Category: Blog

When moving abroad, you’ll need to take care of several things first.

Before moving abroad, there are a variety of tasks you’ll need to plan for and complete. Some of these are pretty obvious, like packing personal belongings. But some others may be less so. The following section discusses a few of those less obvious things.

Save Up Plenty of Cash

Moving isn’t cheap, even for a simple move across town. One overseas can be far more expensive. Then there’s the adjustment of living in a new country and getting situated. Depending on your situation, you may have difficulty finding a job, figuring out how to complete otherwise simple chores (like mailing a letter) or learning a new language. Therefore, it’s best to save up enough cash to cover your expenses at your new overseas location for at least several months. This will provide time and a buffer to get situated before you have to start worrying about getting into debt or living on the street.

Make 100% Sure the Immigration Papers Are Correct

There is no better example of bureaucratic red tape than getting a government agency to process and approve paperwork and documents necessary to move to another country. To avoid unnecessary delays, make sure all documentation is correct. This includes getting a visa or applying for a passport. If that means asking a different customer service or government representative to answer the same question, do it.

Calculate the Cost of Buying New Items

Because of the high expense of packing and transporting items overseas, sometimes it will make more financial sense to simply leave something behind. Is it cost effective to spend the time packing your basic silverware, pay for a company to ship it, then spend more time unpacking it? If it’s a family heirloom passed down over four generations, the answer is yes. But if it’s something you got for $20 on sale at Wal-Mart, it’s probably best to not take it with you. You might be able to make few bucks either selling the items or donating it to a charity-run thrift store and taking a tax deduction.

Moving abroad is time-consuming and expensive, so using a professional moving company, such as Nilson Van and Storage, can make things go a lot smoother. Get in touch with us today and let us answer any questions you might have.

Professional packers provide a convenient way to move that will help you sleep at night.

There’s a reason professional packers get paid for packing and moving items – it’s because they’re good at it and know what they’re doing. But like many other individuals who are very good at something, they won’t do it for free. In fact, it may seem like it’s not worth the money for hiring a moving company to help you on your next move. But nothing could be further from the truth! Here are a few reasons why.

Reason #1: Movers Help Save Time

Packing a box or moving personal belongings from an office or home is relatively straightforward. But can the average person do it as quickly and efficiently as a professional packer? Probably not. A good parallel is professional cooks and chefs. Many individuals who cook as a hobby can probably prepare a meal that is comparable in quality, presentation and taste as an executive chef at an exclusive restaurant. But how long would take it take the person who cooks for a hobby to prepare a top-notch dish? Probably an entire day (or more) filled with practice, trial and error. And how long does the professional chef take to make the same dish? Under 30 minutes of actual work.

Reason #2: Packers Make Breakage Less Likely

Not only are they fast, but they know how to pack to create the smallest risk of breakage. Professional movers and packers understand how to stack and place boxes in a moving truck. They know which packing materials or items don’t stand up well to shock and crushing forces. They know when extra packing material and protection is necessary and when it’s not.

Reason #3: They Provide Peace of Mind

Even if you could pack as safely and quickly as a professional, there’s a good chance you will still have a lot of worry about whether you packed everything correctly. Even if you did, if something were to break or go wrong, the buck stops with you. There’s no one else to blame or compensate you for the loss. With a professional moving company, they have basic insurance to protect against loss or breakage and can help you find additional insurance toy compensate you if something breaks during the move. This is peace of mind that only professionals can provide.

If you are on the fence about handling a move yourself or hiring professional packers, contact our team at Nilson Van and Storage to discuss some other advantages you receive when you hire a skilled and experienced moving company.

Moving out of state should be a straightforward process, but there are a few things to be aware of before the move.

The decision to move out of state can be a big one, with the potential for unpleasant surprises and high costs. But by following the below tips, you can make the process uneventful, or at least as smooth as possible.

Identify Any Items Subject to Different State Law

When it comes to the regulation of what an individual can possess or own, most laws are going to be the same, no matter what state you’re in. Prescription drugs are a good example. But other items, such as alcohol and firearms, may be subject to different rules and regulations depending on the state or municipality.

In some states, owning a pistol is legal, but only after registering it with the proper government agency or department. In others, a pistol has the same laws applied to it as any other legal firearms under federal law.

Then there are transportation rules. Using firearms as an example, some states have rules on how an individual can carry or store a gun in a car. What might be legal in one state might be illegal in another. Should someone moving get stopped by police while improperly transporting a gun, serious legal problems could exist.

Plan Well Ahead

Any move requires planning. The earlier you can plan the move, the more smoothly it can go. By thinking about what needs moving and how it can get to its new destination, any potential problems might be avoidable or at least reduced in their significance.

