Moving homes - tips

[fingerscrossed4this]

We are finally moving to our new home next week. We are selling our current home and the new owners are moving in the same day we move out. The last time, we moved from a rented property to this house which meant we had a few days overlap so we could go back and clean the rental and sort stuff out.

This is the first time we're in a chain move so I'm not sure how to do things. I'd like to leave the house nice and clean for the new owners, maybe leave a document with details about appliances/water filter refills/water softener care. What else can/should I do?

Any tips that could make the move easier?

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Prob pretty obvious advice but having moved every year for the last few years these are my top tips:

Sort through rooms and stuff ahead and get rid/sell things you don't want

Use a packing and moving service. So much better than trying to do it yourself. Also means you can live without being surrounded in boxes until the day before.

Get a professional cleaner - if you can afford it for both houses, old and new.

Use post office redirection service

Get pets/children out the way for a few days over the move if possible

Don't try to move yourself by hiring a small van like the people we bought our house from. (We were very lucky we weren't moving in that day)

Best money we spent was the decent removal company. I packed myself though because I'm a massive control freak. Many will give or hire boxes.

Do as much as you can from now. Get rid of anything you no longer need and pack up everything you won't need until in new house. We had a spare room that we stacked boxes in ready to go.

The only thing left to 'pack' and dismantle on our moving day was the beds. Just bagged up each set of bedding as I took it off ready to go back on at other end for that night.

Use a proper removal form and pay for packing if you can. It's not that much more on top of removals costs and its a game changer.

We had a 3 day removal - movers packed on day 1, loaded everything but the bare essentials onto the van day 2 (which meant we could do a lot of the cleaning that afternoon/evening).
Then day 3 (completion day) they came for the rest bright and early - we had a good couple of hours to finish cleaning whilst waiting for the keys etc to be released.

*removal firm

Pay for packing. Best thing you can ever do in a move.

If you can, pay for packing.

Roll the bedding up with the duvets covers on - put in bags or roll up in binbags and label so you can just unroll when you get there.

have kettle, tea, biscuits, loo roll, tool kit and important documents in a box in your car.

Get someone to look after the kids if you can.

Have a takeaway menu handy.

Have the cleaning stuff to hand so you can do a last run round the house (MIL did this for me - lovely of her) and so it's first thing to hand when you get there.

We left instruction books for everything to hand for new owners, a letter saying the neighbour's names, a bottle of wine and bin days etc...Also our mobile number and email (but we knew them already).

Our vendors left us a lovely note saying how much they'd enjoyed living in the house and bringing their family up there, instructions on the pond and frog management, what time the bats fly past, and how the dodgy shower worked....

Some really good tips here, thank you!

I started the decluttering way in advance but it feels like a never ending job. We've got removals coming and they'll be doing the packing too. I have done the redirection.

Good idea on bin day guidance. I'll add that to the other stuff. Kids will be at school and nursery and will be picked up by friends and I'll collect them from there later in the day. My plan is to do a deep clean 2-3 days before and then a quick refresh after the movers have taken stuff away before I hand over keys (time permitting)

Read your gas and electric meters and leave a copy of the reading for the new owners if you don't have smart meters.
Pack a bag of "essentials" that you don't want to be packed e.g. the kettle, tea & coffee, a few mugs and a toilet roll.
Also pack an overnight bag in case anything goes wrong on the day.

Help! We are considering moving from the Midlands to Bury (Whitefield/Radcliffe are in the running). We want a quieter life from our current environment and I know every area has good and bad but generally
What is Bury like? We are a South Asian family who are happy to integrate, but really need to avoid areas where we will be made to feel unwelcome. Schools are not an issue has our children are young adults. Any advice in general about Bury x