Let’s face it. Moving, whether it is for a household or a business, is a stressful event. Why not add a little mirth to your move? Take some of the stress and pack it in one of the boxes marked “Important-Do Not Lose!” It’s nice to know how to tempt fate in your favor.

Serious Business
If we’re going to deflate stress, we may as well face it head on.

99% of all movers give the rest a bad name.
I suppose you could say that about any profession for a giggle. It’s nice to know this doesn’t apply to movers in Seattle.

Moving Day
When the big event arrives, anything can happen.

One guy says to his friend, “I saw a garbage truck here earlier today. You never told me you were moving.”
Some friend! Some friends are better than others. Check these out….

When we agreed to help our buddy move to a new apartment, we thought that the elevator would be working. So after hours of carrying heavy boxes and furniture up 7 flights of stairs, we were exhausted. And when our buddy asked us to search for his favorite cooking utensil, no one moved.

“I’ll give a bottle of Scotch to whoever finds it,” he shouted.

Within minutes, one of the guys found the utensil.

“Good,” said our buddy. “Now, look for the Scotch.”

Do you think he will want to share when he finds it?

Two moving van men, Bill and Jack, were taking things into a house.

Bill said, “Jack, help me move this chest.”

Jack asked, “Why? Did Miss Smith tell you to?”

“No,” replied Bill.

“Then how do you know she wants it moved?” asked Jack.

“Because she’s under it.”

Oops! That’s one moving headache we can do without.

Moving into the Twilight Zone
Sometimes, when things get strange, no matter what you do, the strangeness only gets worse. The best thing you can do is to take a break.

We are all time travelers moving at the speed of exactly 60 minutes per hour.
Can we make this thing move any faster?

I’m moving to Jupiter next week, so if you have any boxes…
I don’t envy that move. Gravity is much heavier there, so be careful lifting anything!

Customer: Do you have any cockroaches?
Clerk: Yes, we sell them to fishermen as bait.
Customer: I would like 15,000 of them.
Clerk: What would you want with 15,000 cockroaches?
Customer: I’m moving later today and my lease says that I must leave my apartment in the condition in which I found it.
How thoughtful. Don’t you wish all tenants were this conscientious?

Albert Einstein once said, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.”
So, break’s over. Back to moving.

Whether you’re an Issaquah mover or a Seattle mover, moving can be painful enough. Don’t let the experience bite your bank account.

1. Haggle Before Disconnecting. When disconnecting your services, you have those companies at a disadvantage. To keep you, they may be willing to give you a hefty incentive to stay.

2. Plan Ahead. Try to move during the slow season and during the slower parts of the month. You could be able to negotiate better rates.

3. Be Flexible. Similarly, be willing to move at the moving company’s convenience and schedule. Insisting on your own schedule could result in additional charges.

4. Do it Yourself. Consider packing your boxes yourself. Just make certain you use your legs for lifting (not your back) and ask for help on the really heavy stuff. It would not do to spend your savings on medical bills. And unless you are a professional mover and truck driver, leave these to the experts.

5. Keep an Eye Out on Incentives. Awhile back, the Post Office offered a Lowe’s coupon for those who went online to do an address change. Keep this in mind when you think of each company with which you do business. They may have similar incentives.

6. Hunt for Boxes. Before you shell out hard cash for pretty boxes, check at local stores-liquor, grocery or even the recycling center.

7. Investigate Before Selecting a Mover. Ask others for recommendations. When you have a list of movers, check the Better Business Bureau’s website (www.bbb.org) to ensure your recommended companies aren’t shackled with complaints.

8. Let the Government Help Pay for Your Move. Is your move job-related? If so, you could deduct some of your moving costs. One important restriction requires that you would have to travel 50 miles farther to your new office than to your old. So, if you drive 2 miles to work at your old office from your old house, but you would have to drive 53 miles to your new office from your old house, you meet this requirement. Check IRS Publication 521, “Moving Expenses,” for more details.

9. Lose Some Pounds. Donate furniture and other belongings before you move. If you don’t really need it, you could use the tax deduction, and you would save a little on not having to move so much.

10. Prepare in Advance. Make certain your new residence is ready for the delivery before the Seattle movers get there. Any delay could result in additional charges.

