Moving Made Easy

1. MOVING MADE EASY

2. Synopsis 1. So You’re Moving Into a New Apartment? 2. Choosing The Right Moving Company For You 3. Apartment Moving made Simple 4. Looking for a Moving Service Company? 5. Looking To Move Into An Apartment? 6. Selecting the Right Moving Service

3. So You’re Moving Into a New Apartment? • For Renters • This one has been around forever: fill holes in the wall with toothpaste. If the person doing the walkthrough misses the minty fresh smell in the air, they cannot charge for the holes in the wall. • Defrost the fridge a day in advance to help you and your old landlord. Get everything out and put it in a cooler or your friend’s fridge and make sure it does not smell like the leftovers you never ate. • To avoid any additional fees for damage, put towels under heavy items to slide them. This keeps the floor safe and gives you something to pull on. • Use toilet paper rolls to keep your cords from tangling. • Use sandwich bags for important things like screws and -this is so important-label the bags! Whenever possible have one container to hold the bags, but at least you can avoid trying to figure out what goes to what when setting up.

4. So You’re Moving Into a New Apartment? • For those moving into their first place • Yes, they give you a handy little sheet to list all of the flaws in your new place, but what if you miss something? Everyone has cameras these days to take pictures of every little thing. You may be tempted to only take snaps of the things you would put on your list, but think bigger. • You will need things. You will need a lot of things at some point, but first, you need a place to sleep, a plate, a bowl, a spoon, and a fork. Also, a cup or bottle so that you can avoid running water directly into your mouth. Do not make the mistake of going into debt to furnish and decorate your apartment. Get things free or cheap off of online sales groups. Invite people over so that they can see that you need things and they may gift them to you or pass on their old stuff. Save your money for the bills that are coming. • Speaking of money, save all receipts. Hold on to any and all receipts for moving costs. You may be able to deduct some things on your taxes. • Call your mother.

5. Choosing The Right Moving Company For You • Reputation, reputation, reputation • If you thoroughly check the reviews to a restaurant, considering you will spend maybe 1 to 2 hours of your time there, why not put even more effort looking at reviews for a company that will be inside your home, handling your personal belongings? Websites like Moving.com have an extended database of moving company reviews. • What are their rates? • No, what are their real rates! Some companies will give an estimate so low that it may be too hard to believe is true. If that's the case, beware. That moving company may not be giving you the complete story. Are the fuel charges included? Will there be any extra add-ons they may not have put on the estimate?

6. Choosing The Right Moving Company For You • Experience, professionalism, experience • It is much easier to trust a company that has been resolving problems for 30 years as opposed to one that has only done it for 2. Moving companies that are experienced are more likely to properly transport your items in a place like, a high-rise building for example. Professionalism is also something to look for. Did they show up on time for the inspection? Are they equipped with business cards and a straightforward, easy-to-use website? • Ask about subcontractors • Be sure to ask the moving company if it will be them doing the move. Some companies will use a third party subcontractor for the move. These subcontractors are not under direct employ of the main company, which means they may not be follow the same standards as the original company you hired. If you're okay with subcontractors doing the job, make to ask if they have insurance.

7. Apartment Moving made Simple • The main objective when moving is to keep it as organized as you possibly can. Making arrangements to move into a new home is not something that can or should be done in one short weekend. There are a lot of things that need to be done to ensure the move goes smoothly and the transition into the new home is an easy one. You should start packing the stuff you plan to bring with you while you are going through and getting rid of your unnecessary stuff mentioned above. Be certain that boxes have labels of what the contents are and what room each boxes belong in. This will make it so much easier once you get to your new place and you start unpacking. • One more very important thing to do---forward your mail to the new address and transfer your utilities to the new address. Nothing worse than moving to a new place and the lights and gas have not been transferred because during all the excitement of packing and moving, no one remembered to transfer the utilities. • Another thing to do, if you have children that are school aged, you will need to transfer them to the school district for the new address; as well, explain to your children that they can still keep in contact with their friends from the old neighbourhoodvia mail, responsible social media contact and the telephone. If they want to schedule time together with their friends from the old neighbourhood, that can also be arranged as well; remember, this move can be very traumatic emotionally to a child who is unfamiliar with or doesn’t deal well with change.

