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Ten Moving House Myths, Legends and superstitions

Blog, moving house / By / / House Moving Superstitions from Around the World
Preparing Your House for Sale in London For anyone who is planning on putting their house or flat for sale in London in 2022, there are a few things that you might have to consider. London has a lot of new housing developments in the pipeline, which means fewer potential buyers for your property. Couple that with the gradual decline in property values in the capital, and you could face some tough decisions. When selling our home, the primary aim is to achieve the asking price without waiting for months on end to sell. There is one method that many people use to improve their chances of a timely sale. Home staging is a service that can improve the aesthetic appeal of a property that's in preparation for viewings. There are professional home staging consultants, but it's also possible to undertake the project yourself should you prefer to take control of the sale of your home. And to help you work out which option is more suitable, here are some tips on how to approach the presentation of your house or flat in London. How to Prepare Your House for Sale – Home staging is essentially about showcasing your home in its best light. And to do that, there needs to be an objective evaluation of your property by someone with an eye for detail. That's why many people use professional home stagers for this task. And because Aussie has a long history of working with companies and individuals in all sectors, we will happily arrange a referral for you. This option has costs to consider, but it has helped many of our customers sell their homes. However, it's possible to take the work on yourself as a DIY home refurbishment or renovation project. It's worth drafting some pros and cons of hiring a home staging expert against undertaking the project yourself. And make sure you cost everything out entirely before you make a decision. If you go with the option of doing the home staging yourself, the first thing that you need to do is to clean your house or apartment thoroughly. There are two ways of doing this. You can do the dirty work yourself, or you can let London's best professional cleaning company, Aussie Clean do it. A spotless home isn't just for appearance purposes; that comes later in the process. You'll notice any maintenance issues that require your attention. Professional Cleaning and Handyman Services – Every carpet must undergo a steam clean, which can be done with Aussie Clean, or you'll need to hire a specialist machine. All deep stains and grime should be removed by moving all appliances and cleaning in, under and behind. Similarly, each room needs a new coat of paint. For every wall and woodwork, including the skirting boards and window frames. You should hire a plasterer to fix any issues with the walls. Even the slightest dent or crack might put off a potential buyer. You'll need to be mindful of reducing any issues with buyers' confidence. If someone views your house and see things like upper-wall or ceiling cracks, they might say nothing, but their interest ends there. To reduce this happening, ensure that any visible flaws and minor repairs are taken care of. This doesn't mean disguising any significant issues – you'll need to get contractors in for those. Are you struggling for time or lacking confidence in your ability to perform any of this? Luckily, there's a solution at hand – hire Aussie to do it for you. In addition to our core services, we have specialist packages and add-ons available. Two of these are our Professional Cleaning and Handyman services. This means you can get on with the sale preparations while we do the nitty-gritty stuff. Using Man & Van and Home Removals in London – Home staging is similar to interior design or renovation work, and depending on the state of your property, the latter could be a requirement. Our first suggestion will be clearing and creating as much space as possible in your home. Renting a self storage unit will keep your possessions safe and secure, as well as give you more room to spruce up your house or apartment. There is no lease to worry about – you only need to keep your storage unit for the duration of your project. Many of our customers retain their units long after their home staging or renovation work ends because of storage's convenience. And once you sell your current home, you may need storage to tide you over between moving dates. Aussie has a range of removals services that suit every type of home staging or renovation project. Many professional home developers and interior designers use our man with a van and Self Storage services for every job they sign up for. A lot of freelancers use our self storage units for their office and workspace. And our Man & Van service provides them with a vehicle. Aussie's Man & Van package is the best of its kind in London