South Florida Moving Blog

Every move can have hidden moving costs. It is very important to read your moving contract before signing it to make these “hidden” fees, not hidden to you anymore. By reading through your contract, you will see that most movers will charge extra for certain situations and specific conditions happening during the move. It is your responsibility to read over this contract and stay up to date with the moving company to make sure you are informed of any extra fees or conditions.

 

The main reason people complain about hidden costs is because of packing supplies. Some people before reading over their contract will assume that packing supplies come with the moving price and are just unlimited. Most of the time packing supplies are an extra cost, unless already stated differently in your contract. To go along with the supplies, some moving companies will charge you extra fees to pack your items as well as moving them.

 

The next hidden fee behind moving is bulky items. This is a very specific rule to read over in your contract. Bulky items usually consist of items that can not fit through your normal door, weigh over a set weight, or are too large to pick up by hand. A few good examples of bulky items are pool tables, pianos, and large beds that cannot be dissembled. This is a simple relocation cost that you can prepare for or avoid depending on the items.

 

Another hidden fee that goes along with large items is known as a hoisting fee. If you have items that cannot go through your normal door, like large couches, beds, etc. Most of the time, you should realize what items you have that are of significant size and cannot be taken apart. This will allow you to put aside funds to cover these expenses. If you do not inform the movers ahead of time, it will cause setbacks on your moving out date, add extra fees, and cause a lack of organizing. It is always good to measure your furniture in advance to avoid bulky items and a hoisting fee.

 

Then there is sometimes an elevator fee depending on the situation. You may have to pay to reserve an elevator through the building manager to use during your move. If you are able to talk to the manager and get the elevator at your requested time, you may not have to pay a fee.

 

Another fee that you may not have been informed about is charges for extra stops. Extra stops and pick-ups are both common for being charged extra for. If you are needing more items picked up along the way, at a storage unit or family member’s house, moving companies may tact on extra fees. In another case, you may want items dropped off at separate places; they may also charge you extra for multiple drop locations.

 

Then, there is also an express delivery fee. If you are wanting your items to be moved, packed, or delivered quicker, you can discuss it with the company, but expect extra costs. Short distance moves usually take less time than out of state relocations. If you are wanting your items to an out of state location in a minimal amount of days, you may wish you to pay extra for an express delivery.

 

The last fee you should beware of is when cancelling a move. If you want to cancel your moving services that you have requested from a moving company, there may be extra fees added if you do not meet the deadline. In your contract, the cut-off for cancelling your moving services will be listed. After paying a deposit, and wanting to cancel, your moving company may have the right to collecting your deposit as a cancellation fee. Usually you can avoid this if you cancel well in advance, rather than a few days before.

 

As you can see, understanding your written estimate well and being informed about what your quote includes is crucial to knowing your moving budget well. The hidden costs of moving companies can be avoided and/ or controlled when you know about them. Some of them cannot be avoided when the circumstances are like so but when you do know in advance about them, you can plan more precisely your moving budget.

 

 

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Moving into a new apartment can be an exciting process. They are different from living in a house, and depending on if you rent or own the apartment, can require a greater amount of attention when first moving in. Whether you have lived in an apartment before or this is your first time, there is a few topics that we will cover that will help you in the process.

 

Moving into an apartment could be your first time living without your parents, and on your own. It is an exciting feeling, but requires work and dedication to keep your apartment experience up to your expectations. Every rental agreement is different, as is every landlord, meaning that you will need to prepare yourself to be adaptable in many situations.

 

The first thing to do when thinking about moving into an apartment for the first time is the selection process. The apartment is not the only thing that matters, but the location as well. Is it a safe neighborhood? Are there job offers that can provide you with an income to satisfy your needs? You will also want to look at the crime report to see what kind of city your apartment is in or nearby. How has real estate been developing in the area? For any location, Wikipedia is a great source to research these questions.

 

After selecting your apartment, you will want to begin the packing and moving planning. You will want to select which items you will want to take with you, and that will fit in your apartment. Does the apartment come furnished or will you need to provide your own furniture? In a past blog post, we spoke about how to design the perfect floor plan. The floor plan will drastically increase or decrease the size of areas in your apartment you are able to use proactively. As well as planning which items to move, you will want to go to the apartment to measure the doors, hallways, and windows to make sure your items will fit into your new apartment. If it will not fit as is, dismantling is always an option.

 

Moving into a new apartment sounds like a dream when you are first discussing it, but until you have actually done it or experienced helping someone else out, will you realize the tall task that moving is. Woody and Sons can help make the moving process less stressful, more organized, and overall more efficient for you.

