Archive for the 'Plan Your Move' Category
The world of moving has its own arcane and confusing language:
* A tariff sets how much a moving company charges for a move.
* The contract you receive for your move on moving day is called a ‘Bill of Lading.’
However, your confusion about relocation terminology can start even before you start searching for moving companies.
For instance, what’s this thing called a ‘van line’?
In its simplest terms, think of a van line like a franchisor. Much as McDonald’s has franchisees that own and operate the actual restaurants independently, van lines use ‘agents’ in the same way — an agent is a van line franchisee that operates on a local level.
Moving companies that are not part of a van line are labeled ‘independents.’
There are advantages to using a van line:
* A van line agent can tap into van line’s tractor-trailers for long distance moving, which usually means greater precision in delivery dates, and fewer chances that your items will be offloaded en route and bundled together with another shipment headed toward your destination.
* Also, the van lines are pretty thorough on enforcing quality control at their agents, so an agent that gets a lot of complaints can be kicked out the van line system. You’ll be less likely to face a scam operator on the van line level.
However, because of the overhead associated with a van line, a van line move can often cost more than a move from an independent.
The van lines will say, of course, that the advantages outweigh the disadvantage of cost.
There are about 20 van lines around the country, including the biggies like United, Mayflower and Atlas, with agents nationwide in most larger cities.
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3 Moving Scams You’ve Never Heard of
6 Clever Ways to Mess Up Your Move Day
Hiring moving companies isn’t easy — or cheap. However, it’s generally easier than moving it all yourself, so if you’re hiring movers, here are some ways to save.
Pack It Yourself: A moving company’s packing services performed by the mover are often as expensive as the transportation cost itself. Even if you are having your goods packed by the mover, there are some ways of saving money. Items that are nonbreakable such as linens and bedding can be packed easily without the risk of damage — maybe pack these, and have the movers handle the breakables, it’s a good way to save money. This is called a partial pack of your goods.
Seasonal Considerations: You will save money if you can be flexible on your move time. Avoid June, July, and August – those are the most expensive months to move because of greater demand for full-service long distance moving companies. Year-round, try to play your move during the middle of the month — costs are higher at the beginning and the end of the month because of the large number of apartment leases that have month-end dates. If you have some wiggle room with your move-in times, that can also save you money because the moving company may be able to combine shipments; however, ask yourself how long you can go without your stuff.
Save on Packing Luggage and duffel bags are perfect for packing sheets, towels and clothing. Also, the bottoms of wardrobe boxes are great for bulky, lightweight items. Use that space. Be wary of packing tips that might save you money but won’t protect your stuff – for example, using wadded up newsprint instead of bubble wrap. You might save a few dollars, but in the end, is busting something worth it?
Stock Up Make sure you have plenty of boxes and materials so you don’t have to keep making trips to buy more. If you’re buying from moving companies, you might be able to return the boxes you don’t use. Most everyone underestimates how much they’ll need; don’t make this mistake, be sure to get enough.
Storage Notes: If you have stuff at a storage unit or at another location, move those items to your home to avoid extra pick-up charges. Most items that need to be disassembled can be done so by the moving company. However, other items such as exercise equipment, outdoor gym and play sets require extra labor, and will cost you more. Whenever possible, disassemble and reassemble these yourself.
Time is Money Color-code the boxes according to the room they belong in so they all end up in the same place, saving time for both you and your mover.
Taxing Times Your moving costs could be tax-deductible. Keep all receipts for the taxman.
Are You Insured? Moving insurance is cheap and usually worth the cost — the basic protection you get from the moving company is exactly that, basic.
Do You Really Need That? Most long-distance moving is based on the weight of your shipment, so do you really need to move those heavy items? Check areas of your home for items that have not been used for a long time and simply dump them – if you don’t use them, why pay for them to be moved to new place where you won’t use them all over again? Sell it on eBay, sell it at a garage sale, or donate it to charity and take a tax write-off.
Know What You Own: Decide what items you want to ship and what will simply be thrown away. And keep in mind that if you change the number of items you move, the total cost of your move will change. Inform the mover of any changes — effective communication is a key factor for a successful move.
