Category: Blog

Before you arrange your next move, spring for an in-home estimate.

To most effectively move your home, you will need to an in-home estimate. Below are four major benefits of getting an in-home estimate before getting started with your residential move.

Benefit #1: Accuracy

Unlike a moving quote obtained online or over the phone, an in-home estimate is the most accurate way to anticipate your moving costs. Nothing compares with a representative from the moving company walking through your home to see exactly what needs moving, as well as spot any potential hurdles that might cause surprise price increases or moving delays.

Benefit #2: Best Price

Because in-home estimates are the most accurate quotes possible, they allow you to more effectively compare prices among different moving companies. Since all the moving companies will see the same home and the same items that need moving, it’s easier to have an apples-to-apples comparison. This, in turn, will allow you to choose the best price among available moving companies.

Benefit #3: Avoid Unexpected Price Jumps

Without actually seeing your home and items that need moving, a moving company will make assumptions about the move. But often, these assumptions are incorrect. This can lead to a surprise bump in price that you must pay before you can take back your property and unload it in your new home. In-home estimates avoid these situations.

Benefit #4: Avoid Unexpected Logistical Surprises on Moving Day

Another surprise you can avoid with an in-home estimate is a problem with the movers not having the right tools, movers or moving truck for your home. Imagine the nightmare scenario where your home is empty and everything packed in boxes, but it turns out the truck for the move is just a little bit too small to carry everything. This requires the moving company to acquire a second truck or move everything into a larger truck, causing massive delays. In-home estimates can prevent these unexpected delays from happening.

If you’re interested in moving your home and understand the importance of getting an in-home estimate, consider getting one from our team at Nilson Van and Storage. Contact us before your next residential move.

If you’re planning a warehouse move, keep these tips in mind to make it go as smooth as possible.

Conducting a warehouse move can present a unique set of challenges that require extra care and organization far in advance. To help a warehouse move go as smoothly as possible, consider the following tips:

Assess Current Inventory

By its very nature, a warehouse has a lot of stuff that needs moving. But not all of it is necessary at the new location. By assessing the current inventory, you’ll not only organize much of what needs transportation to the new place but also identify things that don’t need to take part in the warehouse move. Perhaps it’s stale inventory that requires disposal or return to the manufacturer. Or maybe it’s inventory that belongs at a different location. Either way, a full assessment of the entire inventory is necessary for a successful and efficient move.

Carefully Plan Warehouse Deliveries

During the transition between the old and new warehouse, you’ll still need to carry on your business. To work efficiently, you’ll need to make proper arrangements with your shipping companies. For example, the last thing you want to do is receive a shipment of new inventory only to have to pack and send those items to the new warehouse. Along those lines, you don’t want to make arrangements to move certain inventory from the old warehouse to the new one, yet have that inventory go out in a shipment before the movers can get to it.

Use a Moving Company with Warehouse Experience

Not every moving company is capable of handling a warehouse move. To receive the best service possible, choose a moving company with proven experience and capability of completing a warehouse move.

Before you start your move, carefully make plans so it will go as efficiently as possible. If you’re looking for a moving company with warehouse moving experience, contact our team at Nilson Van and Storage.

Moving a car across the country can add considerable expense to a residential move.

If you need to move your car across the country during a residential move, you need to understand that there is no cheap and easy way to do it. Every method has its advantages and disadvantages. The following tips will help you make a more informed decision on moving your car:

#1 Always Have Enough Insurance

There are a variety of ways to get a car across the country, such as driving it yourself, hiring a driver or shipping it. Whatever method you choose, double check to make sure you have insurance that will reimburse you if something bad happens during the trip.

Make sure the policy limits are high enough and if necessary, talk to your agent to make sure your car insurance policy will provide coverage while it’s moved. And if you hire a company to ship your vehicle, make sure their insurance is enough to cover you if your vehicle gets damaged while they transport it.

#2 Think about Selling the Vehicle

It sounds odd, right? The best way to move your vehicle is to get rid of it? Depending on how old the vehicle is and how reliable it is, it may not make financial sense to move it with you.

For example, how much life does it have left? Could it handle putting another 2,500 miles on it? If not, driving it is out of the question. So that leaves shipping it. But shipping a car across the United States can easily top $1,000. If your car is only worth $2,500, is it worth shipping it at the cost of almost half its value?

If it can handle such a long drive, is it worth the cost of the professional driver? If you’re driving it, is it worth the several days of lost work, gas, lodging and food you’ll need to pay to drive it across the country? Then don’t forget the situation where you need to get back to your original destination – you’ll have to factor in the cost of a one-way plane ticket.

