When to book removal firm

[ineedaholidayandwine]

Hi, just wondering at what stage to book the packing and removal firm? Surveys are booked in for a couple of weeks time, do we wait until they come back and we know we’re happy with them?

Not until you have dates for exchange and completion, and even then nothing is certain until you exchange. I'm in month three of my sale and we are just now discussing dates. I've asked for at least two weeks between exchange and completion as I have a big house, downsizing to one half it's size, so need a chance to sell some things etc. I'm not doing anything in advance (other than severe decluttering) in case the sale collapses.
Your Conveyancer will have loads of enquiries after searches and survey come back, so there will be several weeks (if not months) to go yet.

We got quotes for removals once all our surveys were back and enquiries were dealt with, but no companies local to us will actually book a date for you until you've exchanged contracts (as this is when the sale/purchase is legally binding and all parties agree a moving date). Getting lots of quotes was a bit time consuming in our experience as the cost has varied considerably between companies. Hope that helps!