Ask — Politely: If you want to save money, chat with your moving company when you get moving quotes. With the economy, many moving companies are pretty desperate for your business, and will suggest ways to cut your move costs. But don’t go crazy — scam moving companies will cut your costs to zero if it means they can get your job and scam you. Make sure the cost savings make sense.
Related Stories:
5 Easy Ways to Save Over $1,000 on Your Move
Relocation.com Videos on Packing
weeks ago I wrote how people who can’t sell their home are starting to mull renting it instead.
If you’re one of those on the opposite side of the equation — you want to rent a home — here’s a quick list of things to look for in a rental home. Even though you’re just renting, you’re still investing in a community, and there are some important things to consider:
• The quality of the neighborhood and area schools as well as school bus routes, schedules and stops. If you have kids, find out if their school schedule fits your own.
• Check crimes rates in the area, as well as the sex offender registry.
• Is the new place convenient for your work, and does it have ready access to services and businesses that you frequent?
Here’s what to check on the house itself:
• Who’s responsible for general maintenance and utility bills, you or the landlord?
• Can you get the landlord easily if there is an emergency? Some homeowners who rent are doing so because they are moving out of state. Check to see if that’s the case.
• Do a background check on the homeowner just as they’d do one on you, say experts — you’ll never know what secrets may be in their financial closet. You don’t want the house to get foreclosed on, leaving you having to find a new place. Make sure whoever you’re renting from is current on their mortgage — and looks set to stay current.
• Check for environmental hazards like lead paint, asbestos and mold, particularly older homes. Don’t assume that the landlord has done those checks for you. And don’t assume any defects you see in the house will be fixed in the months ahead — make the fixes a condition of your signing the lease.
• Go over the lease carefully, particularly the section about breaking your lease. Also, be sure to check out renters insurance — your landlord’s insurance won’t cover you for most things.
This is a guest article from MovingDayBoxes.com
It’s crunch time, do or die: You have to move this weekend and you haven’t done anything. You need to start packing but you don’t know where to begin, and the whole thing seems completely overwhelming. Take a deep breath — we’ll show you how to pack like a pro.
Divide your clothes into four categories:
1.) Clothes you will use before you move
2.) Clothes you will definitely be wearing in the weeks after you move
3.) Clothes that are off season
4.) Clothes that you are ready to donate.
Pack up the donation clothes first — be aggressive here, when was the last time you wore that ugly olive sweater? Purging your closet of the things you don’t wear anymore will give you a feeling of progress and the positive momentum to keep moving forward.
Pack up the clothes that are off-season and the clothes you won’t be wearing in the next two weeks next. Leave the clothes you will be wearing in the next two weeks in the closet and pack those the day of the move.
Order some affordable moving supplies that can be delivered for free the next business day. On average, somebody who is moving spends two and half hours trying to locate moving boxes, comparing prices and picking up the boxes. Save yourself this step get the boxes delivered for free.
Pack dresses, suits, and pants that can’t be wrinkled in wardrobe boxes. This is important because if an important garment is thrown in a regular moving box, they can be so thoroughly wrinkled that they make become hard or impossible to un-wrinkle.
A common novice mover mistake is to purchase many extra-large boxes. This is a mistake because as you fill an extra-large box they often become too heavy to carry. A good rule of thumb is to use as small a box as possible and use more of them. Small boxes also won’t obscure your vision as you are going down stairs or walkways.
Make sure to put your mattress in a heavy-duty mattress bag. Mattresses tend to get very dirty and grimy during a move. They are dragged from spot to spot because they are difficult to carry.
Lastly, enlist friends to help you. Perhaps somebody can watch your pets and/or kids the day of the move and Don’t forget to keep your cell phone charger handy often this gets packed into a box early on and when you need to talk with your mover they can’t reach you because your phone is out of batteries. Good luck!
People mulling a relocation, whether it’s for a new job or to moving to a place with better job opportunities, face a dilemma — sell their home at a loss, or not move.
That’s bad. This nation needs for people to go to where they can find fruitful employment — that’s good on an individual level, and for the economy as a whole.
I’ve written about some signs that more people are willing to bite the bullet, sell their home and relocate for work.