11. Clean Up. If your old place has a security/cleaning deposit, you could jeopardize that if you do not clean your old place thoroughly. Make sure you leave yourself enough time and energy to do it right.

12. Sleeping Accommodations. You could stay in a hotel the night before the big move, now that everything is all packed, or you could “rough it” by using a sleeping bag and even an air mattress to keep you comfy. You deserve a good night’s rest after all your hard work, but it need not cost a lot.

A little preparation could save a world of grief on your next move.

1. Give Each Item a Destination Address. Sketch a map of your new place labeling each room. Say “A” is for kitchen (you know, where all the Apples are kept). Just before the move, safely tape a sign at the entrance to each room with the tag ID you’ve given it. When you’ve finished packing each box, write your label with contents like, “A-spices,” or “A-dishes.” Then stack the boxes by their destination room so the movers can be more organized, too. Be sure to label each box on at least two sides to increase the chances the movers will see your label.

2. Keep Your Organization Tools Organized. When the moving day arrives, you may not be done. Keep everything you need for organizing the move-felt tip pens, packing tape, scissors, etc. in a box labeled “Do Not Move.” You don’t want the movers to ship your tools while you need them.

3. Designate a “Magnet” Location for All “Holdout” Items. You should move some items yourself-money, jewels, valuable documents, pets, and other irreplaceable items. Some items movers are not allowed to handle, like flammables, guns, explosives, ammunition, and other hazardous materials.

Don’t mark your valuables in a way that would attract thieves. Keep your cleaning supplies here, too, so you can clean your old home when the movers are gone. Your magnet location should include all of the papers, keys, map with directions, phone numbers, security codes and everything else you will need on the move. Label the area, “Do Not Move.”

4. Prepare a Portable Refreshment Center. You know you’re going to get hungry and thirsty with all of this activity. So, keep an ice chest and/or box with snacks and drinks.

5. Pace Yourself. Packing for a house full of possessions takes between 2-3 months. Take the amount of time you have until moving date, and divide your estimated number of boxes by that amount of time. Pack the items you rarely use, first. Say your Seattle moving company estimates you’ll need 100 boxes of a certain size to pack everything. Schedule to pack between 5 and 10 boxes per week. And keep track so that you don’t have too much to do in the last few weeks.

6. Offload Dead Weight. Donate or sell those items you never use or won’t have room for in your new home. This could give you extra cash or a tax deduction, plus it may save on the final moving cost.

7. Create a “Goodie Box.” This is your special “reward” box of items you will need to get started in your new home. This will include everything you and your family will need in the first few days. Ask each family member what they couldn’t do without after they arrive. This could include snacks for the dog, paper plates for the inevitable take-out, and your children’s favorite play things.

Every move is a challenge. These tips help to keep the madness under control so you can get back to your life as soon as possible after the move is done.

Service Disconnects

Every service your old house or apartment enjoys should be disconnected and re-established at your new residence. This may seem obvious, but if you don’t have a checklist of these, you may forget one or more.

Not all of them will necessarily apply, of course. If your new home is all electric, you won’t need gas hookup. Here is a list to get you started. This may not be complete for your own situation, so add items as you think of them.

• Phone service
• Electricity
• Natural gas
• Water
• Cable or satellite television
• Internet connection
• Mail delivery
• Gardening service
• Pool cleaning
• Bottled water delivery

Make certain to notify all of your providers far enough in advance so that they can schedule the discontinuance at your old location and start at your new location so that you are not left in the dark after your arrival. You may also find that some providers do not operate at your new location. In that case, you will need to find a new provider. If you take care of this early enough, surprises like this will be far less painful.

Mechanics of the Move

Giving each room in your new place a unique name or letter will allow you to label each box for its destination room.

When you label your boxes, make certain you label at least two sides to increase the chance the movers will see your all-important information.

It may seem to be a pain, but why not label all sides. When you have a mountain of boxes and you need an item in a box with a label that is not immediately visible, you don’t want to have to dig through the mountain just to reveal that hidden label. If the label is on all sides, you increase your chances of finding what you need without a lot of extra effort.

Keep all of the tools for your move (tape, scissors, felt tip marking pens, etc.), important information, and valuable documents in a box or location clearly labeled “Do Not Move,” otherwise the movers may take them while you still need them.

