The Movers.com Blog

Beach Moving Month is here!

With the warm summer weather upon us, there’s no better time to introduce our blog theme for July: moving to the beach!

Adam, John, and I are working on dozens of great blog posts about moving to the beach, finding movers who can get your belongings to a remote island, tips for keeping your home safe during treacherous weather, introducing beach themes into your daily life, and profiles of real life beach moves (including relocating to Dubai’s famous Palm Islands).

Have no fear: we’ll still bring you many non-beach how-to pieces, application reviews, and all of the other great content you’ve come to expect from the Movers.com Blog.  But if you notice a stray sprinkle of sand here and there or a palm tree lurking in the corner, now you know why.

Newest vacation hot spot - your own home

These days, most people are familiar with the term staycation - rather than traveling for your vacation, you stick around your home. Due to the current state of the economy, as well as the rising costs of gas and air fare, more and more people are taking staycations.

Recession or not, staycations are an excellent way to escape from it all without the troubles associated with more traditional vacations. You won’t have to deal with the stresses of going through airports and being in an unfamiliar place. Additionally, staycations are a good option for families with young children, for whom traveling can be even more of a hassle.

For anyone planning a staycation this summer, the best advice is to treat it like a real vacation. Thus, plan out your activities in advance. This way, you can avoid spending your days sitting on the couch watching TV, unless you’re like me and that is your perfect idea of a staycation.

You should also put aside work responsibilities just as if you were actually going away. This means that you should avoid checking your work e-mail and offering to go into the office. As for all the household chores you’ve been putting off, put them off a little longer. You probably won’t enjoy your staycation that much if you spend it cleaning out the garage.

So how do you pass the time during your staycation? No matter where you live, there are plenty of things to do nearby. You could spend the days going to amusement parks, festivals, theaters, zoos, or anything else around your home that you wouldn’t normally visit.

The key to enjoying the full potential of your staycation is to break up your normal routine as much as possible. Since you will be saving a lot of money on traveling expenses, you might want to stay at a local hotel for a couple nights. You could also set up a tent at a nearby campground or even in the backyard. Just because you decided to stay close to home, this doesn’t mean you have to sleep in your own bed every night.

If you were on a real vacation, you would likely have to pay for three meals a day, which can quickly put a hole in your wallet. During your staycation, this won’t be an issue. Of course, if you want to treat yourself with the money you save by not purchasing air fare, then go eat at that expensive restaurant you wouldn’t normally go to. Another idea for staycation cuisine is to take a culinary trip around the world by eating at ethnic restaurants or by cooking different-themed meals yourself.

Going on a staycation is a great way to take a break from work and get away from your normal routine. You can also discover hidden treasures in your neighborhood that you might not normally find. Just as long as you treat it as a true vacation by avoiding work and other chores, your staycation can be a fun and relaxing time. Most importantly, though, a staycation is an inexpensive way to get away from it all without going anywhere.

You know your new address, but does anyone else?

As you get ready for a move, you will certainly have a lot of responsibilities on your plate. Since the moving process takes up a lot of time and entails so many steps, it is easy to forget to do one very important thing: tell people you are moving. Just as long as you know who you need to tell and how you want to go about doing it, informing others of your move is pretty simple.

The first step is to make a list of all the people who need to be aware of your move. This list should include the obvious, such as family and friends. You will also need to inform your post office, banks, credit card companies, schools, employers, co-workers, utility providers, and doctors. While easy to overlook, you also need to inform any clubs or professional organizations, and be sure to change your address for your magazine subscriptions.

Once you have a list of who to notify about your move, you can start sharing the information. It may be easiest to do this online. You can send out a bulk e-mail informing your acquaintances of your new address and write more personal messages to your close friends and relatives. Many of the services listed above will allow you to change your address on their web sites. Furthermore, there are several e-mail templates available online to help you create a change-of-address notification letter.

You can also use social networking sites to inform people of your move. Just remember to send private messages, instead of posting your new contact information for everyone to see. You can even start a group on Facebook in which you keep your friends informed of your move. This is an easy way to ensure that people have your contact information. You can also update your friends about your moving process and recruit people to help you move through this function.  (Speaking of Facebook…  Have you become a Movers.com fan yet?)

For a more personal way of telling people about your move, you can inform them over the phone. This is also a good way to keep those without access to e-mail aware of your move. Additionally, if you are unable to change your address online for any service, you should be able to do so over the phone.

