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Original poster

Advice on moving home

32 replies

Naz2009 · 03/10/2022 20:34

Hi everyone, I know I need to use my own common sense here. But I feel so overwhelmed, that my brain isn't working. I need help!!
I've been given a completion date today, everyone in this chain are moving out same day.
I have a 9 month old, 6 year old, DH and myself both work. Luckily I do admin and it's from home. There is no help from outside.
I've been told to start packing up and getting ready for the move which is next Friday.
I had asked my buyer, if she would allow us a couple of days to move, with a baby and no help from outside it will make it hard for me. My buyer lives with her parents and won't be moving out right away.
I just needed time, so I could, get a new gas cooker installed, change the carpet in the new house, get curtains and wardrobes for the bedrooms.
She has refused saying, it will be her house and she doesn't want to be paying mortgage on her house whilst I live in it.
I understand!
I already have plans for tomorrow, I'll start my packing. I'll box up the girls toys and pack up clothes we don't need to wear etc.
I just need advice please, how do I move into the new house without changing carpets. If I put all the furniture in then moving it around to get carpet in will be hard.
Do we just live out of our suitcases and get the wardrobes in after.
How do people move into their new house without decorating or doing the bare minimum such as carpet change etc.
please please advice me.

OP posts:

StillNotWarm · 03/10/2022 20:39

Have you got any money left over? Get a removal company in.
Bodge job the curtains, wardrobes, carpet etc until you've lived in the place for a bit, and worked out what you actully want.
Book baby into nursery if not already in on moving day and day before.
Book at least the Thursday and Friday as leave, both you and DH.

MarianneVos · 03/10/2022 20:40

I think most people wouldn't change carpets straight away.

I have three DC and no outside help so I'm paying for packing. Decorating will be done as and when we can after moving in.

KnickerlessParsons · 03/10/2022 20:45

People generally move in and then paint, change carpets etc.
if you haven't started packing yet you'd better take some time off. It takes longer then you think. Don you already have boxes, bubble wrap etc? You can pay the moving company to pack everything for you. It's much easier.

The lady is right. Once the money has been paid, the house is hers. It would get very complicated if you damaged the house while living in it and if she's given you the money. What if there were a fire? Or what if your go to house had problems. You need to move on the day specified.
Try and farm the kids out at least on the day, and overnight on move day would be better. Moving is hard, tiring, stressful work.

maximist · 03/10/2022 20:47

The only way you can get what you want done in an empty house is to pay the removal company to store your belongings for as long as it takes, then deliver them to you. But that'll cost you double for the removal plus storage costs. Otherwise just dump everything you can live without in one room then sort the rest of the house out whilst living with minimal belongings.

AuntSalli · 03/10/2022 21:45

So years ago when i had little children I packed up the entire house into the removal vans on the Thursday, the removal company to put everything into the living room in the new house and I mean everything I’ve already measured up the carpets at the new house so Friday morning they came round and laid all the brand-new carpets and then DH I moved everything into the rooms that we wanted clearing the living room and then they came back and laid the wooden floor in there .
however it was a new build so the walls were all brand-new and didn’t need any painting.

actually the flooring should be the last thing you put down when everything else is done. you don’t want to be getting splashes of paint from the ceiling on your nice new carpets or all the rubbish coming down from the ceiling when they change the electric light etc.

RidingMyBike · 03/10/2022 22:27

You don't decorate or lay new carpets before you move in unless you can pay for your stuff to go into storage whilst that happens.

We moved 200 miles last year and have no family help. Booked the packing service along with the removals so we didn't need to pack. Book kids into nursery/childcare so they're not in the way.

Digimoor · 03/10/2022 23:00

If you want new carpets etc before you move in, then you need to put your stuff in storage and maybe stay elsewhere (hotel?) until it's done

Allthegoodnamesarechosen · 03/10/2022 23:07

This is probably the most common scenario that estate agents and solicitors deal with. People don’t want to move out or the house they are selling because they want to do work on their new house before they move into it, people want to put down flooring in the house they are buying before they’ve bought it….it would all be very convenient for the person who is asking, but not of course for everyone else.

The answer is always no. You are selling with vacant possession, you are buying with vacant possession. That is the legal situation, trying to mess about with it would possibly invalidate the sale.

anyway, after you’ve been in For a few weeks you will probably be really glad that you didn’t get your first choice of carpets, you need to live in the house for a bit to see what will really go.

I hope your move goes well.

Original poster

Naz2009 · 04/10/2022 06:59

Thank you all for your advice.
I can't afford storage, or movers.
A very good tip is to live into one room and get carpets put in.
Also I never thought of it. But it's a valid point, move in and get a feel for the place before jumping to decorate.

OP posts:

pilates · 04/10/2022 07:04

Are the carpets that bad you can’t live with them for a while?

You will have to wait several weeks/months to get carpets ordered and fitted around here.

