The Moving Planner Blog

Staying organized day to day while moving can be quite a challenge for most of us, especially when it comes to the entire moving and storage process, things can quickly enter the category of “overwhelming”. If you’re like most of the people moving out there, you may be waiting for your new home to be built or for your house to be sold. That’s where moving and storage can make the transition a lot easier for you and your family. If you are moving around the month of October or December, those Halloween and Christmas decorations probably won’t be needed right away, but other important items like bedding, kitchen utensils and bath supplies will.

In order to stay organized during your move, remember that there are essentially three stages you’ll need to follow:
     Getting organized
     Packing everything the right way
     Stacking everything the right way

First of all, make an inventory list of all your moving and storage items and categorize them into two groups; the high priority items and the low priority items. Make sure you record all belongings with serial numbers, both on the lists and on the boxes. Take note of the things you should keep a check on. For example… Read more…

Unless you are actually moving into a rural farmhouse, your brand new home is sure to come with much more than just its walls. No, I don’t mean furniture – I mean all the external factors that surround normal homes in urban neighborhoods. You will be getting an entire neighborhood filled with all sorts of people and things.

Once you buy property and are done with the moving and storage aspect, you will definitely have many other questions going through your head. Most importantly, you will want to know everything about your new property. You will want to take the time to introduce yourself to your new surroundings, and of course, your potential new neighbors. You will also want to ask them a number of questions to help you have a complete picture of the place you are moving into. These questions will most importantly help you know whether your lifestyle is going to fit your new surroundings. So, here are some questions you should be asking around:

What’s The Best Thing You Can Do In Your New Neighborhood?
Don’t just inquire only about the favorite or best restaurants; broaden up your inquiries to find out about the hidden details of the neighborhood. You will want to keep your ears open for the inside scoop on perhaps the local Oktoberfest celebrations.

Do Most Of The Residents Have Pets?
This is something you can also inquire before commencing the moving and storage process of your move. If you are crazy about pets, perhaps dogs in particular, you will want to find out where you can take your dog for walks. On the contrary, if you suffer from cynophobia, you will want to be aware of who to avoid and what places to avoid. You will instead prefer going to areas where dogs are not let loose, or where no pets prevail. Read more…

When it comes to moving and storage, “double-boxing” particular items in the proper way is very important. First of all, double-boxing is ideally done for items that are easily breakable. It is a method of packaging, commonly used for moving and storage purposes or for shipment purposes. If you are getting ready to move or relocate and have any vulnerable items that can easily be broken on even the slightest recklessness, you should seriously get those items packed in a double box.

It so happens quite often that people don’t seem to realize what items to pack in double boxes, or they don’t realize when to start packing particular items in double boxes. One thing you should realize is that double-boxing doesn’t come in handy for only moving and storage purposes. It is also used in cases when you may need to put away or store some things temporarily or if you are trying to protect your belongings against any natural disaster. For example, after holiday season, you may want to pack up and store some of your delicate decorations or the delicate gifts you are not likely to use for some time. This is when you have to double box the items you need to store temporarily. Another example is when there has been a dangerous weather forecast or maybe the prediction of a natural disaster hitting your region, like a hurricane or flood. You will want to store all of your most important belongings in double boxes and have them moved or stored in safer locations.

Double boxes are thicker cardboard boxes that are used for moving and storage purposes.  As compared to regular moving and storage boxes, double boxes are much safer because of their thick coating. The thick cardboard lagging in double boxes helps keep all vulnerable items safe from any vibration or heavy movements. When using double-boxing for packing and moving and storage purposes, be sure to do it the right way. For example, if you are planning on packing a pretty heavy antique piece or item, here’s how you should double box it: Read more…

Living with a roommate has its benefits. First of all, you’ll always have constant company, plus you’ll have someone sharing half of the rent. Aside from that, you’ll also have someone to feed your kitty when you’re out. But there may be times when that “someone” doesn’t buy and replace the toilet paper when it’s his/her turn, or he/she may just be lazy and may quite often decide to not help you with household chores. However, whatever personal crisis or behavior you face, setting up a budget with a roommate prior to commencing the moving and storage procedure will surely help you avoid any further problems.

Here are a few things you should try:

•    List Out the Household Items You’ll Be Sharing:
Take the time to sit down and create a list of all the items you and your roommate will be sharing.  This is something you should sit down and do with your roommate, so that everything is sorted out right there. The items to share may include things like:

•    Paper towels
•    Detergent
•    Toilet paper
•    Trash bag
•    Food and drinks

This can also depend on the way you decide on splitting your bills. You can also include some larger appliances and services on the list too, for example like utilities. Read more…

Real estate closing days are big days in the complete sense. Real estate closing when you as a buyer will finally get your hands on the keys of the house you are buying. You will be able to call it “your” house. In other words, it is the day when the selling and buying of the house is officially finished. It is the final stage.

