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The Master Plan
Timing
When is the best time?
March
onwards, but slowing July-August for Holidays. In November, Christmas is
almost upon us and it’s often cold and wet. Not an ideal time to sell.
Lots for sale in the street?
If your
home is one of the best in the street, great, it should draw buyers,
otherwise you could be drawing buyers for someone else.
Planning
Start a list of who to tell you have moved.
Do you need to select a new school and apply for admission?
Decide self move or Removal firm and if you choose a firm, select one.
(Please read both the Removal Firm section and the Moving Yourself sections. It will give you a clearer understanding before you choose.)
The Removal Firm
Ask
what services they provide and get quotes from 3 firms. Make sure that they
have not omitted VAT unless you are a business.
Usually you will be charged extra if you book late and you know how we feel
about wasting money, or if you move on a Friday, Bank Holiday or during Half
Term.
The firm should visit you to determine what will be involved in moving you
and if things like carpets or curtains are involved. If carpets are, for
example, can they re-lay these or do you need to make additional
arrangements.
Also check their insurance and ask them to provide details of what’s
excluded in respect of your particular move. Exclusions may include items
you pack. Give them as much information as possible to avoid any extras on
the day. In addition to cost planning this will avoid constraints of time
or space becoming an issue. It is very stressful anyway, without finding
that because of all the additional bits to move something does not fit in
the van or its 5 pm and the removals firm wants to leave. Also if they can
not drive within 1 mile of your new remote and secluded hideaway this could
cause difficulties unless discussed at the time of the quote.
It might also be nice to provide them with a map. This will also be useful
for new visitors so its not wasted effort.
Confirm if the price includes packing everything or just delicate items and
if packaging materials are included. It is also as well to clarify
your input by asking them “what do I need to do
and when?”
The removal firm should put things in the appropriate room that they came from. It helps you if you help them by identifying which old room corresponds to which new room. Also if you have more or less rooms how your possessions should be split up or consolidated.
Plan your time schedule for the day and build an allowance for problems and make sure your mobile is charged and everyone has the number. No mobile? Borrow one for the move.
Ask if they expect to be busy at the time you want to move. If not it’s a good start to ask for a discount. Even if they are busy, they may allow you one anyway.
Consider:
Carpets – who lifts and lays, if any carpets are moving with you? Removal
Co, Carpet firm or you.
Moving Yourself
Make sure you are organised.
Keep similar items together and labelled to identify. Also identify the new location, by picture or words
If you tear up newspaper it makes quite good padding. If you have access to a shredder, use this, but don’t jam it by shredding the Sunday papers in one go.
Delicate vessels – Cups glasses vases etc.
Wrap individually in crumpled newspaper, then wrap again. Pack in boxes, but
do not over load. It is best to get boxes that will fit two layers only and
separate these with cardboard. Use lots of protection. You can either buy
specialist boxes or get them form your local food shop, but do make sure
that they are going to protect your treasures.
Crockery.
Box up,
ideally wrapped in crumpled newspaper. As a minimum put paper between each
plate so if you go over a bump they will be protected.
Furniture.
If it started life as self assembly seriously consider taking it apart. It
takes up less space and puts less strain on the item. Do consider that if
it’s been glued it may never regain its former glory. Planning early allows
you to consider a garage sale and let the buyer worry about moving it. If
it’s very sturdy or was delivered intact it may survive the move.
Jewellery and small valuable items.
Move
these yourselves and keep them with you at all times. You may have a
multitude of people descending on your new home for all sorts of reasons.
It could be hard to spot someone who had no reason to be there. Any boxes
can go with the van and how you pack the items you are carrying is up to
you, but subject to size, we suggest cotton wool around each item and
grouped in a food bag. Please keep a list of what you have packed to
prevent stress when unpacking these items.
Paperwork.
Sort out
anything you will need in the first few days after you move to take the
pressure off. Everything else can be boxed up to go. You may like to
consider getting a scanner and going paperless, but do take backups and
remember that there are some originals that you must keep.
Creature Comforts.
Please take account of the needs of your pets and ensure that you have some
food and water available for them. Fish need special consideration
particularly if the move could take a long time. It is worth a visit to
your local pet store or a call to your vet to check the details and plan
accordingly.
Don’t forget your drawers.
You can leave a small amount in your drawers but remember they may be
exposed to everyone. If you don’t like the idea of exposing your drawers to
the removal team, Cue Sid James and Kenneth Williams, put everything in a
plastic bag first. It is important that you do not leave anything locked or
it may cause difficulties. Firstly, it makes things easier to lift if the
drawers have been removed. Secondly, if you loose the keys then you may
have a problem later. Please do label all the keys to make things easier
when you arrive.
Perishables.
Don’t
transport anything opened. It could leak or spill. It’s much easier to use
everything up and throw out leftovers.
Fridge contents should also be used up, unless unopened in which case transport in a cool box or bag if you can’t use or throw out. Put each item in its own bag and group the similar items together.
Frozen food can be either used up or the freezer setting upped about 8 hours before travelling and plenty of ice packs used in well insulated cool boxes. If anything does thaw, use immediately or throw it out. Your health is the most important consideration here. For long journeys don’t take the chance. Remember that if your freezer has a lot of ice on the sides, this could leak out in transit and spoil something, so plan a defrost before the big day.
Pictures.
Save up cereal boxes for this bit. Cut out squares of card about 5 inches
square and fold diagonally and then fold the resulting triangle in half.
This makes a little hat that can go on the corner of the frame, Unless it’s
an old master. Then you can wrap in bubble wrap. Newspaper could mark
sensitive surfaces, so avoid this.
Try looking both in the place you are moving from and the area you are moving to. It can be surprising how big the price variation can be.
Web or yellow pages, recommendations or vans seen moving people in (can’t always contact the leavers, but its two sides of the same coin!)
Ask
them for the details of previous customers as references. If they don’t
oblige, beware.
Choose to use a Solicitor, Licensed Conveyer or do it yourself.
We don’t know which you will want, but we do know what's usually involved. The main aspect is providing the title deeds, usually held by your mortgage lender as part of its security, requesting office copies of the register and title plan from the Land Registry. Also asking you to complete a Fixtures and Fittings List.
The Fixtures and Fittings List.
This
provides basic details about the property and often details of any work
done, guarantee's etc. So dig them out now. These documents, once
received, enable the next stage which is drawing up a contract.
Contracts are mainly standardised, but can be
amended if required. The contract would then be sent to the buyer's
conveyancer for approval, with a completion date which must also be agreed.
We suggest that if you want a particular time you build it in as soon as
possible. Take control. From this point any
other amendments could be made until both parties were in agreement. The
next step is to sign the contract and then you can exchange contracts.
In addition at the point of exchange of contracts, your solicitor will hold
the buyers deposit of 10% although like everything, the exact amount is
negotiable.
If the buyer fails to complete the purchase on time the deposit may be lost.
Once exchange has taken place the buyer has a responsibility to insure the
building, but it would be rash to cancel yours before completion.
After exchange if the process is not completed on the completion date, the
party who is responsible for the problem may be liable to legal action.
On the day of completion the buyer has to receive their money, either direct
or via their conveyancer, who may also deduct any fees before passing on the
money, either to the lender to close the account
or to you as owner, or the balance to you after
closing the account with the lender.
Once funds are confirmed as transferred, the keys can be passed to the
purchaser.
The deeds should now be passed on to the buyer.
The main disbursements are the land registry documents which currently cost £8.
Find a Solicitor or Licensed Conveyancer, if appropriate.
Check your timescale.
Next - The Marketing Plan
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Revised: 20 March, 2003.