Month: March 2015

Starting to plan your next move? This is probably the right time to check out all of your options for performing your move. Would you like to do everything yourself? Do you prefer that someone else do the packing for you? Are you prepared to drive a rental truck cross country? Would you like someone to do the heavy lifting for you? Answering these questions will help you determine the amount of effort and the amount of money that you will need to invest in your move. These are the options that you can choose from:

• Hire a good moving company
• Rent a truck, pack and move your belongings yourself
• Use a container moving company
• Hire a moving company for a partial move
• Hire a professional packing crew
• Share a truck with other self movers

1) Hire a good moving company – This will be your best guarantee of having a stress free professional moving experience. A professional, A+ BBB rated moving company will ensure that you will have a stress free professional moving experience. Research all the moving companies that you are considering for the job. Get personal recommendations from friends and family members. Check the company’s BBB rating, Yelp reviews, Google+ page etc, to learn what other clients say about the service. When you finally choose a moving company – make sure that you get a written binding estimate for your move’s cost. A good moving company with impeccable reputation will note hesitate to give you a a guaranteed price for its services.

2) Rent a truck, pack and move your belongings yourself – This is probably the most cost efficient and labor intensive way to move your belongings. In this situation you probably will need to beg friends and family members to help you pack and move your belongings from one place to the other. If you are moving within the same metropolitan area, you can probably mooch off your friends for help unloading the truck in the new destination. If you plan to drive a cross country, than you either need friends and family in your new destination to help you unload, or you might need to consider hiring a moving crew to unload the truck into your new apartment. Research the market before making a final decision to do everything yourself.  Most truck rental companies have a minimum of three days on truck rental and that might make it less economical for moves that can be done in one day. If you intend to move across country, than you need to factor in the cost of gas, food, tolls and insurance to the price of the truck rental. Only use this method if you are absolutely sure that the overall cost of doing a “self move” is considerably cheaper than other options.

3) Use a container moving company – Container moving is a relatively new type of service in the moving and storage industry. It is a way of moving on your own without having to drive a truck in crowded city streets or a cross country. Container moving companies will drop a container in front of your property at a designated date. At this point it is up to you to pack your belongings and load them into the container. After you have done this labor intensive part of the work, you call the container company and they will come and pick up the container. The containers are either driven directly to your new home, or into storage, if you are not ready to receive the container in your new place yet. This type of service allows you to save on the hourly fees you will usually pay movers to pack and load the truck for you, and unload it in the destination. You invest labor and sweat in your move and save some money compared to a traditional moving service. Be aware that you still need to get/buy packing materials, purchase insurance for the move and pay all the fees the container company might charge in addition to the container rental and delivery. this option might work best for young people with small loads, and a relatively simple move.

4) Hire a moving company for a partial move – Some companies offer a partial moving experience to their clients. They provide a truck and a driver – You do all the rest. In this situation, You contract a company to supply a truck and a driver on a designated day. At thsi point, you should have all of your boxes packed, all of your furniture disassembled, if needed. All fragile and delicate furniture pieces protected by moving pads and have a crew ready and waiting to load the truck. After loading the truck, the driver will drive it to the destination address, where you will need to unload the truck. It is similar to the container company option, but do not offer the time window for loading and unloading. Typically, you will need to load the truck the same day it arrives at your current address and unload it the same day it arrives at your new address. All the fuel, tolls, insurance and other fees applies. Having a professional driver, saves you the stress of driving a heavy vehicle on your own.

5) Hire a professional packing crew – Hiring a professional packing team is probably one of the best compromises between having a full fledged moving company and doing a “self service” move. Packing is the most labor intensive part of any move and most people tend to under-estimate the amount of time, labor and packing materials involved in packing a typical home. Hiring a team of packers allows you the freedom to decide what you want to pack yourself and what you want the professionals to do for you. It can be from a few boxes of expensive china and electronics to a full pack and unpack for your move. Any professional moving company will have an available packing team for your move and will provide you with a written estimate for the cost of packing and packing materials. Make sure that the packers protect every piece of furniture that you intend to move. Any unprotected sofa, desk, chest of drawers etc, will not make it unharmed even on a small, intercity move, if it is not well protected. Expensive furniture must be carefully wrapped and padded before loading into the moving truck.

