Your local independent property experts covering Hornchurch and surrounding areas.

Moving house is a pretty stressful event at the best of times, and that’s when everything runs like clockwork.
Unfortunately, life doesn’t always run so smoothly, and there are plenty of potential pitfalls and oversights that you’ll want to avoid if your move is to go as planned.
Here are 6 of the most common moving house horrors you might come across, and how to avoid them.
1. Not Packing An Essentials Box
As moving day horrors go, this isn’t too bad, but it can be extremely frustrating. Just imagine, you’re sitting in your new pad, feet up on the sofa after a long day and your phone battery is down to the final 2%. There’s a mountain of boxes in front of you, and you can’t remember for the life of you where you put that phone charger. Damn!
Substitute phone charger for kettle and tea bags in the above scenario and you’ve pretty much got the same situation.
Just remember when you’re packing up your old place – keep a box of essentials separate from everything else!
2. Furniture Doesn’t Fit
This is an awkward one, especially if it’s something valuable or sentimental to you. Equally, if it’s the sofa or a bulky bed, then you might not have somewhere to sit or sleep for a few weeks while you’re waiting on a new one to be delivered.
It’s always a good idea to measure up in advance, unless you have furniture that can be taken apart and easily reassembled, or if you’re lucky the new place might have double doors into the garden so you’ll breeze through the back door with that swanky sofa.
Again, as with most things, preparation is key. If you’ve measured up in advance and there’s just no practical way of getting your bulky furniture into the new place, then at least you’ll have time to donate or sell it and get something new ordered. And on the plus side, it’s one less thing to have to take with you on moving day!
3. Forgetting To Notify People Of Your New Address
If it’s the in-laws then maybe ‘accidentally forgetting’ isn’t such a bad thing! But on a serious note it’s important you inform a few essential people, such as your bank, employer, and utility providers. After all, you don’t want to be paying for someone else’s gas and electricity in your old place too!
A good way to avoid this is to make a list of all the companies and service providers you use a few weeks before you move, and tick them off as you notify them. It’s also worth getting in touch with Royal Mail and having your post redirected for a few months, as you’re bound to miss someone out.
4. Damaging Items
If you think your smartphone is fragile, just imagine what could happen to your 60 inch Plasma screen if you drop it! The best way to avoid damage is to package everything overly cautiously and don’t rush. Just remember, you can never have too much bubble wrap, and it’s better to take your time and get everything in the house in one piece than finish by lunchtime and have broken glass on your new living room carpet.
Of course, accidents can happen though, so make sure you’ve got your contents insurance in place ready for moving day. And, if you’re using a removal company, check they’re insured too before you hire them.
5. Running Out Of Time
If you’re a naturally laidback person then it’s time to focus and be organised. Just for a few weeks at least!
If you’ve never moved home before it can be easy to underestimate how long it takes to get everything packed up, especially if you’re wrapping your valuables well to protect them.
As much as you won’t want to live among boxes for a few weeks before your move, it’s often necessary in order to have a smooth moving day when the time comes.
So unlike your school exams that you didn’t revise for until the night before, don’t leave your packing until the last minute, or you’ll be running around like a headless chicken on the morning of your move!
6. Getting An Injury
Ok, so you’ll have to be really unlucky to trip over a box and break your leg, but it’s not completely impossible.
A more likely injury is a pulled muscle or a back spasm. Ouch! Just take your time with all the heavy items, make sure you’ve got plenty of pairs of hands to help out, and don’t overstretch yourself!
Talk To The Experts
Here at Parkstone Properties, we provide advice that can help you avoid these Halloween horrors!
Contact us today on 01798985588 or email us at hello@parktoneprop.com.