Use old newspaper, sheets and towels to wrap your breakable items. This can save you money on more expensive packing materials.

Valuables

Think about any items you would never be able to replace if the movers were to break them. Not a comforting thought, but even the best Seattle, Redmond or Tacoma movers occasional break things. That’s the nature of the business, and that’s why move insurance is offered. Why not move your valuables yourself so you don’t have to worry about them?

With many good deals to be had in the real estate market, many first time buyers see this as the perfect opportunity to buy an older, run down property and turn it into their dream home.  Others see the opportunity for making a profit from doing great things to that old fixer upper and reselling it.

If you’ve recently sold your home in the Seattle area and have had all your belongings moved safe and sound by your local movers in Seattle, then you’re ready for the next step of your moving and renovating adventure.  Here are some dos and don’ts of moving into a fixer upper without getting overwhelmed.

Do try and move boxes into an area of the home where you will not be renovating right away.  In fact, you may want to consider asking your Seattle moving company if they offer temporary storage of furniture that you can retrieve when the room is ready for it.  It’s very difficult to renovate around furniture and boxes of belongings.

Do draw up a plan of action and work in that order. For example you don’t want to spend time and energy fixing up old drywall only to have to tear it out to fix faulty wiring.   Be sure to put everything you want to do down on a list so you can plan your work in order.

Don’t forget to budget your renovations.  No doubt you have a dollar figure in mind that you want to spend.  It’s easy to get carried away and over spend on one area leaving you without funds to continue the whole job.  It’s a good idea to start  with a list of everything you want to do ideally, and then as you put the actual cost to jobs, you will eliminate or alter the jobs according to what budgets will allow. For example, you may want new tiles in the bathroom, but when you look at the budget, you may opt instead for a really good cleaning and polishing so you can invest in new fixtures instead.

Do invest in modern energy efficient products wherever possible. Energy efficient windows and doors, heating and cooling systems and air cleaners and purifiers are very highly valued in today’s real estate market.

Don’t be afraid to call on the services of a professional if you feel overwhelmed.  A few dollars spent getting help from a person with the skills to do the job right can often save you a lot of money and headaches in the long run.   In some cases there is still plenty that you can finish yourself once a professional has provided some basic advice and steps for you to follow.

Do take your time.  It may seem like a project that never ends once you start renovating.  Try to stay focused on the task at hand rather than always looking ahead to the day it will all be finished. Take joy from each accomplishment knowing it is a step towards your final dream home.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.psmoving.com as the original source).

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If you are thinking about moving to an apartment, you better have a digital camera handy.  It can really simplify your apartment search and move-in processes, by instantly capturing every crucial space and its condition.

Once you really get going, you will visit dozens of apartments, and it will be very hard to remember all of the details for each one of them, unless you have an out-of-this-world memory.  Through the pictures, us mere mortals will have no way of forgetting about the interesting or not so practical details regarding the design, style and colors.  These are research photos that will be very useful when making a final decision.

The pictures will help you move in too, as they will help you buy appliances and furniture that will truly fit and enhance the space.

Once you have chosen the perfect place, and before you call the movers in Seattle to help you, take a walk through the apartment and take photos to record its condition.  This will be very useful once you decide to move out, because you will only get your security deposit back if the apartment is in the exact same state.  Take pictures of problem areas, like stained carpets, so that you have a way to prove that it was not you who damaged it.  Make sure you talk to the landlord about any concern or damages you see before you move in.

When moving to a new apartment it is fundamental that you get rental insurance and be prepared in case of a burglary.  For this, you must take pictures of your belongings and the electronics’ serial numbers, and save the receipts for expensive appliances like TV’s, furniture, computers, china, and stereos, so that you can file an insurance claim with enough proof in hand.

And since they say that thinking ahead is thinking wise, when the time comes to leave the place, do not forget to take pictures of the condition you are leaving the apartment in.  The same as before you moved in, clear the space and take some ‘after’ pictures as a back up, just in case you have trouble when getting your deposit back.

The set of pictures you take must last several years in good condition, at least while you are living at the place, thus, file them in a safe place where you can find them easily, and also store them online as a back up.  And of course, make sure you take good care of your digital camera!

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.psmoving.com as the original source).

