03.10.2016

It can be incredibly exciting moving home at Christmas. What better present than a shiny new house to wake up in on Christmas morning?  But it can also cause a lot of extra stress at an already hectic time of the year.

If you haven’t yet started the purchase process, it is still possible to plan a move in time for the festive season – if you get a move on!

For those planning on decking new halls this December, we thought we’d share our top tips to help you feel more organised.

1 – There is never any guarantee that the purchase process will run smoothly. Whilst some house purchases can go through in as little as 6 weeks, it’s advisable to give yourself some breathing room and allow for hold-ups along the way.  If you’re absolutely determined to hang your stocking on a new mantelpiece on Christmas Eve, start the purchase process as early as you can before the festive season. And to save too much disappointment, have a back-up plan in place in-case you don’t manage to move until after the big day.

2 – Prepare your paperwork well in advance. If you are selling a property as well as purchasing a new one, gather all the information on your current home in readiness for the sale. You will need to produce paperwork such as guarantees on completed works, the service history of your boiler, planning permission for extensions etc. Speak to a conveyancing solicitor as early as possible to find out exactly what might be needed.

3 – To speed up the process, consider arranging a full survey on the property you’re selling. The buyers may be happy to accept the findings without the need to organise their own surveyor visit, saving time. And even if the buyers decide to have their own done as well, it will alert you to any issues that may arise at this stage of the process. There’s a great overview of available surveys and their costs by the money advice service here.

4 – Plan to do your Christmas gift shopping early! You will feel far less stressed if you know your gifts are all bought and wrapped well before the move. With gifts for other households, wrap them and give them out to people straight away so you don’t have to worry about packing them. They might find it a bit strange to be given a Christmas gift in October, but explain the reason why and they’ll understand!

5 – Moving house can be a costly business meaning you may not be able to spend the usual amount on gifts for extended family and friends. To avoid any upset, make sure you let them know that this is the case.

6 – Don’t over-promise on parties! Whether it’s accepting invites to family or friends’ homes, or inviting people to yours – don’t put pressure on yourself to be the perfect guests or hosts. Everyone will understand if you say you’re not sure if you can make it – or that you can’t promise to cook Christmas dinner for everyone this year. Wait until you’re sure of your moving date before deciding on what’s possible.

7 – Be extra organised with your packing. Label EVERYTHING! Try colour coding your boxes in terms of priority for unpacking in your new home. Essential items you will definitely need can be one colour, anything non-vital but that you’ll need as soon as possible can be a different colour and non-essentials that can be unpacked at a later date can be a third colour. And don’t forget your Christmas decorations – they will definitely be an essential at this time of year.

8 – As soon as you have a move date – get the following sorted as soon as you can:

• Arrange your removals company – and remember to check with them what contingency they have to combat bad weather.
• Speak to your utility companies to avoid a Christmas without power and heating!
• Send change of address notes to family and friends – otherwise you may end up without a single Christmas card to hang.
• Organise a sitter for young children and pets on moving day. It will be much quicker to move in without them around.

9 – Ask for help! Moving home is so much easier with helping hands – and as it’s the season of giving, hopefully there will be plenty of offers. Accept all the help you can get and have some tea, coffee and mince pies at the ready as a thank you.

10 – Don’t forget to tell Santa your new address! If you have children, make sure they write their new address in their letter to Santa and ask him to deliver their presents to your new home.

For more advice on ensuring a smooth move – at any time of the year – call Walkers Solicitors’ conveyancing experts on 01922 639080.