 

The next step in your moving process should be to learn about the building. How is the building? Has it had any recent renovation? You will want to check for mold, rodents, bugs, and any other troubling signs. Most people do not search or ask about these problems before moving into apartments. If the area gets a lot of rain, you will want to check in to find out about any leaks that may involve your apartment. You will find better information by talking to people who already live there and their experiences, rather than just the landlord. You will want to compile a list of things that really matter to you and as you go through the list, decide what is going to make or break you from moving into this apartment. When talking to the landlord and current residents, start with basic questions and then lead into more specific inquiries. You have the right to know these answers; so do not hesitate to get all your questions answered.

 

Lastly, you will want to carefully read your rental agreement. It contains important information about the conditions under which you are to use your apartment. If you have pets you will want to see where they fall into the rental contract. You will want to review termination agreements, and anything that could put you in jeopardy of losing your apartment. Read and make sure that you have covered all of the key points and understand them.

 

It will be a big surprise moving into your own apartment for the first time. Even if you have covered everything in this article, there will always be more unexpected situations that you will need to adapt to, to continue enjoying apartment life. If you want, throw a welcome party to get to know your neighbors, invite some friends, and have a good time. This will give you a good chance to mingle and get to know new people living around you. No matter what, enjoy it, it is your first experience. You will learn new things and see what you need to change in order to continue to have a great first apartment experience.

 

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Throughout our blogs, we have stated how important moving day is. Taking into account your pre-moving planning, hiring movers, moving out of your old home, and moving into your new home, a lot rides on the line with a move. To help begin the process after doing some pre-moving planning and research, it is a good idea to set a moving date. By setting a moving date, it will help you, the moving company, your current homes new inhabitants, and whoever is helping you with your new home get organized and have a plan.

 

One factor that should factor into deciding on a moving date is cost. Choose a particular date that is related to how much you are going to pay for relocation. There are specific days of the week that are more expensive than others. Movers become busier, which in hand, raises moving costs for you. Prices can fluctuate as much as 20 percent on weekends, holidays, beginning and end of the month, and summer months in general. If you wish to avoid paying more for your move, avoid these times as best as possible.

 

Another great tip on how to save money once you set a moving date, is finding someone else moving on the same day as you. By doing this, if you each do not have a full truck worth of items, you can split. This will allow you to share the truck cost, the moving cost, and allow you to pay less. The negative side of this money saving opportunity is that there is potential for some of yours, and the other person’s items to get mixed up with each other. In order to avoid this mistake, and solve the issue on the spot, make a list of the boxes you have packed, with the items in them. Also, clearly label your name across all sides of the boxes to make it easy for the movers to read, and thus, make it much more challenging to mix your items.

 

The next reason to set a specific move out date is for your own needs. Your new job could be starting on a specific day and you need to get there in time to begin. You also should allow a few days at your new home before starting; so then you can unpack and settle in, rather than putting it off. Another reason could be the school year for your children, the weather during a specific time of the year, and other factors that you may be concerned with.

 

An important issue to check, but should be fairly flexible, is the mover’s availability. Movers will most of the time, need to be booked two to three weeks minimum in advance. They will want to come and review the house and items to give out a quote for planning.

 

The time of the day is another crucial aspect to think about on your moving date. It is always a good idea to start in the morning, allowing the most time, most sunlight, and flexibility of time throughout the day. You will have more time available, in case the movers are late because of traffic, or other factors. Starting in the morning also allows you to take your time, take a break if you would like, and allow yourself and the movers to not feel stressed and rushing through the project.

 

The last reason to set a specific move out date is because of rent. If you are renting your current place, review your contract to see if there is a specific move out date already decided. You may need to send a sixty-day or one-month notice of move out before going through with the process. Often rental contracts are for a specific period of time, and leaving early may cause you to pay extra fee’s to get out of the contract. You also need to think about moving into your new place. Is there a specific move in date set in the contract? When do you need to be there for signing the contract, getting access to your new home, and other factors?

 

Setting a specific moving date may not seem important at first, but it is a vital aspect to moving. It allows you to be more organized with yourself, your family, the movers, and your current and future landlord if possible. It also allows you to save money because of the planning. Preferably, you should still do some pre-move planning before setting the date, but after the research, setting the date will allow countless advantages to your moving experience.

 

 

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As we spoke about in our previous blog post, moving is time and money consuming for many reasons. If you have to relocate to a temporary home for a short period of time, that could make moving even more of a burden on yourself, because of not being able to settle in before packing up and moving again. As with a permanent move, the key is organization and communication. It helps by keeping yourself on schedule and communicating with others helping you or a moving company, such as Woody and Sons. A temporary house move could be beneficial when renovating your current home to stay out of the way of workers. Regardless of the reason, we have constructed a few tips to help lighten the temporary move load.

