Moving Out in a Hurry? How to Move Out Quickly

In an ideal world, moving out would be a breeze. Everything would go according to plan and you'd have a smooth transition between homes. But, as we know, life gets in the way, and sometimes we just have to move out in a hurry.

In an ideal world of home moving serenity, getting your stuff from the old place to the new would be oh so easy. Imagine: boxes neatly ordered, and packed by theme; all your important documents tidily stored in a beautiful folder; a smooth transition into a serene new neighbourhood.

Well, if you’ve ever experienced any of the rush and mayhem that frequently accompanies a home move, we’re guessing you’re well aware that the real world doesn’t always go like that.

Things happen, and life comes at you fast - moving home often gets touted as one of the most stressful events of a person’s entire life. And with the swirling background of a buying chain, moving costs, logistical arrangements, and the prospect of somehow squeezing a whole life’s worth of stuff into boxes to contend with, the time you have to manage your upcoming move can get a little close to the bone. No wonder that 65% of Brits lose sleep over a home move.

Generally speaking, we find that clients need to move house quickly for one of two reasons; either the turnaround time between the old and new place is hair-whiteningly tight, or, with so much going on, they procrastinate, and kind of... forget to start the process.

But don't despair; contacting professional movers, diving into packing supplies and getting your house move underway in double quick time doesn't need to be all that bad - you just have to do it right.

Whether you're moving out of your parents house to a new location or moving house to accomodate a bigger family, have a look over these pro tips to stay organised, save time, and get that house move taken care of, as quick as greased lightning.

Want to be efficient? Plan your steps

Which packing material will you need? When is the last date you'll pay rent? Do you need to pay a security deposit? Is moving day locked in the calendar?

When you're standing at the outset of the home moving journey, it can feel like you're facing a literal mountain of things to get done, and naturally, everything seems urgent - especially when you're trying to get moved in a hurry. Do yourself a massive favour by taking a breath, sitting down with a pen and paper, and asking yourself: 'what needs to happen?'.

This is the best way to kick off any home move, and that's especially true when time is of the essence. Start by jotting down anything and everything you can think of - don't worry about making an organised list for now; the important thing is to get stuff down.

Once you've mined the corners of your brain for every conceivable task - not forgetting to ask friends and family to glance it over - it's time to organise those items into categories. Then you can map them out in a logical timeline of what needs to get done, when.

Given that the clock is ticking and you may not have the time - or headspace - to plan everything effectively, have a browse of our uber-handy Moving house checklist, where we lay out all the steps in a chronological order. It's also worth your time taking a look at our blog post, Who to tell when moving house, and factoring that into your home move plan-of-action.

Get those packing supplies in order

There's nothing more time-costly or downright annoying than constantly having to search the cupboards for plastic wrap, or pop out to the supermarkets again on a desperate search for cardboard boxes. That's a situation you'll want to avoid.

So when it comes to packing materials, don't wing it: get on the case as soon as you can, work out what you need, and get it all at once. And don't be shy - if you're ‘umming’ and ‘ahhing’ between buying 3 or 4 rolls of parcel tape, or contemplating whether you really need those extra cleaning supplies, the chances are they'll prove themselves handy at some point in the coming weeks.

As a starter, you'll probably want a good stash of bin bags, packing paper, bubble wrap, and moving boxes.

The next time-saving step is to collect all the packing materials in one area of the house, preferably a centrally-situated room, and have this as your dedicated spot for packing.

Go ahead and give it a punchy name - 'The Packing Outpost' or 'Tape n' Cardboard City' - just so long as all the packing material is located together and in easy access. This'll save you a bunch of time, money and effort down the road.

Moving company or not? Straighten out the logistics

The next thing to figure out is whether you're planning to use a moving company or not, in which case you'll probably want to look at sourcing a moving truck. (Of course, you could ferry all your things backwards and forwards in your own car, but unless you're a follower of Marie Kondo-level minimalism, we wouldn't recommend it).

And if you really want to get your logistics handled in good order - why, you're in just the place. Enter the home move masters.

