Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Choosing a Storage Facility


It often happens that you are ready to move out – but it will be awhile before you actually move in: your new house may not be ready, or you don’t have a house yet and need to look for one, or you plan to go traveling for a couple of months. This means that your belongings need to be put into a storage facility - and possibly for an indefinite period of time. Choose a storage unit wisely to ensure that your things are protected while you are away.

Here are a few factors to consider:

Location.
Maybe you found a great deal in some ultra-modern storage where you will pay just a few bucks for a huge room. But the storage happens to be in the back of nowhere and getting there every time will be a pain. Choose a facility close to where you are currently staying, so that every time you need to pick up a thing or two (which will happen frequently), you can get there easy and fast.

Operating Hours.
Make sure you will have access to your belonging at reasonable hours. It’s best if your storage is open seven days a week.

Climate Control.
If you live in the area with high humidity, you want to choose a climate controlled storage facility to unsure that your things don’t get damaged especially if they are in for a long stay. Too much humidity can cause mold to form and lack of ventilation will result in unpleasant stale smell that will be absorbed by your possessions.

Right Size Room.
You may underestimate how big of a shipment you will have: getting a room that is too small will mean having to fix your things so tight, that you will have a real trouble accessing individual items. Nor do you want to get a room too big: you will end up paying more for the space you are not even utilizing in full.

Long Term Discount.
If you know for sure that you will be staying for a lengthy period of time, make sure to esquire about long term discounts. You might have to prepay for several months in advance but at least you wont have to worry about sending monthly payments promptly and will save some money too.

Good luck with finding your best storage option!