Moving house is more than just packing boxes — it’s the start of a whole new chapter. Whether buying your first place or building your forever home, it’s a chance to create something truly yours. And right now, South East Queensland’s booming property market makes it the best place in Australia to buy. Find out why areas like the Sunshine Coast and Ipswich are among the best places to build in SEQ.
Building a new home is the perfect way to begin the next chapter of your life. It offers the opportunity to select a design that suits your taste and needs, whilst also delivering cost benefits.
Whether you’re buying or building, moving into a new home is an exciting milestone — but it can come with its fair share of ‘where do I even begin?’ moments. From overflowing drawers to forgotten corners filled with odds and ends, the lead-up to moving is the perfect time to sort, simplify and reset. The good news? You don’t have to do it alone. At Hallmark Homes, we’ve helped over 1000 South East Queensland families make a smooth move into their dream homes. Read on for our top tips to stay calm, clear the clutter, and step confidently into your next chapter.
It’s incredible how much we add and collect in our homes without noticing. So, without question, the most daunting task in the lead-up to a house move is packing and evaluating all your possessions.
There is no better time to declutter your house than when moving. You are already sorting through every inch of the home, so it’s a great way to make the transition more seamless.
Plus, moving provides a natural reason to practice letting go of things, which for many people can be difficult. The decluttering process forces us to be accountable for our purchasing decisions and challenge our tendency to hoard. We’ve all done it; purchased an item impulsively because “it’s just so unique and we need to have it”, or bought a dozen of something because “at that price, why wouldn’t you?”
When we declutter before moving, it compels us to rethink the amount we consume and make better choices as we enter our amazing new home.
While it might feel like a daunting task, there’s something incredibly satisfying about creating order from chaos. Imagine the sense of calm when you open a drawer and everything has its place — or the joy of seeing your favourite things unpacked and perfectly at home in a fresh new space.
Let us show you how to declutter your home, embrace minimalism, and only take the essentials into your next stage of life.
View this as an opportunity to free yourself from the weight of unnecessary possessions. It’s a chance to organise, refocus, and build a healthier relationship with items. By prompting us to question the items we truly need and value, the decluttering process leads to personal growth, changing the way we purchase in the future.
Will your current furniture and belongings fit the space and style? We recommend measuring rooms, taking photos and videos of your new home or the comparable display home if you are building. Consider things like fridge spaces and refer to floorplans, which generally have the exact square meterage of each area. If you’re unsure how to read a floorplan, check out our easy guide here. This will help you decide which of your existing furniture will fit in. If they are too big, too small, or the wrong configuration (i.e your current sofa has a left-sided chaise when your new family room calls for one on the right), there is no reason to bring them along.
Also, work out which storage spaces will accommodate which items. How do you plan to organise the new home? Do you have a mudroom or integrated cupboards in the living room? If there won’t be a specific place for something, let it go! Otherwise, you are simply relocating clutter from one place to the next. And if you’re downsizing, check out our tips for maximising space in small homes.
Do your older possessions, especially furniture, match the design of your new house? Is it ultra-contemporary, coastal-inspired, or modern-farmhouse style? Think about the colours, finishes, textures, and natural surrounds. Furniture that is outdated, heavily worn, or the incorrect style for your new home will bring down the overall feel of your spaces. So, if you have been tossing up whether to buy a sofa, dining table, or rug, now is the time. That way, you avoid the hassle and cost of dragging these large items across, and experience the joy of having fresh pieces delivered directly to your shiny new home.
When it comes to sorting, decluttering, and packing, there are a few tried-and-tested rules that all the house-moving experts follow.
You own more than you realise, and the possessions you can see are just the tip of the iceberg. So give yourself the chance to declutter effectively without rushing or becoming stressed.
Break up the decluttering process into small, palatable parts. Maybe start with the space that bothers you the most, or if that is too overwhelming, pick the emptiest room. If you only have a short time on any particular day, just sort through one cupboard or drawer. It’s amazing how small “wins” quickly build momentum and lead to real progress.