And now there’s an indication of a willingness to take a different step to facilitate a relocation: The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article about how more homeowners are willing to rent out their home. Even if the rent they’ll make is less than the mortgage, they hope that home prices will rebound enough in the longer term to offset those rental home costs.
Renting out a home is not an inexpensive affair.
If you’re using a property management firm to oversee the property, you’ll pay them a fee from 3% to 12%, and you’ll pay more to insure the place (about 25% higher than a homeowners policy). You’ll also still have the costs of upkeep, and the rental income can affect your tax situation.
However, more are willing to take on those expenses to get on with relocating their lives.
And it’s great for renters — they now have more options beyond just an apartment.
(Read more in Relocation.com’s rental home section.)
We get this question at Relocation.com a lot:
How much will I pay for local moving?
The answer: It depends.
If you’re moving locally, you’ll pay by the hour for a certain number of workers – many local moving companies charge around $90 an hour for 3 movers, but that varies around the country, of course, based on local labor costs.
As far as how long it will take, a good rule of thumb is one hour per room, using bedrooms, living rooms, family rooms, kitchens, and other whole rooms. The other areas usually even out, with the main rooms not always taking the full hour. Loading generally takes twice as long as unloading. Please note: Transit time will count toward the total, so be sure to keep that in mind.
The only way you’ll know for sure how much you’ll pay is to call local moving companies for moving estimates. Based on the stuff you need to have moved, they’ll give you a better sense of the costs you’ll be looking at.
And before you choose a moving company, check to make sure the local company is licensed.
No matter how much planning, study and shoe-leather you put into it, moving isn’t cheap.
But there are some easy ways to save on your move. Relocation.com came up with 5 that could help you shave more than $1,000 off your relocation expenses (OK, that’s more than a shave, more like a full cut and trim). We also offer you some other resources for easy ways to save on your move. (Savings are based on someone making a 3-bedroom, coast-to-coast move, which carries a roughly $7,000 tab.)
1. Negotiate Your Move Date – Save $300 to $600
Many moves take place at the same times: end or beginning of the month, or Fridays or Mondays. Consumers who are able to move on “off” days might be able to work a deal with a moving company. You can save even more if you move during the off-season — essentially November through April.
After you get moving quotes, ask the moving company if you could catch a break if you agreed to move at some other time. They might be willing to give you a discount.
2. Dump 10% of Your Stuff – Save $250 to $400
It’s simple in theory — most less stuff, pay less for your move, and have less headache. In practice, it’s usually harder. It needn’t be. For every 9 nine things you pack, throw away 1 thing. Other tips:
• Only move stuff you’ve used in the past year. If you haven’t used something in the past 12 months, you probably won’t use it again, so there’s no point in paying to move it.
• Use two plastic bins in each room you pack, and designate a ‘definite’ throwaway bin and a ‘maybe’ throwaway bin. When finished packing the room, throw out everything in the ‘definite’ bin, decide on the ‘maybe’ items and then move on to the next room.
• In the months before the move, divide a clothing rod between ‘must-move’ and ‘not-to-move’ clothing. After an item of clothing is worn and washed, put it on the ‘must-move’ side of the clothing rod. When it’s time to pack, get rid of all the clothes on the ‘not-to-move’ side of the rod.
3. Pack Half of Your Stuff– Save $400-$600
Roughly 50 percent of what you need to move is breakable, such as dishes and glassware. Let the movers handle packing these, since they are the most difficult to pack safely. Also, moving insurance usually will not cover items that are not packed by professionals, unless there’s clear damage to the outside of the moving box. You want coverage on these items.
The other half – items that won’t break, like toys and books – can be loaded into boxes relatively easily and don’t require special handling or supplies. Not using packers for these items can some money, it just requires a bit more work on your part.
4. Disconnect It – Save $150-$200
If the moving company provides any third-party moving services to handle disconnecting electronics and appliances, you will pay for it. Eliminate these fees altogether by learning how to safely dismantle any electronics systems and how to disconnect/connect appliances.
5. Don’t Move Large, Breakable Items – Save $200-$300
There are certain items a moving company won’t move without special crating, such as glass tables, flat-screen plasma TVs and specialty artwork such as pottery or big oil paintings. Here are some options to cut down on the need for expensive crating services.
