Moving Tips, Things to Avoid
It may come as a surprise, but many moving companies commonly refuse to relocate specific items. If you are planning a move in the near future, you should know what items you ought to plan on moving yourself, without the help of a professional moving company. Read on to learn more:
Heirlooms or Extremely High Value Items
Expensive property or items that are of extreme sentimental value are often not ideal to relocate via a moving company. These items include jewelry, cash reserves, stocks or other high value items. In addition, a moving company’s insurance will only cover lost or damaged items at their market value. Therefore, an item that holds immense sentimental value, perhaps something that has been passed down in your family, would not be something a moving company could adequately insure. If something happened to said item, the market value wouldn’t begin to cover the sentimental loss. Therefore, it’s wise to keep both high value items and those of sentimental nature with you during a move and not on a moving truck.
Plants And Pets
In some specific cases, moving companies will transport a certain type of plant, with a special permit. However, in most cases, plants are not considered transportable because pests can hitch a ride with them and be inadvertently transported to another area. Also, pets, being living beings, are not something you should transport via a moving company. Your pet should stay with you and make the trip to your new home by your side.
Hazardous, Flammable or Corrosive Materials
Anything that includes acid, flammables, such as lighter fluid, kerosene fuel, charcoal and paint remover cannot be moved via a moving truck. There are many household items that fall into this category. Therefore, you should check with your moving company before packing to determine their policy on these items. Often moving companies will have a list of items they will not transport, which often includes gasoline, batteries, pain thinner, fire extinguishers and aerosol cans.
Certain Types of Equipment
Fuel-powered equipment, like lawn mowers, weeding equipment, motorcycles and more must be drained of their fuel at least 24 hours before moving to be applicable for transport. If equipment still has traces of fuel inside the tanks, moving companies will often refuse to transport them for safety reasons.
Scuba And Diving Equipment
The pressurized oxygen that is housed in scuba tanks makes diving and scuba equipment a no-can-do for many moving companies. There is a risk of explosion due to the mixture of gases in these tanks, which is a liability movers don’t want.
Pianos
There are many moving companies that will not move a piano. This is usually because this item demands special equipment and experience in order to move properly. Often, it’s a much better to have the piano moved professionally by a piano moving company.
While the vast majority of your household possessions are easily handled by a moving company, there are a few specific items they often refuse to move. The items listed above are just a few. It’s a good idea to ask ahead of time what items cannot be moved and prepare alternative ways to get them relocated.
Moving Technology, Moving Tips
Let’s face it, completing a move is overwhelming and stressful to say the least. Thankfully, if you tap into the technology that is available to you in today’s tech-savvy industry, your move can be much less stressful, even fun. Read on to learn more about using tech to make your move easier:
Using Technology to Make Your Move Easier
- Schedule Smart: Scheduling is vital to substantiating a successful move. There are many apps available that help you organize necessary tasks. Apps like Wunderlist and Sortly are two examples. They allow you to set deadlines, reminders and create to-do lists. Using an app like these will enable you to focus on other things…not worry about remembering every single task.
- Organize and Downsize: One way to reduce your stress during a move is to cut down on the amount of gear, furnishings, decor, furniture, etc. that you have to move. You can go about this a couple of ways. One is to sell items. If furnishings are in good enough condition, this can be a great way to make some extra money and reduce the amount of stuff you have to move, simultaneously. Some apps that can help with this include LetGo and ThredUp. If you would rather avoid spending time pricing items or listing them and don’t mind not making any money off your items, you can always donate unwanted items instead. You can write off your donation on your taxes, which can be financially beneficial. Not to mention the feeling of satisfaction you get from knowing you helped someone with your donated items.
- Maintenance and Repairs: Another important task on your to-do list before moving is to make sure all necessary repairs are done, and complete various maintenance issues around your current home before you leave. Finding time to complete these repairs yourself can be impossible or you might not have the materials or knowledge needed to do the job. If this sounds like your situation, hiring a professional is wise. Finding the best one isn’t always easy, though. There are a few apps you can use to make this process a little simpler, such as TaskRabbit or Thumbtack. These apps allow you to contact professionals, share images and videos with them, schedule appointments, get instant quotes and then initiate the repair process.
