How Far in Advance Should You Start Planning a Residential Move?

Planning a residential move far enough in advance will ensure the move goes well.

To complete a residential move, you must make plans in advance. But how far in advance should you start planning? That depends on a lot of variables, as well as how much money you are willing to spend. The following is a discussion of things to consider when deciding how far in advance to plan a move.

Identify the Reason for the Move

The first thing you need to do is identify the reason for the move. This can include anything such as a new job, attending a new school or when your current living arrangements end. This is the most important thing to do because depending on how far out this consideration is, you may have to start planning the move immediately.

Figure Out Your Financial Budget

The easiest way to handle a move is to hire a moving company. Some moving companies will handle almost everything for you where you don’t need to do anything besides tell them where the items need to go in the new residence. But these moving arrangements tend to be the most expensive. If you have the financial resources to hire this type of moving service, just find one of these companies as soon as you can and they will take care of everything, including the timeline for the move.

If you don’t have the budget to hire this type of moving company, you may need to handle the move yourself or hire a company that will transport your belongings from the old home to the new place. Either way, you’ll need to estimate how much time you need to do the packing yourself. If you’re handling the entire move yourself, you’ll need to calculate the time it will take to transport the belongings. This could be a few hours to several days, depending on how far the move is.

Add Up the Time

Once you know the reason for the move, how much money you have to pay for it and the time it will take to complete the tasks you will do yourself, you can then add up the time and figure out how long the move will actually take. This will be the minimum amount of time in advance you must start planning your move. Most likely, you’ll need to add at least a few days to a few weeks to this time to find the date for which you start planning your move.

A residential move can be a daunting and intimidating task. Take away some of the guesswork and worry by contacting our moving experts at Nilson Van and Storage for your next residential move.

Three Tips to Make Your Office Relocation Run Smoothly

When planning an office relocation, follow these tips to make sure it goes smoothly.

If you need to conduct an office relocation, you’ll want things to go as smoothly as possible. No surprises and a return to business as normal are the highest priorities. Here are several tips to ensure you meet those goals:

Hire Professional Movers

Hiring a professional moving company is critical to making sure an office relocation goes according to plan. This is for several reasons. First, it’s unlikely that doing it yourself will save any money. This is because any money you save by doing the move yourself will probably be less than the lost productivity of handling the move on your own. Second, professional movers are professionals for a reason: they know what they’re doing and they can make the move efficiently. Unless you’re also in the business of moving, it’s highly unlikely you can conduct a move as easily as a professional moving company.

Plan the Move as Soon as Possible

The sooner you plan, the sooner you’ll learn of any potential problems. You’ll be able to budget for the cost of the move, have plenty of time to deal with surprises and make all necessary arrangements. Also, depending on the time of year, if you wait too long to find a moving company, you may have trouble finding one as the season gets busy.

Figure Out Business Operations During the Move

During the move, productivity and business operations will probably suffer at least a few disruptions. Orders might get mixed up with a new address and paperwork may not go through the office as quickly as it should. To ensure these disruptions are small, figure out how to handle them before they come up. This can prevent a lot of future headaches.

If you have an office relocation in the works, don’t hesitate to contact our moving experts at Nilson Van and Storage to figure out the best way to handle it and make sure things go smoothly.

Three Benefits of Using a Moving Cost Calendar

A moving cost calculator is very important for avoiding a nasty surprise during the move.

Before starting a move, you should use a moving cost calculator to help estimate what you can expect from a cost and logistical standpoint. Below are several of the benefits of using a moving cost calculator.

Effectively Budget the Cost of the Move

When deciding how to make a move, such as choosing a method or figuring out what company to hire, it’s helpful to have an idea of what much it will cost. A major move can be very expensive, even if you do it yourself. So before committing to a particular plan, you need to have a good idea of how much all your options will cost.

No Unpleasant Surprises

Another great reason to use a moving cost calculator is to anticipate what the total cost will be at the end of the move. The last thing anyone wants is to expect one price, but have to pay another. In some situations, this can cause a serious dilemma as the individual may not have the money to pay the movers and the movers won’t release the items to the individual until they receive payment.

Accurately Estimate What You’ll Need for the Move

If you decide to do the move yourself, you’ll need to have an idea of what kind of moving vehicle you’ll use, how many boxes you’ll need and what other moving supplies you must obtain. For example, how many garment boxes will you need? Will a 12-foot truck work, or is a 26-foot necessary? You can’t answer these questions until you can estimate what you need. And until you answer these questions, you have no way of determining the cost of the move.

If you’re trying to figure out how to proceed with your move, including how much money to budget for it, use a moving cost calculator and contact our team at Nilson Van and Storage as soon as you can.

Three Reasons You Should Purchase Moving Insurance

You may not think you need moving insurance, but you take a big risk by going through a residential move without getting it.

During a major residential move, the idea of getting special moving insurance to protect your items may easily slip your mind. This is understandable! Most people think the moving company they hired is liable for any loss or that their current homeowner’s policy will protect the items in case of loss or damage.

If a company is paying for moving services, individuals might think the company is on the hook to reimburse the employee if there’s a loss. Unfortunately, in most situations, none of these assumptions are true. The following is a list of reasons why if you’re making a major move, you need moving insurance:

Protections from Loss

In most moves, unless an individual obtains separate moving insurance, the only reimbursement he or she can expect in case of a loss is no more than $0.60 per pound. So if an individual presents a claim for a $3,000 piece of furniture that weighs 500 pounds, all the individual will receive is $300. In almost every situation, the individual will receive pennies on the dollar from the “default” insurance that the moving company will automatically have. This means if the individual wants full protection, they must purchase additional moving insurance.

Homeowner’s Policy May Not Cover the Items

In many homeowner’s insurance policies, there is no coverage for damaged or lost items during a move. The insurance only covers a loss when the belongings are at the policyholder’s home or kept in a special storage location.

Peace of Mind

Another good reason to get moving insurance is peace of mind. Even if you think it’s not worth the cost of a moving insurance policy and you’re willing to take the risk of not having moving insurance, you will worry. Having peace of mind is worth the cost of the insurance, especially if you’re moving many high-value items.

If you’re about to have a major residential move and want to learn more about what it’ll cost, including obtaining the necessary moving insurance, contact our moving experts at Nilson Van and Storage.

Whether your move is big or small, our skilled movers are dedicated to helping you every step of the way, no matter where life takes you.