• Glass items like shelves or tables, are generally cheap to replace compared to how much it costs to ship them. Consider the costs of moving them versus buying a similar type of shelf or tabletop at the new home.
• For a flat-panel TV, the least expensive method is packing it in the box it came in. If that’s not an option, search online for boxes designed specifically for TVs, which contain special foam inserts for extra protection.
• If you’re moving long distance, you can also pack fragile or valuable items in your car, rent a separate small moving van, or rent a trailer in which to tow them. You will pay more for this, of course, but you might have greater peace of mind about damages, and if you have enough that would require crating by the moving company, you might come out even.
Related Articles:
Money-Saving Moving Tips
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Choosing a Mover? Avoid These 3 Mistakes
If you’ve ever found yourself in a situation where you have to move fast – the house closing happened more quickly than you expected, or you just procrastinated because the thought of packing filled you with as much joy as visiting the dentist — you know the awful feeling.
* You’ll never have enough time to find a mover
* If you do find a mover, you’ll pay through the nose (or other uncomfortable body part)
While it’s true you might end up paying a bit more, you shouldn’t assume you’ll have an awful experience. Here are some things to keep in mind to make your move go more smoothly, at a price that won’t shock you.
1. You Probably WILL Pay More. Just accept that fact. Organizing the moving process, especially for longer moving, takes time and money on the part of moving companies. They don’t come together easily.
2. Be Explicit With Move Dates. Your mover needs to know what he’s up against. If you must be out by a certain date, make that crystal clear.
3. Even If You’re Desperate, Don’t Act It. When talking to moving companies, make it clear you’re talking to several firms that want your moving business.
4. Get Organized. This is important for a nonrushed move; it’s crucial for rushed moving. Stated simply: If you’re organized and prepared, you’ll get a more accurate quote and you’ll have a smoother move to boot.
Get your stuff ready to move as soon as possible, even before the moving company estimator comes to your home to give you moving quotes. Get rid of any goods not going and have everything as organized as possible. The more clear it is what needs to be moved the more accurate your estimates will be. On moving day, it will ensure everything goes more smoothly — the No. 1 cause of moving day stress is a discrepency between the estimate and the final cost.
5. Don’t Just Choose the First Mover That Can Handle Your Move. Take a few minimal steps to ensure you hire a trustworthy mover:
• Get 3 estimates. If you can’t have the movers in your home (which is always preferable), be as thorough as possible when describing what needs to be moved, and ask about extra costs if you happen to underestimate how much stuff you need to move.
• Don’t take a low bid. It’s a sign of a mover that’s just trying to win your business now, only to raise the price later with lots of little (and big) charges.
• Deal with movers that have a local presence. It makes everything easier.
I recently got an email that perhaps reflects a situation faced by many people. Her home sale had fallen through, even after she had lined up all the movers and was ready to get going in a new community.
She was conflicted — should she sign a lease and just rent for awhile? Or should we put her stuff in her storage and look for a home real quick-like? There’s really no way easy way to answer, and much depends on your personal situation.
A: Move into an apartment while you wait to buy a house.
Let’s assume you commit to being there for a year. Although some people feel any money spent on rent is a waste, the real estate and mortgage market is in a great deal of flux and you’ll have a better idea of what’s a ‘good’ deal in a year or so.
You’ll also have a better idea of what kind of help the government is going to give you. As part of the stimulus bill, the government’s granted an $8000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers. However, if the housing market doesn’t get back on its feet pretty soon, I could see politicians rushing out another incentive to spark the housing market. In other words, waiting might pay off.
Will you miss out on price appreciation? I don’t know where you’re moving, but real estate prices don’t seem poised to take off any time soon, so I doubt you’ll miss much any appreciation. (Actually, I don’t think it matters where you’re moving — the market’s probably gonna be pretty moribund for at least another year.)
If you rent a year, you can get to know the area better, and really look at all your options. If you put your stuff in storage assuming you’ll buy pretty quickly, you might feel an itch to buy a place and get done with it — and make a poor decision.