Moving a vehicle across the United States isn’t usually a major issue for most people moving since they need the car anyway to get to their new destination. For the other situations, contact our team at Nilson Van to discuss your options and how they can arrange to move your vehicle during your next residential move.

When planning out an international move, you should be aware that customs may hold and destroy some belongings you wish to take with you.

An international move brings with it the added complication of dealing with another set of laws regarding importation of certain items. Exactly what may cross the border will depend on the specific country’s laws. Below is a list of items that a country’s customs agents might not allow you to bring during your move:

Firearms

The United States is unique in that firearms are widely held by private citizens. In most other countries, private citizens may not own firearms, and if they can, there are heavy restrictions on what they can have. So if you’re trying to bring your guns and ammunition to your new country, there’s a good chance you can’t. At the very least, you’ll probably need to go through special paperwork to get them through customs.

Pornographic Materials

Even in the United States, with some of the most liberal free speech and press laws in the history of the world, adult materials are subject to restrictions on who sells them and who may possess them. It’s no surprise that many countries go further and prohibit their possession by anyone within their borders.

Alcohol and Narcotics

These are subject to heavy regulation in the United States and the vast majority of other countries (assuming they’re not illegal). As a result, if you want to consume any of these, even for a valid medical reason, you may need to follow your new country’s specific rules regarding their use. This usually includes not being able to import them during your move.

Agricultural Products

Bringing non-native plants and animals, including seeds, is usually a no-no. Newly introduced plants and animals can wreak havoc on an ecosystem that is unfamiliar with them.

Moving internationally isn’t easy, and it comes with risks of losing your belonging due to actions by customs officials. To help reduce this risk, contact our professional moving team at Nilson Van for your next move.

It’s not cheap to move, so it’s always nice to find ways you can save money when moving on a budget.

If finances are tight during your residential move, you’ll probably look for ways you can save a few extra dollars. Here are three tips for moving on a budget:

Tip #1: Reuse Boxes and Containers

If you have a significant period before you have to make your move, you can start saving extra cardboard boxes and containers for use during the trip. This is a particularly helpful tip for those who love online shopping. Every time you get your online order, save the box it came in. Unless it’s a padded envelope or a box the size of a VHS tape (remember those?), you’ll probably be able to use it during your move.

Tip #2: Use Clothes as Packing Materials

For fragile items, instead of buying expensive packing materials, such as bubble wrap and Styrofoam peanuts, use pieces of clothing you don’t currently need or want. You can also use tablecloths, blankets and towels to help protect items that need some extra care.

Tip #3: Avoid Peak Moving Times

The need to move can occur at any time, but they tend to cluster around certain times of the year and days of the week. For example, the summer is a very popular time for movers, especially those in and around colleges and universities. If you try to move during the summer, you may see yourself paying higher rates for moving services, such as loaders, packers and rental trucks.

And if you have flexibility in which day you retain moving services, you may see lower rates in the middle of the week. Many people have Monday through Friday jobs, so their only time to move is during the weekends. So it’s the weekend, and not the middle of the week, when demand is high.

No matter how careful you are with money, it’s always good to find tips to move on a budget. To learn more ways you can money and time during your residential move, contact Nilson Van today.

There are many benefits of using Nilson Van Storage Services for your next move.

Moving can be a very hectic and stressful time, so hiring a professional storage services company can be extremely helpful. Surprise delays and hurdles during the move can require the need of moving professionals, as well as the ability to store personal property for a temporary period. Here are some of the benefits of using Nilson Van Storage Services.

We Can Help Everyone

At Nilson, it doesn’t matter where you’re going; if you need help with moving or have storage needs, we can help. Whether it’s a residential move to a new home across town or heading across state lines, we can take the stress out of moving.

But in addition to residential moves, we handle commercial moves, too. If you’re a business that’s changing locations, Nilson is more than capable of getting the job done efficiently and economically. And those in the public sector need not feel left out either. If you’re a local, state or federal governmental organization, we have the logistical capability to accomplish your moving goals.

Nilson Van Does International Moves

Moving across the country is difficult and complex enough, but having to move to another country adds another layer of work to the move. Nilson is familiar with the rules, laws and regulations that you may encounter when moving to an international destination.

We Have Tons of Experience

Nilson has a long history of helping individuals, families, government organizations and businesses with their moving requirements. All the way back in 1938, the Nilson family started its moving business with high quality and reliable services. Today, Nilson has over 100 employees in eight locations. All this means that if you hire Nilson, you can relax knowing a company with decades of experience can take care of your needs.

The next time you need a professional to provide moving assistance or storage services, think Nilson Van Storage Services. Contact us today!