 

First is how to choose the new temporary home. There are options such as hotel, motel, hostel, renting a house, or an apartment. What you choose depends on your needs and current situation. If you need a place short-term, such as a week or two, a hotel is a great option. Hotels often have many perks offered with staying there, such as continental breakfast, a spa, pool, and workout facilities. If you need to stay somewhere longer than a month, renting a house will allow you to have space to store your current items, and allow you to not feel like you are “living in a hotel”. Obviously, with renting a house, you will decide on how many rooms you need, garage space, and any extras.

 

Packing is the most important task to think about and plan for your temporary home. You will want to have essential items, such as clothes, some cooking utensils and dishes, and bathroom items, easy to access so that you are not searching through countless boxes looking for them. You will also want to try to keep everything else packaged up and organized while at your temporary home. Otherwise you will basically be packing, unpacking, and moving twice. By keeping nonessential items boxed up, you will save yourself a lot of time and stress. If you do not want to move these permanent home items into your rental home, consider getting a storage unit. This will allow your rental home to not feel cluttered and trapping you.

 

After considering your needs for clothes, and some other items, you will want to organize moving into your temporary home. As suggested in our other articles, deciding on a floor plan is essential. It will help the unpacking process at both homes go smoothly. You may want to bring along some appliances to use at your rental home that are not provided and need to decide on a place to keep these items. Along with organizing your new home, you will want to check and confirm to make sure that heating, electricity, water, etc. work properly. The last thing to think about while living in a rental home, is to make sure to take good care of it, so you will be able to receive your safety deposit back on your move out date, which might not be as easy of a task as you think.

 

The last thing to consider when deciding on temporary housing and a move is your expenses and costs. If you do not pack everything, such as when you are only remodeling your bedrooms, and you are able to leave other furniture and equipment at your home, the cost of the move will be less expensive. On the other hand, if you are removing everything, you will want to consider the cost of a storage unit with adequate size for everything you want to put in it.

 

Moving to a temporary home may seem like extra hassle, and a tall order, but by taking it step by step, you will be able to move through it. It may be job related, renovation related, or just looking for a new home to move to, but if you follow these tips, it will help to make your temporary move easier through organization and communication.

 

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Moving into a new home is a very exciting and time-consuming process. A lot of people like the feeling of starting fresh in a new home, finding new things in their new community, and meeting new people. Certain people on the other hand, do not enjoy moving to a new place, having to relocate all their valuables, and possibly saying goodbye to family. Whichever kind of person you are, these 9 tips will help you organize your move so it goes more smoothly.

 

Our first tip, which might not be voluntary depending on your situation, is to choose your new home. By choosing your new home, and going house hunting ahead of time, it will give you a good idea of what to pack. This will help you organize at your current home what you should bring and what should giveaway or leave behind. Next, you are able to check how this new home suits your new job, the nearby school system, and what sort of utility changes you will have to make. Knowing the layout of your new home will allow you to unpack your furniture accordingly so that you can set it up just the way you want. Having a specific location and neighborhood narrowed down will answer the questions of your commute to your job. Also knowing the neighborhood will help you pick a utility company. Your current company could be offered, or you might need to find a new one.

 

Next, make a list with items to be moved. The reason this tip is so helpful, is it will allow you to be organized with everything your bringing, allow Woody and Sons to access what you are wanting moved, and allow you or Woody’s to determine how much and what kind of packing material you are needing. Lastly, this will allow you to sort through things you definitely want to move, and things that should most likely be left behind.

 

An important moving tip is to set a moving date. Once you have decided where you are moving to, setting a date will be the next step. By setting a date with Woody and Sons, you are able to have an easier moving experience by having reliable workers by your side to support you from the move out date, all the way until you are settled in your new home.

 

If you have budget restrictions, you will need to avoid holidays, weelends, and summer months when more people tend to move. Relocation costs could be higher for, whether it is through a company, peak seasons at hotels while you’re moving, and any other seasonal peaks. We recently posted a blog on how to move while on a budget:https://woodyandsons.com/2015/04/21/how-to-move-out-on-a-low-budget/

 

An overlooked task that most people skip when moving is organizing the home cleaning. An associate business of Woody and Sons, called Clean My Mess, cleans pre and post move so that your new home can be ready to go upon move in or move out.

 

A useful tip that we have presented in multiple blogs before is while moving, ask a family member or friend to watch your children and pets. By doing this, it will make your move less stressful and you will be able to stay focused on packing and unpacking.

