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Table of contents Moving Tips Top 5 Moving Hacks……………………………………………………………3 Picking the Right Time to Move……………………………………………………………6 Top 10 Money Saving Tips for Moving…………………………………………………………….9 Moving into a Prefab New Home?…………………………………………………..…….13 Moving or Relocating Your Business?………………………………………………………..15
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Moving tips TOP 5 MOVING HACKS Whether you’re moving across the street or across the country, it’s important to pay attention to details and get things done efficiently. But remembering everything can often be difficult in the rush, excitement, and stress of the moving process. While having a plan is key, knowing these shortcuts and hacks can make your life a whole lot easier. The
anticipation
and excitement of moving to a new home or a new city is hard to beat, but schlepping your stuff from Point A to Point B can be a hassle if you’re doing it wrong. Win the moving process by following a few simple steps that will save time and have you feeling smarter than your friends. Stay organized by using color codes to remind movers (and yourself!) where boxes and other items will go in your new home. Worried about hooking up that pricey TV all over again? A few photos can make rewiring a breeze. Read
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on for 5 tips that are sure to eliminate time-consuming hassles during your next move. 1. For Post-Move Necessities, Have a “Clear” View Save time and headaches by placing items you’ll need first in a clear plastic bin or storage box. The last thing you’ll want to do is dig around in all of your moving boxes for that one item you’ll need right away. By putting your most important necessities in one or two clear plastic boxes, you can do a quick visual check and then grab what you need. 2. Take Photos of the Back of Your TV You don’t need a photographic memory to properly rewire your high-priced electronics after a move, but you do need a photograph. A few days before the movers haul your stuff away, take some quality photos of the wiring at the back of your HDTV. Once your new place is ready for some entertainment, just look at the photos to know where all of those pesky wires are meant to go. 3. Color Code Your Move Your items are carefully packed and have arrived with the moving truck. But what’s their destination once you or the movers step inside? As you’re packing, attach colored labels to all of your moving boxes based on the room they’ll go in. Once you arrive at your new place, hang color-coded signs above the doorway of each room. When you or the movers are bringing in boxes, everyone will know right where to go.
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4. Moving? There's an app for that! Embrace technology during your next move. Try a moving app that can organize things like packing lists and other important information so it’s never out of your reach. One popular iPhone app is Moving List 5. Earn Money While You Move Plan ahead to list valuable items you no longer need or don't want cluttering your new place on sites like eBay or Craigslist. Things take time to sell, so snap photos and post listings at least 6 weeks before moving day. It may not pay for your move, but you could earn some extra cash to spend on your new digs.
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PICKING THE RIGHT TIME TO MOVE – A DEFINITIVE LIST Moving is a big life decision. You must think it over carefully before packing your bags and booking a moving company. To make it easier, and less stressful,
choosing
the
right time for you to move can
be
crucial
to
the
process... winter can be too cold, summer can be way too hot. So, to help you make the decision on what time is right for you, we've compiled a list to help make your decision on when to move - local or long distance - based on costs and a variety of other factors that can come into play. Moving Based on Cost •
Peak Season – In the moving industry, peak season is from MaySeptember. In order to keep your moving costs as low as possible, this could be the priciest time to move. However, these months are usually the most convenient and comfortable based on weather.
•
Weekends – Since most people are busy with work and other important things during weekdays, and people can't always afford to take time off,
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many book their moves during Saturday and Sunday. This results in moving and storage companies being packed during weekends and trying to fit your move in will probably cost you more money as a result. •
Beginning and End of the Month – One of the worst times to move is during the first or last day(s) of the month. Many moves occur at the beginning or end of the month because that’s when most leases are up.
Moving Based on the Weather Conditions Depending on where you live, Summer is usually the busiest time for moving. But it doesn’t mean that you should book your move in the middle of winter during a snow storm. If the movers have to battle bad weather, it will be inconvenient for you and them as well as increasing the cost and time it takes to complete moving. Miscellaneous Bad times for Moving •
Spur of the Moment – Never move if it’s just something you decided on a whim. It is always important to plan well ahead when preparing to move. Don’t base this life decision based on a sudden urge or a passing fad. Besides, you will be much more comfortable having a job lined up and everything situated before you move to a new town!
