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Downsizing

Posted on January 18th, 2012 No Comments

This is a guest blog post from Self Storage Finders, directory of storage facilities.

The economy has been sluggish for several years, another recession is looming and consumer confidence is still low. In these tough times, people are learning to do more with less. This is apparent in the trend towards smaller homes, apartments and condos. While downsizing sounds easy, there are certain things one should consider.

Where will you be downsizing to? Are you staying in the same area or moving out of state? When moving out of state you have to consider the costs, job market and schools for your kids. Are you going to purchase a home or rent? Is it better to rent a house, apartment or condo with your lifestyle?

If you plan to purchase a home, renting an apartment might be a good start. Renting first will give you a familiarity with the neighborhoods, schools, commute, shopping and safety issues before finding a more permanent place. Talk to co-workers and locals to learn more about the area and by the time you are ready to purchase a home, you’ll know exactly where you want to go.

You also have to consider what to dispose of and what to keep. Just because you are downsizing, it doesn’t mean you have to get rid of everything as some of your possessions will have meaning and value to you. Other items can be sold, donated or thrown out. Some of your larger items may not fit in an apartment but will be needed once you purchase a home. A Chicago storage facility or Los Angeles storage unit can be a good resource in these instances. Storage units are great during the relocation process, can be found easily and are usually relatively cheap.

Downsizing is a big change and it may take some time to adjust to your smaller living space. Be sure to no clutter your new space and your adjustment will go smoother and be less stressful.

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Preparing for Long Distance Move

Posted on October 17th, 2011 1 Comment

Moving in general is a very stressful task; it is even more challenging when you have to move long distance out of state. When moving long distance, the key to a successful move is to plan ahead. You want to give yourself at least a month and a half (two months would be ideal) to get things together before moving day arrives. During the first few days of those two months should be spent trying to locate a long distance mover.

Experts would tell you that you should select at least five or six prospective movers before narrowing them to just two that you can work with and compare prices and services.

Most of the times word of mouth is the ideal way to find a long distance moving company. You can source numbers of long distance moving companies from your friends, families and work acquaintance. Their feedback about the company would go a long distance for you and would be part of the deciding factor. An internet research about a specific company can also help you determine if they are as good as they say they are. The reviews and testimonials about the company from previous clients would be enough indication if you should visit their office or move along to a next long distance mover.

Those companies that you visit in person would usually display their proof of legitimacy with an array of certificates on the wall or you would see their business license as well. However, you can still go that extra mile by checking up the company through the Better Business Bureau.

Once comfortable with the moving company and their rates, one of the first things you should do after setting a moving date is to get rid of the excess stuff you may have laying around the house. You can choose to either throw them away or put them in the hands of friends and relatives if they are in good condition. Since moving is costly, you may also want to consider selling off some of your stuff through a garage sale in order to recover your money. Once you have gotten rid of the clutter, the next thing to do would be to make a list of all the items that you now have in your home that you intend to take to your new home.

Next, make a list of the items that you are moving with before you start packing them in containers, boxes etc. Experts would advise that you pack room by room and well ahead in advance to avoid the rush. Use strong boxes; you can get them free at your neighbor grocery store and remember to bolster your breakables with bubble wrap or even with newspapers. As you pack, remember that you should not exceed 50 pounds per box; don’t forget to seal and label your boxes as well.

If you are mving with jewelry, documents and other personal effects, the best thing to do is to personally take it with you to avoid it being misplaced when you get to the new home. You should also travel with medications which should be stored in leak-proof containers.

Finally, a week before moving day, inform the utility cable and phone companies about your move so that you would no longer incur charges when you move. Depending on the state that you live in you may be able to transfer your service using the same provider; other times you have to create a new account with a competing company. Either way, ensure that the basic essentials such as lights, water and heat are functioning before you move in.

This is guest post from FindGoodMovers.com, moving portal of long distance movers.

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Across Country Moving Concerns

Posted on October 15th, 2011 No Comments

As most would imagine, moving across country can be a huge undertaking and with it comes twice the anxiety that one would endure even when moving within their own state. There are many things that could and have gone wrong on across country moves; some of which you can prevent ahead of time to eliminate further stress.

The moving company that you choose to relocate you and your family to another state can determine if your move would be successful or not. That’s why it is imperative that you properly screen the moving companies by making sure to do proper background checks and research on them. Without research, you could be putting your household items in the hands of a company that could either steal or damage your items; this is definitely not the way you envision your moving day.

Even with legitimate companies, there is always that chance of Murphy’s Law looming over your long distance move. Here are a few cross country concerns that most experience and ways in which you can handle them.

They say timing is everything when making a cross country move; unfortunately if you get all your things on the truck on time when moving day arrives, there is really no telling when your household items would arrive at your new home. In most situations, you have customers who get to their new place of residence well ahead of the moving vehicle; sometimes it can take hours, other times it can take days.

The main cause for scheduling problems is if the company has multiple clients that are moving around the same time. It would be wise to talk to the moving company ahead of time to guesstimate a time or amount of days that it would take them to deliver your items. Most movers usually give a window of three to seven days; if this is the case then you can find ways to work around that. Perhaps you can stay at a cheap hotel or bed and breakfast close to your new residence so that you can be on standby when the movers get there with your household items.