and aims to attain the highest standard of service delivery. You have two Aussie team members at your disposal for all the heavy-lifting work with this service. Additionally, you'll have the use of a vehicle for any collections of materials. Prepare Thoroughly and Start Straight Away – As the saying goes – there's no time like the present. And by that, we mean you should start one of your many duties today. Yes, you're reading this correctly. If you adopt the mindset never to miss an opportunity to make progress, you'll make a flying start, and time will be on your side. It's the best gift you'll give yourself when putting your home on the market. Time is a precious commodity when selling up and moving to a new home, and it seems to disappear at an alarming rate as you edge closer to your moving day. Even more so if you're rushing around because of leaving too many tasks until the final month. Or worse still – you have waited until the last week to begin things like booking a moving company. Give yourself a fighting chance by getting things done whenever you can. While significant issues are rare and, most relocations go smoothly enough, there's always the potential for a major problem to arise. By giving yourself plenty of time, you can easily remedy it. But if you don't, it might cause a delay that results in you left in relocation limbo. Stay On Track with a Moving Checklist – There's one guarantee you'll find with most if not all relocations – you'll be busy. It's never wholly apparent what that entails until you're right in the midst of it all, occasionally overwhelmed and frazzled. And it's not a case of planning the move itself – there's family time and work to consider. And it rare anyone has the luxury of putting things to one side to organise a relocation. So how would someone keep everything on track, especially if they're new to moving? The answer is to create or use a pre-existing moving checklist. You can adapt and change the information in this one here to suit your specific requirements. The idea is to list every task in relation to your move, leaving no detail out. Then you simply cross each point off as you complete it. You should use this in conjunction with a blank calendar or a phone application. This will provide you with a timeline to show you exactly how long you have until the big move. Our top tip is to break the larger tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks. You'll find it much easier to deal with the more cumbersome chores by doing this while keeping the momentum going. A Range of Storage Options when Relocating – Storage can play a handy role for anyone planning the next stage of their house sale. In most cases, a seller is also a buyer who prepares to purchase another property. This tends to happen simultaneously, adding to the general chaos that goes with selling a home. One way to balance this out is having somewhere to store things while you renovate or pack. Aussie has three storage options that are essential for anyone selling and relocating. Self storage is ideal for people who need space to undertake repairs and cleaning. You'll have unlimited access during our business hours. This means you can move building materials and tools back and forth without any restrictions. People tend to use container storage when they need a long-term storage option. That's because this package has access restrictions that make it difficult to move your possessions in and out. You might use this if you're moving overseas and need to keep some belongings in the UK. AusBox is our innovative storage option that combines elements of both previous packages. It's an affordable storage choice if you have fewer items to store. You can access your AusBox unit four times a month without additional charges. Aussie – Removals Services That Help Sell Homes in London – Aussie works with tens of thousands of people who sell and relocate in London every year. It's essential to make your home look its best when people attend viewings. Even the slightest defect can make a difference in how they respond to your home. That's why home staging can make it much easier to sell your house or flat. Although people think that home staging is an unnecessary expense, our team has seen the benefits first-hand. That's why we can help arrange these services while also organising your relocation. Similarly, we will be on hand at all stages of your relocation once your current property sells. Approaching the sale of your home proactively could be the difference between spending a couple of months in London's housing market or over a year. With some well thought out investment and hard work, you'll sell your home in no time and be ready to close the deal on your new home. If you would like to discuss our range of services or ask for a home staging referral, don't hesitate to get in touch with us today. Click here to discuss how man & van and storage services can help sell your home in London.