•
In the Middle of the School Year – If you have children, it would be better for you to schedule the move at the end of their academic school year so that they can finish the year where they started and have time to say bye to friends while preparing for life and schooling in a new area.
•
During Holidays – You may thing that scheduling your move on a holiday is a great and convenient idea, but you must also consider that
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during the holidays, traffic can be terrible AND movers are usually fullybooked during holidays as well - causing an increase in moving prices. These are just a few of the tips available when deciding on the right time to move. As always, plan well in advance and based on these points, try to pick a time that would be the most convenient for you as well as a time that would save you the most money. there is a fine balance, it can be tough to find, but it will be a much better move in the long run!
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TOP 10 MONEY SAVING TIPS FOR MOVING Moving... it's one of those things in life that many people dread. In fact, unless you know professional movers that genuinely like moving/helping their customers and getting to know them, you will be very hard pressed to find anyone who puts moving on the top of their lists as best ways to spend time. In face, it's usually at the very bottom. And, along with moving comes spending money. Sometimes moving can be an expensive thing, but if you know how to do it correctly, you can actually save plenty of money - this can help make the experience more enjoyable (especially in this economy). So, we have compiled some of the top ways to save money when moving. Take a look! 1. In every home with time more and more items are accumulated and at a certain point you come up with so many things you don’t need or that are broken and can’t be used. There is no point to move them. Go around your home, see what you don’t need or want and get rid of it. You can sell things on ebay or organize a garage sale, you can put things up on Craigslist, give away things for charity (that may even provide you with some tax benefits) or just give the things you no longer want to friends, relatives, neighbors, etc. Throw away the garbage and recycle the materials that you can. Especially review the heavy items in
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your home – winter coats, CDs, heavy boots, etc. Will you use them all? Will you be listening to all of the CDs you already have? This is one of the efficient ways to ways to save money when you move out. That includes dealing with the toys your kids may not be playing with any longer. 2. Another one of the ways to save when moving is to not throw away frozen food. Make a menu for the last period in your home and consume the food that you have. These are all things you have bought and paid for anyway. 3. At the same time, plan what will fit in your new home. One of the ways to save on moving expenses is to measure your furniture – if it won’t fit, don’t transport it. 4. If you have some equipment for your hobby or instruments in your garage you don’t use consider getting rid of them. This is one of the ways to save money when you move out because the heavier your belongings are the more money you’ll have to pay for your moving. 5. Explore your library and check which books you want to keep. A generous way to save money on moving expenses is to give away your unwanted books to the movers. 6. Get at least several moving quotes. If you only get one estimate, you may get a rogue mover. Even though in most cases the prices will be similar, don’t take that chance and ask for several quotes – if you don’t it may cost you a lot of money, effort and frustration. 7. Read reviews when looking for a moving company. For sure you should take some time to research on the movers before hiring them. One of the great ways to save money when moving is this because reviews can tell you how a company works. If someone was scammed – the reviews
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are the place to find out about this. Reading reviews online can save you money with movers. 8. Save on packing supplies. You don’t necessarily need to buy them all new from the store. You can collect boxes at liquor and book stores, supermarkets, etc. Just make sure that the boxes you get are clean, sturdy and strong enough to handle the content you plan to use in them. Instead of packing paper you can ask for defected newsprint at the local newspaper – they’ll throw it away anyway. One of the easy ways to save on moving expenses is to ask for second hand materials for packing online – there may be people who don’t need their bubble wrap, packing paper and have tape left after their move. 9. Can you be flexible on your moving dates? This is one of the ways to save on moving expenses that we’d recommend. In some cases if you agree on another moving date you may pay a bit less. In this way movers can combine the route they travel by taking other people’s belongings as well. And everyone is a winner! 10.