LoopyGremlin · 04/10/2022 07:15

If you can afford new cooker, carpets and curtains etc couldn't you afford a removal company? It would make the move so much easier. Then you could save back up for the carpets etc.

RidingMyBike · 04/10/2022 07:24

But surely if you were going to buy carpets etc you can afford a removal company? It's hard and heavy work to do it yourself, especially if you've got no one around to help. How are you going to move the furniture up and down stairs?

We're trying to buy carpets at the moment and have been quoted a 4-6 week lead time for the order so I doubt you'd have time now to get carpets ordered before you move anyway.

confusedlots · 04/10/2022 07:36

We moved without a removal company, and also have young kids. We had the luxury of moving over a couple of weeks but still, the process nearly broke me. I wish I'd pushed more to get movers to do it, but DH kept telling me it was doable as we had time to get everything moved. I've never felt so burnt out or exhausted in all my life.

See where you save some money elsewhere and get the movers booked today.

SerotinaPickeler · 04/10/2022 08:12

If the carpets are really bad take them all up on day 1 and chuck, and put lots of colourful rugs down in 'patchwork' fashion, you can get largish cotton rugs quite cheaply. Then you can live with them as long as you need and sell them on to help fund your replacement carpets.

BruceAndNosh · 04/10/2022 08:17

I agree - spend the carpet money on removal men.
Frankly, sell one of your children and pay for removal men.

StillNotWarm · 04/10/2022 08:18

Honestly, get a quote for movers, and delay the carpets (or, have you saved on stamp duty? Can you use that money for movers?).

Lcb123 · 04/10/2022 20:48

I’d prioritise spending your money on movers, and wait to do the carpets, wardrobes etc. all my friends who’ve moved with children said it was invaluable

BlueMongoose · 04/10/2022 20:54

If the carpets are just in need of a clean, you might be able to get someone in to clean the carpets on the day, if you can put everything in a room where you had hard floors or a carpet that was okay if your stuff gets there first.

Pixiedust1234 · 04/10/2022 20:55

You and DH need to book time off from work to move. Even if you do all the packing its best to get a removal firm in as I doubt you and dh can carry wardrobes and sofas and hundreds of boxes plus driving a van. It will take you multiple trips but you have limited hours.

Don't buy carpets, pay a mover. One can wait, moving cant.

Original poster

Naz2009 · 05/10/2022 19:15

How long do I have till I have to leave the house.
Do we get given a certain time frame to do it all in.
Silly question but how will I know the house is empty when I go there. What if the family are still moving out?

OP posts:

LoopyGremlin · 05/10/2022 19:42

When I last moved I had to hand my keys to the solicitor at 12pm so had to be out of the house by then. Once the money had gone to the seller i then collected the keys for the new property and moved in. For me this was around 12.45 but the removal men did warn us that sometimes this doesn't happen until later in the afternoon. You can't get the keys until the money has been paid.
Again I would urge you to get a removal company. I'm not sure how you will manage to get everything out yourself and give the place a good clean once empty before lunch.

LIZS · 05/10/2022 19:48

Once the money has changed hands on the completion day your solicitor calls to confirm then you should leave and hand over keys to ea for buyer to collect. Normally it works from the bottom of chain upwards as the money cascades, so yours would be earlier rather than later in the day.

RidingMyBike · 05/10/2022 19:57

You get a call from the solicitor to say the money has gone through, then hand the keys over to the estate agent - so you have to be packed up and loaded by then. It was 11.30am for us but sometimes is in the afternoon. Assume morning to be safe!

You then lurk with loaded van(s) waiting for the call from the solicitor to say that the money going the other way (to your purchase) has gone through so you can collect the keys to that house. That's meant a trip to the estate agent's office when I've done it.

In theory the seller should have moved out - ours was still packing when we tried to get the keys and ended up in breach of contract!

SunshineClouds1 · 05/10/2022 20:05

100% removal company.

I used them in my last move and it was heaven!!

Carpets, surely they aren't that bad you can't actually live in the house without new ones?
And even then unless you have picked and paid for them already it can be a week or two before fitting.

Make the actual moving process easier for yourself, plenty of time for decor etc.

AliceMcK · 05/10/2022 20:09

Last time in this situation we just moved into one bedroom, 4 of us, 2 adults and 2 children (4 & 2). We didn’t have a kitchen, just microwave & toasted sandwich maker in the hallway. We ripped all the carpets up and kitchen out because there were definitely not something we could live with, carpets reeked of dog piss and kitchen vomit worthy. The house had been vacant a long time and wasn’t liveable straight away. At the time we just got some cheap carpet put in all the rooms, including dining and bathroom, as it was easiest and cheap kitchen from B&Q. Once in we then worked on decorating and putting new carpet/laminate throughout the house. The plans always been to change the kitchen but 6 years in there is no real need, it’s clean and functional, I’d only change it for cosmetic reasons and there is always something more important to spend the money on. We were in the one bedroom for about 3 weeks then a further 8 before we had a functional kitchen.

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