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So, you just moved to your new gorgeous home, and of course you want everything to look and be perfect.  This is a great way to start your new life, organizing everything so that your home, and your life along with it, doesn’t become a complete mess.

Organization is a science that demands discipline, and nothing shows how disciplined you are more than your closets.  Closets are where everyone dumps what is not used and wants to be forgotten.  Tell us… are your closets organized 365 days a year?  How about 182 days?  How about 91 days? How about a month a year?

Yes, we know how difficult it is, however, if you want to honor your new life and start it with the right foot and right attitude, you have to learn a method to keep your closets organized and user-friendly.  If you achieve this, you can be sure the rest of your house will be everyone’s envy and your biggest pride.

And without further ado, let’s show you this magic method:

1.    Assign a purpose for every closet
Before unpacking a single piece of clothing, think if the closet will be for storing linens and towels, coats and boots, or your everyday wardrobe.  Check it to see if it has all the rods, racks, and shelves you need to give it the best use.

2.    Prepare the closet to work for you
Get wire shelving or wheeled storage bins for items that need to breathe.  Consider the options that could help you get organized and uncluttered:

-    Shelving.  There are many permanent and portable units available.  Just make sure they fit your needs before buying.

-    Rods and bars.  You could add a second bar below the main one to add hanging space.  Take precise measures to make sure that what you buy will fit.

-    Storage containers.  These come in many sizes, shapes and materials.  The see-through type is very practical to store underwear, sweaters, accessories and sports gear.

-    Shoe racks.  Everyone knows women love shoes.  Shoe racks are great at holding lots of shoes out of sight, be it behind the closet door or on the floor, without having to swim through hundreds of boxes to find the ones you would like to wear that day.

-    Closet organizer system.  It offers many extra features, so make sure you know exactly what you need before going out to buy one.  These systems range from inexpensive to very sophisticated ones, so you have an ample variety to choose from.

-    Wire or wicker baskets.  You should go for baskets with a labeling system so that you can identify the content.  Wire baskets let clothes breathe, and wicker ones offer a neat look.  In order to give your closets a visually clean look, use the same kind of material in all of them.

-    Hangers and hooks.  Stay away from wire hangers!  These damage your clothes and they look horrible.  Invest in wooden hangers that look very nice, get some rubber ones that prevent slipping for delicate pieces, and look for special hangers for suits.  Hooks are great for belts, neckties and scarves.  A great tip: install a hook behind a closet door to hang the clothes for the next day, it will save you around 20 minutes in the morning.

3.    Unpack
Take this opportunity to sort out your clothes based on what you use, how often you use it, or even if you will use it again.  Next, if necessary, separate clothes by season, and within each season, sort by professional, leisure, at home, sports, etc.  You can even sort by colors and type of clothing, for example, shirts, pants, blazers, etc.  If you do this, you will never have to suffer again while getting dressed!

Being organized in every area of your life will come in very handy when moving.  It can really help your local mover in Seattle do a better job at helping you get your valuables safely and efficiently to your new place, and it will truly make you enjoy the process of moving!

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.psmoving.com as the original source).

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You are now settled into your new home, you have unpacked all your belongings, and the mover in Seattle is gone.  After a few days of rest from the strenuous physical efforts involved in a move, it is time to start thinking about adding worth to your new home.

As it turns out, landscaping is an investment as well as a way to beautify your surroundings.  Beautiful landscaping can add around five to fifteen percent in value to a home, and once the house is resold, the owners earn back 100% or even 200% of the investment.

If you remodel the kitchen, you will get around a 75% return, but landscaping, which can be done little by little, as your budget allows, is a simple way to add worth to your home.  The expenses due to landscaping are considered capital improvement, and can be added to your house’s basis to decrease the taxable profit once you sell.

Then, how should you do it?

First, make a plan.  Draw up your house and yard, including utility lines.  Identify the areas with a lot of light and shade, and confirm that your yard is draining rainwater well.  Mark the drainage and lighting patterns on your plan and define areas for sports, playing, recreation and parking.  If possible, take the soil for testing.

Make a list of the plants you already have in the yard and the plants you would like to incorporate.  Ask a landscaping professional if these plants will work well and what soil treatments you require.  Check the prices on the plants you want and go home to evaluate what you can afford now and what will come later.