6) Share a truck with other “self movers” – If you have a small load and need to move long distance, it might prove expensive to move with a long distance moving company. All long distance movers have a minimum they charge for an long distance move. If your shipments fall way below this minimum, it might make sense for you to share a truck with other in your situation. Some people post ads on boards such as Craigs list and actively look to share a truck with a few people moving to the same area. It is easier to find “moving partners” in the summer time when many people are moving. Look for ads in the moving and storage section. Start your own hunt for partners if you can’t find any trucks going in your direction. When you do arrange a full truck load to your destination, make sure that all your items are itemized, photographed and numbered in such a way that they are easy to identify and unload when the time comes. Make all loading, unloading and payment arrangements before renting the truck. This is not the safest way to ship your belongings, but it can work if you find the right partners.

It is always a huge task to perform when you are moving. Moving a cross country can be even more challenging than moving next door. Here, at U. Santini Moving and storage we performed thousands of long distance moves for our clients and have seen almost every mishap that can happen when you are moving a cross country.

U. Santini Moving and storage is considered a reliable long distance mover. As a reliable long distance moving company we would like to share our experiences with you and help you with some solid advice on how to perform a successful cross country move.

6 tips for saving time and money when you move a cross country:

1. Choose the best time to move – The price of a move is a flexible commodity that is influenced by seasonality, Real estate market and other factors. The summer is the busiest season for moving, so try to move in a different season of possible. Most moves happen over weekends and in the end of a month. Try to avoid these times if you would like to get a better deal from the moving company. Read more about how to time your move better on our blog post “What is the best time to move to a new home?”

2. Make an inventory list – Every capable moving company will create an inventory list for you. As the movers pack your stuff in boxes, they will number and label the boxes for you. Take photographs of your valuables as you pack. It will make unpacking and sorting out your belonging more efficient in your new place. Ask the movers to put the boxes in the designated areas of the home. Boxes marked kitchen go tot he kitchen, boxes marked guest room are put there etc. Marking your boxes and creating a detailed inventory list will cut down your unpacking time considerably.

3. Research – Do as much research as possible on all aspects of your move before you make final decisions. Find out if it will be cheaper to drive to your new home or to fly there. If you intend to fly, than it might make sense to use your allotted luggage weight to bring items that you will need in the first few days in your new home, as you wait for the truck to come with the rest of your belongings. These items can be your computer and networking equipment. Making sure that you get online and in contact with your work and friends as soon as possible, bathroom and kitchen items, change of clothes etc. If you intend to drive to your new destination than you should consider filling your truck with boxes, to cut down on the cost of the move. Usually, long distance moves are charged by the pound or by the cubic foot. If you take some of your belongings in your car, you will end up shipping less and paying less for your move

4. Get three quotes – Do your moving industry research and get quotes from at least three qualified companies. The prices for moving cross country should be relatively similar. Every reliable long distance moving company is using the office long distance tariff as the basis for its pricing. They all need to move the same items for the same distance, so the prices for the move should be similar. Try to choose a trusted NYC moving company, don’t go with a fly-by-Night operator that promises the world and will probably end up costing as much as the others and probably more. Check the Better Business Bureau and choose a company that has an A+ rating with the BBB. A trusted long distance moving company will provide you with professional service at a fair price and will make sure that your move will be a positive experience for you and your family.

5. Get insurance for your move – A long distance move rarely leaves your old home and drives directly to your new one. Your belongings are usually part of a larger shipment on its ways to many destinations. Your belonging will probably be unloaded at a warehouse, re-loaded to a tractor trailer and driven cross country to your destination. The chances for some loss or damage are bigger in such situations. Every trusted long distance mover will offer insurance for the move. Purchase the insurance! Chances are that you will not regret it and it will help you keep a positive frame of mind as you are waiting for your items in your new destination. Read more about moving insurance in our blog post.