If you don’t want to inform you friends and relatives of your move electronically, you can always do this through the mail. You can send hand-written notes about your move or purchase new home announcement greeting cards. Either fill them out yourself or order cards with your new address already printed on them.

Another idea is to throw a moving out party. This way, you can have fun with your friends before you relocate. You may even be able to convince them to help you pack! As your guests leave, be sure to give them a card with your new address as well as a small gift.

Although there are many things to do as you prepare for a move, you don’t want to forget to let people know where you are going. Just follow these tips, and everyone will be informed of your move, regardless of which medium you use.

Remember to protect your feet, and the rest of your body, when you move

The moving process is very much a physical activity. Just like when you play a sport, you get all sweaty and out of breath, you use all of your muscles, and, afterwards, your body is exhausted and sore. As with any sport, you need to wear the appropriate clothing and equipment to ensure your comfort and safety. Wearing the proper attire, from head to toe, will help you to be safe when you move.

Head - Since you will likely be outside for a good amount of time, protect yourself from the sun by wearing a hat, sunglasses, or sunscreen. A hat, or a sweatband, will also help to keep sweat from running down your face. If your move involves going into an attic or a basement, wear a facemask to protect against dust.

Back/Shoulders - If you have any problems with your back or shoulders, or if you just wish to prevent any future problems, wear an appropriate brace or support apparatus.

Torso - Wear a comfortable shirt that isn’t too loose; you don’t want it to get snagged or torn as you move.

Hands - As your hands will likely get roughed up as you carry everything, protect them by wearing work gloves.

Legs - You should wear pants or shorts that, like your shirt, are comfortable, easy to move around in, and not too loose. Kneepads are a good idea if you will be on the floor assembling things, such as a bed frame.

Feet - Wearing steel-toed boots is the best way to protect yourself from heavy objects falling on your feet. If you don’t have steel-toed boots, wear sneakers or shoes with good traction. Sandals or open-toed shoes of any kind should not be worn.

By wearing the appropriate attire, you can ensure that your move will be as safe as possible. Despite these precautions, however, there is no guarantee that you or someone else won’t get injured. Thus, you should carry along a first-aid kit, in case of any accidents.

NeighborhoodScout. Image courtesy NeighborhoodScout.com

One of the biggest obstacles for anyone planning a move is finding a new place to live. Aside from the house itself, there are several things to consider about any potential new neighborhood.

NeighborhoodScout, an application based on computer mapping and relocation software, provides users with all the necessary information about neighborhoods throughout the country.

Just type in any city or town, and NeighborhoodScout brings up a map and a detailed description of the area. You can then choose to view how the city’s different neighborhoods rank in regard to public schools, appreciation rates, and crime rates. While you have to subscribe to the site to view the detailed information, such as test scores of public schools and actual real estate appreciation rates, the free service provides a lot of information to help you find a new neighborhood.

The application also gives you free access to a directory of over 130,000 realtors and real estate agents who can help you buy or sell a home. After filling out a short questionnaire, NeighborhoodScout will connect you with a pre-screened realtor in your chosen location.

NeighborhoodScout’s most interesting feature, in my opinion, is its neighborhood match option. By typing in your address and entering the city you are moving to, or even just the state, you are presented with a list of neighborhoods similar to your current one. For instance, if (and this is a big if) I lived in Malibu and wanted to move to Miami, NeighborhoodScout suggests that I relocate to the Coconut Grove neighborhood of that city. After searching for areas in Montana that resemble our office’s home in North Brunswick, NJ, the City Center neighborhood of Miles City appears as the top match.

The site also lets you search for homes using a variety of options. You can find neighborhoods that are best for families with children, retirees, students, or first-time home buyers. Also, you can find neighborhoods based on real estate investment potential.

According to the site, there will soon be a “Build your own neighborhood” feature that will allow users to select their preferences for over 60 characteristics. The NeighborhoodScout search engine would then reveal the neighborhoods that most closely match the chosen criteria.

I was really surprised to see all of the services that NeighborhoodScout provides, and I was overwhelmed by the amount of information they have about every single neighborhood in the country. This application can be incredibly useful to anyone planning a move. Instead of spending time researching a bunch of neighborhoods, with a couple clicks of the mouse, NeighborhoodScout does all the work for you.