Central Moving

A number of people contemplating moving home where asked to name their ideal place to live. A unanimous vote in favour of country life came out on top.

Many people decided to let their minds wander when asked this question and the top location was a village similar to Emmerdale, with the perfect neighbour being Alan Titchmarsh.

Surprisingly, fewer people move house because of noisy neighbours and a recent survey showed that only 13% of people actually change address because of ‘them next door’.

The most popular reason for moving home was the need for more space. In second place, 38% of people were looking for larger homes, in a rural setting with local amenities on hand. Third was the need to move house to a safer environment. Over 22% of people said that it was important that they moved to somewhere with a very low crime rate.

The survey also showed that neighbourly spirit is still alive and well in the UK. We often meet the neighbours whilst transporting our treasured possessions from the removal van to our new home. Nearly 75% of people said that they trusted their neighbours enough to hand them the keys of their house whilst they were on holiday so as they could look after their house and feed any pets.

Meeting the neighbours and building a good relationship is an all important part of a successful home move. Although our neighbours may not be Alan Titchmarsh, it is likely that the subject of gardening may pop up in conversation!

This may sound like no ordinary feat, but for Vonda and Dale Andrews this isn’t just an ordinary home move, they will be needing some pretty special removal services, as are literally moving their entire house.

The Andrews feel very strongly about preserving history and their 140 year old home has become a major part of each and every family member over the years. As a result, they didn’t want to move house and leave the house behind, they wanted to take it with them.

Moving home will not just be a simple case of packing up belongings for the Andrews family as the entire house will have to be cut in half so as it can make the journey to the new eight acre location. After this has been completed, a remodelling company will piece the house back together again and the Andrews will have completed their home move, with nerves and house in tact. The will probably have to leave their household items with a storage company whilst their house is pieced back together.

The Andrews know that the house will belong to someone else one day but they couldn’t stand the thought of their quaint old property being demolished by the bulldozer. They say that the house is oozing with character and still has a long life ahead of it.

Their little country house was starting to become surrounded by shops and office buildings as the town started to grow. The Andrews felt that their house would feel more at home in an original country setting, laden with green pastures and running streams.

Moving home can be laden with indecision and doubt, so it is important to find out if the energy in your new house is attracting the right vibrations, and if the removal company packed up the negative energy of the last residents.

If you are moving home and are worried about picking up negative energy from your new house, Feng Shui will analyse the energy that has been left behind and neutralise any blocks from the previous residents.

Harmful energy will be eradicated by furniture removal, replacing, fixtures and fittings. This will allow a more positive breeze of circulation to flow throughout your home and enhance the quality of your life.

Feng Shui is a Chinese astrology which has over 13 million different variants so it is essential to find the most beneficial form of qi (natural energy) to create harmony within your home. A house that has rising qi will provide a good environment for family life whilst a house with diminishing qi will result in ill health and well being.

Xuan Kong Fei Zing is translated as time and space and is connected to the study of changing energy in matter (buildings) over time by analysing the rising and peaking energy.

If you are moving home or are concerned that your new home may be harbouring negative energy, there are Feng Shui consultants who will advise you on any subtle changes you can make, to turn your house into a home.

Thousands of people decide on moving house on August bank holiday weekend and for many removal companies, August 24th is the busiest day of the year.

In 2007, a growing number of people decided to leave the UK and opt for a home move to Australia. Perth was the most favoured location and more and more people are migrating ‘down under’ than to cities in the UK.

Where was the most popular location for moving home in the UK?
More people entered Nottingham or opted for a home move from one Nottingham location to another. The second most popular place to move house was Glasgow, with Bristol and Newcastle following.

When it comes to moving house, the south mastered the art, with more and more people moving into the region to escape the bustle of city life.

Moving home figures in the South East
This was one of the most active regions for moving home in 2007. 61% of home movers decided that they would buy or rent a home within the same region.

