8 Things To Do Before You Move In

1. Change the locks: even though you receive your keys from the landlord/previous tenants, there is no guarantee they don’t keep an extra copy.

2. Clean the fridge: it’s been in use by other people for quite some time. You need to defrost it, clean and disinfect it, then leave the doors open and let it air for some time.

3. Arrange for utilities to be turned on: if you are moving into a private house during the winter, there will be no heating, so you want to make sure to have it connected on the day of the move. The same applies to the electricity – it’s no fun to sit in the dark just because you scheduled it last minute and the electricity company can only send someone in a day or two.

4. Check for bugs and rodents: if necessary, have the exterminator examine and spray your rooms. Open the windows to air the space before you move in.

5. Measure the rooms/doorways/elevator for the furniture: if you have big bulky items, you want to make sure they will go through the doorway or the elevator door. If they won't – you might have to arrange for hoisting services. Have a plan ready of where your big furniture will go so that the movers can put it in the right places.

6. Inspect for damages: big holes in the walls, stains, scratches, broken window glass – you don’t want to be held responsible for something that the previous tenants did. Inform the landlord about your findings and request for the damages to be fixed.

7. Check for lead paint: you can purchase a lead test kit at a local hardware store.

8. Window Guards: make sure you get them installed before you move in if you have children.

How to Deal with Stress Caused by Moving

When you are about to move to a new location you find yourself under a lot of pressure: finding a moving company, packing and discarding, living on suitcases, shutting down the utilities, starting them off again, address change, mail forward, waiting for a cable guy…. Your to-do-list seems endless and your comfort level is at its lowest.

But not all the stress is caused by dealing with the moving arrangements, part of the stress should be attributed to the effect of change and the necessity to adept to it. Your customary daily routine is disrupted, your surroundings are new and unfamiliar; you are a foreigner in the neighborhood you just moved in to and you miss your old life.

There are a few things you can do to regain your confidence and comfort sooner:

Unpack and organize.

Being unable to find anything among the numerous boxes and the mess caused by the move adds up to your frustration. You want to tackle the unpacking process immediately even if it means taking an extra day off at work. But once your items are all in place and the boxes are discarded, your home begins to feel like home, finding things gets easier, you are able to organize your days in a more efficient way.

Get New Stuff for Your New Home

Sometimes it’s simply weird to see your old furniture against the new walls. You move it around, try to find the optimal place for everything, but it still doesn’t look right. It’s like the old and the new fail to connect and you are stuck somewhere in the middle. Getting a few new items can be that connecting piece that you lack: bright curtains with some peculiar pattern, a painting, a new rug, a fancy chandelier. These decorative items will symbolize the change - your life is taking a new turn after all - but at the same time they will help your interior look complete and cozy.

Meet the Neighbors.

A friend of mine recently moved from Colorado to an apartment building in Manhattan. She asked me how weird it will be to bake a cake and offer it to her new neighbors. Maybe it will feel strange for them, chances are someone won’t even open the door, but I am sure there will still be people whose hearts will melt from such a nice gesture. But if it helps her feel more at home in a new neighborhood – why not? Don’t wait for your neighbors to start the conversation – introduce yourself first. The sooner you’ll get to know people whom you are likely to meet on a daily basis – the sooner you will feel like you belong here.

Have a House-Warming Party

Invite your old friends and your new neighbors. Connect the two dots together – your past and your future. Celebrate the change, after all partying, music and good food are all well-known stress-management tactics. Besides by arranging a house-warming party you sort of make it official: “I moved. Cheers to my new life!”

Relocating for Work

While there have been many intrepid explorers throughout the years, from Magellan to astronauts, most people prefer to stay in one place and establish roots. Starting a home and family in one area and spending a lifetime there is a natural part of the human condition. That's why uprooting yourself or your family can create a lot of inconvenience. One of the most frequent reasons cited for relocation has to do with a change of job or career.

Most people throughout the world have experience with relocating for work. Whether it's childhood memories of moving to different towns or cities, or personal experience starting a job in a different area, relocation is a common part of life. Changing your environment is a big undertaking and therefore requires much planning. There are so many things to consider when relocating, especially if a whole family is involved.

Moving for work is quite different from business travel that many professionals have to engage in now and then. The first things to think about when relocating for work-related reasons are the basic considerations. Moving costs are going to be first and foremost in any movers mind. Those who are currently employed may want to check with their employer to see about any relocation assistance that may be offered. Many times employers will share the cost of an employees relocation, especially when it's the employer who is mandating the move in the first place.

Those without current work - or without assistance from their employer - will need to calculate the cost all on their own. If time can be spared, it's always helpful to save up for a month or two to ensure that all moving and relocation expenses can be met. If this isn't an option, the best thing to do is check online deals on competing moving services in order to find the best possible bargain.

Checking for employment opportunities in the destination city is another good idea. Even if a person is moving for work, many times he or she may have a spouse that will need to find a new job. Most cities and towns across the U.S. have online resources available for those looking for job opportunities. Checking the cost of living of a particular city of community is also ideal when preparing a big move, as it will help movers adjust their living expenses budget.