 

Some people choose to move their own stuff themselves or with friends, but using movers is a strongly recommended tip. Movers can pack faster, carry heavier things, and just have an all around more efficient moving experience for you. At the end of the day, you have to remember, it is their job.

 

Once you arrive at your new home, you will want to check to make sure appliances, light switches, and locks all work properly. Once you are done moving all your main items, you will want to be able to close and lock the door, and relax without having to deal with fixing commonly used appliances and switches.

 

The last tip we will provide you with is to organize a goodbye party. This could be a great chance for you to meet up with your friends and family and have some good times before you depart. Also, it may be a good time for friends and family to check out some items you want to give away or donate. After all, you will most probably not have the opportunity to meet your close friends and family as often once the moving process begins.

 

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If you are looking to move but your finances are low, and you cannot spend much on a move, we have some creative ideas on how to move on a low budget. This will help you save money, prepare for your move, with time-management strategies, but will take your full effort since you are on a low budget. Having a larger budget obviously will make a move much simpler, allowing Woody’s and Sons to move your furniture and items to your new home, but we understand that some people are on a low budget looking to relocate themselves.

 

The first thing to think about when planning a low budget move is to see how much savings you have, that you can set aside for the move. Even if you are on an extremely low budget, it always helps to check to see if you can pull any savings money out to put towards the move. Even with careful planning for a move, most moves will include about 10 to 20 percent of unexpected costs. Having extra money put away in savings to help cover this change in expenses is definitely a must-have safety net.

 

Next, consider what extra costs you may have when moving on a tight budget. If you are using a moving company, talk to them about the relocation, and every detail going into the contract with the moving company. By doing this, you can attempt to limit unexpected charges and changes to your moving plan that add up to the 20 percent additional expenses we spoke about before.

 

To go along with trying to gain a little extra money, from either a savings account or another way is to have a garage sale. If you put up ads online, through Craigslist, Facebook, and other social media sites, you may be able to sell some unused items of yours. This cash-flow could turn into very beneficial funds when already being on a tight budget. Another option to a garage sale is using EBay, Craigslist, or other sites similar. The only downside to these two sites is that you are not selling and receiving cash immediately, EBay is a bidding process that takes a few days, and Craigslist is an online article post by the seller which may or may not get immediate attention. A garage sale is the most advantageous for a mover short on time.

 

One of the most important tips when planning a move by yourself on a tight budget is to start early. This will give you plenty of time to develop your low-cost strategy that will suit your budget, moving style, and the time you have available. The best way for someone who has a full time job and goes to work every day, is to do a little bit each day, commit 30 minutes when you get home or before you go to bed to separate, or pack items, and make small but consistent progress. When it comes closer time to your move, you will be surprised at the amount of work you have completed already.

 

Also, to help make the moving plan easier on yourself is to start with separating trash and things that won’t be relocated away from the items that are meaningful and useful to you after your move. By doing this, you will be able to either throw away or sell these items, possible making money, but more importantly limiting the amount of things you plan on moving to your new home.

 

One of the best, and money saving opportunities for doing a move on your own is looking online, through friends, and neighbors for sources of free packing material. Craigslist has countless people ready to donate the packing material they just used for one move and only want someone to come pick it up from their home. By searching and spending the time to go pick up these materials, will drastically change the expense costs of your move.

 

The last tip to help keep a low budget move on that tight budget is to look for free moving labor. To help find this free moving labor, think of family and friends that can come assist you. Have you helped someone move before and are looking for the favored returned? Perhaps colleagues from work that you have become close with would come lend a hand. At the end of the day you might have to splurge for a pizza and a couple drinks, but would still be able to save money and stay on a tight budget that you set for your move.

 

Moving, like spoken about in most of our blogs, is a time consuming and strategically planned process. By hiring Woody’s and Sons, we can help this time consuming event not be as time consuming on you. For others that are low on funds, and looking to handle the move all themselves, follow the tips included in this article and others we have talked about over our blog series.

 

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Being relocated because of a job, or just moving in general can give you a hard time. Between making moving plans, setting up a moving budget, hiring a moving company, and dealing with all the packing, unpacking, and deciding between what to keep and what to give away or sell, moving can be very stressful on your mind and body. The list could really go on and on between things you have to do, or want to do.

