Adding Extra Stops to Your Move

Sometimes moving isn’t as simple as going from point A to point B, and there need to be a few extra stops in between.  Common pick-up or delivery extra stops include self-storage units, a friend or relative’s residence, or an office.  Adding more elements to your move does not have to add confusion as long as you’re prepared.  Here are a few things you should keep in mind:

If you have extra pick-ups in your move that are beyond a few furniture pieces, let your moving company know while you’re setting up a survey appointment.  Your moving consultant may want to view the extra stop during the survey.  Seeing the rest of your household goods and the access at the extra stop location will help him give you a more accurate estimate and prepare the crew for the move.

For extra deliveries, give your moving coordinator a list of the items and boxes to be dropped off there before move day.  This will help the crew better organize and avoid delivering items to the incorrect location.  If your extra delivery is more than a few pieces, ask the crew to bring different colored stickers to label the items before they’re put on the truck, a separate color for each delivery location.

If your extra stop is a self-storage facility, call the facility beforehand for hours and moving truck rules.  If you are not accompanying the crew to the storage facility, let the facility know beforehand that you are sending a moving crew, and be sure the crew has any necessary keys or combination codes.

Adding extra stops is relatively easy for both local and interstate moves providing that the extra stop is relatively close to the origin or destination address.  However, adding extra stops in different cities during an interstate move can add complexity and expense.  Be sure to discuss thoroughly with your moving consultant and coordinator.

Be sure to confirm with your move coordinator which stop the crew should arrive to first on moving day.

Five Great iPhone Apps for Moving

Yes, there’s an app for that too!  One of the best things about the 21st century is that handy device in your pocket that is capable of making everything a little bit easier: your iPhone.  There’s a ton of iPhone apps for moving and packing in the app store, but many are not worth your time or money.  Below are five free (we like that word!) apps that will enhance your moving experience.

Yardsale  Often one of the first steps of moving is the de-clutter process.   Setting up an old-fashioned yardsale can be a lot of work.  With the Yardsale app, you can put your unwanted items on sale in seconds!  Snap a few pictures, write a quick description, set a price (all within the app), and you’re done!  Your listing will pop up in the app for everyone nearby, and soon you’ll be receiving tons of offers for your stuff in your e-mail inbox.

 

My Things  The first step when you call a moving company is to put together an inventory of the things you will be moving.  Moving companies use this inventory to estimate the pricing of your move.  Usually a salesman will visit your home to perform an on-site survey, but if that’s not possible, this is also a great tool.  This app helps you compile a room by room, location by location inventory of the things you’ll be moving, and then lets you easily share or export the inventory with anyone!

My Move  If you’re new to moving, this is a great place to start!  This app boasts comprehensive moving tips and checklists that help keep you organized.

 

Moving Day  For the super-organized packer, this app is a dream.  This app helps you quickly inventory every box you pack and creates thorough box labels.  The labels even have QR codes on them, so upon delivery, you can quick scan the QR codes to make sure you have everything, and inventory any damages.  Fancy!

 

Moving Day Lite  The perfect mini-break from packing in your pocket!  In this fun game, you help the skate-board riding mover collect items and race them to the moving truck.  Take care to avoid obstacles like trash bins and traffic cones!  Items collected and time records will help you earn points!  No worries, we promise our crew won’t use skateboards to transport your stuff!

Tips for Moving with Kids

Sometimes the hardest part of a move isn’t figuring out how you’re going to get your things from point A to point B, it’s breaking the news to the kids and helping them through the transition.  Whether you’re moving around the block or across the country, moving is one of the biggest events in a child’s life.  Below are a few tips to help your kids cope on moving day.

