Month: February 2015

America in a nation on a move. According to USA Today, New U.S. Census data show that the great slowdown in migration caused by the recession is starting to give way. In 2012, “domestic migration” was as high as it’s been in the past five years — nearly 16.9 million people moved between counties, with long-distance interstate moves accounting for about 7 million of those, up nearly 5% over 2010.

So, we are moving more now bettering our lives by doing so. But, moving is not only labor and cost exhaustive, it also has a strong effect on the environment when you consider the waste and emissions associated with moving. Till the industry fully electric, full size trucks, we will all need to continue and manage our carbon foot print and do our best to keep the planet safe.

Here are six ways in which you can reduce the environmental effect of your cross country move, or local move on the environment:

1. Find your new apartment remotely – Most people need to find a new place to live before they move to a new city for a new job or opportunity. That calls for at least one or two trips by car or plane to the new destination and additional expenses and emissions associated with your move. Use your Online and offline networks to help you find an apartment in New York City. Find a broker in the city and have him/her send you the information and pictures of a few apartments that fit your criteria. If you are on friendly terms with the broker, ask him/her to use their smart phone and do a virtual walk-through through the apartments that you are interested in. If you can’t arrange that, than ask your friends or family members in New York City to visit the apartments for you. Kick in $25 or $50 per visit to show your appreciation for this effort. Use the power of the Internet to make finding an apartment in New York cheaper and remotely possible. Use Craigs list and other Free online Real Estate resources to locate suitable apartments. Use Facebook, Google + and Twitter to let all of your friends and family that you are looking for an apartment in NYC. Read our blog post about finding your first apartment in NYC for additional information.

2. Use Earth Friendly packing materials – Use reusable or recycled boxes when moving. You can purchase strong plastic boxes for packing and continue using them as storage boxes for years to come. If you are not interested in buying plastic boxes, there is at least one company who will rent these boxes to you. Frogbox offers plastic boxes for rent in the US and Canada. Check out their website for details. If you are not interested in spending any money on reusable boxes than use recycled cardboard boxes. Accumulate these Free cardboard boxes as you prepare and pack for your move. Read our blog post on where to get free boxes for your move.

3. Recycle your boxes after the move – Putting your old cardboard boxes in the trash is an environmental sin. There are many ways for you to recycle them:

• Use a box broker. There are companies out there that buy and sell used cardboard boxes a quick Google search will help you find the ones operating in your area. Use Boxcycle to find used boxes in your area and to sell yours after the move
• Craigslist – Post that you have free moving boxes to donate and you will probably have people picking up your moving boxes within the hour. Make sure that you post your message on the “Free” section of the website and let people know when they can come and pick up the boxes.
• Compost – Cardboard can be used as part of the bedding in a compost bin. Contact your city’s recycling program and find out if they are receiving cardboard boxes as part of the city’s composting effort.
• Recycle – New York City has a strong recycling program. If you still have some boxes after trying all of the above, than you can put them in your building’s recycling containers and they will be picked up by the NYC sanitation department on Wednesdays and Saturdays and will be hauled to a recycling center.

4. Get rid of stuff – The smaller your load, the less energy will be needed to move it and the less impact you will have in terms of energy and emissions. Get rid of everything you don’t have to have in your new place. At this point in the game you should know the square footage and layout of your new apartment. Get rid of everything that will not fit in there and than some. Read our blog post about De-cluttering your home for more information.

5. How to offset the impact of your move – Even when try to leave a smaller environmental foot print, moving is heavy on energy and emissions. To find out what will be your emissions for a specific trip check out the website of the Nature conservancy. One way to offset this is by purchasing carbon offset units. You can do this on the Carbon fund website. Buying Carbon offsets is a good way to neutralize your move’s impact. The money from these offsets is used to plant trees that consume CO2 and reduce the Greenhouse effect that emissions contribute to.

Here in U.Santini moving an storage, we have been moving People in and out of New York for more than eighty years and we intend to do this for a longtime more. We love and care about Brooklyn, New York City and the environment. We hope that these tips helped you plan a better, more responsible move. If you feel you need more information, or if you would like to hire us to move across town or across country , don’t hesitate to call us at 718-768-6778. We would love to help you “Green” your move.

Moving to your first apartment in New York is always a big deal. Whether you are a student, getting your first place after graduating from college, a new Graduate school professional, a young family moving to the big city, or a retired couple – coming to enjoy the city’s rich cultural life… We all need a lot of information before moving to an NYC apartment.

New York is expensive, everything you need to do will cost you money and you need to be prepared for the expense and the hustle you might encounter when trying to move to New York City.

