There is one piece of kit, an essential home moving tool, which is going to help make your home move cheaper, quicker, easier and so much more convenient.
This indispensable super tool will be used from the moment you decide to move home to the moment you sit back and relax in your new home and beyond.
And the best part is that nearly every home already has one, and it will cost you nothing extra.
So what is this super-efficient, cannot do without home moving tool? A Smart Phone.
This mini supercomputer will give you access to a wealth of time and money-saving information, and the ability to organise your home move on the go, whilst keeping all those essential home moving tools at your fingertips.
Let’s take a look at just how useful your smartphone is going to be when moving home.
You may also like to read: How to Use AI When Moving Home. For the tech-savvy out there, here are some tips on how to use artificial intelligence to make your home over easier.
The Ultimate Home Moving Tool
Here is your tool-by-tool guide to moving home using your smartphone.
# Internet
From getting free quotes to finding invaluable home moving advice, the internet is the ultimate resource.
Get a home moving quote
The first thing you will want to know is how much your home move is going to cost you.
Hiring a reputable removal company is often the best option for a stress-free move and usually represents excellent value for money, so you will need about 3-4 quotes to enable you to compare prices.
Get a free home move estimated quote.
Decide how to move home
Depending upon your circumstances you may be considering moving your household goods yourself.
It is good to know how to calculate your home moving costs so that you can make a home moving budget, and then be able to make an informed decision about what is the best home moving option for you.
You may also like to read: The Pros and Cons of Every Home Moving Option. In this guide, we look at the pros and cons of each way of moving home.
Declutter your home
This is a must-do to save on moving costs and make the whole moving process easier.
Simply put, the fewer things you have to move the cheaper your home move will be.
You may also like to tread: The Epic Guide to Decluttering for a Home Move. In this guide, we suggest how to make decluttering every room of your home easier and quicker.
Compare removal companies
Now you have decluttered your home you know exactly what items you will be paying for to have moved to your new home.
This is the time to get your in-home survey done by the removal companies that you have shortlisted.
You may also like to read: How to Compare Removal Companies. In this guide, we show you how to compare the different removal company quotes you have received.
Read removal company reviews
As part of the selection process to find your ideal home moving partner, make use of online removal company reviews so that you choose the best mover for your particular home move, and to prevent the likelihood of becoming a victim of a removal company scam.
You may also like to read: How to Make Reviews Work for You. In this guide, we explain how to make the most of reviews when choosing a removal company.
Book the removal company
Do this as early in the home moving process as you can to ensure you can book your preferred removal company. (Remember to save the removal company telephone number to your contact list)
So now your home removal company is all sorted, you may need to purchase or source all your packing materials online.
Websites such as Freecycle will enable you to find moving boxes for free.
But as you are using the latest technology to organise your home move why not use the latest materials to move your things?
You can now hire plastic crates online which will be delivered and picked up at your convenience. They are more environmentally friendly and may work out cheaper too.
And, of course, the internet will be invaluable for sorting out insurance and utilities for your new home.
# Spreadsheets
Planning is everything when it comes to moving home and these tools will ensure you do not forget any important tasks.
Moving timeline and planner
This week-by-week home moving calendar plots each task to be completed and when to do it.
This will ensure nothing is forgotten and that you will be ready for moving day.
Essential to have: Week-by-week Moving Planner. Here we have plotted all the home moving tasks in chronological order for you.
Change of address checklist
To prevent identity theft and ensure everybody knows about your home move you will need this interactive spreadsheet.
Just download it to your phone so you can easily update it.
Useful spreadsheet: How to Change Address When Moving Home. Here we have created the ultimate change of address checklist for you.
Home Moving Binder
Many people create a home moving binder to keep everything in one place and to have invaluable information to hand.
Great this great organizational tool: How to Create a Home Moving Binder. A home moving binder keeps all your essential home information in one place. Here we suggest how to create your binder.
# Free Floor Planning Apps
One thing to be sure to do is to make a floor plan for your new home.
Do this early on in your home moving preparations so that you can dispose of any furniture that will not fit into your new home in plenty of time before moving day.
There are many floor planning tools such as floorplanner.com and homestyler.com
And to get rid of your unwanted things here is some useful information: The Ultimate Guide on Where to Donate Things. Here we list commonly found items in the home and the best places to donate them to if you no longer need or want them.