  • Stock up on some books that are specifically geared to explaining moving to kids.  For the little ones, we suggest The Berenstain Bears’ Moving Day and Big Ernie’s New Home.  The Moving Book: A Kid’s Survival Guide is a great handbook with activities and tips for kids.  Moving can be even tougher on older kids, but reading some young adult books on the topic might help.  We recommend Lois Lowry’s Anastasia Again, or Judy Blue’s Starring Sally J. Feedman as Herself.
  • Have your kids participate in the packing process.  Have them pack a special box of toys they can’t live without for the car, especially considering it could be days before your things arrive at the new house.  Buy stickers for the kids to decorate the “their” boxes.  Not only is it fun, but it helps identify which boxes hold their belongings.
  • Put together some special activities to help kids understand the transition.  Help them write and decorate a card to leave for the new owners, welcoming them to your house.  When you get to your new neighborhood, bake some cookies to bring to your new neighbors to break the ice for introductions, and more importantly, to scope out potential playmates.  For more fun post-move activities, check our our blog on building a box fort.
  • There’s a lot going on on moving day.  Keeping the kids around on move day is potentially distracting for the movers and confusing for the kids.  It’s probably a good idea to drop the kids off with grandma or friends’ houses on move day, or hire a babysitter.
  • It might be corny, but it’s important to help kids feel like the family is going to face the changes together.  As important as it is to point out all the benefits of your new home, mentioning the things you’re going to miss about your old house helps kids know that it’s okay to have different feelings about the transition.  Be sure to take the time to plan some special family activities and outings after the move.

Olympia Moving & Storage keeps busy at the new Riverworks Complex

Riverworks Complex Watertown MAGot a 100-year-old historic bell to move? The Riverworks Complex of Watertown, MA did, and they knew to trust Olympia Moving & Storage with the job.

The Riverworks Complex, the former headquarters for Boston Scientific, was recently transformed into 200,000 sq. ft. of Class A office space. Their first major tenant, The Alzheimer’s Association of New England, chose Olympia Moving & Storage to move them into their new space on the 2nd floor.

According to office manager Kate Robinson, “It was a pleasure to work with such professionals. Your guys were, to the man, respectful, pleasant and hardworking.” They were so impressed with our services that they hired us to assist with their two biggest charity events: the Walk to End Alzheimer’s and the Memory Ride.

News of good service travels fast, and Education Resource Strategies, another new Riverworks tenant, also hired Olympia to move them into their new 11,000 sq. ft. office and remove and dispose of furniture in their old space.

Riverworks’ property management company, Farley White, noticed Olympia’s hard work and professionalism and hired us to relocate a historic bell, which had been located in the complex’s bell tower for over 100 years, to the facility’s main lobby.

If you’re thinking about a commercial move, please feel free to contact Rob Weeks in commercial business development at [email protected] or visit this link to set up a free estimate.  We’d welcome the opportunity to discuss our services with you.

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Moving in Apartment Buildings

After 20 years of moving in metro areas, our moving crews have a lot of experience moving in and out of apartment buildings.  Unlike a single family home, apartment building management often have rules in place to ensure that moves in and out of the premises are smooth and successful.  Following is a checklist to make sure that you’re cooperating with the management of your new (or soon to be former) home.

  • Talk to your building management.  This is the first step to ensuring you know what needs to be done before your move.  It’s best to check the rules with both your origin and destination apartment buildings even before you call the moving company.  This helps move along the planning of your move.  Ask reception, the sales office, and management company of your building what they need from you and your moving company before move day, as well as any moving advice.  After all, they see residents make moves in their building almost every month, so they’re experts!
  • Make an elevator reservation.  Most buildings require an elevator reservation for moving day.  This gives the building notice to prep an elevator for moving, and ensure that multiple companies are not booked for the elevator at once.  Ask your moving company for the crew’s arrival time well in advance so that you know which time slot to reserve.  Even if you don’t need the elevator for your move, some buildings still require a reservation for the moving company.
  • Get details on the loading dock.  Many buildings in urban areas have a loading dock for moves and deliveries.  Check what size truck will fit in the loading dock and whether you will need a reservation to use it.
  • Check if you need a parking permit.  If you live in an urban area and your building does not have a loading dock, you will likely need a parking permit for the moving truck.  Ask your moving company to obtain one for you (they typically need at least a week’s notice), or learn how to obtain one yourself here.
  • Ask your moving company for a certificate of insurance (COI).  All professional moving companies will be able to provide your building with a certificate of insurance.   This document proves to your building that your moving company is insured, and will be able to pay if any damage to the building were to occur.  Be sure you’re asking your moving company to provide this document at least a few days before the move, since the moving company will need to get the template from the apartment building, request the document from their insurance company, then return it to the building.
  • Give your moving company the access details.  Usually, loading or unloading the truck takes longer in an apartment buildings versus a single family home.  Be sure to tell your moving company which floor you are located on, the distance of the elevator from the loading dock, and the distance of the elevator to your front door.  This will help  your moving company give you a more accurate estimate and prepare the crew on moving day.