Planning ahead also makes it easier to budget for the cost of the move. That means creating a moving cash fund ahead of time to avoid unexpected bills or the buildup of unnecessary debt.

Choosing to move out of state can be an exciting and stressful time, given the amount of planning involved. Using a moving company, such as Nilson Van and Storage, can make the move much easier. Get in touch with our team to get the help you need.

Handling a military relocation can be a bit easier by choosing the right moving company.

During a military relocation, you may choose to hire a moving company to help you change homes. But before you choose a moving company and before the actual move takes place, you need to ask the company the following questions to ensure the trip goes as efficiently and smoothly as possible.

What Is the Company’s Familiarity with PCS Orders?

A PCS (permanent change of station) order is a notification that tells military personnel about their next move to another duty station, such as a military base. There are a variety of different types of PCS orders. They each have their own policies and procedures that a service member must follow.

Some of these policies concern how much the United States government will reimburse the service member for the cost of the move. The exact amount allowed for moving reimbursement depends on the service member’s rank and family situation. These limitations aren’t always easy to understand.

The last thing a service member wants to do is hire a moving company to move a certain amount of stuff, only to find out only a small portion of the moving company’s bill is reimbursable. Finding a moving company with experience with military moves and PCS orders can help avoid this unfortunate situation.

Is the Moving Company Connected to the Transportation Management Office?

For military members who decide to have a relocation company help them with the move, things can go a lot easier by having a company that already has a working relationship with the Transportation Management Office, or TMO. This can make getting reimbursed for moving expenses much simpler.

Not only will the moving and reimbursement process go more smoothly, but it can reduce some of the worries about reimbursement because service members know this is a company that is familiar with the military moving process. It also helps ensure the moving company will do a good job moving personal belongings.

If you’re facing a pending military relocation, contact our expert team at Nilson Van and Storage to handle your moving needs.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A military relocation can result in worry and stress for the entire family.

Military relocations come with the territory of being in a military family, but it doesn’t mean they’re any easier to handle. The following is a list of three tips that can help your family adjust during the next military relocation.

1.Break the News as Soon as Possible

One the biggest ways to help family members adjust for a military relocation move is to inform them of the move as soon as possible. The sooner they find out, the sooner they can adapt to the idea of living and working in a new location. It also gives family members as much time as possible to make their own arrangements before the move, concerning friends, classmates and coworkers.

2.Have Your Family Help with the Move

If you let your family members contribute to the move, it can help them deal with the news. Even better is letting your family members make decisions about the move, such as when the move will take place, choosing your new home and deciding on a moving company. Being able to help with the move can provide a sense of control over something that could otherwise make them feel powerless.

3.Encourage Family Members to Keep in Touch

Just because your family moves to another location, that doesn’t mean they can’t see or communicate with their old friends. With the internet, keeping in touch is easier than ever. In fact, there’s no excuse for not being able to post a message on social media, send an e-mail, engage in a video chat or shoot over a text message. By allowing family members to hold on to a bit of what they left, they can adjust more quickly to their new location.

A military relocation can seem sudden and unexpected. To help the move go smoothly and reduce the amount of stress involved, consider using our team at Nilson Van and Storage for your next military relocation. Contact us today!

You can help your office relocation go more quickly and smoothly by using a temporary storage facility.

When you are planning for an office relocation, there’s more going on than the actual move. This is because you have to continue running your business while the move occurs. Temporary storage solutions can help with this transition of offices in several ways, and here are two of them.

Reduce the Chance of Theft

Depending on when the old office will be vacant and the new office ready for business, there can be a period when office contents are in a vacant building. With no one creating a constant presence in the office, the risk of theft can be much higher than if the office has permanent occupants.

But how will your business avoid this risk? Temporary storage can help in several ways. First, your office’s contents exist in a location no one will be aware of, besides your work employees. Potential thieves may know of your old or new office’s location, but probably not which temporary storage facility you’re using.

Second, temporary storage facilities are secure in that they are under lock and key and constant surveillance. While a theft at a temporary storage location is still possible, it’s much less likely. Additionally, if it does occur, there should be extra evidence of who’s responsible.

Provide Increased Flexibility for the Moving Date

In an ideal world, you can perfectly time when you leave the office and move into the new office. Unfortunately, coordinating schedules isn’t always possible. Therefore, there may be a period when you need to leave the old office, but the new office isn’t quite ready. What can you do? Place the contents from the old office into temporary storage until the new office is for you to move in.

If you want to take advantage of some of the benefits of temporary storage for your office relocation, contact the experts at Nilson Van today!