1. Finding an apartment to rent in New York City – Research the market before you move to the city. the Internet offers a slew of tools to help you find a place to live at a price you can afford:

• Craigslist – Check Craigslist’s Real estate section and check the By Owner/No Fee apartments. If you are in a hurry, or can splurge, the Brokers listings can be more attractive and brokers can help you settle into your new place with less effort.
• New York Times website’s real estate section – I am a big fan of this website. I found my apartment through this great real estate information trove. I have a great tip for apartment searchers. The website lists the new real estate ads on Friday evening. While the actual paper subscribers only see those on Saturday morning. This gives you a full evening to make phone calls, go and look at apartments and close a deal before the non digital population even had a chance to wake up and smell the coffee. There are many No Fee listings as well as Brokers advertizing great opportunities.
• Street Easy – Great, and FREE real estate website that provides up to date information about rentals and sales opportunities in the New york City Real Estate market. It provides online maps as well as current information about schools, services, restaurants etc in all five boroughs, Northern New Jersey and the Hamptons.
• Naked apartments – Naked apartments is a New York City market place for buyers sellers, brokers and renters. they offer a whole section for No Fee rentals and have a lot of helpful neighborhood information, and they have a great mobile app that can help you hunt for an apartment from afar.
• Facebook – Facebook is bouncing with real estate action. Post and let your friends and network member know that you are looking for an apartment in NYC and wait and see what will surface. sometimes people need to leave an apartment for whatever reason and need to find a new room mate or someone who will rent the place. Ask your family and friends to share your message. Twitter and Google+ are also good places to tell people you are in the market.
• Another great resource is the city’s Affordable housing resource center website – A little old fashioned and stogy, but loaded with great information about NYC affordable housing and where to look for your first apartment.

2. Prepare for a large cash outlay – Unlike most cities in the US, the renters is the person who pays the broker’s fee in NYC. In most other Real estate markets in the US, it is the property owner who pays the broker’s fee. How much is the broker’s fee going to be? It is usually between seven and fifteen percent of the apartment’s annual rent. You will need to pay this sum to your broker before being able to get your key and move to the premises. You will also need to pay the property owner at least two months of rent. So prepare to have to pay three to four months of rent as you move in. Some property management firms charge the prospective tenant a credit check fee that can be between $100 to $200. And some landlords charge a “Move in” fee. These fees can apply to what are described as “No fee” apartments…. Be aware that you need more than the first month rent in your bank account if you intend to rent an apartment in NYC.

3. Guarantors – You might need a guarantor for your first rental if you don’t meet the landlord’s income requirements. Most of the time, landlords require guarantors from either NYC or the tri- state area. (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut) If you do not have a someone who is willing to act as your guarantor in this  geographic area, you might need to hire a company to act as your guarantor. Companies like Insurent, Bond OO7 and Phly can act as guarantors for your rental contract. Fees vary, so shop around and check the company’s references and BBB rating carefully before signing with anyone.

4. Negotiating with the landlord about the rent – it is not easy to negotiate down your rent in a city like New york that is in a chronic short supply of rental apartments or affordable housing. some times it is possible to do so. One of the tell tale signs of an opportunity to decrease the rent is an apartment that has been in the market longer than usual. If a property has been offered for more than a month and is still available, than the landlord will be more accommodating and might agree to a rent decrease if you are willing to sign the contract quickly and pass the credit check with flying colors. If you are handy with the tool belt, than one of the was t get a rental at a great price is to find apartments in bad shape and offer to renovate them as part of the rent. This is a great way to get a great apartments in a great location. Sweat equity is still valuable when you are trying to get your first place in New York City.

5. Be flexible – Consider living in the outer boroughs- Renting your first apartment in New York is always going to be challenging. Manhattan has a chronic shortage of rental apartments and this shortage gets worse at certain times in the year. Take a look at our post “when to move to a new home“. Timing your move to the city might be a crucial aspect to your success in finding an apartment in the neighborhood that you want to live in. If you can’t find an adequate place in Manhattan, than consider moving to Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx or Staten Island. The outer boroughs contain properties that are cheaper than than similar ones in Manhattan. Many neighborhoods in these boroughs are a short subway ride to the city and offer great neighborhoods, excellent schools, shopping strips, restaurants and everything else that New York City has to offer. Check out our blog posts about and familiarize yourself with the different neighborhoods in New York City’s boroughs. Park Slope, Williamsburg, Dumbo and Fort Green and great destinations for renters, even though Park Slope might be on the pricier side. Queens offers neighborhoods such as Long Island City and Astoria, which are considered up and coming in terms of amnesties and property value.

