home had been begrudgingly given 1 Cup of tea and no biscuits. They were very happy to scoff my chocolate selection. (They turned up early I wasn't late!)
Have plans of new house layout marking lounge, dining room, bed 1 etc and place on front door and top of stairs and big Bed1, bed2 signs next to each doorway. (not on door as it will be open)
Buy 2 of those carry trays with a handle for your cleaning stuff and for the making cups of tea & biscuit stuff.
Buy hazard tape for anything not to pack (eg the Carry trays)

I’ve moved house far too many times but always pack myself. My big tip is to tape a list of the box contents into the lid so you don’t waste time unpacking all the boxes labelled kitchen to find the plates . It also gives you the option of binning ‘stuff’!! X
always start packing the loft, garden shed and garage as soon as you can. Theres more there than you think. And don’t leave the kitchen until the night before - clearing out the cupboards and cleaning the cooker takes forever!

If your packing yourself give each room a number in the 100s, so kitchen is 100, livingroom is 200.

When you pack label each box with a number so for the kitchen first one is 100, second one 101. Keep a note of what’s each box, so 101 pans, 102 random electrical appliances. Then before the removers bring every thing in stick the the numbers of the doors so 100, 200.

We always pack a Night One box - kettle, stuff for tea/coffee, clean sheets, towels, pj’s, toiletries so if everything goes pear shaped we can shower, have a cuppa and make the bed even if everything else has gone to hell. Also look up takeaway/delivery places in your new neighbourhood in advance so you can get dinner sorted quickly. We learned to do all of the above from bitter experience 😆