Posts Tagged ‘Domestic Moving’

Finding a New Roommate When Moving

Monday, December 12th, 2011

The ideal situation for most people moving into a new house or apartment is to move in with loved ones, family and friends or with people they know. Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible for a variety of reasons ranging from new employment far away to college and a variety of other factors. Finding a roommate to help share the cost of rent and utilities can be a necessary burden, but the process itself can sometimes feel daunting. How you find a roommate will depend upon where and why you moved in the first place.

College students who are planning to move to school will find that there are a lot of options available for finding roommates either in dorms or within the surrounding community. For dorm dwellers, most of the work is done for you. Most schools will let you pick your dorm mate or will set you up with someone no problem. If you are living off campus, many schools have websites and facilities that work to set up students and landlords with rental properties close to campus. This is a great way to make sure that your roommates have something in common with you.

Individuals who have just finished a domestic move to a new state or city may find that they need a roommate but don’t know anybody that is available personally. There are several websites and organizations available to help people who are just in this situation. The thing to remember here is to vet potential roommates as well as possible before officially signing the arrangement. This can be hard to do over the phone or through a website, so it’s a good idea to have one or two meetings in order to find out if you’re going to be compatible with your potential roommate.

Getting Supplies for Your Domestic Move

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

Anybody who is planning on moving finds out eventually that they don’t have all the supplies they need to go through with their domestic move. The list of needed items can sometimes seem a little expensive: boxes, tape, labels, padding and a variety of other tools used to keeping your stuff safe and secure during a move. Many people choose to go the retail route when getting supplies for their domestic move, such as going to any retail outlet and purchasing brand new supplies at high prices.

Purchasing brand new boxes can be an unnecessary expense. The first thing you should do is find out if it is possible to get boxes from your place of employment. Most companies that do any kind of shipping or receiving will be getting rid of lots of cardboard boxes on a daily basis. Don’t be afraid to go to the shipping department and ask for a few boxes for your move; the shipping people are used to it. You can save lots of money by getting slightly used boxes from work or friends and family that have recently moved.

A long term cheaper option for people who relocate household goods often is to get a collection of plastic bins. Regular cardboard boxes have a life of maybe one or two moves, while good plastic bins are virtually indestructible and can last a very long time. This option may not be great for people planning on moving only once or twice in their lives, but for people who find themselves moving somewhat often the initial investment will payoff in the long run. Plastic bins aren’t even that much more expensive than boxes, and may even be cheaper depending on whether or not they are on sale and where you buy them.

Storage and Moving Solutions

Monday, December 5th, 2011

Moving is a great opportunity to go through all of the stuff in your home and find out what you need and what you don’t need. It’s inevitable that you’re going to find a lot of things that haven’t been used in years and would be better off somewhere else. It’s also likely that you’re going to find things you really want to keep but that you will have no room for in your new home. This can be antiques, furniture or lots of other large items that you treasure but simply can’t come with you.  This kind of situation is ideal for storage solutions.

Storage companies have a variety of different services to help people move their stuff into their storage unit. Some companies can send a portable structure to your home for you to place stuff in until you have it picked up for long term placement. You can also rent units from storage facilities where you bring the items in yourself.  Either way, you will need to have the time in your schedule to set up your storage situation apart from the rest of your domestic move. That is where a relocation service might be able to come in and take the burden off of your hands.

A relocation service that helps with domestic moving can take care of all the transportation of your household goods so that you can focus on getting things into storage and other important activities related to your move. You can also hire people to help you move things into storage, meaning even more time for you to focus on more important things. Either way, getting the assistance of a global relocation service will save you a ton of hassle on all of your domestic and international moving and will make the experience of moving easier than you would have possible imagined.

Information about Employee Relocations

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

Due to the nature of business, it’s often necessary to relocate employees in order to fill positions in companies where local labor is not available. When a corporation typically relocates employees, they offer a compensation package that helps alleviate the cost of moving, selling a home, and buying a new place to live. How much the company is willing to offer for the employee relocation will depend on the nature of the position and the value the employee has to the company. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to relocate for a new job, but your employer is not offering to pay for you move, you may find it helpful to use the services of a relocation service like Unipack.

The advantages of using global relocation service to help arrange your international or domestic relocation. First, because a relocation service has valuable contacts and experience with a variety of transportation companies, they can often negotiate rates for household goods transportation that are far better than what you would be able to get on your own. Second, because a relocation service has experience in transportation, they can arrange an efficient as secure way for your goods to make it your new home. If for some reason your company won’t help you move for your new position, don’t hesitate to contact a relocation service like Unipack for your moving needs.

Safety Hazards When Moving

Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

Most jobs done during a move are completely harmless, but occasionally you will have to take on a job that will require heavy lifting or moving that can cause injury if not done correctly. There’s nothing that says you have to take on a job like this, as you can consult with a relocation service to set up movers for you, but if you do decide to take on the job yourself, it’s important to properly observe all safety cautions so that you reduce and chance of getting injured. Moving is already stressful enough as it is. There’s no reason to make it unsafe as well.

Proper lifting techniques start and end with the legs. It’s important to remember that when you bend lift things you should be bending at the knees instead of at the waist. This will ensure that the energy in your body used for lifting comes from the big muscles in your legs instead of the much weaker muscles in the lower back. This technique will provide for much greater lifting power and less risk for injury. You may also want to consider using a lifting belt to help ensure proper technique.

Keeping safe during moving also involves using all the tools available to help make the job easier. These items include, but are certainly not limited to dollies, carts, rubber stoppers and jacks. It also requires the use of assistance from friends or neighbors for heavy items that have the potential to cause serious injury. One of the best ways to eliminate the chance of injury is to leave the work to the professionals. A global relocation service can set it up so that movers can take care of the relocation of your household good all the way from origin to destination.

