Choosing The Right Moving Company

Once you have decided to hire a professional moving company to move you and your family, reviews are a great way to make the right choice. The first thing you should do is pick an actual mover that performs the moves versus a broker who sells the moves to other moving companies You will find many moving companies, but there are a few things to looks for before you make your final decision; Here are some of them.

· Make sure the company is licensed and insured

· Make sure they have reviews and are a reputable company.

· When choosing a reputable company look for them to be members of “moving agencies” like AMSA, Pro Movers, CMC

· Get a written binding estimate! Don’t count on verbal promises and make sure that all services and prices are in the written estimates. Make sure to include all extra services such as stairs, shuttles, packing.

· Don’t go for the lowest price you find, there is always a reason why it is so cheap – remember like anything else, you get what you pay for!

Moving is and has always been considered one of the most difficult and stressful events in a person’s life, choosing the right moving company will not completely relieve the stress but it can definitely make it a smooth and easier process.

Another Great Review from a happy customer

Great Movers!!!

by Tommy Lawrence at Citysearch

Nationwide van lines are awsome. Alana my moving specialist was so nice,understanding, and all around fantastic. I got alot of comunication through out the process which made me very self-assured about the whole process. The crew that packed me and dropped my things off were great also. They were all very friendly,worked fast,showed alot of care regarding my things and were all around fantastic. I received my things very quickly and would recomend nationwide to anyone.

Moving Tips From Nationwide Van Lines

Moving Tips from Nationwide Van Lines

Suggestions for An Easier Move Day:

• Be available on loading day. There will be questions and we need you !
  
  
• Driver will indicate condition of items, be there to review and help the driver with any questions he may have.
  
  
• Complete the Bill of Lading. This is the legal contract between you and the mover, treat it accordingly.
  
  
• Make sure you have copies of the Bill of Lading and Inventories before the driver leaves.
  
  
• Before the driver leave, do a walk through to make sure they did not forget anything behind.
• Provide the driver with back up numbers, correct addresses and as much information as needed.
  
  
• Provide the movers and helpers with a water.
  
  
• Make sure you take enough cloth with you; your medicine, important documents and overall your day to day necessities.
  
  
• Do not put valuables on the trucks ( money, jewelry, passports etc. )
  
  
• Reduce Stress! dont arrange the closing of your house on the day of your move and do not arrange flights on your moving day!
  
  Nationwide Van Lines is here to help you have a successfull move; the more accurate information you supply to your mover the smoothest your move will be. Please call our offices to receive your free estimate for your next move
  
  
  Nationwide Van Lines
  1421 NW 65th Ave Plantation FL 33313
  1-800-310-0056
  www.movingnationwide.com

Garage Sale

We know it's a cliche "One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure".

Reorganizing your house? Moving? Whatever the reason may be a garage sale is a wonderful way to transfer the knickknacks into $cash$, and to save you the money of moving those unwanted items.

For your convenience, we wrote some tips to better assist you in conducting a successful garage sale.

Getting Started

Start going through your attic, garage, basement and all places possible in your home to collect item that are no longer in use (a good rule to follow would be: if you haven't used the item for more than 3 years - sell it!).
Check with your association/complex office or any other authority for restrictions regarding a yard sale/garage sale (keep in mind that some authorities have restrictions regarding placing signs as well).
Advertise! Advertise! Advertise! This is one of the most important tips we can give you. You can advertise online, local news paper, bulletin boards, share it with everybody you can, etc.
When picking a date for the garage sale to take place - keep in mind not to choose a holiday weekend. Most people travel at this time and you will have few visitors if any.
Make sure you have enough parking spots available for the buyers. If you do not have; than try talking to your neighbors, they might be able to help you.
Decide on a time frame ahead of time (i.e. 9 AM to 3 PM) (keep in mind to place those hours on your ads).

What To Sell

Here is a list of items that sell:

Appliances (Large or Small
Books
Baby and child toys, furniture, clothes (make sure to confirm all items are in good and safe condition - if you have even the slightest worry that the items are not 100% safe - please discard. Better safe than sorry!).
Cooking and all kitchen items.
Jars and bottles
CDs, DVDs, videos, etc.
Clothes
Music Instruments
Furniture (i.e.: couches, tables, chairs, desks, cabinets, etc.)
Exercise and sports equipment
Gardening tools and patio furniture
Mirrors and lamps
Toys, games, bicycle, etc.
Plants (most moving companies will not move live plants).

Set The Price

Keep in mind that when you place a price on a certain item, the price should match its worth to the buyer and not to you, the seller. You can definitely ask a friend or a neighbor to assist you with setting up the prices.
Place a price tag on each and every item. The bigger the item, the bigger the price tag should be.
Items that are in a good, working condition can be priced at about 20%-25% from the original purchase price.
Keep in mind that a book that was bought 10 years ago for the price of $80.00 will not be sold for $20.00. Try to be objective rather than subjective.
Mark the price tag with "SOLD AS IS" on items that are not in a perfect working condition or have any defects on them.
Leave some room for bargaining when you set the price.