- Don’t Forget Your Fuel: When all your pots and pans are packed up or in the process of being packed up or you haven’t had the time to run to the store, because of your move, cooking dinner can be a challenge. Thankfully, you can ensure you have the fuel you and your family need to get through the finish line of your move by utilizing a few helpful apps. These apps include GrubHub and Postmates. These apps allow you to order any type of food you desire, from restaurants to fast food and everything in between, all brought to your door at your convenience. No longer are you relegated to ordering pizza alone. Now every type of food is on the table…literally!
Orchestrating a move is no easy task. In fact, it’s often downright stressful. Thankfully, by using the technology apps listed above, you can make the process much easier by taking some of the load off your mind and schedule during the move. Try them and similar apps to successfully use tech to make your move easier.
Home Ownership, Living Tips, Moving Tips
Owning your own home is a big part of realizing the American dream. However, trying to buy a home before you are ready can turn this dream into a nightmare. Thankfully, there a few indications you can look for that reveal you are in a healthy place and are ready to embrace home ownership. Read on to learn more:
You Have a Decent Savings
In order to ensure the purchase of a home doesn’t put you into a bad financial situation, you should have at least 20% of the home’s purchase price saved for the down payment. Yes, you can qualify to purchase a home with much less as a down payment. In fact, FHA mortgage loans will approve you with as little as 3.5% down. However, paying 20% down means you don’t have to carry private mortgage insurance and your monthly payments are lower. You also will protect yourself from a market adjustment that lowers your home’s value significantly.
You Understand Home Ownership Involves More Than a Purchase Price
Another factor you need to consider when contemplating home ownership is the overall cost of home ownership. Your mortgage or purchase price is just one factor. You also need to account for homeowner’s insurance, moving costs to move your belongs from your current location to your new home, closing costs, property taxes, maintenance and repair costs and much more. Let’s face it, owning a home is a big responsibility. This tool by Zillow is a helpful way to determine if you are ready to take on not only a mortgage payment, but also are able to keep up with all other costs associated with home ownership.
You Can Come up With Down Payment Without Spending Savings
While paying that 20% down payment is important as mentioned above, you shouldn’t deplete all your resources to come up with this money. You also shouldn’t tap into retirement or other long-term savings accounts to get the money. You will need your savings more than ever once you are a homeowner. All the expenses mentioned above reveal this to be fact. You don’t want to deplete every resource you have trying to achieve your American dream. Instead, work towards saving the 20% down in addition to your existing or regular savings.
You Have a Long-Term Plan That Makes Home Ownership Wise
Another way to determine if you are ready for homeownership is to consider your long-term plan. If you plan on being in the same location for more than a few years, home ownership can make sense. However, if you know you will need to move for a job or other factor in a manner of one or two years, the closing costs and other expenses involved in the purchase of a home can mean staying put is the best idea. Home ownership shouldn’t be approached as a temporary living situation, but part of a long-term life plan.
Homeownership is a dream many Americans work to achieve. If you want to make this dream a reality for your family, consider the points listed above. Are you in the right place to buy a home? Sure, some things simply cannot be foreseen. However, when possible, create a long-term plan and approach homeownership in the right way to ensure you are in a positive situation when move in day arrives.
Sources:
https://www.hud.gov/buying/loans
https://www.zillow.com/mortgage-calculator/house-affordability/
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/23/how-to-know-if-its-time-to-buy-a-home.html
Healthy Moving Tips, Moving Tips
February is known as National Heart Health Month, and is therefore, the perfect time to contemplate overall heart health. Unfortunately, if you are like many Americans, thinking about your finances causes stress, which eventually negatively affects your heart health. Therefore, to promote greater heart health, it’s important to have healthy finances as well.
More on The Correlation Between Financial Stress and Heart Attack Risk
According to research published by Cardiovascular Business on heart attack patients by the South African Heart Association, if you are under significant financial stress, you are 13 times more likely to have a heart attack than someone without the same level of financial stress. Significant financial distress was defined in the study as stress caused by no income or inability to meet basic needs. Subjects who had an income but still worried about their financial situation were considered to have moderate stress. Those considered at low risk for heart attack were often experiencing no financial stress at the time of the study. This indicates a direct correlation between the subjects’ financial standing and their overall heart health. In addition, within this same study, 96% of all heart attack patients reported some level of stress was present when they had their heart attack.