Moving home figures in the South West
The South West outweighed any other UK region with 50% of people across the UK choosing to move to a more coastal location.

Moving home figures in the North West
This region experienced 22.5% more people moving to this location in 2007 than in 2005.

Moving home figures for the London area
Only 7.5% of people decided to move house in London, with the majority of people moving out of the capital rather than moving in.

Moving home figures for Scotland
This was the only region that retained most of its residents with 65% of people deciding to stay in their homes. The remainder opted for a home move within Scotland, rather than out of the region.

Why do people move house on August Bank Holiday?
People take advantage of the extra day off work and the fact that the children are home from school. The fine weather also makes it an ideal time to move house as families can settle in before the autumn term begins and the colder days approach.

Moving home can be very stressful at any time of the year but if you are moving home at Christmas, it could be more stressful than sorting out that Chrissy present for awkward Aunt Bessy.

Isn’t Christmas stressful enough without a moving home?

Some people consider Christmas an ideal time for because of the long school break. Others prefer to move in December because they can look forward to a New Year in their new home.

With some precision, planning a home move at Christmas could run like clockwork. Firstly, ensure that the removal company you have chosen is registered with the British Association of Removers. This way you can be certain that you will make that change of address in 2007 and not 2008!

Next, plan Christmas ahead of schedule so as you can concentrate on moving house without the worry of Xmas preparations muddling your mind.

If you have children who are a bit creative, why not spend an afternoon making some advent calendars? You could make an Xmas countdown for the kids and a countdown for yourself so as you can plan both your festivities and your home move on a daily basis without developing a single frown line.

Once you have moved home, the Christmas season is a great way to get to know your new neighbours. Send them a Christmas card and take around a festive bottle of wine.
Christmas is the perfect time to ring in the changes and a home move could be the perfect way to see in the New Year.

This is the question teetering on the lips of all boomers who are torn between moving home to acquire more space for the grandchildren or moving home for retirement.

For many, moving to larger premises would accommodate the extended family but would also overstretch the budget. For others, downsizing would ease the financial burden and make life just that bit easier.

Family ties are very important for those born between 1946 and 1964, so many move house to be closer to family. However, this generation do not all follow suit and some decide to put their own needs first. They see retirement as a chance to move to a foreign country, downsize or stay put and redecorate. The action of moving house from somewhere you have brought up a family in can be very emotional, packing up all your belongings and having them handled by strangers from a removal company.

When the older generation consider a home move, they should be certain that their main objective is worth the inconvenience of redecorating or remodelling to increase the value of their present home. This requires a lot of time, patience and money.

They should also question whether they are psychologically ready to move home. For many, the house they leave behind will be the home where they raised their children. Are they now ready to cut the umbilical cord and start afresh somewhere new? If the answer is yes, they may want to ensure that their new home is close to family. If they are downsizing, they also will have to get rid of a lot of treasured possessions, or put them in storage. Alternatively, if they plan to move further afield they may like to consider a house share with other like-minded couples. This way, they can enrich their lives and surround themselves by people of the same age-group, with similar interests.

The older generation have a much younger outlook than their former generation. For many, moving home could be the breath of fresh air that they were looking for which could bring all of their dreams and aspirations into fruition.

When you move house, it is important to still receive your old mail at your new address. By redirecting mail, you can be certain that you will never lose touch with your creditors, family or friends.

It is simple and easy to set up and saves a lot of worry, as redirecting mail is a safe and efficient way for correspondence to follow you from any UK or overseas address. The service can be set up for one, three, six or twelve months after you’ve finished moving house.

If you are interested in redirecting mail to your new address, there are plenty of websites that offer this service. You simply need to apply online, provide proof of your identification and the process is completed.

Forms of identification required for redirecting mail:

Two utility bills from two separate companies are accepted but not bills for mobile phones.
A bank or building society statement must also be enclosed.

All documentation must be original and no less than six months old.