If children are involved it is important to find information and good schools in the city or town the parent is moving to, as well as information on the neighborhoods surrounding the schools.

Things People Forget to Do When They Move

- Return library books and movie rentals

- Cancel gym memberships

- Pick up items from Dry Cleaners/Shoe Repair

- Pack school records, pet records, legal records, property records, necessary financial records separately from the rest the stuff

- Discontinue services like cable, newspaper, etc

- Defrost freezers

- Extract gas and oil from the machines (e.g. lawnmower)

- Make childcare arrangements for the moving day

- Return borrowed items

- Check for items left behind (spots like top shelves, long-time-no-use closets, sheds, kitchen cabinet draws)

What’s missing on your moving check list?

Spring Discount from Statewide Van Lines

These days many families ask themselves time and again: how else can we save money? Well, If you are planning to move any time soon we have some good news for you. Statewide Van Lines will give you $150 off your move with us if the move day falls on any date in March or April (weekends included). Getting the discount is simple: 1. Follow our blog 2. Contact us at 1-866-259-3405 or visit our website http://www.statewidevanlines.com/ to get a free quote and mention the blog discount. And that’s all that is required. Well, there’s still a challenging task of planning how to spend the $150 that you saved but we are sure you won’t need help with that.

Statewide Van Lines is a fully licensed and insurance moving company. We take pride in offering affordable moving services on a highly professional level. For those who value their time – make sure to take advantage of our expert packing and unpacking services.

This is the first promotion in the series of upcoming discount offers – so stay tuned for more deals from Statewide Van Lines.

Moving and Sweepstakes: Where Will Your Prize Go?

Changing your place of living can sometimes be compared to “burning the bridge behind”: some things will be gone from your life forever. You are unlikely to see again you neighbors, or your postman with whom you’ve frequently had a pleasant chat about weather; your kids will miss their classmates from the previous school – and even though they will keep in touch for some time, they will move on to new friendships rather quickly, making old friends history.

But don’t rush to abandon your old postal address: even if you notified your friends, employer, credit card companies and utility services where you now reside, there might still be some important mail cramming in your old box or getting thrown away by the new resident. A good example is if you were actively participating in various sweepstakes and contests. Sometimes it takes months for a winner to be selected but that could very well be you, so make sure you will receive notifications or prizes (if there are any) even after you move.

The first thing you should do is submit a change of address form to your local post office. Temporary mail forwarding will ensure that you get your mail that was sent to the old address forwarded to the new location for up to a year. Unfortunately some sweepstakes sponsors use express delivery services like UPS and FedEx to send your prize: the problem is these companies don’t have a mail forwarding option. Rather than giving up on your hopes of winning, you can take a few steps to increase your chances of receiving prizes you possibly won:

- Edit your profile if you participated in online sweepstakes and such an option is available

- Check your sweepstakes email address frequently: most people create a separate email account specifically for contests and other promotions that they want to participate in but then forget to check this secondary email

- Contact the sweepstakes sponsor and notify them of the address change; if that won’t work – follow up with them immediately after the winner announcement date and inquire if your name was selected by any chance

- Try to get on friendly terms with the new owners of your previous house/apartment: send them a welcoming note, maybe even a small inexpensive gift and ask them to notify you if there is any important mail/package in your name.

Participating in sweepstakes and contests is hard work and you shouldn’t let it go into waste just because you moved. A few simple steps will help the prizes find their rightful owner.

Packing and Moving Your Garage

The moving date is around the corner and everything in your house is wrapped, folded, dismantled and packed up. The one area that you dread approaching is your garage – it’s filled with odd stuff, most of which you barely ever use but still like to keep just in case… Bulky items like lawn mowers or old deck furniture, some auto parts from extra tires to engine stands, children’s stuff and outdoor equipment long out of use, tools, pots, broken statues – you have to sort through it all and figure out what still has value and what can be sold or discarded. (“Garage Stuff on Garage Sale” is a nice title for your newspaper ad).

A few things to keep in mind when packing your garage for the upcoming move:

- Drain all the gas and oil from gas-powered items such as a lawn mower or snow blower since they are considered hazardous materials, which most movers are not licensed to transport

- Empty the draws of your desks and workbenches and pack their content into boxes

- Secure together all the tools of similar length using a strong plastic cord; if you don’t have a tool box use a thick-wall carton to pack your hand tools and small power tools. Use paper to fill extra space and prevent tools from shifting. Cover sharp edges of the tools with linen or bubble wrap to avoid injuries when unpacking the box.

- Disassemble metal shelves and tape them together in a bundle along with the bolts placed in a labeled zip lock bag.

- Label your auto parts prior to packing. If there are certain parts that you cannot identify or which origin/purpose are a mystery, you are very unlikely to make use of them in the future and might as well donate them to the local auto shop.

- Flammable or explosive liquids (fertilizer, gasoline, kerosene, motor oil, pool chemicals) fall under the hazmat category and cannot be transported by most movers.

Most importantly, don't leave packing your garage till the last moment, it is notorious for being the most cluttered area of the house and can take longer than you expect to prepare for the move.