Moving house consumes every aspect of your life.

If you’re anything like most, it may even start to creep into your sleep. More often than not when that happens, it takes the form of nasty nightmares. That’s no surprise when you consider that this is one of the most stressful experiences of your life. The moment you close your eyes, all the worst scenarios likely come to life for you.

But, rather than losing sleep over that, it’s worth using those nightmares to your advantage. By seeing these as cautionary tales, you can make sure they never come true. If your imagination is active, working to prevent your nightmare scenarios could, in fact, be all it takes to ensure a smooth move. To prove that, we’re going to look at how you could prevent these primary nightmares on the big day.

Nightmare #1: You can’t get out of the house on time

Moving day is a high-pressure time. You need to both clear your old house and fill your new one. But it’s the clearing which forms the backbone of our first nightmare. Do you ever wake with panic when your buyers knock on the doorway before you’re ready? It’s a legitimate fear, but it’s also one which is easy enough to avoid.

For the most part, a decent packing system should be enough to see you through. By getting organized, you can ensure everything’s packed and ready to go come the day. You may also want to book a moving company to arrive at least a few hours before the handover. That way, you’ll be able to ensure all your stuff is on the back of that van well ahead of time.

Nightmare #2: The realtor won’t release your keys

Another common nightmare takes place on the other end. Everyone fears that a realtor won’t release their keys on time. You may dread incurring fines from your removal company and generally wasting time.  And, to be fair, it does happen. There are steps you can take to avoid this.

For one, making sure that necessary documents are in order should prevent any delays. You may also want to give yourself some leeway here. Remember that it’s better for your realtor to keep the keys a little longer than for them to leave you waiting. With that in mind, you may want to arrange for arrival an hour after your keys are ready for you.

Nightmare #3: The kids keep getting in the way

If you’re moving out of a family home, you may also have nightmares where your kids keep getting in the way. Nothing’s worse than having little ones under your feet when you’re carrying heavy boxes. The solution? Arrange for them to stay elsewhere for the day.

Though they may want to be part of the fun, it just isn’t practical. You could leave their new rooms untouched so that they can play some role in the move. For the duration, though, a kid-free house is always better.