How To Move Home Online

It's easy to ensure your home move goes smoothly. Just use the internet.

You've found the home of your dreams using our Foolish guide to buying property online. You've got a great deal on your mortgage. Perhaps you've even exchanged contracts. But don't crack open the champagne just yet.

Finding - and buying - the property is only half the battle. You still have to move in. And that's likely to be one of the most stressful experiences of your life.

Luckily, nowadays, you have the internet to help you make that a smooth transition from hassled home-mover to prosperous property owner. Here's how:

Plan ahead

The golden rule of a smooth home move is to plan ahead as, unfortunately, different elements of the buying process need to happen at different times.

Not the kind of person that lives for lists? Not a problem. Look no further than moveme.com. You simply type in your postcode and moving date and it shows you what you need to do and when you need to do it onto a handy calendar. It will even provide you with helpful documents to print out and send off, such as a voter registration form and a parking permit application for your new address.

Other helpful planning sites include Halifax buyingyourfirsthome.co.uk, where you can download a checklist with a countdown to the move, and HSBC's thepropertypanel.co.uk where you can watch 'moving stories' and see how other people planned and managed their home moves - with help from a panel of property advisers.

The Co-operative Bank's moving home site is also extremely useful, not least because it gives you fantastic discounts off furniture, paint and new flooring from major retailers, among other bargains.

Take precautions

Heard the one about the guy whose moving van was nicked with all his possessions inside? It's not a joke. And you won't be laughing if it happens to you. There are many ways you can save money during a home move, but scrimping on insurance should not be one of them.

Use The Motley Fool Insurance Service to find a good deal on home buildings and contents insurance which includes moving house cover.

And remember, it's not just your prized possessions which can be stolen when you move home. Almost a quarter of people in the UK leave themselves open to identity theft when they move house by failing to re-direct their post, according to research by identity protection service CreditExpert.co.uk.

You can also damage your credit record if you fail to pay your bills on time, which can affect your eligibility for a mortgage in the future.

Avoid pain and suffering further down the line and use iammoving.com to inform hundreds of companies at once that you are moving home.

Make the right move

Ever surveyed the chaos of a packing disaster on the day before a home move and thought: "Help! I need boxes!"? If so, look no further. Sites such as helpineedboxes.co.uk and mad4boxes.co.uk offer a wide range of boxes and storage solutions in all sorts of strange shapes and sizes, and you can even opt for guaranteed next day delivery.

Remember: every possession you have to move costs you time and effort. Do you really want all those embroidered cushions your Aunt Edna gave you last Christmas? Are you sure your old sofa will look good in your trendy new flat? Offload your old junk on eBay or, if you're feeling benevolent, offer it for free to local members of freecycle.org, who will collect it from your home (as will charities such as Emmaus Communities, which gathers furniture for the homeless).

Finally, a word of warning: if you plan to use a removal company, make sure it is a member of the British Association of Removers. All members offer adequate insurance and adhere to a strict code of conduct, so if your prized piano ends up like this, you won't be left picking up the pieces on your own.

What are you waiting for?

Now you've done all the hard work, there's just one task left to do, and it's the only one you can't do over the internet (although you can order some here).

You've guessed it: grab yourself a glass and crack open that champagne. Imagine yourself, in your mind's eye, finally being able to sit back on your brand new sofa in your brand new home - and relax.

Until the next move, that is...

Other top tips

• Arrange for your current BT phone number to move over to your new address
• Find out your new electricity supply number
• Inform the DVLA about your change of address (it is an offence not to!).

Donna Werbner is deputy editor of Your Mortgage magazine