12 smartphone apps to help with moving house
Are you planning to move house soon? Whether you’re searching for a new home or apartment or planning your move into your new house, preparing ahead of time is an excellent way to make moving day a less stressful experience.
Did you know that it’s possible to do a lot of the pre-move preparation from the comfort of your sofa, by simply using your smartphone? From finding your new home to planning moving day, there’s an app for just about every task related to moving into a new home.
From property search tools to maps showing how safe your new neighbourhood is, we’ve put together a list of 10 essential smartphone apps that make moving day an easy, stress-free experience.
Get in touch with Robinsons to discuss your move
If you want to discuss your move with an expert and get a realistic idea of the costs involved for your personal circumstances call us free on 0800 521541.
Zoopla
Do you need to search for a new home or apartment? Zoopla is the UK’s most comprehensive property website with the latest property listings for sale and rental across the UK but also overseas.
You can easily search for properties in your price range and customise your search to only show results within a certain size bracket, neighbourhood, public transport route, postcode and more.
But Zoopla’s added value is definitely the comprehensive market data they provide from local information, community tools and their running costs tool which, for each listed property, gives you an idea of what you can expect to spend on monthly bills.
Rightmove
Rightmove is one of the most popular apps in the UK to find a new home, listing properties to rent or buy as well as land for sale. Rightmove themselves say ‘Rightmove is free to consumers, and it is the only place where home buyers and renters can see almost the entire UK property market in one place.’
The App is easy to use (though it is best if you create an account so you can save the properties you are interested in), and free for house hunters. You can specify the type of property, price range, number of bedrooms and all manner of criteria to help you find your next home.
Via Michelin
How long will it take you to travel to and from work each day? Many people move to be closer to their workplace, only to find that their commute has actually gotten longer because of train and bus transfers or congested traffic.
Via Michelin provides you maps, routes with real-time traffic, GPS navigation with voice guidance and community incident alerts. You can easily calculate your car, motorcycle, cycle or pedestrian routes quickly and accurately.
You can also customise your journey using Via Michelin Route Options and choosing between the shortest route, the quickest or the cheapest.
Mapumental
Mapumental is a web-based tool that lets you search for properties based on how long it takes to travel from them to work. Instead of searching by distance, you search based on time – specifically, the time involved in driving or catching a bus or train to work.
If you have a busy schedule and need to be at work nice and early, Mapumental is a great tool for weeding out properties that extend your commute or force you to get several transfers on the way to the office.
TIM Property Inventory
TIM is a fantastic inventory app that lets you record everything you need to move to your new home. Easily make an inventory of your home’s items and categorise them based on the room they belong in.
Thanks to its simple interface, getting around TIM Property Inventory is simple. Add items as you pack them to make decorating and furnishing your new home as simple as possible once moving day is over.
Moving Planner
Moving Planner is an ultra-detailed moving checklist application that lets you create tasks, to-do lists and other plans for moving day. Plan out your move weeks ahead of time and allocate specific tasks – from packing to vacuuming – to specific dates.
As well as letting you create a pre-move schedule, Moving Planner lets you create a full inventory of your items. Sort items into boxes within the app so you’ve got a list of every box’s contents to unpack as soon as you arrive at your new home.
Around Me
How well do you know your new neighbourhood? From cafés and restaurants to your new local doctor, Around Me is a helpful app that lets you search for shops, businesses, petrol stations, hotels, parks and other locations near your home.
Learning your way around your new neighbourhood is often one of the hardest aspects of moving. Around Me makes it simple by letting you search for anything you need, whether it’s a discount supermarket or the local hair salon
The Moving App
Besides the moving checklist organiser, the Moving App others key features and important links to various moving resources or moving information, including all-purpose moving tasks, with the capability of adding your own personal tasks. You can send self-notification reminders and email yourself a reminder list for printing. You can even record moving notes to keep any information you do not want to forget. Their box label printing feature allows you to print and outer box labels bearing the enclosed contents in your boxes.
Although the App is primarily designed for US domestic moves, it can definitely be used by any English speaking person on the move!
Bubble Level
Do you need to hang paintings or photos in your new home? Bubble Level is a great app that does exactly what its name says – display a digital bubble level that you can use to make sure your paintings and photos aren’t crooked.
Although it’s not quite as accurate as a real level, Bubble Level offers a reliable guide for hanging up artwork in your new home. Use it carefully and you’ll never deal with a crooked painting in your living room or hallway again.
Photo Measures
If you are wondering if your furniture will fit into your new home, or if you want to organise the layout of your new living room prior to your moving day, Photo Measures is the ultimate tool!
Recommended by many design and decoration magazines, Photo Measures helps you save measures on your own photos, thus providing you with all the information you need before making your decision.
Dulux Visualiser
Does your new home need a colour refresh? If you’re repainting your home’s walls and ceilings in a different colour, use the Dulux Visualiser app to test hundreds of different colours before you make a decision.
The Dulux Visualiser lets you capture an image of your own room and decorate it in a wide range of different colours. Once you find a combination you like, you can add it as a custom colour scheme and buy the relevant paints at your local Dulux shop.
Carpetright Visualiser
If you’re planning on installing new flooring into your new home then the Carpetright Visualiser may be just the tool to help you choose the right flooring for your home. It allows you to take a photo of the room you want new flooring for, upload it to the app and start playing around with different options until you find exactly what you want. You can order samples and swatches to get an idea of what the material feels like.