Moving House in Singapore? Read These Ultimate Tips For a Seamless Relocation

Moving House in Singapore? Read These Ultimate Tips For a Seamless Relocation

Buying and renovating a home is exciting. But before you start planning the housewarming party, there’s the move to contend with. Here are some tried and tested tips to ensure a smooth relocation.

Get your life from one home to another with HomeRenoGuru’s ultimate moving house guide!

Pay a Professional (or Pay Friends with Pizza)

Whether you are moving to your newly renovated home, or to temporary accommodation while the renovation is underway, so much can go wrong when you try and handle the move yourself. Unless you happen to have a buddy who owns a truck or van, it’s seldom worth the back-breaking effort and endless ferrying required to transport the contents of one home to another. If budget permits, pay a professional.

If budget is a constraint, rally as many friends as possible and pay them in pizza and beer or IOU favours.

HDB 5 Room 323B Sumang Walk | Starry Homestead Pte Ltd

Change Your Contact Details

Before you move, be sure to contact banks, insurance companies, gyms and any private companies who require your address details. These days, everything can be done online from the comfort of your study and the convenience of your laptop.

For government authorities, you can do it in one go through the convenient One-Stop Change of Address Reporting Service (OSCARS). The simplest way is to bring some documentation of your new address to a neighbourhood police post, along with your IC. A little foresight will save you the hassle of having to collect mail from your old address in weeks and months to come.

Condominium Signature at Yishun| ID Gallery Pte Ltd

Get Your Packing Supplies Sorted

Boxes, bags, bubble wrap, Ziploc plastic bags, adhesive tape and markers… stockpile all the items you’ll need to make packing and labelling smooth and systematic. When it comes to unpacking, you’ll be so glad you took the trouble to mark those boxes.

A note on labelling. Start with the room it’s destined for, then add a short description of the contents – Living Room/Cushions’, ‘Kitchen/Wine Glasses’, ‘Bathroom/Weighing Scales & Hairdryer’…  You get the picture. Label everything.

Condominium The Hillier| Rezt & Relax Interior

Tackle One Room, One Cupboard at a Time

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; emptying an entire house begins with tackling a single cabinet in a single room. Break it down. Be systematic. Tackle one room at a time, and one cupboard or chest of drawers at a time.

And be ruthless. Why pack useless or outgrown stuff only to throw it out at your next destination? Aside from the ‘keepers’ to carefully pack and label, sort your stuff into two piles – one for charity and one for trash. Use a little foresight and save old stained T-shirts, tracksuit pants and knickers for wipe-and-toss rags for the final clean.

HDB 3 Room| NorthWest Interior Design Pte Ltd

Eat Your Kitchen Bare

Avoid big supermarket shops at least two weeks before you move. Concentrate on eating everything in your pantry and fridge. Half-opened bags of frozen peas and pasta are a hassle to pack and a potential mess in the making. You’ll be surprised what you can survive on, and how good it tastes with a little culinary creativity.

HDB 4 Room McNair Towers| Luova Project Services

Snap Electricals

Have you known the stress of trying to connect your TV or Internet and forgetting what wire or cable goes where? For electrical appliances with multiple cables and sockets, always snap a digital photo so you have reference when you are reconnecting your electricals in your new home. It will save you a world of pain.

Condominium Aspen Heights| Interior Diary Private Limited

Cleaning Supplies

The house is finally empty. Wow, milestone moment. You’ll be surprised how big it looks. (Note to self: avoid accumulating clutter.) Next comes the ‘home stretch’, the cleaning. Now, you can pay someone to do it, or roll up your sleeves and do it yourself.

Equipment is everything when it comes to an efficient clean. Do not skimp and try and salvage that threadbare mop with two pathetic strings. Invest in new cleaning tools and liquids and take what you don’t use to the new house. Now is the time to put those old T-shirts and anything absorbent to good use.

HDB 3 Room| In2Space Interior Pte Ltd

Before the Relocation, the Renovation

Way before you tackle the task of moving, unless your new home is in move-in condition, you’ll need to find and engage an interior design company for your home renovation. Why not HomeRenoGuru shortcut the process for you? The appand website has access to over 500 interior designers, all screened and rated. Request a no-obligation quote right here and you’ll stand a chance to win home renovations totalling $30,000!