6. Share with friends – If you find it hard to come up with all the four months rent in advance, you should consider sharing an apartment. You will be moving into an apartment that is already rented out and one of the room mates already signed a contract for it. In this situation, you will only need to pay the first and last months rent. You don’t have to deal with the security deposit and all the other fees that are associated with a new rental. This might be ideal for newly graduated students who are used to sharing their lodgings with other young people. Sharing for a while, gives you the opportunity to settle down somewhat, find employment, get your credit record straight and prepare to move to a place of your own in NYC.

Whether you are moving into a shared apartment or renting your own place for the first time, consider the advantages of getting a professional moving company like U.Santini moving and storage to help you. Hiring professional movers, especially a trusted moving company like U.Santini moving and storage is a sure-fire way to have your move go smoothly and on budget. We have been in business more than eighty years and have moved tens of thousands of satisfied customers. If you are looking for a great moving experience, use U. Santini Moving and Storage. A family business that knows New York and New Yorkers. To show our appreciation for your business, click on the buttn below and recieve $100 off your move. Send the coupon to a friend who is moving. A trusted moving company like U.Santini moving and storage will save you money by providing excellent moving service at an affordable price and a professional attitude.

If you read our blog post about “What is the best time to move your home” than you know that moving in winter is much cheaper than moving in any other season. If you want to save money – This is the time to move! But, moving in winter comes with its own set of challenges and issues and it is better to be prepared. Here, at U. Santini moving and storage we have been moving New Yorkers for more than eighty years and in every conceivable weather condition. We probably done more blizzard moves than some of our competitors total number of moves….

Here are six tips from us on how you can prepare and execute a successful winter move in New York city.

1. Check the weather frequently – Check the weather reports in the weeks and days before the move. New York winters are fickle and can change from mild to severe weather very quickly. Set a weather alert on your cell phone, set up a Google weather alert on your browser and watch the weather reports constantly. If it seems that there is bound to be a storm on your move day, try to change the date if possible. If not possible, verify that your moving company will be able to get to you and perform the move during the storm.  Keep an eye on traffic reports and plan alternative ways to get to your new place. Some roads might be unploughed or blocked with buried or stalled vehicles. Try to avoid small roads that often go unploughed by the municipality during the first or second day of a storm.

2. Clear the snow from the sidewalk – Make sure the sidewalk is cleared in front of your current home and, if you are moving in the same city, in front of your new residence. It is always a good idea to visit your new home one day before the move and clear the sidewalk. Use salt or sand to keep the sidewalk free of snow. contract the building super, if possible, to clean the sidewalk on the day of the move. If you are moving to another city or another state, than talk to your real estate agent or property manager and have them clean the sidewalk on the day of the move.

3. Dress warmly – This sounds like an obvious choice, but many people tend to under-dress on moving day, preferring to have more freedom of movement and reducing the chance of overheating. The best way to avoid these issues is to dress in layers. Shed clothing when you start to overheat, step into a heated space for loading or unloading and moving between heated and cold spaces. Sometimes, it makes sense to open a window in your apartment in order to get some balance between the inside and outside temperatures. Add or remove layers of clothing in a warm, non drafty space. It is easy to get hurt or get sick on a winter moving day. Stay healthy by being smart and prepared!

4. Move your pets separately – Moving excited and stresses pets on your moving day might be a little too much for sensitive animals. It is better to board them for the day and get them into the new place after the move is over. Even big, friendly dogs and cat can get between your, or the movers legs and create havoc on a day that is prone to accidents. Don’t forget that during moving day, the doors of your apartment and building stays open for long periods of time which gives the excited pets additional opportunities to disappear and delay your moving day timeline.  If you have to move your pets on the same day as your move, tan we suggest that you move them last. Lock your pet in a small room in your current apartment, or in the bathroom and come back to pick them up after the move is over and all of your boxes were unloaded in your new apartment. Your pet will be less stressful in your new home because it will be filled with familiar objects and odors. Making the move easier for them, and for you….

5. Keep everything clean – the snow might dampen some of your boxes or furniture pieces. Make sure that you have paper towels or other materials to clean and wipe your property.  Damp boxes can ruin whatever is inside and wet furniture is more sensitive to temperature changes than dry furniture. Moving your belongings in your building corridors will definitely leave puddles, dirt and salt in your new building’s hallways. Make sure you have cleaning materials in you intend to clean after the overs yourself. Pay the super to clean after you if you want to concentrate on unpacking and getting back to normal life in your new place. Either way, take care of the winter mess you created and start your relationship with your new neighbors in a positive way.

6. Hire a professional moving company – Moving is always hard. Moving in winter time is much harder…. Reduce your moving risk by  hiring a trusted moving and storage company that can move your belonging safely in any weather. When you hire a moving company, like U. Santini moving and storage, you are assured that experienced professionals will take care of your belongings and that your move has a much better chance of being successful and incident free.