Life is filled with surprises. The saying may be cliché, but it is true nonetheless. There are times when circumstances dictate that you make big changes in your life, and one of these is moving to a new home.

It might be for a new job, or from a small apartment you used to live in to a new home where you can start a family, or maybe from a formerly conjugal home that has now become too big for you to stay in alone—whatever the reason, moving is always a major turning point in life, and it always pays (both figuratively and literally) to be as prepared as possible for the big day.

Making it as painless as possible

Moving house isn’t exactly an easy task. You need to figure out proper removals and storage of each of your things so that damage is minimized. Packing in advanced is a must, so that you can properly map out which thing goes where and so that especially delicate pieces of you property have the right storage.

Of course, hiring a good removal company is a must. You can ask around if you have friends or relatives who have moved, or browse reviews and forums online. It’s important to receive first hand feedback from people so you can get a better idea of how a particular removal company conducts its operations. Of course, if you don’t have much, maybe you can just hire a man with a van.

Also, keep in mind that you have neighbors who might be bothered if a large truck, or a man and van suddenly appear in the neighborhood. It would be good manners to inform the people who live near you, as well as the local neighborhood watch if applicable, that you are moving house. You might also want to look into whether or not securing a permit for parking spaces is needed.

Make lists. If you have more than one adult in the family, have them list down all the things they’re going to bring with them to the move. You can also try establishing a sort if inventory system so that you can better keep track of your things. This is also why packing in advanced is a must—that way you have a better idea of everything that’s being moved.

Also look into whatever appliances that might need special attention before they are transported. Refrigerators, for example, need to be defrosted, and simply cannot be unplugged on the day itself, unless you don’t mind getting all your other things wet and spoiling (and / or spilling) whatever it is you have left in the fridge.

Do it right!

Many people suffer from bad moves—they leave stuff behind, some things get lost or broken—because they did not prepare enough. They just picked some random removal company off the yellow pages and just tossed everything in. You’re not going to be doing this often anyway, so you might as well do it the right way.