How to Avoid Moving Scams

Monday, November 28th, 2011

Moving, no matter how far it is, can be a stressful experience for all parties involved. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people in the moving business who take advantage of this and try to scam innocent movers out of lots of money.  The following are some tips on how to avoid scammers and save yourself tons of money and hassle in the long run.

-every legitimate moving company is licensed but not every licensed company is legitimate. You should look beyond just a license to find a good company to trust with your move.

-beware of a company that asks for an initial security deposit. A legitimate moving company will never ask for money upfront.

-always get all of your agreements in writing. Verbal guarantees are useless and will never stand up in court should you encounter a problem.

-an indicator of a potential scam is if the moving company tells you that they don’t need to visit your home to get an accurate estimate. Expect costs to be significantly greater than quoted from these places.

-don’t trust a moving company that doesn’t have an office. Visit the offices and take a look at their trucks. How well everything is maintained will be an indicator of how well your stuff is treated during the move.

-research potential moving companies with the Better Business Bureau. It’s not a guarantee for a reliable company, but it’s a good place to gain more information.

-never do business with a company that accepts only cash, postal/money orders or certified bank checks. It’s a sign that you may be working with a rogue mover.

The Moving Checklist Part Two

Saturday, November 26th, 2011

Our last post was a checklist for moving from six weeks to two weeks out. This time we will go through the steps that will help you with your move all the way up until delivery day.

One Week before Moving Day

  • Ensure that you have enough prescription drugs to last you for at least a month. You don’t know the next time you’ll be able to get some.
  • Begin packing your traveling clothes and fill a suitcase with everything you may need for the trip.

Two Days before Moving

  • Empty the fridge and defrost the freezer
  • If you’ve hired packers, start to clearly label the fragile items
  • Aim to have all the packing done by today if you’re packing yourself
  • Go through everything in the house to make sure nothing gets left behind

Moving Day

  • Go through a final walkthrough of the house and ensure that all lights are off, electricity is off, gas is off, doors and windows are locked.
  • Supervise the movers closely when they arrive
  • Make sure that the  driver has the correct address
  • Read the Order of Service and Bill of Lading carefully before signing.

The Moving Checklist Part One

Thursday, November 24th, 2011

This is part one of our moving checklist guide that will help guide you through the steps of going through with a stress free and painless domestic move. This first part will go through the steps you can take a week or more before the moving trucks arrive at your door.

Eight Weeks before Moving Day

  • Decide whether you are going to do your own packing or hire someone else to do it
  • Arrange to have your kid’s school records transferred
  • Go through all of your stuff and decide what to keep and what to  get rid of

Six Weeks before Moving Day

  • Start going through and consuming all your perishable foods.
  • Create a folder or file with all moving related paperwork inside.
  • Notify gas providers, water service, family, attorneys and anyone else that would need to know that you are moving and give them your new address.
  • Begin packing the least used items in the house, label carefully
  • Arrange for the transfer of your medical records
  • Complete the change of address form through the post office

Two Weeks before Moving

  • Remove any valuables stored in safe deposit boxes
  • Packing should be about 75% complete by this point
  • Obtain large moving labels or clear markings for boxes and containers
  • Notify your employer of your move and any time you may need off if applicable
  • Purchase traveling gear for pets if you need it
  • If you have house plants and are moving out of state, plan to give them to friends or neighbors.

Some Facts to Keep in Mind When Moving

Friday, November 18th, 2011

The facts surrounding the moving industry can be a bit disheartening, but by examining some common misconceptions and potential pitfalls you can avoid a lot of the bad circumstances that trouble so many movers. Many problems arise from erroneous quotes given by movers. Most relocations end up costing more than double the original amount quoted. Many moving companies mislead consumers so much on claims that the customer ends up dropping it.

When it comes to insurance, Federal law mandates a minimum relocation insurance of 60 cents per pound per item on interstate relocations. Minimum covereage for local relocations can be half this amount.  Make sure to take these insurance prices into account when calculating risk during a move. Federal law also prohibits the practice of holding goods hostage to extort bigger payments from their customers.

As far as finding a good relocation service to help with your move, there are a few things to keep in mind. Check with the BBB itself to investigate claims made from companies that claim to be in good standing with the Bureau as they can sometimes be a lie. Most relocations involve hidden fees usually assessed after all your things are moved onto the truck. You can become less vulnerable to these problems is you familiarize yourself with common business practices of shady moving companies.

A Guide to Hiring Movers

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

Hiring movers may seem like a somewhat trivial task, but it’s important to hire people who you can trust to handle your most important valuables and get them where you need them to go. Evaluating whether or not a mover is trustworthy may not be readily apparent, but can be accomplished through several different methods. This involves doing research online, asking around, checking certifications and getting a general feel for how the company operates. However you decide to make the final decision on a mover, make sure you have as much information as possible

One of the most reliable ways to hiring a good moving company is to get recommendations from friends. This will provide you with a detailed experience of how the company operates and whether or not they can fit to your needs. Make sure to ask any friend that gives you a recommendation plenty of questions about what the company is willing and not willing to do and how well they do it. It’s a good idea to supplement any recommendation you get with outsider reviews and evaluation.

Always have more than one option available before making your final decision. This will allow you to compare and contrast movers based on a variety of factors: price estimates, online reviews, services offered, reputation, BBB status and any other factors that you might feel are important. It’s a good idea to narrow down your choices to between 3 and 4 companies before going through with the final decision. Relocation services will typically offer a much wider variety of services than a typical moving company, including vehicle transportation and international moving services.