The Post Office can also assist you with redirecting mail. You simply need to fill in a redirection form and provide two forms of ID. Further details can be obtained from their website.

If you have been redirecting mail for a while and wish to continue, you can simply update your details online.

Redirecting mail is very cost effective and is calculated by surname rather than by person, so the whole family can benefit from this service. Business mail is redirected by trading name, which is also an ideal way to keep track of all your company correspondence.

If you need to urgently transfer your post, there are companies who provide a rapid way for redirecting mail at very short notice. Don’t forget to change you address when you’re organising all the other things on your removals checklist!

The Brits are no longer content to stay in one place too long and are constantly planning on moving home.

On average 65 year olds have moved home at least 5 times within their lifetime. They are estimated to have lived in each property for approximately nine years. In comparison, people in the 41-45 age group have already moved home at least seven times and have stayed in each property for around four years.

Despite the high costs of removal services, the 18- 25 year olds are the most restless and many have already moved home at least three times. On average, they spend around two years in each property.

So why do young people keep moving home?
Social change seems to be the primary factor. Many of today’s 65 year olds never considered a home move until they decided to get married. Nowadays, young people have to move house if they want to go to specific universities. A small percentage of young people move from their parents home to live with friends. This is something that the over 65’s would never have dreamed of doing.

Today’s younger generation also postpone getting married until much later in life. As a result, they change address quite often for career reasons, to house-share or as a result of serial relationships. Those in the 35-55 age range also move house more often due to divorce, downsizing or the need to release equity for retirement.

The under 30 age group predict moving home at least another six more times in their lifetime. Whilst people aged between 41-45 envisage changing address at least 4 more times.

This shows just how different life is for the younger generation in comparison to their older counterparts who chose to stay at home until they were married. Many pensioners have stayed in the matrimonial house until poor health prompted a change of address.

Moving home can be a strenuous task at the best of times but when you want to move house from Scotland to Hampshire with two small children and a demanding job, the process can be a nightmare.

It is impossible to keep commuting to view properties when such a large distance is involved and if you are looking for a certain type of property, chances are your home move could be a long, drawn out process.

One option is to use a removal service like a home search agency that will find out your exact requirements and search for your property for you. When they find properties which may be of interest, they video each room and send copies for you to view.

Joss and Paddy hired a home search agency when they had decided to move house. They viewed over 40 videos and narrowed it down to twelve which were worth making the long journey for. They found their ideal home from the videos that the agency had supplied.

If you need to move to an entirely new location, a home search agency could be the ideal way to bring properties to you. However, they can be quite expensive as a straightforward search could cost around £4,500 for six months.

Although it is hard to imagine someone else finding a property that you like, the search is aimed at your requirements and many people have been able to move house much more quickly when using a home search agency.

Recent studies have shown that more and more adult children are moving home in a literal sense because they are throwing their homely possessions into storage and moving back home to live with their parents. The new term for these people is ‘Boomerangs’.

This usually happens when there is a rise in housing costs or there is a housing shortage. Many adult children decided to move back home in the mid 1980’s and during 1982, 1992, 1999, the year 2000 and the past three years.

How many people are moving home?
Almost 27% of young Brits will move back home with their parents at least once in their lifetime but 17% of people said that they missed home so much, they would not want to move house again for a very long time. One in ten young people move back with their parents at least four times before moving home permanently.

How do parents feel about their children moving home?
Just over half of people interviewed said that they would be happy for their children to return home, especially if they were experiencing financial difficulties. The older generation said that they would charge their children rent for living with them. Other research shows that parents also end up paying for a big chunk of their children’s removal quote too.

Is moving home a good thing?
Although some people see children returning home as a sign of failure, others see it as a complement and a sign of family strength and unity. They complement themselves on the fact that they formed such a close emotional bond with their children that their loved ones were happy to return.

If Boomerangs bring their children with them, this could be seen as a wonderful way for the extended family to live together and reflects the conventional lifestyle of post-industrial Britain.