8. Looking for a Moving Service Company? • You will need to check with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, (FMCSA) about your moving company’s USDOT number. The company may not have a USDOT number if they are a local company; however, you can still check with the FMCSA to verify this. • Ask the company what their rate is for moving you. Some companies charge by the hour or pounds of storage; however, if they state they charge by the cubic foot, say bye-bye now and “no thank you” to this type of rate charge. Make sure the moving company gives you an estimate that is in writing that you both can agree on. You also need to receive a copy of this agreement, signed by all parties involved. The estimate the moving company gives you must have an agreement of all charges, as well as the method of payment they will accept. • Some large moving companies hire smaller sub-contractors to do the job; if, this will be the case with your moving company be sure to ask the names of any subcontractors they are going to use. If they are not for sure of whom these companies are; make sure you ask them to provide in writing that these companies are before they start moving any of your belongings. Information about sub contracting companies should be readily available, most of these companies are smaller companies that use their own trucks and you are going to need to know this information if a truck without a company logo pulls up to your home and starts packing your belongings into it.

9. Looking for a Moving Service Company? • Will there be any extra charges for items that are not traditional sizes? Some moving companies will charge an extra fee for items that are odd shaped and if this is the case with you company you plan to hire, it would be a good idea to find out ahead of time. • What if you are moving to another state? How does the company deal with the transfer of trucks, if need be? Or do they just transfer drivers? If they are going to completely transfer your entire load of belongings onto another truck, how much are they going to charge extra for doing this. This is something that you need to know about before the transfer takes place. • Another really great question to ask your moving company, is how much are they insured for? Will the amount of their insurance cover any loss or possible damage to your goods? • On a final note, as with hiring any company, ask to see if they have any customer complaint s or kudos from pleased customers. You can also call the Better Business Bureau and check what their rating is with them before hiring them.

10. Looking To Move Into An Apartment? • The first thing you need to do is make a list of everything that goes in every room of the house. Make a list on the computer (or use a notebook, whichever is handier and easier for you to keep track of). Number each room—then put those numbers on the boxes with a content list of each box on your list. This way when it comes time to unpacking, you will know exactly where everything is. • Be certain to have plenty of packing supplies; boxes, wrapping paper (for perishables), packing tape and Sharpie pens for marking the boxes. Make sure to use unprinted newspaper, (the ink can possibly stain your precious items), or use bubble wrap to cushion delicate items. Remember, that you cannot overestimate the amount of packing materials you are going to need. So buy plenty, if you don’t use it all for some reason, you can always return the extras. • Take advantage of any wardrobe boxes that you may be able to get your hands on. These tall boxes will be perfect for packing any large comforters, draperies, as well as your clothing items that cannot be folded. When you are packing your stuff, do not over pack and make the boxes too heavy. Remember, someone is going to have to lift these boxes, as well as unpack them, and if they are filled too full it is going to make the job much more difficult doing both.

11. Looking To Move Into An Apartment? • Be organized with the use of packing closet items in a wardrobe box. You can use regular shopping bags with handles to pack your shoes into, place these in the bottom of the bag; then your items that must be hanging straight can go on top of the shoe bags; stuff some purses or other small items in the spaces in between where your hanging items are to keep them straight and finally you can use some dry cleaner plastic to cover the shoulder areas of your delicate hanging clothing. This will ensure that all the closet items are together in one or two boxes and by using the handled shopping bags at the bottom of the tall box, you will be able to more easily retrieve them when unpacking. • One other idea when packing your stuff is to design a color-coded system. Put colourfulstickers on each box to represent a certain room in your new home. For instance, yellow for the kitchen, blue for the bathroom, you get the idea. • Lastly, do not wait until the last moment to pack and prepare for your apartment moving experience; ; procrastination never did anyone any good. Plan for your move and pack a little bit every day to make sure you get it all packed safely.

12. Selecting the Right Moving Service • Decide if you can afford the services offered with some left over. Chances are, whether you do it yourself or get the most expensive service, there will be a problem with something. Avoid spending all of your money on the moving service. Run away from any company that asks for a deposit. They have not performed a service yet, so they should not be asking for money. • Choose a company that will give you a full and accurate amount for insuring your items. The default insurance that comes with most full- service moves does not cover much. If the company offers you additional protection, they are being honest with you. By getting in touch with your insurance company, you can get a handle on how much insurance you should get and what they will pay for if something goes wrong. • Check credentials to ensure that whatever service you choose is being carried out by a licensed company. Ensure that their licenses are current. For any company you consider, this step is crucial. Steer clear of application pending companies.

13. The End For more details, please visit: https://movingunlimited.ca/about/affordable-moving-services/