Doing It Right

Make sure that the clothes you want to sell are stain free and hang them neatly on a rack (set them up by sizes).
Set up similar items on the same display table or shelf (dishes with dishes, books with books, etc).
If possible, have an extension cord available to consumers who want to test the appliances or any other electronic items.
Place all CDs, Books or DVDs in a box with the title facing up for easy looking.
Even if your dog is very friendly, leave him indoors!
Music will make your shoppers much more relaxed.
If you are doing your sale on a hot day, consider having some cold beverages for the consumer to buy. You can offer your kids or the neighbor's kids to set up a lemonade stand (they might make few dollars out of it and it will definitely keep them occupied).
Have a measuring tape near by in case a consumer would like to measure furniture.
Make items look attractive to the consumers (dust them, iron them, do what needs to be done!).
Make sure items that are not for sale are being placed in a safe place.
If possible, have at least a person or two present with you on the sale day (to answer questions, keep thieves away, etc.)
Keep the house doors closed while the sale is in process.
Keep your cash on you at all times!!! Wear a Fanny belt for loose change and keep large bills in your pocket.
Keep your display attractive; be sure to fill up the sold items empty spots.
Have plastic bags available to the buyers.

You Did It!!!
Congratulations you have successfully completed your first garage sale!!
What ever is not sold at the garage sale consider donating to non-profit groups like the Salvation Army, Red Cross, Good Will etc. You can also try publishing your goods on Craig's List, My Space, EBay, Facebook, etc.

Packing Tips from Nationwide Van Lines

Everybody at one point or another needs to move. When deciding to move, you sometimes forget that you also need to start packing. If you're among thousands of people who have picked up and moved their family to a new home or a new community, you have fresh memories of some of the ups and downs or thrills or frustrations of moving.

There are several things you can do to make your moving experience easier and less stressfull. Read here for help to get your life, and your possessions, organized, packed and ready to do.

Be orgenized and make a list

Itemize Everything - You will save some time for later. Before you pack even one box, create a simple record keeping system to write the contents. You'll place a number on EVERY box you pack and list the contents on your list. Have a designated area for all your supplies. This is where you'll find your labels, marking pens, box tape, and other supplies. When describing the box contents, be specific -- "Kitchen" is better than "glassware ", and "pillows" rather than "bedroom".

Buy enough supplies

Dont be a fulled - buy allot of boxes, you will need them! probably more boxes than you think, and having enough boxes will make your life easier! Have about 10 boxes set aside to use for last minute items on moving day, such as bedding, clothing, and cleaning supplies. Make sure you buy strong tape and plenty of it. The last thing you want to do is to go run more tape in the midlle of packing. Use unprinted newsprint (newspaper can stain your items) or packing paper or bubble wrap to wrap and cushion household good. I will mention this again, buy plenty of supplies because you will need them. Worst case, you can always return what you did not use.

Wardrobe Boxes

These tall boxes are perfect for bulky, lightweight items such as comforters, pillows, and blankets, as well as clothes that need to remain hanging. Most Wardrobe boxes can contain about 30 hangers (depends what you are haging) but whats good about them is that you have the bottom to fill up with other items such as your pillows, blankets etc. Wardrobe boxes take allot of room, but if used correctly , they are very effective.

Don't make the boxes too heavy to lift. If you are packing for the moving company or for yourself, you want the boxes to survive the trip and not to brake. Heav boxes eventually will collapse and double up your work.

Get things organized as early as possible. A few days before your move, fill some sturdy handled shopping bags with bulky closet items such as shoes, sweaters, belts, and jeans. On moving day, fill the bottom of the wardrobe boxes with with your last minute packing items such as your sheets and pillows. Pack hanging items tightly so things won't move around and fall off of hangers. Finally, cover the shoulders of your clothes (a dry cleaning bag works well), then add a few purses or sweaters on top. You'll have fewer boxes, and closet items remain together. Also, the shopping bags will make it easier to retrieve your belongings from the bottoms of a tall wardrobe box.

Again - Organization!

Have a different color on the boxes for its designated room in the new house. This will make your life so much easier when it comes time to unload the truck and start orgenizing the new home. Example is use yellow for kitchen, orange for dining room, etc.

This will also help the movers will know where to put everything when they arrive at the destination. It's also helpful to post a big sign on the wall in the room where you want boxes stacked, ("Boxes here please") to keep them out of furniture and traffic areas.

We hope these few tips will help you make your packing experience easier. For more tips and guides you can visit our packing guide. Another great way to deal with the packing is having your movers do all the packing for you. Check out our Platinum packing service

Have a great move and think about Nationwide Van Lines for your upcoming relocation!

Settling at your new home

Now that you have moved to your new town, there are many things you need to do in order to be truly settled. You need a new home, you need a new school for your children....you need to make a new home!

Settling in can take a long time or a short time, depends on a few factors. Moving to a place where you have family or Friends definitely makes the relocation easier or memories of time spent nearby as a child? These factors make the transaction more comfortable and easier for all.

It does take time, but you will find your local grocery shop, new Friends, new favorite teacher, a nice post office man. It takes time but it will happened.

Relocating is stressful, its enough you have to deal with the actual moving process, what you need is a good moving company to help you make this as stress free as possible. Nationwide Van Lines is an east coast moving company that can help you make this as smooth as possible. Remember, just because you have a moving company it does not mean you do not have to be responsible. Watch the movers, update them on changes and most important - be there to supervise the move!

There are some things you have to realize that will happen. When moving understand that some uncomfortable situations may occur. Take these points in to consideration :

* You will have to push yourself over the normal comfort level. You may have to sleep on a blowup mattress for a few days, have to deal with no TV, have to buy a couple of dishes to get through the days before delivery.

* A great way to settle in is to find Friends and interests. Find a local religious place of your faith, a nice local diner, local mall, or join a club!

* It is always good to bake ( or buy ) a box of cookies and go to your neighbors and introduce yourself...you may be invited for dinner and meat your first new Friend!

Moving can be the most stressful experience you can go through, but you can make it better. Take things in perspective and try to look for the good in all and not the bad.

Nationwide Van Lines can offer you a free moving estimate for your next east coast move! call us - 800-310-0056

Nationwide Van Lines