Moving house can be stressful enough!!!

So this weekend a very good friend of mine moved into her new home. My husband and I, along with others helped them with the move.

Now, for me, there are 3 types of house purchase you can make!

1. Moving to a brand new house.
2. Moving to a wreck of a house, but it’s ok as you only bought it for the footprint.
3. The pre-loved house, that will soon be your dream home with a few of your own cosmetic changes to fit in with your taste!

So lets take each one of these in turn.

Moving to a brand new house. This is probably one of the easiest moves you can make, providing the builder has done everything you have asked them to! I’m not saying this is a stress free move, especially if you have a house to sell, but moving in day should be easy.

With a brand new house, the builders would have had cleaners in the day before, so when you walk in for the first time, it is sparkling. All you need to do is bring your boxes and furniture in, and work out where to put it all!

My hubby and I moved to a new house nearly 3 years ago, and I have to say, it was lovely not having to worry about replacing anything or decorating straight away. Although, we did want to put our own stamp on it, so hubby was painting the kitchen within a week! The beauty is though, is that you can take your time doing everything, because it looks so nice and clean!

Moving to a wreck of a house.  We all must know of some little house somewhere that you have walked past, that doesn’t seem to have been lived in for many years, then one day there is a ‘For Sale’ board outside.

This type of move is probably the one that you need to be a bit more organised with. You may love the house or location, but once you open the door, you know it needs completely gutting. You need to get plumbers, electricians, builders, you name it, you will need it before you can really live in it! It really doesn’t matter what it looks like inside, as its going to be ripped out very soon.

You may even only bought it for the land, so it really doesn’t matter if the window and doors are falling off, or there is a family of rats living inside. It is the start of a big project to give you your dream home!

Buying a pre-loved home. Now this is probably the most common move most people would make. My friends house was pre-loved. Now, when I say pre-loved I use that loosely! To me, when a house is loved it is well cared for. I’m not saying that everything has to look all shiny and new, but there are some basics I would expect! I has to be clean when you first walk in!

We are all very busy people, and when you are moving house, your time is even more precious. You have to pack everything up ready for moving day! Moving day comes and you are probably looking forward to your next adventure. Even if your move isn’t your choice, this is still your home that you are passing over to someone else!

I was so shocked when I walked into my friends house. I know not everyone is a ‘Monica’ when it comes to cleaning but I’m not sure whether this house had ever been cleaned properly before!

There was thick dust on curtain poles. Cobwebs on cobwebs! Dirt and grease in the kitchen! I could go on!

Thankfully 3 of use were able to give the place a really good deep clean. It looked so much better after, but I felt sorry for my friend. When you get the keys to your new home, you know you are going to change it. You are going to make it your own. What you don’t want though is to walk in and have to scrub the place before you can even bring your own things in!

It really takes the shine off moving day! Whenever I have moved, I have scrubbed my house within an inch of its life. I didn’t want anyone to walk in and judge me or the house. The house had been a big part of my life. I wanted it to be a big part of someone else life now!

It isn’t too much to ask is it?

Surely, even a quick clean wouldn’t hurt would it? Maybe my expectations are just too high? I don’t know – what do you think? Would you prefer to walk into your new home, all clean, or do you want to have to put on the rubber gloves and scrub it before you can start to think about unpacking?

After a disappointing start, I know my friend will be very happy in her new home, the pleasure of it was just delayed.

I used to be a terrible ‘Monica’. With 2 dogs, I have had to chill out a bit more, but I would like to think that if I ever moved again, my inner ‘Monica’ would come out again!