It’s exciting preparing to find a new home and embarking on the next stage of your property journey, but of course, there are many factors that must be considered along the way as you find your perfect home in Hornchurch.
It’s likely you will view many different properties before finally settling on the right one for you. It’s also likely that you will have certain criteria to fulfil and plenty of boxes to be ticked. These might include the need for your chosen property to be situated in a location of your choosing and its ability to meet the demands of your lifestyle, whether that be in close proximity to good schools, shopping facilities, or if you are a social butterfly, close to cafe culture and a vibrant nightlife.
At Parkstone Properties our aim is to help you make the correct choices and best decisions when it comes to finding your perfect home in Hornchurch so to make the experience straight-forward and stress free, we have compiled our top tips to ensure you make the right decision.
Research is the key to the door
What type of property do you require? It’s important to scope out the local area so that you can judge what type of properties are available in which locations and at what cost. For example, Victorian properties may be located at one end of a town, whilst new builds are predominantly at the other end! With this in mind, if you are searching for a large Victorian property in location A, your research may indicate that you may only be able to secure that particular type of property in location B. So, the question is, will you be happy to compromise?
This is the reason it’s vital you research the market thoroughly so that you not only have realistic expectations but are aware that you may need to adjust those expectations in order to find your perfect home in Hornchurch.
Top Tip: Think about what you truly need from your home rather than extras you simply desire, and be honest about it! For example, if you work from home, an office will be a need. If you have children, a garden will be a need. If you have a large family, multiple bathrooms will be a need. Whereas a desire could be a log burning stove, a decked area in the garden, solid wood floors or a conservatory. All of the latter can of course be added to a property with good planning and little hassle.
Location, location, location
Do you need to be close to your place of work, your children’s school or your extended family? Or are you willing to compromise on proximity in order to purchase your dream home in Hornchurch? Think about whether you are prepared to make concessions on some of your specifics, perhaps with a trade-off being a slightly longer commute, living closer to a busy road or a little further from amenities. These factors matter and it’s important you are clear about what is imperative to your happiness in your new home.
Top Tip: The right location is often more important than the right house. You can always alter a house and turn it into your home – however, you cannot change its location. Consider this when seeking compromises!
Enlist the help of an expert local estate agent
Finding your perfect home can be challenging so please don’t attempt to do so alone. Your local estate agent will be able to help you scope the area, arrange viewings of properties that match your criteria, shortlist the properties you love, offer expert advice regarding local schools and businesses in the area and of course assist you through making an offer and negotiating the best price on your dream home.
Parkstone Properties are here to help you
By registering with us and letting us know your preferred location and the type of property in Hornchurch you are looking for, you’ll receive updates as soon as properties matching your criteria become available and you will never need to worry that you’ll miss out on your dream home.
At Parkstone Properties we take on new properties in Hornchurch and the surrounding areas daily, so register with us today and let us assist you in finding your dream home in Hornchurch.
We are ready to help you start the process of finding your perfect home and look forward to welcoming you to our office. Simply call us on 01798985588 to arrange an appointment or drop in and speak with a member of our friendly team. We look forward to seeing you soon.

One of the top concerns that many families have when moving to Hornchurch is finding the right school for their children. Many home moves are explicitly made so that families can move closer to the catchment area of their dream school.
But what happens if you find your dream house first and then need to find the best school close by?
As your local estate agent, we know the Hornchurch area exceptionally well and receive so many questions about this that we decided to give you our best advice to help keep you informed. In this article, you’ll find our top tips to help you find the right school for your children when moving to Hornchurch.
Work out what your priorities are
Let’s face it, it may be tough to find a school that has absolutely everything that you’re looking for and all the schools in the Hornchurch area have their own strengths.
When looking for a school in Hornchurch we recommend making a list of your priorities. For instance, are you looking for a school with a tremendous academic record or one with a specific subject focus? Are extra-curricular activities essential or does your child have any special needs that the school should cater for? Are you looking for state schools or private schools? Day or boarding? Single-sex or co-ed? There are lots to consider before you even kick off your search.
Writing down all your priorities like this will help you focus your search, as this is an area that’s packed with lots of great schools to choose from!
Start your school research well before your move
Once you have a clear idea of what you’re looking for in terms of priorities, it’s time to start researching. We recommend doing this as early as you possibly can. You will probably want to visit several schools in Hornchurch before you decide on the best fit, so make sure you leave enough time for multiple appointments and open days. 
It’s straightforward to access all the information you need on the excellent schools in Hornchurch as you can do this online, even if you’re currently located in a different part of the country.
Start gathering critical information online using reputable sites such as The Good Schools Guide and check the school performance tables on Gov.uk. Read through online school reviews and scour the Ofsted reports.
School research can be a time-consuming process, which is why we recommend starting early. Once you’ve whittled it down to your top three schools in Hornchurch, pay each of them a visit with your child. Which brings us on to our next point…
Pay your top choice schools a visit
Although this might not be immediately possible, we highly recommend visiting schools when you can. Take a tour and get a good feel of the environment that your child will potentially be spending lots of their time in. Talk to the staff and pupils and ask them questions.
Here are some of the key things to observe on a school visit:

• How do the students and teachers interact with each other?
• Are the facilities clean and well-maintained?
• Do the teachers seem enthusiastic and happy to chat through all your questions?
• Is the environment and community friendly and welcoming?
• Do the children appear happy and engaged?

If it’s not possible for you to physically visit the school before you move, don’t despair. Check out their website. Some schools now offer virtual tours of their campuses. You could also hold a Zoom call with the headteacher to get a better feel of the school, and it’s teaching style.
Find out where your new neighbours are sending their children
If you have the chance to say hello to your new neighbours before your move, ask them about their personal experiences with the local schools in Hornchurch. Chatting with another parent could save you research time, as they will have done the same research when they moved and may also have first-hand experience of a school if they are sending their own children to one of the schools that you’re interested in.
Make sure you have a back-up plan
Once you have found the perfect fit, find a back-up! It’s always sensible to have a Plan B in case your chosen school in Hornchurch doesn’t work out. Creating a list of your top two or three schools means that you can quickly fall back to another option if needed, although of course, we hope your child gets into your first choice!
Our staff at Parkstone Properties are local and have extensive knowledge of the Hornchurch area. If you are moving to the area soon, start your home search with us, and we’ll be happy to advise you on all aspects of your move. Please call us on 01798985588 or email us at hello@parktoneprop.com for more information.