Characteristically, it is the responsibility of the settlement or real estate agent to prepare and order all the necessary documents needed to make the closing happen. The documents needed vary from state to state. The professionals involved in the process handle the documentation aspect and are generally well aware of the requirements of every state.

There are a number of things a buyer needs to bring to a real estate closing, such as a valid form of identification, which is typically a state issued license or passport. Buyers are also expected to come along with the buyer’s funds, which usually have to be in the form of a cashier’s check. Some real estate companies accept personal checks, but this is something that’s becoming rarer with time. Read more…

When it comes to moving and storage, handling a teenager can be quite an ordeal. Moving with teens is truly an art. But just a little bit of patience and good preparation beforehand can make things pretty easy for you.

We all know that getting our teenagers out of bed early in the morning can be very tiring. When only making them leave bed in the morning is so scary, how on earth can you get them to leave their home, school and the friends they love? Well, it’s definitely not going to be easy, but with the right blend of patience, cajoling and sympathy, you will just as well manage to pull things off in a pretty neat manner.

Though you may not want to agree with this, but as parents, we sometimes don’t fully understand our children’s emotions. Relocation is not only a hard thing for adults, but is also a very difficult thing for kids. Thinking of it from the emotional aspect, it is even a notch higher in the case of children. Read more…

Many people are unaware of the fact that their home insurance companies can trap them after making two to three simple and small claims. But there are some key steps you can take to keep yourself protected. Once you know the basics about home insurance, you’ll have a good idea about the things you can expect and the things you must avoid. Plus, you’ll also be able to get the best home insurance, at the best price and also protect your coverage at the same time.

When you decide on getting yourself a new home, there are several things you need to consider aside from the moving and storage. Insurance is a major thing you should consider. There are 5 basic things you should know about home insurance, and these are:

1.    Avoid Making Small Claims:
The most important thing to keep in mind is to not make small claims. Over the years, many insurers have been dropping off a lot of people for making small claims. When I say “small claims” I really mean small claims of just about $200 or $300 about two or three times. The key remedy for this is to raise your deductibles to at least $1,000. This will help lower your premiums almost by 25% and also help prevent you from making some of those smaller claims that can save you from being let go. Read more…

Yes, we all hate taking out the garbage, especially when we have to drag it all the way up a hill to get rid of it, or if we have to walk a very uncomfortable distance with it. It’s even worse when it comes to utilizing garbage cans for moving and storage. However, using garbage cans that have wheels or are placed on carts with wheels is a lot better. Aside from making it easier to take the garbage out, wheels also make garbage cans easily movable.  There are generally two basic methods used for moving garbage cans: dolly carts and moving carts.

If you are moving from one house to another, you might be wondering about ways you can utilize your garbage can in a sensible manner. After all, we need all the storage space we can get when we are getting ready to move. There may be many ways you can use your garbage can, but in my opinion there are just two ways that actually make sense, and they are: Read more…

I can remember the time I had to move. For the first few months I couldn’t come to terms with the fact that it was time for me to leave my house of 15 years and move into a new home at an entirely new location. I went into a state of denial and tried to look for other ways of evading the move, but all my efforts were futile in the end. Finally it dawned on me that the sooner I accept this reality, the easier it will make the whole moving process for me and my family. But it took me a longer time to realize that it didn’t have to be that bad. Aside from that, I wasn’t even aware of any moving and storage services, which is probably why the whole experience was more miserable for me.

Now, coming to the point, how do you know it’s time to move? Will it be a particular year, season or a set of unexpected circumstances that will lead you to the signs? People have always been pondering over these questions; I know I did. Is there a clear cut answer to when would it be the best time to move? The answer is probably never! The sooner you come to terms with it, the better you will feel about it. However, there are a number of guidelines and benefits you should consider when it’s time for you to pack up and relocate, such as moving and storage facilities and services. Read more…

For most of us, the moving and storage of holiday lights is really one of the most dreaded aspects of the post-holiday period. But even though we hate the light stashing part, we all know that we won’t need to worry about getting new holiday lights the following year again. And when the time comes the following year, we definitely thank our stars for successfully storing those lights.

When it comes to the moving and storage of holiday lights, there are a number of storage ideas you can make good use of. But before packing them away, just make sure that the lights are in working order, so that they are fully functional when you eventually unpack them when you need them. However, if there are any broken lights, frayed chords and other damage that cannot be repaired easily, it is obviously time to get rid of the entire strand. And what does this mean in turn? It means it is time for you to head to a store to buy yourself some new holiday lights or decorations. If it is Christmas season, you are sure to get discounts of as much as 80% off all holiday decors. So, this would be the best time stock up on the LED lights against the following year! Read more…