Planning Your Interstate Move

Time to read: 9 min

The Challenge Of Moving Interstate

Moving interstate is far more challenging than just moving to the next suburb, or across town. Whether you’re going alone, or taking your family, it’s a landmark event in your life – and it’s not without its challenges.

Relocating interstate as one person is complicated enough, let alone as a couple, or a family. It’s not the type of move where you can just bang it out in a day or two with the help of a couple of mates and a ute. The process involved is labour intensive, stressful, complicated, and can be quite expensive. There’s a lot to think about, including figuring out the logistics of your move, setting a budget, and finding the best removals company for the job.

Shop Around And Get Quotes

When planning an interstate move it’s important that you hire a removal company that is reputable, professional, reliable and affordable. Don’t be afraid to shop around, try and collect quotes from 3-5 different removals companies and get a feel for pricing and the services they offer.

Before getting your first quote, complete an online inventory calculator first to help estimate the overall size of your move. This is measured in cubic metres (m3) and will help the moving company quote you on the correct size of truck needed to carry your furniture, boxes and other items.

Do Your Research

Check customer reviews of each company you want to collect quotes from. Google makes it increasingly difficult for bad companies to hide their poor service, but do beware of fake reviews. Comparison sites such as Find A Mover, One Flare and Product Review offer in-depth customer reviews and make it hard for services and companies to make false claims.

Always opt for companies that offer public liability and transit insurance as standard at no extra charge – this is very much the industry standard for any reputable moving company.

Plan Ahead

Believe it or not, a stress-free move anywhere in Australia can be achieved. You just need to be well organised and plan ahead. That means also planning for things not going exactly as anticipated.

To start with, write out a checklist of all the things you need to do before you go, and make sure you check these off one by one. When developing your checklist, try to be as detailed as possible. It’s important that you don’t forget anything, as it won’t be that easy to quickly pop back to your old house once you have moved to a different city.

Follow our checklist as a quick guide to get you started. As you think of more things you need to do, you can just add them in.

CHECKLIST FOR MOVING INTERSTATE

• In the weeks leading up to the move, dismantle furniture and anything which is of no use.
• Place screws and bolts inside a labelled plastic container
• Hire a handyman for maintenance or repairs, especially if you are ending a lease and want your bond back
• Disconnect utility services
• Take back any books or DVDs to library, as well as anything you’ve borrowed from friends or neighbours
• Pay any outstanding bills
• Organise a mail redirection service
• Inform important organisations of your new address
• Get your car serviced before driving long distances
• Organise carpet cleaning for both the old and new properties.
• Defrost your freezer and clean out your fridge

Packing

• Buy packing materials (You can purchase packing supplies such as boxes, packing tape and bubble wrap through Top Removals)
• Clearly label boxes with their contents
• Start packing old items that you use infrequently. This can be done weeks or months in advance
• Separate your belongings into piles. “Keep”, “Donate/Sell”, “Throw Away”
• Organise a hard rubbish collection
• Organise a garage sale to get rid of old bits of junk, as well as make yourself a few dollars
• Collect your dental and medical records and store them safely
• Keep a list of all valuables that are being packed and transported on the removalist truck
• Pack all your important documents together, such as passports, birth certificates, licences and certificates into a box or suitcase. Keep them with you in the car when travelling to your new destination
• Pack a separate box or suitcase with your personal effects, and include such things as a change of clothes, towels, important paperwork, documents and valuables, toiletries, and anything else you’ll need to get by for a couple of days without stressing

A New Start

Moving interstate isn’t easy. Coming to terms with carving out a new daily life with new friends, job, surroundings and school for the kids can be daunting at first – but a fresh start also provides a window of opportunity for you to make a positive life change.