The downside is that you’re moving twice. You’ll get settled in at your new place, and all of a sudden you’ll be looking to move. Even for people who move a lot, it’s a quick turnaround. You might spend a year living out of a box. For some people, that sounds like fun – for others, it’s torture.
B: Put your stuff in short-term storage while you hunt for a house.
The advantage to this option is primarily financial: you’ll save money on moving and rental costs. (You didn’t say where you’d be living while you look for a new home – I assume you’re crashing with friends or relatives or some other cheap, non-rent-paying option.)
The bigger question is whether you’re comfortable with living with just a few of your items while the bulk of your stuff is in storage?
Also, as I mentioned above, if you’re assuming you’re going to find a new home quickly, you might rush to buy a new home and make a bad decision. If you rent for a year, you have time to think things through.
The financial breakdown:
Option A: You pay rent for a year. You move twice (although your second move will be cheaper because it’s a local move, I assume the first one is long distance moving).
Option B: You purchase storage for a short period of time, while you hunt for a home. Talk to the moving company who moves you about them putting stuff in storage for you – it’s easier and you might get a better deal on storage from them, rather than a self-storage facility (although you probably won’t be able to get your items EXACTLY when you need them – it will depend on the moving company’s timetable for when they have moving crews and such to pull your items from storage). Also check out PODs.
So option A is more expensive, but there’s a lot more to this question than just dollars and cents.
You also have other options if you only need space for a short amount of time. One of those is corporate housing, which is generally used by employees who are on work assignment away from home and need a place to stay. A Website that helps people hook up with this kind of housing is Corporate Housing by Owner.
The Toronto Star has an interesting feature on a novel way to move: move by cab.
It’s simple: get all your stuff down the curb, call for a cab (or hail one over), and voila, instant wheels for your move. Granted, you’ll have to pare down your belongings to what fits in a cab, but every good idea has a downside, right? Says a cab mover: “They’ll pretty much take anything in a cab if you’re persuasive enough, and tip them enough.”
Indeed.
If you have more stuff that will fit in a cab but not enough that you want to bother a moving company, you have several options for moving services. We get this question a lot at Relocation.com: I have only a few things to move — will a moving company be interested?
Maybe, but even if they are, it will be pretty costly. There are other options.
You can do a self-service move, which entails you loading everything into a moving truck and someone else do the driving. This type of service can work better with a smaller load.
There are also companies like ‘Mini-Moves’ and Navis Pack & Ship that specialize in small moves, or you can try to barter out your move on a Website like ‘U-Ship,’ where you say what and where you need stuff moved.
In major metropolitan areas, there are also car rental companies, or if you can do your move pretty quickly, check out a service like Zip-Car, which lets you rent cars by the hour.
For more information, check out this article making a small move.
One of the biggest challenges on move day is setting up your electronics at your new place. It’s a long list these days:
• Find a provider for your phone, Internet, cable TV and cell phone
• Hook up your TV entertainment system
• Set up the network for your computer — both your Internet access and any networking system if there are multiple computers in your home.
It’s important to plan this well BEFORE you move, because during your move-in, you’ll be dealing with a cat that keeps trying to escape its new home, a crying toddler, and boxes packed to the sky.
To ease your pain (and make some more money), some movers are teaming up electronics shops to offer this service as part of your move.
For example, moving behemoth Mayflower has teamed up with Best Buy’s “Geek Squad” to offer setup for your PC and home theater system. There are also businesses and individuals who will set these up for you (for a fee, of course).
If you choose to do it alone, here are some helping hints for moving electronics
* When you disconnect wires, label them so you know where they connect. I know, they’re usually handily labeled according to color, but even a simple numbering sytem (1 to 1, 2 to 2), which help you set everything up quickly when you get to your new place.
* Take a picture of the assembly as it is now. When you move into your new place, you’ll just need to take a look at the picture to see what goes where. Don’t assume you’ll remember. I thought I would when I moved. I ended up connecting my DVD Player to the microwave.
* Keep all common wires and parts together – just put them in a simple plastic baggie, and then tape that bag to the component itself or have it in the same box as the component. Be sure to label the bag as well.
These articles can help you determine which home services you want at your new place.
