Category Archives: moving

The Best Plan for a Stress-Free Move

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Planning Your Next Move

Whether it’s across the country or down the street, moving can be stress. But with careful planning and the right moving boxes and moving supplies, you can accomplish an easier move. Follow this timeline and diffuse moving stress before it starts.

Two Months Before Moving Day

Purge & Declutter. Go through all your stuff and make critical decisions about what stays and what goes. If you haven’t used an item in a year, then it probably shouldn’t go with you to your new home.

Create your three categories for getting rid of stuff: Sell. Donate. Toss. Lightening your load will save you money and work.

Take inventory. Make a list of what you are taking to make the moving estimate easier. An inventory list takes the guesswork out of purchasing moving supplies.

Organize personal papers. Take account of all the sensitive personal documents you need to move like Social Security cards, birth certificates and tax records. Get them organized in a sturdy personal file box. If you’re hiring a mover, you may want to transport these documents yourself to prevent them from getting lost or damaged.

Six Weeks Before Moving Day

Research movers. Take the time to research movers to ensure you get the best bid. Check reviews and get at least three quotes from reputable companies. The more organized you are with inventory also ensures a more accurate quote. Be sure to ask about insurance and damaged property polices.

If you’re moving yourself, six weeks before is the best time to secure your truck rental. This is especially important if you are moving during peak season when trucks rentals will be scarce. Be sure you get the right size truck. Too small a truck means more trips and mileage costs. Use this guide to get closer to an accurate estimate:

  • 26′ will move 4+ bedrooms
  • 24′ will move 3-4 bedrooms
  • 17′ will move 2-3 bedrooms
  • 14′ will move 1-2 bedrooms
  • 10′ will move a studio or small 1-bedroom apartment

Start packing. Best rule for purchasing moving supplies? Get 25 percent more than you think you’ll need. That ensures you that won’t be left short of moving boxes at the last minute.

The second-best rule? Don’t skimp on quality. Supermarket boxes, aside from being dirty, are already weakened from shipping. That means you must spend more time taping up old boxes so the bottom doesn’t drop out.

High quality moving boxes will save you time. There’s no need to reinforce with tape and you can also select tape-free boxes which save on the cost of additional supplies, like tape. Use the box buying guide below to help estimate how many moving boxes you might need.

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QUICK TIPS: Use colored dots to mark boxes for different rooms. Create a legend that coordinates with the colored dots. Yellow dot boxes go to the living room, red dot boxes go to kitchen, etc.

One Week Before Moving Day

Contact utilities and forward mail. 
Now’s the time to coordinate utility services for the home you’re leaving and the home you’re going to. Also, be sure to have all your mail forwarded at this time.

The Night Before You Move

Pack Your “Take with You Box”
This the box that contains what you might need while unpacking. Razor knives, snacks, water, toiletries. Things like band aids come in handy for accidents and tools for assembling beds and furniture are essential once you arrive at your new destination.

By being organized on your next move you can avoid stress and focus on getting situated in your new home.

Top Four Moving Season Mistakes

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Because most of us don’t move that often, we tend to forget the moving mistakes we made. With moving season upon us, here are some reminders of what we typically do wrong and how to correct those mistakes.

Mistake 1#  What is wrong with cheap moving boxes? Getting unstable, cheap moving boxes from the supermarket-The bottom will literally drop out on boxes meant to hold vegetables and dry cereal. These boxes were not meant to hold your stuff!

Solution: Invest in actual moving boxes. Because they are designed for moving, they have greater durability and special construction features that make them stackable. No failed bottoms or bulging sides.

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Mistake# 2  Sealing your boxes too soon. Moving day is chaotic and you will quickly find yourself taping up boxes too soon, only having to tear them open because you forgot to pack an item or you have accidentally packed a item you need to take with you (like the keys to the moving truck).

 

Solution: Select tape-free moving boxes. No need to buy packing tape and no need to worry about opening up a box again once you have sealed it.  Tape Free Moving Boxes make it easy to change your mind about what you have just packed. Plus, it makes unpacking a whole lot easier without when you don’t have to cut through packing tape.

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Mistake #3  Improper lifting equals back problems. We may remind ourselves to lift with our legs, but in the commotion of moving we will forget the rule with painful consequences.

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Solution: moving boxes with handles. Handles give you a firm grip on every box compared to the smooth sides of standard boxes. Plus you can easily lift every box without having to reach under the bottom and lift, which is usually when back injuries occur.

 

Mistake #4 No labeling-where does this box go?-Forgetting to label your boxes means disorganized unpacking once you reach your destination.  Nobody wants unpacking to turn into a guessing game.

 

Solution: Choose moving boxes with clear labeling areas. You can stay organized by marking each moving box clearly.  It will make unpacking easier and the move smoother.

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QUICK TIP: Use colored dots to mark boxes for different rooms. Create a legend that coordinates with the colored dots. So yellow dot boxes go to living room, red dot boxes go to kitchen, etc. This is especially great when you hire movers who don’t know where everything goes!

Five Red Flags To Look for When Moving the Office

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Guest Blogger Karen Warner Corporate Moving Specialist

Throughout the office moving process, pay attention to these clear signals of disorganizing danger.

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1. Slipping Off The Moving Timeline

Because you created the moving timeline, you may feel you can give yourself or others a little wiggle room. The value of the timeline however is to prevent deadlines being missed. Allowing for a gap in the timeline can cost time and money. Stay disciplined and keep yourself, other employees and movers on track.  

