How Long Does It Take to Move to a New Home?

Published on , in House Removals, Furniture Removals.


Wondering how long does it take to move?

There are a number of factors and considerations that go into any moving timeline. But whether you're on a solo mission or have an entire family to uproot and transplant someplace else, there's a lot that goes into the moving process.

In general, moving homes can be broken down into a few easy steps. Keep these in mind and plan ahead, and your move will go quickly and (hopefully) without any hiccups.

Here's a breakdown of the moving timeline and how long it'll be before you're in your new home.

Selling Your Home

The first step in moving homes is often the most overlooked. Many people want to know how long it's going to take to move houses and haven't even begun the process of selling their home.

According to Realtor.com, it takes about 65 days to sell a home, start to finish. That's two months—and if you aren't accounting for and being proactive about this process, it's going to be much longer.

So first and foremost, you should kick this process into motion. If you're serious about moving homes, get a realtor, get your house listed, start the removal process and prepare your home to be sold so that once you find your ideal house, you are ready to make the move.

Pre-Move

Now that your home is on the market, the packing process can begin. It obviously will depend on how much material you have to move. A single homeowner likely is going to have much less to move than a family of four.

Here's a timeline of things that need to be packed and ready to go prior to your move:

Six to eight weeks before your scheduled move, get rid of items that aren't coming with you or that you want to trash. You can also have a garage sale or donate these items instead of hiring a trash company to come take your stuff.

Four to six weeks before your scheduled move, pack all non-essentials. Things from your garage, attic, and other items that you don't use on a daily basis.

One to two weeks before your move, start packing up essentials. The time frame depends on how much you use each item. For example, don't pack everyday things like toiletries until a few days before your move.

Also, take time to scout out your fragile items. These will need extra time and attention to ensure they make the move without breaking!

Moving Day

You're packed, your home is sold, and you are headed to your new place. Woohoo!

If you want to move without breaking the bank, you really need to make sure the moving day goes smoothly.

A smooth moving day all comes down to preparation. Anticipating how much space you'll need if you'll need a moving company to help and the number of packing materials you'll need are all crucial tasks you must do beforehand.

Professional movers can usually move:

  • A truck worth of stuff in 1 to 2 hours
  • A large truck in 4 to 6 hours
  • Two trucks full in a day

If items aren't properly packed and ready to go, you might wind up doubling your expenses simply by having the moving company come back for a second day. So again, preparation is key to a successful (and less expensive) moving day.

Lastly, one big factor you can't really anticipate is the weather. Do your best to schedule your move on a mild or warm day that's rain-free. (It might help to wait until 7 to 10 days before you need the truck to book it, but that could up the price—so you may just have to hope for the best.)

Unpacking

The question asked was, "How long does it take to move?". But most people want to know how long it'll take before they're back to their normal lives inside a new home.

Thus, you should take into account the unpacking and move-in process, too.

One study found that it takes the average family 182 days to completely unpack their house. That's upwards of six months, which may seem high—but if you don't get it all done at once and go back to life as "normal," completing your move might fall to the wayside.

Our suggestion is to dedicate two full days to getting 80 to 90 percent of the unpacking and storing done right away. If you're moving on a weekend, try to schedule your truck for Saturday (Friday if you can get off work), and then use Sunday and the following weekend to unpack it all.

Approaching the unpacking and move-in this way will cut your time down by, well, 170-plus days.

How Long Does It Take To Move?

If you're wondering how long does it take to move, you have to really factor in all three phases of the moving process.

If you're underprepared, selling your home and unpacking in your new place could take upwards of a year in and of itself. That doesn't count scheduling a move-in day and getting your stuff to and from the houses, either.

But if you're prepared, it can be broken down like this:

  • Selling home- 30 to 60 days
  • Pre-move- 2 to 6 weeks
  • Moving day- 1 to 2 days
  • Unpacking- 1 to 8 days

That works itself out to anywhere between two and four months, start to finish, to get from one home to the next.

It also factors in getting unpacked and not having two hundred boxes in the attic or basement waiting for you to get to work.

For more about how we can help your move, learn about our moving services in York and Yorkshire. Good luck with your move!

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