How much time to move out when selling your home

[Hocuspoc]

...and buying a new one in chain?
Apologies for sounding like a total tool, but this will be the first time for us buying a new property while selling our current one.
Last time we were renting while searching for a flat, so after completing we took a few weeks to do the place up, move in etc...
My understanding is that when in chain, you ideally both want to complete on the same day - obviously so you are sure you have the funds for the new place.
So how does moving in work then? If I have to leave my home on the same day when I get the keys to the new one?
What am I missing, it can't be that people manage to move houses in one day and consider this a standard? Or am I crazy...

I'd look into how much movers and storage cost. It is thousands. I think it would be hard to justify just for a good clear/to do a bit of painting when you can easily do that around your furniture once you've moved.

The way to have access to two properties at the same is to rent for a while between sale and purchase, rather than selling the old property and moving straight into the new one.
Otherwise, on the morning of completion, the solicitors of each person in the chain will transfer money between bank accounts until everyone has paid for their purchase. Once you have completed on both your sale and your purchase, estate agents are informed so they can hand over the keys.
So you normally need to be packed up and your old home clear in the morning, but you won't be allowed into your new home until the paperwork is complete, which could be later in the day.
As soon as your removal vans arrive at your new home they will want to unload, and the chance is lost of doing any decorating or cleaning. To avoid this, you can arrange for the removal company to store your possessions for a while and move them in when you are ready. Meanwhile you'll have to survive with whatever furniture etc you can take with you, or stay with family or in a hotel for a few days and go into the house every day to do the work. This is more expensive, but so much easier to work on an empty house.

Unfortunately you're not missing anything. You either pack yourself yo before moving or get movers to pack you up before moving and juggle living around packed yo boxes. You do your best to clean around. In moving day you have the stuff I. Your movers van about 12 and pray to complete at a reasonable time. You get the call to say you completed and whizz off and get the keys and meet the movers at your home. You pray that the house isn't a tip when you get there. Then the movers unpack the other end till late and you collapse with a takeaway. Bonus points if you have put emergency food tea and coffee to one side. If your new house has been left like a squat you cry, post on Mumsnet and either decamp to your in laws or a hotel for the night or find the cleanest spot in your new home to sleep. Then you have a long day unpacking and if it really is awful get an emergency cleaner in.

How have you decorated any rooms whilst living in your current home ?
Well, it is the same process.

Most people don't redecorate a property before they move in - it tends to be a gradual process, one room at a time - bigger furniture into the middle of the room and covered in dust sheets, and off you go.

We've only moved once in a chain and the way it went for us was that the movers we paid came in the day before and packed up everything except our bed, the kettle and a couple of mugs. Then on the morning of the move they came back for the last bits first thing.

We then spent a couple of hours thoroughly cleaning the house we were leaving, then sat in a pub for a few hours til we were told we could get the keys for the new place.

Then we got in there, the movers brought everything into roughly the right rooms and we cleaned as much as we could (because the vendors hadn't!!), then slept the first night on a mattress on the floor of the spare room.

Any decorating etc. was done round boxes and furniture before we unpacked or a few months down the line.

You start to pack all the things that aren't necessary for day to day living NOW and put it in the garage/charity shop.

When you move in you designate 1 room on each floor for boxes belonging to that floor. You put major furniture in the room in which it belongs (beds, sofas, chests of drawers.

You then sort out the kitchen (paint if necessary) and unpack. Then do your bedroom (furniture in the middle of the room) and other necessary bedrooms. Then paint the living room & unpack it.

The kitchen is the major pain in the arse to pack. Get as much of it done ASAP, it will take much longer than you thought