MAKING THE MOVE Easing the transition from house to house.

Relocating might not crack the Top 10 all-time stressors, but it should. Uprooting your family presents
difficulties in every facet of your life, from switching schools and communities, to making new friends and business networks. It’s certainly an adjustment, but the strain can be eased with a positive experience. That starts with your move.

The first thing to focus on is finding a reliable moving company.

Horror stories about shady movers abound, but the serious players in the moving industry have tried hard to clear their names. Word of mouth carries a lot of business in the moving industry, so ask your friends and associates who they’ve had good experiences with. You could also open the phone book and look at the ads, but that’s just the first step. Call the Better Business Bureau to make sure the
companies are reputable, and check in both cities, where you’re coming from and where you’re going.

Bill Gould of All American Van & Storage says that when you get estimates from movers, contact major van lines and not brokers. There might be a price difference but don’t let that be your sole determining factor, he says, because brokers will hand off your move to various companies, with no one taking responsibility for your belongings. Claims with these
companies often go nowhere.

Ask the companies you call if they are brokers. Or better yet, look up reputable movers on the American Moving and Storage Association’s website, www.moving.org. The website ensures that drivers don’t exceed their hours and that the companies are licensed and insured.

After you’ve found some quality movers, interview more than one.

“You should talk to more than one mover so you have a reference point, something to compare to,” says Wade Bute of Ace World Wide Movers. “If you haven’t moved a lot before, you should ask the same questions to every mover you speak with in order to figure out which movers are being honest. Stick with the old adage, ‘if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.’”

Paul Nepa, owner of Champion Movers, concurs and adds that before you begin talking to movers you should get a good idea of exactly what you need.

“Before selecting a mover, you should know the date you would like to move, the items you are moving, who will be packing your personal items, and how many boxes you may have,” Nepa says. “Then you can compare moving companies by quality, price and professionalism.”


Getting it Booked and Moved
Most reputable companies will offer free estimates. They need to get a visual survey of what items are moving, if there’s any packing, or any special needs like crating for pianos, statues or other odd-shaped and valuable things.

If you hire the moving company to pack your belongings, that will usually take place the day before the move. Some luxury homes might take a full week. The average house won’t fill up an entire truck, so moving companies might find another family moving in the same direction to move as well. To prevent confusion of belongings in this case, every piece on the truck is inventoried and stickered, and crews will give you a copy for you to check off at your final destination.

Notify your driver if you have something particularly valuable. This means items that you can generally hold in your hands that are expensive, such as a porcelain doll that weighs only 5 lbs. but costs $10,000. You might want to take items like that and family heirlooms or jewelry with you instead.

Do not move household poisons like Raid, combustible items that could explode in hot weather, candles that could melt, liquids like laundry detergent that could leak on your leather sofa, or even water, which could harm your computer. Damages from improper or illegal packing on your part will result in an unpaid claim.

One of the best ways to stay organized is to prepare for your immediate needs. Designate a box for necessities such as paper plates, a child’s favorite toy and toothbrushes. This definitely includes important paperwork and keys to your new house. Mark the box clearly and point it out to the movers so that it is the last box on the truck and the first one off.

Unloading the Truck
If you have children, you should hire someone to watch them or immediately set up a TV so you can direct boxes coming off the truck. As the boxes stack up, check for damage to your belongings and also to your home. Did the crew put a dent in your wall? Dirty the carpet? These are issues your moving company can resolve, but you have to sign off on it while the crew is still there.

You should ask your moving coordinator if the moving company will do things like putting the bed back together. You’ll be exhausted and want a good night’s sleep.

Reducing Stress
A major key to the moving process is keeping up with the details of both the home you’re moving to and the one you’re moving from. You should set up a disconnect date for all of your utilities and services a week or two before the move, as well as hook up services at your new location.

Bute says that many people forget details like reserving an elevator or getting movers access into a gated community on moving day.

Moving Day
Our experts offer the following tips to avoid unnecessary stress during the move.

TIP 1: Make note of your shipment registration number and keep it with you in case you need to call your mover with questions.
TIP 2: Designate the appropriate number of boxes as the essentials you will need your first few nights such as towels, sheets and toiletries.
TIP 3: If you need to store some of your items, it’s a good idea to tour the warehouse of the mover you will be using in order to look for cleanliness and organization.
TIP 4: After you have thoroughly cleaned and dried the inside of your refrigerator, put a handful of coffee, baking soda or charcoal inside a sock or nylon stocking and place it inside to keep the interior fresh.
TIP 5: Pack your current phone book to take with you. You may need to make calls to residents or businesses back in your former hometown.
TIP 6: Place pictures in boxes between sheets and blankets to give them added protection.
TIP 7: Plates and record albums should be packed on end vertically, rather than placed flat and stacked.
TIP 8: Make sure to correctly label the contents of all boxes on the side rather than the top of the box. This will help with efficiency when unloading the truck. Also make sure to designate what room in your new house each of the boxes and items will go to.
TIP 10: Make sure to carry all fragile items, important documents, jewelry and family heirlooms with you.
TIP 11: Before the van foreman leaves for your destination, give him a phone number where you can be reached. It’s a good idea to provide him with an alternate contact in case you are unavailable.
TIP 12: At your destination, you might want to consider having the TV and VCR hooked up first to occupy kids while the rest of the van is being unloaded.
TIP 13: When moving plants to your new residence via your vehicle, try not to let the foliage rest against the windows, as the leaves will scorch.
TIP 14: Upon arrival at your new home, let your PC acclimate itself to room temperature before plugging it in.
TIP 15: Leave the rest to the professionals, sit back and relax.

Secure Your Belongings
Whether you’re downsizing or waiting for your new home to be built or become vacant, a storage facility can put your mind at ease about the security of your personal items.

When deciding on how much space you need, take inventory of items to be stored. Sizes range from 5x5 to 10x30, and most facilities offer a storage choice on the first, second or third floor. Make sure the facility has a security system: coded keypad entry gate, exit gate and building entrance. Check also for individual door alarms on the unit, video surveillance and an onsite manager. All storage facilities in Nevada are risk-free, so it’s your responsibility to make sure
personal items are insured.

Before making a final decision, visit the facility firsthand. “Ask them face to face about all of the important questions and get a feel for the employees and the facility,” says Logan Burns, facility manager at Henderson Storage Kings. “Have them show you the property, units, security and anything else that pops in your head.”

Even after you’ve moved in and made yourself at home, storage facilities are better equipped to protect “stuff” than a garage or shed. Most storage facilities are climate-controlled or air-cooled, which means a safer environment for all your belongings, leaving your garage to actually be used as it was intended: for your vehicle.

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