Financial Issues Result in Physical Conditions
Heart health is affected by many physical conditions, such as having high blood sugar, high blood pressure, obesity and more. These factors, of course, increase a person’s risk of having a heart attack. It seems financial stress, in particular, even more than other types of stresses can lead to heart issues. There are different types of stress hormones that the body releases when it feels it is in danger. The type that is released when in physical danger is different than what is released during a financial crisis. Many experts believe this is because this type of stress is chronic in nature and therefore has a long-term negative impact on the overall health of the body.
How to Stop Stressing Over Money
Thankfully, money issues are something you can put your finger on. They are tangible and fixable. This means there are actionable ways for you to regain control of your health by reducing your chronic stress levels pertaining to finances. Here are a few tips for taking back control of your money and subsequently reducing your stress levels and promoting heart health:
- Get Involved: Finances aren’t managed well passively. Get involved. Open bank statements, bills, etc. It might not be fun, but knowing your enemy is half the battle.
- Make a List: Instead of keeping your financial worries in your head, causing stress to build, write it down. Make lists of what is bothering you most about your finances.
- Make a Plan: Create a solution to your problem and a plan of action for getting there, or…
- Get Help: Ask a trusted friend or a financial planner to help you get your finances in order or utilize resources from blogs like this to make a good plan of action.
- Keep at It: Even when this plan gets hard, stick with it. Remember how much stress was caused by not having a plan and stick with it.
Take control over your finances to reduce stress and promote increased heart health.
Sources:
https://www.cardiovascularbusiness.com/topics/acute-coronary-syndrome/financial-stress-risk-factor-heart-attacks
https://www.nbcnews.com/better/business/how-stop-stressing-over-money-so-it-doesn-t-hurt-ncna874791
Moving Tips
The purchase of your home is likely the largest singular investment you will ever make. As such, it demands protection. This means purchasing a homeowners insurance policy to protect your home from a wide range of events and happenings. Before purchasing a policy, consider what homeowners insurance does and doesn’t cover:
What IS Covered
Homeowners usually does protect against the following events and situations, depending on specific plans and coverage amounts:
- Structural Coverage: Homeowners policies typically won’t protect against general wear and tear of your home. However, it will cover structural damage caused by a natural disaster like tornado, hail or fire. This coverage often applies to all attached structures, like decks and garages.
- Non-Attached Structural Coverage: If the damage incurred is a result of a natural disaster, homeowners insurance will usually cover repairs or replacement costs for non-attached structures on your property. This can include sheds, detached garages or fences.
- Personal Property: Most standard homeowners policies include some measure of reimbursement for personal property. It will often reimburse you for any belongings damaged in a disaster. It won’t replace it in its full value, usually just 50% to 70% of the overall value of your belongings. There are often exceptions to what personal property is covered in homeowners policies. For example, jewelry often requires an additional add-on to the policy and isn’t automatically covered under the protection of homeowners. Therefore, you should check what personal property is covered before purchasing a policy. If something important isn’t covered in the basic policy, you can opt to add supplemental insurance for specific possessions.
- Liability Coverage: In this day and age where people tend to be lawsuit happy, this coverage is vital. Liability coverage protects you if someone is hurt on your property and then tries to sue you for medical expenses. Most homeowners policies have a liability aspect that pays for the costs related to someone’s injury.
What IS NOT Covered
- Flood Damage: Although it is a natural disaster, flooding is often not included in covered events. If you live in an area prone to flooding, it’s a good idea to purchase a separate flood policy to cover your home and possessions in the event of a flood.
- Negligence Damage: Homeowners policies typically do not cover damage due to negligence. In general, homeowners insurance is designed to help you recoup your loss if something happens to your home that’s not within your control. However, if damage is caused by your neglect as a homeowner, there is a chance your policy won’t cover the cost of repairs. For example, your insurance company might not pay for damage due to frozen pipes if you as the homeowner didn’t take steps to winterize your pipes.
- Landslides and Earthquakes: This type of natural disaster, much like flooding, is typically left out in terms of what is covered in most homeowners insurance policies. There are some exceptions to this rule. For example, Tennessee and Florida have a “catastrophic ground coverage collapse” clause within policies that covers damage from sinkholes, landslides and earthquakes.
Other Common Uncovered Issues:
- Sewer backups.
- Dog bites (on your property).
- Trampoline accidents.
- Termites.
- Mold.
Keep the above information in mind when purchasing your homeowners insurance policy. If you aren’t sure if a certain event or structure/possession is covered, ask your agent. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