Download a Free Office Moving Timeline

2 Under-Ordering Supplies

Because of your office moving budget, you may feel that it is okay to not quite have enough moving boxes or supplies. But trying to squeeze past this red flag can lead to panic come moving day. You will probably end up paying too much for emergency boxes anyway. So if you have any cushion in your budget, make sure you have plenty of quality moving boxes and enough supplies. Too much is better than not enough.

3 Address the “I Don’t Knows”

As you coordinate your office move, you will be faced with questions from others and will have questions for others. If at anytime you find yourself answering “I don’t know,” or getting this as an answer from someone else–then this is a red flag. Immediately find answers to all unanswered questions as soon as you can. Don’t dismiss them as problems you can handle later. I don’t knows, at any point in the office moving process, can come back to haunt you later.

4. Boxes Marked Miscellaneous

As moving day approaches you will begin to see moving boxes piling up throughout the office. Take a few minutes to see how they are being labeled ( if you didn’t label them yourself). When other employees are left to manage packing their own office or cube, “miscellaneous” or “office stuff” may end up on the side of the box.  Have employees clearly label every box with details. If you see one mislabeled, get it fixed right away.

Red Flag: “It’s Okay, I’ll Recognize My Boxes. They Are The Ones Marked Miscellaneous”

5. Keep Tabs On Priority Boxes

There will be some boxes that need to be unpacked right away upon arrival. After all, you are a business, and even during an office move, work will need to get done. Make sure these boxes receive priority markings. Prompt the moving company about them so there is no confusion about their importance. Know who needs to unpack them and where at the new destination. Most importantly, know where these boxes are at all times during the moving process.

Making Your Office Move Easier

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Get expert advice on your office move from our Guest Blogger Karen Warner, Corporate Moving Specialist

The office move can be more stressful than any client presentation. So much to think about and plan. To avoid mishaps, delays and most importantly, the continuous stress, use a moving timeline.

Making a Forecast

Knowing how early to begin preparing for a move starts  with understanding how much needs to be moved and when. Use the square footage of your current office space to determine how much time you will need to pack up. Once  you have a clear goal determined, you can begin the planning process and create your timeline.

Get A Free Office Move Timeline Template 

Questions to Ask about Your Office Space

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What will your new office space needs be? Here are some important questions to ask yourself and other decision-makers.

  • Will you need the same amount of space?
  • Will you need more?
  • Will you need less?
  • What is your budget ceiling?
  • What is your location range?

Once you define these parameters you can begin scouting for future sites. Use a combination of resources to find properties. Use commercial realtors but also do your own search using commercial real estate websites. Even your drive to and from work can be an opportunity to identify future office space. Within the first month, you should have at least 10 potential properties that meet your criteria. Begin setting up appointments to tour these properties.

Determine Potential Property Candidates

As you begin touring potential properties, use a star rating to determine their possibility of a future site. One star can be an absolute no, 2-3 stars can be a maybe and four and five can be  your best candidates. Keep notes on why you gave this rating so you have a clear rationale when you report back to decisions-makers.

Use your star rating as a guide to short list your properties. Do not rush to select a location right away. Things can change and you may find yourself with no other alternatives. Keeping several properties on your short list keeps your options open while you begin space planning.

Space Planning

Confer with the new landlords to determine how your workspace needs will fit the space requirements of the new building. Landlords will usually provide at their cost a space planner to assist with the evaluation. This step will also help clarify the best possible future worksite.

 Get a Free Office Space Property Analysis Template

Requests for Proposal

By month four you should be submitting requests for proposal. By now you should have two or three sites in consideration.

The proposal will help the landlord address specific issues for the location. Your Request for Proposal may confirm items such as:

  • the actual square footage you are leasing
  • the lease term
  • the lease commencement date
  • building operating expenses
  • expansion possibilities
  • security
  • parking
  • options to extend the lease

Nail Down a Location

By now you should have enough information and confidence to choose your future site. Don’t be afraid to negotiate the lease terms. Landlords may be willing to make accommodation to fill the space or offer building amenities in exchange for longer lease terms. A signed lease is the launching pad to begin preparing for the office move.

Hiring the Moving Company

Your first impulse when considering movers is to contact the same company that moved your house. Commercial movers are more familiar with moving office equipment and more experienced when it comes to ensuring everything goes where it needs to go in the new office space. Get your quotes from commercial movers and narrow your list down by price, experience, licensing and insurance verification, as well as your overall confidence after a face to face meeting.

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Moving Company Proposal Summary

Use this moving company proposal summary to define the right commercial and estimate your moving inventory.

 

Get Your Own Moving Supplies- Order Moving Supplies in One Easy Step 

Tape Free Moving Boxes Allow for Easy Packing and UnPacking

All movers will want to upsell you moving supplies. But you can get your own at a much more reasonable price (always remember your moving budget!) Plus, there are other factors to consider:

  1. Moving boxes are often leased for a move. The moving company will want them back after the move, rushing your unpacking process.
  2. You may want to keep some things in long term storage and you may want to keep those boxes.

Quick Tip: Order All Your Supplies At Once So You Don’t Forget Anything.

Organizing Other Employees

Make sure employees are staying on schedule while packing. Some may be more efficient than others and you may be the only person to compel action.

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Moving Day

Everything should be ready to go on moving day. Make sure your destination is also ready to ensure an easy and stress-free move.