Home, Moving Tips
Whether you are moving all of the way across the country or several states over, you have a big decision to make. Should you use storage pods to transport your possessions or hire a traditional moving truck to do the job for you? Your answer actually depends on several factors, including how much stuff you have, whether or not you are moving in right away, and if you are up to the task of packing the storage pods on your own. Each method offers a few benefits and disadvantages, but you can use the following information to help you come to an informed decision.
When Should You Use a Storage Pod to Relocate Instead of a Traditional Moving Truck?
If you aren’t moving into a new home or apartment right away and you need to keep your items in long term storage, pods are a great option. You only have to pack them up once, and then, they are placed in storage until you need them. They are delivered right to your door for packing and picked up once they are ready. A monthly fee is attached to your storage along with the initial cost of obtaining and packing the pod/pods.
What You Need to Consider When Choosing Pods over Traditional Moving Trucks
If you choose to use pods to move your belongings, you are responsible for moving everything on your own. This process typically involves asking for help from friends and other family members, particularly when moving heavy pieces of furniture, large appliances, and oversized TVs.
If you hire professional movers to transport your belongings in a moving truck, they do nearly all of the work for you. They arrive at your home, pack up your stuff, and unpack it at your destination. This can eliminate a lot of the hassle associated with moving. Professional movers are trained to do this type of work. They are strong and can easily move large pieces of furniture in and out of the truck. Since professional movers carry insurance, your possessions are covered if anything is damaged during the moving process.
If you are moving the entire contents of a large home, you are going to need the largest size pod that is available. You might even need more than one, particularly if you are storing most of your possessions. One of the benefits of using pods is that you can take your time packing up since it doesn’t need to be accomplished in a single day.
What You Need to Consider When Using Pods to Transport Your Items or Storing Your Possessions in Pods
Typically, pods aren’t climate-controlled. Even though the building where they are going to be stored might be climate-controlled, you still have to worry about travelling time. In some cases, pods do not travel directly from your location to the ending destination since the truck transporting the pod might need to make additional pickups in other cities. If you have items that won’t travel well in the heat or cold such as musical instruments and artwork, then you might want to ask about the actual travel route that will be taken.
Home, Moving Tips
When you contemplate the act of moving, you have two primary choices: take responsibility for the move yourself and garner some reluctant volunteers to help you physically move or hire professional movers. There are some moving situations that are applicable for doing it yourself, while others almost demands you hire professionals. The following are some moving situations that make hiring professional movers well worth the cost:
When Hiring Professional Movers is Necessary And Well Worth The Cost
- You’re Moving a Great Distance Away: If you’re moving right down the road or even to another location within your current town, you can likely get away with moving yourself. However, if you are moving across country or even just states away, you need to hire professional movers. You can’t expect your family and friends to commit to driving your belongings hundreds of miles away. In addition, the logistics of moving that much stuff across the nation is simply more than most people are equipped to handle. For example, when driving across country, weather and road conditions can damage your belongings, which makes a moving truck or van necessary.
- You’re Moving Valuable And/or Bulky Furniture/Items: If your couch, entertainment center or other furnishings are heavy or bulky, or you have valuable possessions, with which you want to be extra careful, you likely want to hire professional movers to help you. The scene from Friends, “pivot, pivot, pivot!!” is a comical showcase of what it takes to move large pieces of furniture down narrow hallways or up and down stairs . Your friends and family, as well as yourself can easily injure yourself trying to move extremely heavy items without the proper equipment. Also, you don’t want to give volunteers the responsibility of taking care of your valuable possessions. Professional moving companies have their own insurance policies that will allow them to reimburse you if the worst should happen and your property is damaged in a move. In addition, if you would like even more protection, you can get moving insurance to further protect yourself.
- You Have a Stipend: If you are moving to take a new job, you might have a stipend that pays for moving expenses. If this is the case, why not employ professional movers to complete the job? There is really no reason not to take advantage of this if you are given the choice.
- Time is of the Essence: When you need to get a move completed quickly to get out of an old place or into a new one, hiring professional movers is a good idea. After all, when getting packed, moved and unpacked is time sensitive, you don’t want to wait for your friends and family to find the time to help you move. Instead, hire professional movers to successfully move your belongings from one home/apartment to the other, without waiting on your friends and family’s schedules to open up.
Hiring professional movers to help you move your possessions from one location to another is an expense. However, even with the cost involved, hiring professional movers is often the better option when compared with doing it yourself. After all, you should consider the worth of your own time as well that of your family and friends when evaluating the cost of hiring a moving company. In the situations outlined above, hiring professional movers is the best choice.
Sources:
https://www.statefarm.com/simple-insights/residence/the-ins-and-outs-of-moving-insurance
Home, Moving Tips
Moving into a new home is an exciting adventure. Unfortunately, it can also seem somewhat overwhelming, knowing what to do and when. Thankfully, this helpful list below will tell you the top 10 things to tackle after moving into a new place:
1.) Have the Utilities Turned On: You might have already taken care of this prior to move in day. However, if you haven’t, go ahead and do this as soon as possible once moving in.