Whether you are superstitious or not, moving house is a big moment and something you may want to gather all the good luck in the world for.  Different cultures have different ways of cleaning, fortifying and approaching the home when it comes to moving day. The one myth we don’t believe in at Aussie is that moving house is always stressful.  With our strategic and positive approach, moving house can be a great experience, provided you have the right team. Here are ten moving house adherences from our cultural melting pot in London.

Contents

  1. Ditch the old broom
  2. Salt
  3. Sage
  4. Blue Porch
  5. Red Front Door
  6. Exit through the door that you enter
  7. Horseshoes
  8. Coins
  9. Use the stove when you enter the house
  10. Housewarming gathering
  11. Aussie – No Hassle Removals in London

 

1. Ditch the old broom

That’s right. Your old broom is not coming with you and you will need a new broom for the new home.  Legend has it that the old broom has all the negative associations with the previous home, and it would be unauspicious to bring it into the new home. Proudly purchase a new broom for your new home.  The ethics of donating the old broom into the karmic wheel of recycling, are as yet, unmapped.

2. Salt

Salt is a regular feature when it comes to safeguarding against evil spirits and bad luck. Those natural crystals with their purifying energy are the answer for sanctifying a space. Sprinkle salt around the doorway before you enter the house, and/or throughout the house. The salt absorbs the negative energy and is easily vacuumed up, expelling any energetic detritus that was left in the property from the last residents.

3. Sage

Another cleansing tool, sage has become popular in recent years. It is a Native American tradition to burn sage to clear negative energy and prepare for ritual. Studies show that sage does remove bacteria from the air. Burning sage around the threshold of the new home and in every room before living in the property can be a good way of cleansing the space for new life.

4. Blue front porch

Painting the front porch blue is a tradition in the Southern States of America. Based on the idea that evil spirits can’t cross water, the blue porch is a protection from spirits entering the home. Haint blue is a shade of blue that owes its origin to this tradition. Haint relates to “haunt” –to prevent spirits from haunting your home, “haint” blue was painted on the porch, doors and shutters of the windows.  This tradition came from the Gullah people, who were a community of enslaved people who lived on the coast of Georgia and South Carolina.  The green-blue tint of Haint blue became a popular aesthetic in this part of the world. To this day people continue to paint their porches blue in this fashion.

5. Red Front Door

While we are on the subject of porches and colours, a red front door is meant to bring you prosperity in Chinese Feng Shui. Red is the most auspicious colour in feng shui as it represents fire and the transformation of negative energy.  Your front door is considered to be the main portal through which energy enters and leaves your home and so it its colour and appearance are significant. If you want to take it even further you can select a colour based on what direction your door is facing.

6. Enter through the front door

As the front door is the main energetic entrance, it is important to enter through it when moving house.  Superstitions prevail around entering through the back door and letting backdoor spirits into the home. There is also an old Irish tradition that you have to exit out of the door you initially enter to safeguard the flow of fortunate energy into the house.  Once you have entered and exited from the same door, you can use whatever doors cross your path on your onward journey.  It’s the same for visitors, they should use the door they entered through to leave, otherwise, the good luck of your new home could leave with them instead.

7. Horseshoes

We are still on the front door theme here –  it has been considered lucky from time immemorial to have lucky symbolism and protection at the front door.  In Ireland it has long been the case that the devil will not enter a house with a horseshoe hanging above the door. St Dunstan nailed a horseshoe to the devil’s foot and held him to task and agreement through this action, and so the horseshoe reminds the devil that he cannot enter the home. Whether you know about St Dunstan, many people know that a horseshoe is considered to be lucky and a symbol of protection.

8. Coins

Coins and money are often brought into a home first before all the household items. This is to ensure that the life in the home is prosperous.  It can be through scattering coins in the rooms, or by having envelopes of money in the home. At this point, statues of Buddha or other auspicious icons may also be brought into the home to begin the process.  Coins are also used to sanctify the front doorstep and entranceway. Some people like to fold them into the construction work of their home, for example when cementing a new front doorstep.

9. Using the stove in the new home

When moving into a new home it is important in Chinese Feng Shui that no one is quarrelling or in a bad mood. Everyone who enters the house should be holding something auspicious as they enter. Then all the lights and heat should be turned on.  The stove is used to bring the fire element into the house, and often a sweet dessert is baked in the oven to fill the house with beautiful and homely aromas. While most people’s go-to might just be a takeaway on the moving-in day,  take heed of this tradition and factor in the first homecooked meal in the new home with a tiramisu to finish.

10. Housewarming Gathering

Once you are somewhat settled, it is time to get house warmed up with your friends and neighbours.  Inviting your new neighbours to your home is a great way to get to know the new neighbourhood, plus some old friends so that you feel at home in the new location. Bringing your friends and neighbours to celebrate together with food, drinks and music is a worldwide tradition which makes your home your home and puts your new location on the map for your friends.

Aussie – Hassle-free removal and storage in London

At Aussie, our fine-tuned removal and storage service makes light work of moving house. We also have a team of property service professionals to assist with the new property or the one you are leaving. End-of-tenancy cleaners, handyman, painters and decorators are all available as part of our professional services.  If you can think of it, you can guarantee we have thought it through already. Get in touch with our team today to discuss moving home and all our affiliated services, be that storage, Man and Van and our property team. Best of luck with the move!

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