When purchasing the plants, check them well.  Do not buy sick plants.  Keep the roots damp and in the shade before planting them and keep the plants healthy.  Follow the watering and fertilizing instructions, and prepare correctly the soil and beds, otherwise, you will lose your money.

You must buy a tree; consider it an investment.  Trees start increasing in value as soon as they are planted.  A young tree of around $50, will be worth between $1000 and $10,000 once it is mature.  Besides this attractive characteristic, trees reduce the house’s temperature by as much as 9 F (40 F in attics), saving you more than $250 per year in air conditioning.

Landscaping has lots of benefits for the environment too.  One tree can remove, annually, 216 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; this is equivalent to 11,000 miles of car emissions.  One acre of trees removes, per year; 13 tons of damaging substances from the air, and one tree offers enough oxygen to supply one family of four per day.  How about that?

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.psmoving.com as the original source).

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A move is seen, by child development professionals, as one of the most unsettling happenings in a kid’s life.  The manner in which a child responds to changing homes depends on several aspects, like personality, closeness to friends, and the reasons for the move.  Several studies have shown that the parents are in the best place to offer the needed support to help their children be happy regardless of any move.

The approach of the parents to the move normally affects the child.  If the parents are sad about it, the child’s reaction will be a negative one.  On the contrary, if the parents are happy about it and talk about great expectations, the child will too.  Normally, younger children are better at accepting big changes; children in their teens will have a rough time because the identity crisis that they normally experience during these years is deepened by the loss of their friends.

In order to make it easier on everyone, but especially on your children, talk openly to them about the move.  Tell them what they can expect, what their new neighborhood is like and how to make new friends.  If possible, take them there before moving, so that they can experience the place for themselves and feel like an important part of the decision.  You can let your children choose their bedrooms and think of how they are going to decorate them, give them packing and labeling responsibilities, and let them meet the movers in Seattle, so that they feel useful.

After you move, pay attention to your children’s games and playing routines, these will help you identify their needs.  If they are talking to friends, pets or dolls, they could be worried or fearful, thus, assure them that their normal activities will still be there and open the doors for communication.

Look for similarities between the old place and the new one, not only between the houses, but also between neighborhood and town.  Go to the child’s new school with him or her before the first day.  Go into the classroom and meet the teacher, encourage your child to play with a classmate before starting school and do not create false expectations about how cool the new school is.  Let your child experience it for himself, but always show optimism and encouragement.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.psmoving.com as the original source).

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It is not only you who is moving this year.  Thousands or even millions of people who change homes or offices every year join you, and thus, it is only logical to try to reduce waste as much as possible when moving.

It has been determined that each person produces around 1580 pounds of waste per year, most of it, some 602 pounds, are in the form of paper and paperboard, 149 pounds are plastic, 58 pounds are textiles, and 82 pounds are wood.

Even though it is believed that America is recycling almost 30% of the waste produced, the amount of waste generated is increasing every single year, and, although recycling has grown in general, there is a marked growth of the recycling of certain materials like paper, plastic soft drink bottles, aluminum cans, steel packaging and major appliances.

In order to help the growing and crucial recycling efforts, here are several ideas to help you reduce waste when moving to a new home or office:

1.    Avoid buying new boxes, and instead, save old ones.  Find leftover boxes from local shops or neighbors.

2.    If you can’t find old boxes, use corrugated ones made out of recycled materials.

3.    Recycle every box after you have used it.

4.    Use your luggage and handbags to pack your clothes, linens, and bathroom items.

5.    Ask the movers in Seattle about renting reusable storage crates.  These last many years and are recyclable.

6.    Wrap up fragile things in old newspapers.

7.    Select eco-friendly packing materials like cushioning peanuts made of biodegradable cornstarch and bubble wrap containing recycled plastic.  Always recycle these materials after utilizing them.

8.    Make sure you dispose appropriately of non-recyclable materials like cleaners, paints, and car supplies before you move.  Find the correct way to get rid of them.

9.    When possible, use recycled paint for house projects.

10.    Make a garage sale before you move to get rid of things you don’t need or want but are in good condition.

11.    Donate whatever you think can be used and appreciated by others.

After you move, find out about recycling programs in the community and join it.  Also, start buying only recyclable products and items that can be repaired and used for a long time.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.psmoving.com as the original source.

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