# Video Survey
More and more removal companies now offer the opportunity to do your in-home moving survey via video.
This is so much more convenient as you can complete the survey at any time to suit you.
It is environmentally friendly too, and if you are nervous about letting strangers into your home, it will make you feel far safer as well.
The in-home survey is crucial to ensure that the removal company gives you an accurate quote, so that the removal firm can assess any access issues, and can produce a moving day plan for a stress-free move.
You may also like to read: Questions to Ask Your Removal Company. In this guide, we suggest questions to ask your removal company during the survey so that you can be sure you are hiring the right removal firm.
Note that if your removal company offers no in-home survey then this should be a red flag as a potential moving day scam when the removal company could heap charges on you for ‘things they were not aware of’.
You may also like to read: How to Avoid Moving Company Scams. In this guide, we highlight red flags to look out for when hiring a removal company.
# Camera
When packing use the camera function to make a pictorial record of the condition of things that you are particularly worried about being damaged during the home move, such as fragile or antique items.
Photograph before packing any items from every angle, ensuring you capture any hallmarks and serial numbers for example.
You will also need to show how well it was protected during packing, this will be invaluable in the event that you need to make an insurance claim.
You may also like to read: Home Moving Insurance – Do I Need It? Being underinsured is one of the most common home moving mistakes. In this guide, we tell you all you need to know about insuring your home move.
Not totally confident about how you will reconnect all your electronics? Take a photo of each connection before unplugging it, then you can refer to the pictures when it is time to reconnect.
If moving out of a rented home, use your camera to record the condition that you left the property in and also to record the condition of the property you are moving into.
This could be invaluable when it comes to getting your deposit back.
Take pictures of the utility meter readings as you don’t want to pay for bills that aren’t yours, but don’t forget to have the date and time stamp switched on on your camera.
You can also photograph any important documents so that you have a copy should you need it.
And of course, it will be great to have a pictorial record of moving day itself, just to remind you of all the fun.
Don’t forget to store your photos on a remote server like iCloud as a useful safety measure.
This is invaluable as you will have copies of important information instantly available to you.
It will give you date and time-stamped confirmation of things like change of address notifications and other important documents.
Use email for as many communications as you can so that there can be no misunderstandings and you can refer back to them if you need to.
This could be particularly important should you need to make an insurance claim.
Also, it would be prudent to use email as a backup for any important documents you have.
Just email them to yourself so that you have a copy that you can access from anywhere.
# Contacts
Solicitor, estate agent, landlord, vendor, Removal Company, babysitter, kennels, and vehicle recovery are all numbers that you may need access to on moving day, so save those numbers to your phone.
# Maps
Use your phone to plot the route to your new home so that you don’t get lost on moving day during your car journey to your new home.
This will be one less stress you can easily avoid.
You can also use Google Maps to find your way around your new neighbourhood.
You may also like to read: Moving Home by Car. In this guide, we suggest how to prepare your car, how to pack things for moving by car, and games to play during your journey to your new home.
# Control Your New Home from Your SmartPhone
There are now plenty of ways that you can control things like heating, lighting, appliances, and security systems straight from your smartphone.
Even older appliances can now be updated to include technology to enable control from your phone.
# Getting to Know Your Neighbourhood Apps
Aroundme is a great app to help you get to find places in your new hometown.
It will help you search for a taxi, theatre, cinema, bank, restaurant, petrol station, hospital, or supermarket based on your GPS location and then guide you to your destination.
Meetup is an app for meeting people who have similar interests to you and is a great way to make new friends in your new area.
Social media will, of course, be useful to invite people to your housewarming party and also to find local events and activities in your new town.
You may also like to read: How to Make a New Place Feel Like Home. In this guide, we suggest ways to get to know your new neighbour more quickly.
So as you can see, your smartphone is going to be invaluable when moving home, but back up everything, emailing copies to yourself will suffice, just in case you lose your phone.
And I know it’s obvious, but just remember to keep that phone battery charged!
Good luck with your home move and don’t forget to visit our home moving blog which is packed with useful guides to make your home move easier, cheaper, and safer.
Share your thoughts by leaving a comment