Secondly, another problem that can plague a cross country move is the exorbitant rate that you may be asked to pay. Because of the nature of the move to several miles away, it is quite easy for a moving company to inflate their prices on customers who do not know any better. Not only are customers charged with the moving fee but some moving companies are known for sneaking in moving supplies fees etc. and make the bill twice the amount that it really is. All this can be avoided if you initially get your moving company to supply you with a written estimate as well as a signed list of household inventory. On this paper there would be information about the total weight of your household items as well as the cubic feet. Always keep that document close to you; it would be the one thing that would prevent you from paying outrageous fees at the end of your move.

Theft is also a big concern in cross country moves as there are a lot of rouge movers who take the opportunity to steal from customers during transit. Again, this would be a good time to do your research on a few cross country moving companies before making a decision. The Internet is very useful in assisting you when it comes to getting more information about a specific moving company. There are two websites that currently provide moving customers with the evidence that they need to determine if a moving company is legitimate or not. They are the Better Business Bureau website at www.bbb.org and the Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER) System at www.safersys.org These are the sites where complaints are lodged about a specific long distance moving company that you may want to hire. It is also good to do background checks on the owner of the moving company as well as to see how long the company has been in business and their track records before you take that leap.

The worst thing that could happen is to complete your thorough research on the moving company and then find out that the work has been subcontracted to a company that specialize in long distance moving. In this situation, the moving company that you initially hire would move your household items only so far before reaching at a cut off point where the subcontractor takes your items the rest of the way. This is not a good scenario; you want to find out before hand if the original hired company would be getting your items directly from point A to point B. If this is not the case upfront, then you can always switch to another moving company that offers this service.

This is a guest post by Matt Hammerton, Marketing Manager of Cross Country Movers, the web company that provides moving leads.

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Long distance moves and delays

Posted on May 12th, 2010 No Comments

For those who relocate to another state it can really be nerve-wrecking when you get to your new location before your household items do. Being separated from your furniture for the first few days of moving in can truly make you feel uncomfortable more so if you are concerned about if your furniture arrives at your new location in  its original condition.

What can prevent an out of state moving company from arriving to your home on time? There are actually many reasons that your items may be delayed. One of the first things to remember is that whatever timeframe that the moving company gives you, know that it is not one that is set in stone. Remember that the movers would need quite a few days to be able to get to you, especially if they are trying to get to you the legal way.

There are a lot of driving restrictions by the Government about driving a truck for moving these days; one of which restricts long distance movers from operating a truck outside of set hours each day. Also, when it comes to the weight of your shipment as well as the miles away from your old home, this can also slow down the moving process. The further away you live from your current location, the more days you would have to give the moving company until they can get to you with the delivery.

Even before you set up your moving date with the moving company, it is your duty to let the moving company know how soon you would like to receive your items after you have moved in. True there are a lot of people who may want to get their items delivered within 24 hours or so but you would be doing yourself a favor if you were to provide your preferred dates of expected delivery so that the moving company can make a note of it.

Since the promised dates are usually recorded on the written moving estimate, the moving company is bound by law to deliver within the timeframe you specified. If the company fails to deliver at the time period promised, then they would have to compensate you for late delivery. Compensation is usually monetary or the company may offer to pick up your food tab or hotel stay especially if the late delivery of items has affected your daily living routine. Of course if you have the extra money to spare you can also find out about the moving company’s guaranteed delivery option.

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Moving to a big city? Leave the moving to the experts

Posted on January 15th, 2010 No Comments

Ahh! Big city living. There’s nothing better than packing up and moving to one of the big cities. Big city life offers much to see and do that there is never room for boredom when you get there. And compared to small towns, you can find a wealth of restaurants and bars, theatres, jazz clubs and just about everything to indulge in during your downtime.

Moving to big cities such as New York and Chicago for instance can be very exciting and in order to have a successful move it is advised that you seriously consider hiring professional movers to do so. With moves like these, no matter how much you may be trying to save money, a do-it-yourself moving project would not be recommended. For there are many situations that could arise during a d.i.y. move to a big city that only the professionals are trained enough to handle.

Moving to big cities goes much further than packing, loading and driving your truck to your destination. One of the first things that you would encounter when moving to a big city is how busy the city streets are. One can only imagine how difficult it would be if you were to try to navigate your way through the city streets with a large moving truck. This can definitely be a challenge. Then too, because the streets are mostly congested you may run the risk of bumping into other vehicles which could ultimately cost you more than you bargain for.

In addition, there are some homes that make the moving in of your furniture and other items quite a challenge. Let’s say that you are moving to an apartment building in New York City for instance. As most of you would know some of the properties there have very narrow stairs and elevators that may either be too small or one that can only contain a certain weight per trip. The professional movers you hire would be well aware of this and would not only be able to bring along a sufficient amount of movers to get the job done but they would also know what kind of equipment to use as well. Parking can also be a problem as well especially if your apartment is situated in the city. But when you hire a professional mover they would be able to park safely without causing traffic or picking up a ticket.

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