At JMI, we're dedicated to making home moving manageable, and we’re always available to recommend experienced local movers of people's prized possessions - a safe pair of hands for all your things, from breakable items to large furniture - saving you a boatload of money, stress and, most importantly, time.

Get on top of your admin

Amidst all the excitement and upheaval, it can be tempting to rip right into the boxes and start packing books and clothes like your life depends on it.

That's all well and good, and definitely something that you'll need to do at some point. But it's important to allocate your energy. There's more to moving house than filling cardboard boxes. We're talking, of course, about the not-so-fun stuff: the admin. Everyone's favourite mood hoover.

There's no getting around it - dotting the 'i's and crossing the 't's on a stack of paperwork isn't the most fun thing in the world. But it can be some of the most important, so it pays to get on it early.

Think about stuff like the new work commute, or schools and uniforms if you have kids; updating the details of your bank account and checking in with your credit report; cancelling utilities, starting new ones and phone contracts; updating your registered GP, and putting your new address in with the local council.

Admittedly this stuff can be a little dry, but getting things taken care of ahead of time will help smooth, and hopefully speed, the whole process along. And that’s where we come in - at JMI, we handle all the tedious admin and source the best deals, giving you the time and headspace to focus on what really matters.

Out with the old

It makes sense that the fewer things you attempt to transport to your new home, the easier, quicker and less stressful the process will be.

And, let's face it, do you really need that old Billy Bass singing fish that hasn't had a battery since your uncle gave it to you for Christmas in '09?

Sooner or later it's a good idea to saddle up, make with the bin bags and sort out which of your things are making the move with you, and which are clutter that you could do without.

That doesn't mean your old stuff needs to get chucked out, of course. There are far greener, potentially profitable ways to shift some of your old clobber. Get it all in its own box and have a sort through: you might find there's some stuff in there you can sell, or that a friend might like. You could even go ahead and organise a car boot sale.

Whether you're moving locally or further afield, rehoming your old stuff will save a ton of time when it comes to moving boxes, and it'll save you the hassle of getting shot of it in a few months time. Just make sure you can get your dad's old hockey stick to the charity shop without your parents knowing.

Pack smart, save time

When the time to pack finally arrives, a good place to start is by making a moving day essentials bag. Look at this as your complete resource for all those things you can't afford to lose, or go without.

Fill it with important documents like passports and contracts, and decide which smaller items need to go in, such as keys and medication. As moving day approaches, consider keeping it in your car, so it can't get mixed in with everything else as you're leaving home.

In terms of packing boxes, it can be tempting to shoot for perfectionism; let's face it, there's nothing more satisfying than a beautifully packed truck, with pristine cardboard box brickwork, each one containing items grouped by room and theme, and with next to no space wasted.

Well, when you're in a hurry and you need to get all your things from A to B lickety-split, forget about perfect packing. It's time to get your Tetris on.

Aim to pack today, sort tomorrow. The important thing is to get stuff in boxes, and boxes into trucks, and trucks to your new place. Once you're unpacking, you can make sure all the tea mugs and houseplants get back together, but the priority has to be getting them into the new house first.

Another good idea is to only set up cardboard boxes as you're ready to pack them - you definitely don't want to be slaloming your way around a living room assault course with armfuls of lamps and pictures.

You can also save time by packing clothes just as they are. Remove drawers, wrap 'em up tight and move them as is; or, for hanging clothes in a wardrobe, slide everything into bin bags, hangers and all, and tape the bag up, with a string around to keep it snug.

Don't go it alone

Moving home can be a stressful experience at the best of times, and when you're trying to get things done in super speedy order, the whole performance can be made all the more difficult.

It should go without saying that you can reach out for help when you need it, though a lot of home movers can feel too embarrassed or overwhelmed to do so. See if there's a friend who can take a day off to help with your packing, or maybe your parents house is the perfect spot to keep a few of your bulkier bits as you manage the transition.

Or, to really get this home move firing, get in touch with the movers who know what it means to shake a leg.

At Just Move In, we don’t muck around; we're the Home Setup Service that cares about you and your stuff, and we'll help you take care of everything so that your move unfolds like it's rolling on rails.