Also consider the time to move. Usually movers charge more in
summer, on weekends, during holidays and in the beginning and end of the month because they have more work then. One of the possible ways to save money when you move out is to contact a few movers and ask what the price for your relocation will be depending on the time to move. So, as you can see, there are plenty of things you can do to make a move cheaper (and ultimately more enjoyable). Moving doesn't have to be as bad as you think it is. Although, it is not something you want to do all of the time, there is a way to make it a more enjoyable activity and even save money in the process.
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Some of these tips are common sense, some are things you might have never thought out or over looked. The list could go on and on, however, we thought these 10 tips would help illustrate our point and save you the most money. Remember, the key to a successful move is planning and strategy! (bulleted tip section information provided by themovingblog.com)
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MOVING INTO A PREFAB NEW HOME? What if we were to tell you that you could move into a brand-new home - a nice one at that - for a price cheaper than the typical new "brand-name" home? Every year many people and couples move out of apartments and into their very first home (a "starter" home) and often times, they pay too much for fancy
designs,
upgraded
interiors
and
"name
brand"
neighborhoods. However, another
there option
is -
a
rather popular one at that. A recent look into the housing market shows that the sale of prefabricated of "manufactured" or prefabricated homes are on the rise. In fact, these type of homes now account for about 10% of the US housing market. That may not seem like too high of a figure, but considering how much the sale of these pre-manufactured homes have been growing in the last decade or so, the number is quite staggering. According to a National Association of Home Builders report, manufactured and modular home sales have increased by 48% during the period between 1992 and 2002. That’s faster than any other segment of the housing industry at the time! Prefabricated and modular homes differ from site-built homes, in that these kinds of homes are pre-fabricated–in whole or in part–at a building facility,
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then shipped to their final destination of your choosing. Virtually allowing you to buy a plot of land anywhere you want and have a house 'moved' there. Some prefabricated homes take as little as a week to build, and depending on the materials, they can be considerably less expensive than traditionally built homes. However, there are also some downsides to modular and prefabricated homes: Manufactured homes are notorious (whether true or not) for losing their value over time, so loans can be tough to obtain. Additionally, interest rates can be high for prefabricated home loans. The bottom line is, you do have options when planning a move. You do not have to be stuck to a typical apartment complex, cramped city or cookie-cutter style home. And, on the plus side, picking a prefabricated home can make the moving process much easier should you choose to re-locate (all you have to do is buy a new plot of land)! This brings a whole new meaning to "moving house".
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MOVING OR RELOCATING YOUR BUSINESS? These days, the economy is really limiting growth of business in some industries. However, there are plenty of industries that are still growing strong! Many of these businesses are rapidly growing and expanding. With this growth
comes
hiring
new employees and, the inevitable:
having
an
office space that is far too small for the amount of employees your office houses. And, remember – moving an office is usually not something that can be done by yourself and with friends. Hiring professionals is essential when moving offices. With many businesses (especially in the Northern VA area) growing and hiring new talent, the need for a bigger office building is essential. It can be a scary thought – where will we move? how big does our space need to be? Do we need to have extra space available for future growth? But, these answers can be figured out pretty quickly and without a lot of stress. Search the area where you want to set up shop. Find a building that fits your price range and has extra room incase of further growth (that way there’s no need to move AGAIN). After this, next comes picking a moving company that does local and long distance moves. Check out prices and be sure to get
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plenty of quotes. Make sure you choose a moving company with great reviews, not necessarily just the cheapest one you can find. The weekend is the best time for an office move, it does not cut into business and makes things stress free for your employees. Before the move, make sure you have your personal and private stuff packed yourself. If you have heavy
machinery
and
other
expensive
electronics
(copy
machines,
computers, etc) make sure you talk to the movers and devise a plan on packing and moving these things in a safe manner. If need be, hire extra people on the side to help with the move. While this may cost a little more money, it can be well worth it and help make sure you have packed up everything you will need to make your office move successful. Remember – moving your business to a new office can be a great and fun experience, but, it can also be stressful and time consuming. Choosing the right moving company, the perfect building and location and scoping things out first will help you put tremendously and cut down on the amount of stress involved with the move.