6. Start your preparations early – Just like any other big project in your life, moving takes preparations. The more preparations you will make a head of time, the easier, more efficient and less expensive your move will become. You will need time to find a reputable moving company, research your mode of transportation, find FREE boxes a head of time, pack and make an inventory list etc. Give yourself time to do all these things. The last thing you want is to be packing when the movers are in the house and and loading the truck or asking you specific questions about an expensive sofa that needs dissembling. You can get sloppy and make mistakes that will cost you in the long run. Consider taking a few days off before the move to complete your preparations. Add the cost of these lost wages days to the price of the move.

A friend of mine used to say about any task that was put in front of him: You can have it done well, you can have it done quick, you can have it done cheap. Choose two out of the three…. I think nothing bring this sometime painful truth to light like organizing a last minute move.

When preparing for a time consuming, costly and difficult task of moving a house or an apartment, time is usually your alley. The more you prepare and organize your move, the easier and cheaper it will be to execute. You can check our blog post “How to save money on your move” for more details. It does not matter if you move across town or across country. Executing a last minute move is always hard and more expensive than a move you have time to plan for.

Don’t pack everything yourself

What to do if you find yourself having to organize a last minute move?

1. Outsource the time-consuming parts of your move – Even if you intend to move on your own and not hire a moving company, consider hiring packers, or a packing service for your move. Packing is time consuming and labor intensive. If you don’t have a lot of time on your hands, then you almost have no choice but to get professional packers to do it for you. The advantage of hiring a packing crew is that they come ready with all the necessary types of packing material, boxes, tape, etc.. They will take great care to pack all of your electronic and other valuables so that they will withstand the moving experience and will save you the most precious commodity in a last minute move situation – Time. If you can’t afford a full pack, than hire packers to pack your sensitive and breakable items. Hiring packers from a trusted moving and storage company like U. Santini Moving and storage will alleviate  your stress about the most elusive resource in your situation – Time.

Hire professional packers!!!

2. Hire a professional and reliable moving company – If you have just a few days till the move, consider hiring a professional moving company to handle your move. The advantage of hiring a trusted and reputable moving company is that the movers are probably consummate professionals. They will pack and move your stuff from your old place at a much faster pace than you and your friends and family will ever be able to match. If you are moving at the last minute than chances are that you are experiencing a large change in your life. A new job offer, new school, new family commitments etc. This is probably the most appropriate time for you to use a professional and reliable moving service.

Hire a professional moving company

3. Do your research – Even with the limited time you have, you should not hire the first moving company you call, or the cheapest mover you can find. Research the moving companies you consider for the job and make sure that you get a written estimate for the move. Here is a moving company’s reputation checklist:

BBB Rating – Only move with companies that have an excellent BBB rating. Having a high grade with the BBB demonstrates that the company cares about its service and provides excellent customer service in case there are any issues with its service

DOT record – Check the company’s DOT record and verify that they are licensed to perform the move you need.

ICC Record – If you intend to move across country than check with the Interstate Commerce Commission and verify that the company has a satisfactory rating with this agency. A reliable long distance mover will make your cross country move much less stressful and will ensure that your goods will arrive at the destination when you are ready to receive them.

Online reviews – Check online reputation sources such as Yelp, the company’s Google+ page or Angie’s list. Companies with good ratings should be considered seriously as moving service providers.

Do your research

4. Pack the minimum you need yourself – You might need to live out of these boxes on the first few days in the new place. Label your boxes carefully and use boxes that are clean and appropriate for the task. It is better to have many light weight boxes than a few big, sturdy and heavy ones. Pack  items such as books, clothes and essentials such as toiletries and a minimal number of kitchen items you will need on the trip, or when you get to your new place. Let the movers pack all the breakables, heavy items and electronic equipment you own.

Don’t pack anything which is:

• Perishable
• Flammable or explosive
• Poisonous

Pack the bare minimum yourself…

5. Take half a day to arrange the move – Before you do anything else, research reputable moving companies and arrange for an in-house estimate with the ones you choose. Some moving companies will not be able to accommodate estimates or move on a very short notice. Big moving companies with a lot of overhead and internal bureaucracy are probably not right for moving in the last minute situation such as yours. Research and choose smaller, probably family owned moving companies with great reputation for efficient service and great customer service.  Flexible professional and accommodating moving company is what you are looking for at this time.

Take some time to arrange for a successful move

About U. Santini moving and storage: