Charlotte and her husband love finding old homes that need a little bit of extra love and care. They are able to see the potential in the properties they live in and enjoy working on a good old fixer-upper over time. As seasoned movers, they have seen their fair share of chaotic moving days. However, they weren’t prepared for their latest house move and the nightmare that was waiting for them only a few streets away.
Charlotte, her husband, their cat and 2 dogs were starting to feel a little cramped living in their small Victorian terrace house in Chester. However, they soon found a great opportunity only a short distance away. “So we were essentially moving from 2 streets away from a late Victorian terrace to a 1930s semi. This one has a front garden, driveway, a back garden - it has a large garage and a shed.” It had its problems, as many older houses do, but it was the perfect project for the couple.
“My husband and I,” she explained, “we're fine with a big challenge. Our last house was a bit of a fixer-upper...We were quite prepared to go with the flow - it was a really good opportunity.” They could tell the transaction was going to require patience, especially after the first house viewing where they saw that the property was completely cluttered and in no fit state for new residents. “We had gotten to know the seller over the period of the transaction. He was a bit of a hoarder and we kind of knew that he'd have difficulty clearing it out.”
However, the transaction was fairly simple and, with their moving day looming, it was eventually time for Charlotte and her husband to search for a reliable removals company. Wanting a variety of quotes to compare, Charlotte began scouring the internet for the perfect team of movers. During her Google search, she soon found Compare My Move. “I was just looking to get a good idea of quotes and prices ready for our move. I wasn't too sure on the date that we would be moving and I didn't want to have to call around a bunch of different places and go through the same conversation multiple times just to get a quote.”
The couple found Compare My Move to be incredibly insightful and immediately helped them narrow down their choices. The customer reviews on our partners’ personal pages, in particular, were a major factor when it came to deciding on the company. “It's one of the big differences [compared to] looking at, something like the Yellow Pages and where you're having to reach out to people,” Charlotte explained. “[On Compare My Move] you don’t just have to take their word that they’re any good...you can look at what other people have said.”
“When it comes down to it when you move house, you're quite literally putting your whole life in a company's hands - everything you own, everything about your history and your future. It's all in a van. So it's really important that you can trust the people that are doing that job.”
Whilst comparing removal quotes and waiting for responses, Charlotte and her husband also discovered our Advice Centre which contains useful tips and professional advice regarding the moving process. “Well, I saw a blog post on how to pack, which might sound obvious,” she told us. “But actually, it's different packing to move your whole house than it is packing to go on a holiday. So [articles] like that were quite helpful.” Our guides allowed them to prepare in advance and ensured they were completely organised before their moving date. ”It sounds so daft thinking like ‘how do you pack?’ But it really is awkward - things like lampshades, where are they meant to go?”
It didn’t take long until our removal partners began contacting Charlotte to further discuss the requirements. “Someone reached out to me within about half an hour. I was impressed.” We asked Charlotte how she found the process and questioned her on the initial contact with our partners. She replied, “Two companies reached out in the end, we had a phone call and he asked me for a spreadsheet inventory of everything we needed moving. The second company arranged a follow-up WhatsApp video call so that they could go through and see all the contents in the house for themselves. It was very simple.”
The couple were also offered additional services to help ensure the move was as efficient and stress-free as possible. “The first company offered a service to drop boxes off [before the move] in a refundable deposit,” she explained. “Both companies also offered a dismantling and reassembling service...it seemed like if I needed it, I could get it.” She then continued, “We definitely went for some of the assembly services, which was very helpful - we have a lot of flat-pack furniture. I just did not want to have to worry about taking it apart and putting it back together.”
After reading their many impressive 5-star reviews, the couple decided to work with Easy 2 Move, a reputable removals company based in Liverpool. Easy 2 Move has been an official Compare My Move partner since October 2015. The team have over 17 years of experience in the industry and have collected many glowing reviews from our users during their time within our network. No matter what the requirements, these expert movers will get you packed up and on the move in no time!
“They gave us a quote and were clear and upfront where there might be extra costs and where it’d be incurred. They sent a team of 4 and 2 vans, which was way more than what I was expecting. I really couldn't have been happier because it was just all done in one clean sweep.”
With the team fully prepped and prepared, it was finally time for Charlotte and her family to make the move. However, it wasn’t going to be quite so simple. “A lot of [the seller’s] stuff had just been thrown out on the front lawn by his team of volunteers because he hadn't hired a removal company,” Charlotte said. “So, we turned up, bearing in mind that we were only moving from 2 streets away, and the removal vans couldn’t get anywhere!” The house and its garden were a complete mess, disrupting the entire process.
Recalling the events, Charlotte continued, “I was thinking, ‘Oh, my God, this is going to end up costing an obscene amount more.’ But it was nice that the removals firm did have enough leeway in their schedule...they were very good. They were very patient with us and the situation we were in.” The unexpected heroes of the day, Easy 2 Move worked hard to ensure Charlotte and her husband could still have a safe and successful house move. “My husband and I were quite stressed and so we were all a bit up in arms...But Easy 2 Move were dead helpful. And we had some really good, good chats throughout the day. We had a bit of a laugh with them, which was really nice.”
With the help and organisation of the removals team and a few selfless volunteers tirelessly clearing out the seller’s contents, the couple were soon able to successfully move in. “It was a bit chaotic. But everyone did their best to stay organized and focussed and it did work well in the end.” It may have been a more stressful day than they had originally anticipated, but it was worth the added wait to live in such a spacious and beautiful home.
It didn’t take long for Charlotte and her husband to begin planning their next project once they had settled into their new house. “It's not been taken the best care of, but it's solid bricks and mortar and that's probably the most important thing. We’ve just had some scaffolding going up today to replace the original roof...it's pretty much sleeves up and off we go with as far as renovations are concerned.”
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We asked how Charlotte and her family are enjoying their new home, to which she responded, “I haven't bothered painting or decorating because, basically, the whole place is going to be done when we get it rewired. So, the inside is very groggy and grotty. But it's just really lovely being able to have the outside space, especially at this time of year. And that in itself just makes it feel so much bigger and definitely all worth it.”
Even their 3 beloved pets are enjoying the new scenery. “They didn't have a window to look out of in the old house, but now they have a big bay window. I'm not joking...the animals are so much happier in this house and it does make you feel like you've done the right thing. They’re loving the views, loving the garden.”
When asked whether she would recommend Compare My Move, Charlotte stated, “I certainly would. I mean, when you think about it, we use so many reviews and comparison sites for other services, it makes sense to use one for something as important as a house move and that you get as much information as possible.”
If you’d like to join the hundreds of happy movers Compare My Move has helped over the years, then simply fill out our online form to get connected with the best professionals in the business. Whether you’re comparing conveyancers, property surveyors or removal companies, know that our expert team can match you with verified and reliable businesses in your local area. Rest assured, every partner that enters our network is verified by us and reviewed by you.
