Common Mistakes Every Home Mover Should Avoid

There’s so much to consider when moving home – from getting a mortgage and finding a conveyancer to buying new furniture and hiring a moving company in Bolton, Birmingham or anywhere else in Britain. 

With so much happening on moving day, it’s almost inevitable that something will go wrong. That’s why it’s important to be as prepared as possible to avoid as many mistakes as you can when it comes to moving from one house to another. 

To help you out, we’ve put together a list of the 10 biggest mistakes home movers make. Avoiding these moving home mistakes will help get life in your new home off to a good start. 

Underestimating how long the process takes 

Perhaps the single greatest mistake home movers tend to make is underestimating how long the process takes – from finding your dream property and having your mortgage accepted to shopping for all the new home essentials and moving all your belongings. 

The whole process of buying and moving house can be overwhelming, and even more so when you realise how long it could take. Therefore, it’s important that you’re aware of how long and drawn-out moving house can be. 

Normally, moving house can take anywhere between 8 and 12 weeks. However, this can be increased if issues arise along the way, such as survey problems, someone pulling out or mortgage application issues. 

Not purchasing insurance for valuable items 

Speaking of mistakes to avoid when moving home, many movers fail to understand all their insurance options. As a result, they don’t purchase adequate insurance for their valuable items. 

While it’s good to have faith in your removals company, to assume nothing bad is going to happen to your most valuable possessions is just asking for it. 

Be smart and opt for Full Value protection for all your valuables. This way, your chosen moving company will be liable for the replacement value of every item that gets damaged or goes missing. 

Underestimating how much moving house costs 

Although buying your property will be by far the biggest expense, there are many additional costs that many home movers overlook. 

Some of these additional costs of moving house include: 

• Getting a valuation
• Conveyancing fees
• House survey costs 
• Removal fees 

To ensure you’re financially prepared to cover all these extra home moving costs, it’s important to calculate how much you’ll actually need to save. 

Forgetting to update their address 

Another common mistake people make when moving house is forgetting to update their address with all the essential institutions and providers. Whether it’s the DVLA, Council Tax, your GP or your bank, it’s crucial that you remember to complete your change of address with them all. 

If you forget to notify all the relevant accounts and services that you’re moving house, you could miss out on vital correspondence by having your mail sent to your old address. 

Additionally, this could result in your personal details being in the hands of the wrong person. This puts you at serious risk of identity theft and other types of fraud. 

Check out this handy checklist of who to notify when moving home. 

Not asking enough questions 

Property searching can be incredibly exciting, and you’d be forgiven for wanting to make an offer on the first house you see. Rushing into making an offer, however, could leave you stuck in a home that doesn’t meet all your wants and needs, and could end up costing you a lot more money. 

So, before you start viewing properties, it’s a good idea to draw up a list of questions you’d like to ask. Make sure you include questions about the property, but also ask about the sellers. For example, how long have they been living in the property and why are they moving? 

Not researching the area properly 

Before registering with an estate agent or starting to view properties whether its in Swansea, Sheffield or an estate agent in Southsea, you should make a list of your priorities for the area you’d like to live in. For example, perhaps you require good transport links, plenty of green space, excellent schools or a good selection of amenities like shops, restaurants and gyms. 

Having a clear idea of what you need will help make selecting the right property easier. It’s also a good idea to spend a whole day in the areas you like to get a real feel for it and whether you can see yourself living there.

For more moving-home advice, check out our finance tips. 

Home buyers protection insurance

Home buyers protection insurance may also be something you’ll want to consider before the moving process but during the house hunting one. This type of insurance is more typically beneficial when there are chains involved as it protects you in the event of sellers changing their minds or the chain falling through. It can also be used when buying a new build home in way of the developers going into administration or liquidation during the process.

Though infrequent there are instances where this could happen, for example times of recessions and global pandemic causing economic crisis’. Ultimately it’s always better to be safe than sorry so definitely worth considering.