2.) Change the Locks: If you didn’t handle this prior to moving, change the locks before moving your valuable stuff into a new place. You have no idea who the prior owners gave copies of their key to, so it’s best to be on the safe side and have the locks changed and new keys created. Not having your locks changed is a big security risk.
3.) Update Your Mailing/Billing Address: You can change your mailing address online via the U.S.P.S site. However, even once you do this, don’t be surprised to have your mail get a bit mixed up for a while after your move.
4.) Get Internet: Since many devices, such as sprinkler systems, doorbells and even garage doors can utilize an internet connection, an internet hookup is almost as necessary as water and power. Therefore, it’s important to establish your internet connection at your new place as quickly as possible.
5.) Figure Out Where You are Going to Sleep on Night One: Just as if you were stuck in the woods at night, you must come up with a plan for shelter for the night as quickly as possible. Thankfully, you do have a roof over your head. Unfortunately, most of your belongings might still be in boxes, so determine where you are going to sleep your first night, or make it a priority to unpack your bed and bedding as your first task, so at the very least you have a place to rest for the night.
6.) Meet Your New Neighbors: Hopefully, your new neighbors will let curiosity get the better of them and introduce themselves, even better if they bring along food. If they don’t though, don’t be put out, they might just be shy or worry they will get in your way. Go introduce yourself as soon as possible.
7.) Wipe Out Cabinets: Before placing your clean dishes into your cabinets, wipe them out well with a cleaner and replace contact paper if necessary. This will let you know if there is a rodent problem in your home you need to deal with. Speaking of which…
8.) Set Up a Pest Control Company: You might find your empty home has been enjoyed by rodents during the time it was without human occupants. To remedy this, you can do your own pest control or hire in a professional.
9.) Check For Water Leaks: Once your water is turned on, you need to double check for leaks in your home. Sure, your home inspector is supposed to take care of this prior to closing, but sometimes more minor leaks can be overlooked. Look for running toilets, dripping faucets and water leaks around your water heater. A good rule of thumb to use is this: determine what your water meter reads, then go back and check it after two hours. Be sure to use no water during this time. If your water meter reading is different from two hours prior, this indicates you have a leak.
10.) Consider Having Your Carpets Professionally Cleaned: Before moving in your furniture, you might want to have your carpets professionally cleaned or rent a machine and do it yourself. This will ensure your furnishings are being placed in a clean area.
Complete the 10 steps listed above to get your home set up properly and in a timely, stressfree manner.
Home, Moving Tips
Moving day and it seems like your world is being turned upside down. That’s how many people feel when the time comes to relocate. Of course, few are prepared for the major change of a new living space, community, and job. Employment opportunities remain a driving force behind relocation. But the experience does not need to be filled with dread and uncertainty.
In fact, there are online outfits available that offer full-service moving resources. Quick Moving Quotes, for example, offers everyday people the tools to plan a seamless and stress-free move. Creating a customized, cost-effective plan can be done on any desktop, laptop or electronic device. Consider these four ways to turn a hectic move into a joyous experience.
1: Professional Planning Matters
There are two basic ways that you can effectively plan for moving day. The first entails you taking inventory of everything you own. Then, create some type of spreadsheet or list and calculate the number of boxes, wrapping paper, weight, fragile packaging, bulky items and labor among others. Yes, planning is a ton of work.
The other option is to rely on the experience and expertise of a professional moving outfit. Think about what it will really cost in terms of your time and resources to pack, load, move and unload. Compare that to a no-obligation quote from Quick Moving Quotes and make a decision. Remember to figure in the cost of your sanity as well.
2: Stress Reduction Matters
By connecting with professional moving services, your task will simply be to answer a few pragmatic questions come moving day. Telling someone which box goes in which room beats doing it yourself. But letting go of the situation can also create some anxiety. After all, some of the items have great sentimental value.
Consider having a friend swing by and chat over a cup of tea in the morn. Put on pleasant music or just go to the fitness center and workout. Do the things that help you to relax. Remember, the pros have your back.
3: Unclutter Your Life
Moving can be an excellent opportunity to finally reduce clutter. Leading up to moving day, consider having a tag sale and purge unneeded items. Donate things to a charity. You may even get a tax deduction come April. The point is that you have an opportunity to start fresh at the other end. Don’t take a worn-out mattress or couch with you.
4: Embrace Your New Community
One of the major stressors of relocation is feeling alone. Meeting people organically can take a good amount of time. Be proactive and make connections.
Consider joining community organizations by volunteering at places such as the local library, school committees, a non-profit music organization or theater group. If you are a fitness enthusiast, go beyond joining a gym. Sign up to participate in a walking, running or biking event. The point is to become a community member by joining. You’ll likely love your community that much more by being a vital member.
At the end of the day, turning a potentially frightening moving experience into a positive one starts by networking with trained professionals and ends with you have a great new circle of friends.