Moving isn’t something you need to do alone; it’s a great opportunity for the whole family to get involved. Encourage the kids to sort through their rooms by picturing their new bedrooms and choosing which items they are most excited to display. If you are struggling to motivate them, perhaps offer to reward them with one new game, toy, or book for every 20 they discard.
If you get stuck while decluttering, remove the indecision and get rid of anything you haven’t used, worn, or thought about in the past 12 months. If an item does not serve an immediate purpose, it’s time to part ways. You haven’t played tennis in a decade — time to throw those racquets out!
Moving is the perfect time to gently let go of the things you no longer need. Do not hold onto things “just in case” or for use “one day”. The time will not come. Streamline your winter wardrobe if you are moving from a cold climate to sunny Queensland, you aren’t going to require 6 jackets and 4 pairs of boots! Sure, you may stumble on items you consider sentimental, and by all means, if it’s a treasured keepsake or valuable family heirloom, hold onto it. But moving house is the time to differentiate between items that have real meaning attached and those you have simply owned for a long time. And, “if in doubt, throw it out.”
The kitchen, bathroom, and home office are all magnets for excess stuff. So, grab the rubbish bins, bags or boxes, and start clearing out. Discard food and cosmetics that are past their expiry date, or if you will not use them. Throw out broken items or unnecessary multiples, and finish open items to avoid having to pack them. Sort through the office paperwork. Most records only need to be kept for 5 years, but if you are unsure or need to create more space in the filing cabinet, consider scanning documents and saving them digitally. Back up your computer’s files using a cloud storage service or an external hard drive to protect important files during the move.
Decluttering isn’t just about what you leave behind — it’s about what you’re making room for. By choosing what truly matters, you’re setting the tone for a space that reflects your values, your lifestyle, and the way you want to live moving forward.
As you go through your belongings, it’s a good idea to separate the items you no longer want into three categories: throw out, donate, or sell. There are plenty of options for each. You may wish to hire a skip if you have copious rubbish and larger items to discard. Or can visit local council tips, waste centres and recycling drop-off points. Donating items to second-hand stores or charitable organisations like the Salvos or St Vinnie’s allows you to do something positive for the community. In particular, they welcome homewares, clothing, and furniture that are in good condition.
Items of value, like designer clothes and used quality appliances, can be sold on popular websites like Facebook, Marketplace, Gumtree or Depop. But keep in mind that you are in the middle of a move, and listing/selling items individually can be time-consuming. Alternatives include setting up a stall at a community market or holding a good old-fashioned garage sale. You can also consider gifting items to family or friends!
And, one of the key home packing tips is to repurpose stained, torn clothes as cleaning rags or wrap fragile items in them when filling boxes. You will never have enough of either during the move!
Building a new home presents the opportunity to transform a blank canvas into something that is totally “you”. Selecting from a range of options, embracing a new style and all the modern features that go along with it, adds to the excitement of the moving process.
Building allows you to consider the way your family plans to live in the house and what’s important to the design (including the right amount of storage to prevent clutter!). Modern open floorplans maximise space and create seamless flow—perfect for both the day-to-day family lifestyle and indoor-outdoor entertaining. Read more about how to choose the right family home to suit your lifestyle. Enjoy the luxury of choice, with many Hallmark Homes designs offering the option to add a butler’s pantry, guest ensuite, or kitchen servery adjoining the alfresco area.
Plus, new homes require far less upkeep than older homes and will not need costly renovations, improvements, or appliance replacements for many years.
Moving into a new home is all about fresh starts. And here at Hallmark Homes, we get as excited about the home building and moving process as our clients! So, if you are ready to make a move and discover why we are the right builder to help with your new home, contact our friendly sales consultants or find your closest display centre.
Kitchens and bathrooms are the most important rooms in your new home, but they can also be the hardest to change if something isn’t right. Getting it right before you build is critical—that way you won’t have to just ‘live with’ anything you don’t love.