 

Relocation can cause a type of depression. Not saying everyone is going to get this, but some people are more sensitive or more emotional about the place they may be leaving, the job they left, or family members and friends they will be leaving behind. What really causes relocation depression? If you are moving with a partner, your children, or another family member, you may become worried about how they are coping with the move, finding a new job, joining a new school, and other variables. This might put stress on them, and magnify it for you if you are consistently worrying about how they are feeling towards the new move. Climate could also be another reason for relocation depression. If you are moving away from sunny Florida, to rainy Seattle, you may feel often depressed and missing Florida. The last example that causes depression could be a culture shock. Some people love living in a large, metropolitan area, such as New York City. For those people, if they move to a small town in New Mexico, they may feel themselves missing the noises, excitement, and flow of the city and its lights. This could cause depression and lack of energy towards what they are used to. Just because one may feel this way, does not mean they have to settle, and can’t overcome these feelings. Below we have compiled a list to overcome relocation depression.

 

The first tip in dealing with relocation depression is to be patient. Be patient with yourself, family members, and coworkers. Anyone who made the move with you is going through the same stress of moving, and having similar feelings as you are. Coworkers may be adjusting to the addition of you to the workforce, and trying to gage how you handle your work. The most key aspect of being patient is communication. Communicate with your family members, coworkers, and anybody else that you constantly rely on and care about.

 

The next thing you can do is to keep in touch with the coworkers, family members, and friends you left behind. Speaking to them on a weekly basis can help you and guide you, giving you a sense of structure and familiarity. The best thing to do is surround yourself with familiar items that remind you of these people.

 

Another great thing to do is to find new people at your new job, neighborhood, or hobbies. Ask a colleague to get lunch, or join a club that you are interested in. You will begin to make friends faster than you think.

 

Also, try to really get into your job. Working hard, working with others, and spending your time wisely will help you not dwell on the urges of missing your old home and friends.

 

The last tip to help cope with relocation depression is to experiment. Try new activities; find new things that will make you happy. These activities could be trying new food, visiting bars and restaurants, learning an instrument; the options are endless. The idea behind this is to open up new doors and opportunities to help make your relocation the best it can be.

 

Everyone will always feel a little homesick, and find themselves missing things, but you can not allow yourself to stay in this state of depression, but instead get out and explore.

 

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Having or wanting to relocate to new home or apartment is always a unique experience. Preferably, it should consist of planning, a budget, and back-up plans in case scenarios do not go the way you planned. A part of this planning of your move is cost. Cost will be one of the most important factors in a move for most people. By planning and setting up a budget, you can organize and begin to make your move more efficient.

 

First off, a move is not always cheap, and making your budget is a crucial part of a successful relocation. You will first need to decide what you can afford to move. By deciding early on what you can afford to move will help alleviate later stress later of having to decide once the movers are there. Also by choosing what you can afford to move, you will give yourself some time to be able to sell, donate, or give away other items that you are not able to. If you can sell your items you can not move, this will help raise funds to purchase new items at your new house or apartment.

 

Next, another key aspect to setting a budget is the first month after relocation. Depending on your job or income will vary the first month heavily. If you are not receiving pay from your job immediately or at do not currently have a job, you will need to budget your first months rent, security deposit, or house payment into your moving budget. Also, you will need to add in food, utility, and other expenses into your moving budget for the first month.

 

Having a Plan B is always a safe idea. Almost always people forget something while filling out forms for movers, or being clear about everything when receiving a quote. They may require additional services depending on their new home or apartment. Whether it is something you forgot, or the movers are needing to add in because of work they did, it is always a good idea to budget at least 10 percent more than what you are quoted for a moving job. By doing this, you will not be stressing over extra expenses immediately, and it will allow you to have some extra spending or saving money if these extra expenses do not occur.

 

Something else to think about that may not be considered in a moving budget initially, is if you have children. The best way to keep kids entertained while on the move is giving them their favorite food. If you are driving to a new home, it may be best to stop at their favorite food chains. Before leaving, while packing, leave them with a family member or a friend. Also, nowadays with electronics and televisions or books available wherever you are at, make sure to stop or set them up with something to do or watch in downtime.

 

Different moving companies may charge you different prices for the same work. Some moving companies may quote a low price at the beginning of a move and bill you extra expenses once the process and contract are already in motion. Before committing to any contract, make sure you fully understand everything that goes into it. What are the movers offering, are packing supplies already accounted into the price, what taxes and fees may be added additionally? All of these are key questions to figure out.

 

Another big decision that everyone may consider for a short time is if you should hire movers or do it yourself. There are pros and cons to both cases. It may seem cheaper at first to plan a do-it-yourself move, but that is leaving out the expenses of time, work, renting a truck, packing and unpacking, finding extra moving labor workers or friends, and gas and food expenses while driving.

 

Setting a moving budget is not the most challenging thing to do, but when you at in being crunched for time, tight on a budget, and trying to do a lot of the moving process alone, preparing a budget beforehand can be a great help and stress relief in the long run.

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