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Moving to a fantastic place; we're going to start again one more time

Last week I already told you through a photo on Facebook. We are going to move one more time 😉 . And man, I'm really looking forward to it… but secretly I'm also starting to get a little nervous. I've moved quite a few times in my life, but that was always without the kids. And the last time was already 15 years ago. To be honest, I have no idea what it takes to move house. Time to delve into that and draw up a moving checklist. This is because Frank is quite a lists fan and I have to admit that it is actually indispensable in this project.

ps… this checklist is intended as a reminder when moving without the help of a moving company. That is what the list is based on. In addition, I assume moving in case of purchase and sale. We also have 14 days to move. Within those 14 days, everything must be in the other house and we have the keys to our own house. A big advantage for us is that the house we are going to actually consists of two houses. So if we are going to renovate, we can stay in the annex without having to live in the mess all the time. Because of course we want to feel at home as soon as possible, and that that also applies to the kids.

Because we have to move everything within two weeks, we decided to move room by room. Moving without stress is already quite difficult, but this will be quite a challenge! We pack space a in our old house, drive to the new house and immediately clear it into the correct space. We stay in the same place of residence so it is only a short drive. The advantage of this is that we don't pack everything extensively in boxes so that we can't find it again.

Table of contents

Moving checklist; what do you have to take into account?

Good. From internet connections to requesting quotes for all kinds of renovations and from our FBTO home contents insurance to moving notices. You can not think of it so crazy, it should be on the checklist to streamline the move a little more. And to be able to tick off. Because hey, there's nothing better than checking off a list. This way you get some peace in your head and I could use that because there is quite a bit of haunting.

Now that we are moving with children, it becomes even more complicated. The amount of rubbish in the house has increased tenfold in the time that we have children. Do you recognize that? I wrote above that we would be moving everything in two weeks. That's also true, but I can now tell you (in retrospect) that we decided to rent a van for the larger items. Together with the chartering of the friends, this meant for us that we were almost completely over within one day. Super nice!

I divide the checklist for moving into 3 parts to make it a bit clearer:

  • Preparation for moving
  • Move yourself
  • Checklist for after the move

Checklist for preparing your move

  • Sell your own house
  • Arrange a mortgage for a new house
  • Keep an eye on the bank guarantee for the new house. The rest of the matters surrounding the new house are often arranged by the real estate agent, but you have to keep an eye on the term of the bank guarantee and the timely deposit at the notary.
  • Discuss with new buyers what might be taken over when you sell your own house. That which is taken over does not have to be moved 😉
  • Walk through all your stuff on time. Get rid of what you no longer need and don't drag anything with you unnecessarily, so consume less
  • Change provisional assessment at the tax authorities
  • Notify the municipality of the move (can be done from 4 weeks in advance to a few days after)
  • Request quotes for renovations (if you are going to do them in advance)
  • Home contents insurance and home insurance, if necessary, recalculate and have them adjusted. This can often be arranged within a few days. ps… check with your household insurance whether you are still entitled to discounts, for example, FBTO gives a 15% discount on your household insurance if you have a well-secured house
  • Arrange gas, water and light (2-5 weeks in advance), possibly also choose a new energy supplier
  • Arranging moving boxes and transport (we bought a trailer that we move with), so on the checklist
  • Arranging days off at work
  • Recording meter readings
  • Do your children have to go to a new school? Arrange in time!
  • Keep old blankets and sheets separate to move in/with
  • Creating family and friends for the move? We just do most of it together, as we always have, only the very heavy things like the piano we need some help with
  • Since I have my own company, I make sure that I announce my change of address in advance in my email signature, which makes a difference
  • Have your mail forwarded to the new address for a while

What should you keep in mind when moving house?

  • If you move in one go - with help - make sure you work with different color labels on the boxes. Each color represents a different space. This way everyone knows immediately where which box should go
  • Have the keys of your new house made in time, it's chaotic enough, if you lose them now you're out of luck
  • Return old house cleaned

Arrange after you have moved on the moving checklist

After you move, you probably still have plenty to do. However, there are a few things you should not forget after moving, see the checklist below:

  • Find a new dentist, general practitioner and pharmacy if necessary
  • Arrange all levies and taxes with your municipality (and don't forget your change of address)
  • Check when all containers are emptied at your new home
  • Sending digital moving cards by mail or by app is all possible these days
  • Work and enjoy!