Relocation Guide Online

Painting, decorating and other ways to make sure your house is in a good condition to sell before you relocate.

House selling has become a very competitive market, and though people are desperate in some areas to buy a house, its important you take care to ensure that the you’ve done all you can to make your house as attractive, safe and saleable as possible.

It is said that the average house buyer has no vision – which means you need to make their ‘envisioning’ themselves within the house as easy as possible.

Dark paintwork is a definite turn off – as are stained, worn or smelly carpets – both of which need to be taken care of.

On the latter, you could offer an ‘allowance’ or remove a fraction of the house costs for carpets – or, if you can, invest yourself and replace them, to allow a possibly higher sale price. Walls should be painted off white, or antique white – or possibly very pale and pastel shades if you’re planning on redecorating – you may have no option if your walls are stained, marked or damaged.

Its also a good time to ensure that everything that you’ve been meaning to repair is taken care of is actually done – a faulty stair tread, banister or fence in the garden may only be a minor annoyance to you, but can be a danger to anyone looking at the house.

Its hard to sell your house without help, but one of the biggest tips you can take to ensure your house sells is to make sure you’ve removed your ‘imprint’. Looking at the house impartially, remove anything that screams ‘my personality’ and ‘my personal space’.

Things like photos, pieces of unique artwork, and ornaments and more can be removed before people come to view the house. Remember – they want to buy the house, not feel how you lived there, so if you haven’t finished boxing up your non essentials by the time you start showing them the house, its time to consider whether you really need the clutter still unpacked – or whether its time to put it in the bin. This will help you to save money when you are relocating as you will not be paying to move items that you will never use.

When renting a house, you have to consider your own rights and needs before signing that lease. Leases protect tenants and landlords rights alike – these rights are laid out fully in any lease you sign.

Leases are considered legal contracts, so its important you know what you’re signing and what you’re giving up.

Your lease should contain your rent details, and how much grace you’ll have if you have problems paying. Your lease will also detail who your landlord is and give you contact details for them. You’ll need to consider what your lease should cover – whether you’re allowed pets or to redecorate. It should outline what your responsibilities are to do with the house – whether you’ll be responsible for the house – whether you’ll be required to keep the garden, if you have one – what bills your rental cost covers, what taxes and fees to do with the house you’ll be required to pay and how long your lease is for.

A short hold lease is 6 months, and other leases can last longer. An average of around a year is a good length, though it all depends on how comfortable you are with the idea of possibly moving again within 12 months. It should also detail how long it renews for, when it renews.

You’ll need to ensure your notice period is a fair one and get information on how that will work. Its always a good idea to make sure your landlord is responsible for any breakages, such as the heating, boiler, or plumbing and that you are only responsible for minor breakages, if at all. Optional additions to your lease might include whether you’re responsible for window breakages, and other minor things and whether you need to take out insurance to cover your property or whether that’s included.

The most important thing to remember about your lease is that you should be completely satisfied with it, and that it doesn’t put you in a position that’s unreasonable, or unmanageable. Good leases give you the power to live in the home comfortably, without paying the major bills, and those leases are also usually the most acceptable for both tenant and landlord.

The adventure of moving home generally starts properly when you look for a new house.

Moving home, though stressful can be a very rewarding experience, but its important to keep several things in mind when moving. These can include the welfare and comfort of your children, the support structure you’ll have when you move (are you moving nearer your family, further away from your family?), ease of commute to your job, schools and more.

Children usually feel moves the most, as they often find it hard to settle into new environments and like, above all else, security, and safety. If the move is in relation to a family separation, it’s important to include them in the process where at all possible, and ensure their voices are heard when picking a house.
Often you can research amenities, such as local shops, schools, leisure areas and more online, which may ease the burden of investigating all of that personally. Highly rated amenities should make it easier to choose between two areas, but its also important to consider what you’re looking for in an area.
Your job too plays a huge part in picking a house – can you easily travel to your place of work, and more importantly, is the area able to offer a similar job, should the worst happen?

You can also balance isolation and city life with what you prefer – if you prefer a quieter pace of life, its better to move to a town, though you may find that houses further out of cities may cost slightly more. But you will obviously find that the houses give you more room, including – possibly – a garden. With all the choices you may have to move houses, the best decision you can make is one that leaves you satisfied, and gives you the closest to your perfect match of needs and wants as you can find.

Hiring a company to move you is something that you may want to consider if you’ve got enough money to do so, and can’t afford the time to do it yourself, or its impossible for you to pack and move.

Moving companies offer several great reasons to hire them – with different levels of service. From companies who will show up and move you and your belongings to companies who will pack, clean and move your belongings from place to place.

There are also more and more ‘complete’ package companies springing up, designed especially professionals – allowing them to move to their job, without the hassle of it all. These companies do it all – from finding a suitable house within your price range and requirements, to packing you and moving you in. Some even unpack at the other end for you.

You’ll need to check any company out thoroughly before hiring them – each company should be vetted to your satisfaction, with viable references, if possible. You should also search for any complaints or comments about them online, and see what comes up. These recommendations should also contain information on whether they were prompt, priced fairly, or added additional costs.

You may also want to ask the company themselves for references, and information on when their cheapest and most expensive times are to move. You may find moving midweek to be far more cost effective, as weekends always carry a premium.

The company you eventually choose to move you will want to come out and inspect your home, to work out what they will be moving, and to provide you with a quotation, so you may want to de-clutter before they arrive – they will take an inventory, in some cases, with you and decide what your quotation will be. These companies will also provide you with a complete overview of their insurance – review it carefully so you’re sure of what they cover and what you’re liable for, should the worst happen.

Just before you move, you should go through the following checklist and ensure you’ve taken care of everything on it.

• Have you arranged new utilities for your new house?
• Have you taken final meter readings and phoned them in – or will phone them in on the first day the utilities are open?
• Have you informed your bank, mobile phone and any other companies who regularly bill you at your old address of your new address?
• Do you regularly contract a gardener, milk delivery, maid service or other third party service that you need to cancel?
• Have you arranged a mail redirect?
• Have you turned off the gas, water and electricity, if asked?
• Have you stopped all utilities, and informed any tax or local authorities of your move so that they can adjust your final bill and have it forwarded to your house?
• Is everything packed, removed, binned or accounted for?
• If you are leaving furniture, have you checked that there’s nothing in, underneath, behind or on top of it?
• Have you fulfilled any items that will ensure the return of your deposit (if you had one?)
• Is everything packed and clearly marked?
• Have you paid, or do you have the means to pay for your new house, if required?
• Have you clearly explained, or marked out any repairs required within your old house?
• Have you left any manuals that you don’t need, for appliances or items you’re leaving behind?
• Have you transferred things like your driver’s license, visa, passport or work permit to your new address?

Once you’ve ensured you’ve taken care of everything, you can move on to your new house knowing that you’re able to continue your life without fear of disruption, identity theft or needing to contact the new occupants of the house with your problems. You’ll also be able to relax and enjoy the move itself.