Removals and Storage

Almost 75% of homeowners in the UK have taken the decision to move house at least four times and have added or reduced their mortgage repayments in the process.

A third of the population are changing address on a regular basis in pursuit of their ideal home and by the time homeowners reach the age of 65, they will have lived in at least six or more properties in the pursuit of finding their little corner of the world that they can truly call home.

Looking at current house prices, each homeowner will have spent anywhere in the region of £1.2 million from continually moving home including costs like removal services.

The trend for moving home on a regular basis has become so noticeable that the Brits have been described as a nation of ‘home hoppers’.

What are the main reasons for moving house?
Well, many are striving to climb the property ladder, whilst others move house to be closer to family and friends. The desire for a larger home is also hot on the list for ‘home hoppers’ and one in four cited career or work as the main reason to move house. Elderly home owners want to move house in order to downsize and 25% of pensioners are looking for smaller houses, bungalows or flats now that their offspring have flown the nest.

The region most known for ‘home hopping’ can be found in East Anglia, Yorkshire and Humberside where half the residents in this area move house each year.

The size of a property increases with age and decreases at around 55 when most homeowners complete the circle and start looking for smaller properties once again.

The younger generation love to move house and during the past twelve months over 50% of 25 to 34 year olds have had a change of address.

Moving home is a back breaking process and involves even more work when you have been living in the same house for a number of years.

It is amazing how much junk you accumulate so you need to be ruthless when deciding what you are going to throw away when you’re moving house. Magazines soon mount up and are a very heavy burden, so toss them aside along with any old cheque books, papers receipts and out of date bills/accounts. CDs which are never listened to could make a trip to the charity shop along with old videotapes which are no longer watched and clothing that has lost its appeal etc.

A good way to offload unused brick-a-brack is to hold a moving home garage sale. This will give you the opportunity to make a bit of spare cash and lighten the load in the removal van. Remember a removal van hire usually charges by the amount of space that you take up, so only take items that you use and need.

Keep reminding yourself that moving home is a good thing and it will give you a chance to clear out the old and make way for the new. Positive thoughts about a home move will make the process so much easier and not so emotionally draining. The following quote will also come in handy; ‘Move as little as possible to be comfortable’.

When you finally make your home move, you will notice that your new home is full of the old tenant’s vibes and energies. A good moving home tip is to scatter salt over all of the carpets and leave it there for several hours. Feng Shui experts say that the salt will absorb this excess energy which can then be vacuumed up. Be sure to empty the dust bag immediately afterwards and throw it into the outside rubbish bin.

With the internet brimming with websites to accommodate your moving home needs, it is easy to forget to send out those all important change of address notices to everyone. Usually in the chaos of the home move when you’re in the midst of organizing furniture removal and so forth, our most nearest and dearest are the only ones to learn of our new address.

It is vital that everyone is aware of your home move, especially if you are changing a business address. Likewise, no-one wants to hold a housewarming party and find that hardly anyone has turned up because you only told a handful of friends.

With change of address cards, you can ensure that everyone is aware of your new residence and can even add your own personal message to make the announcement even more special to family, friends and colleagues. Many companies give you the option to choose from specially selected verses. Whether it be a simple line or a full blown verse, change of address cards can be adapted to whatever style you desire.

A change of address card is a personal way to leave a memorable message and some will even allow you to add a photo of your new home.

Browse the internet to find the perfect change of address cards for you. Some websites even offer this service for free. Others will allow you to be as flamboyant or as casual as you want.

Print them out yourself or have them specially delivered to your door so as to give your family and friends the personal touch when it comes to moving home. You can then look forward to receiving those welcoming phone calls and housewarming cards in return.

The removal storage industry is experiencing a recent Renaissance. It seems that almost every day someone comes out with a new and clever way to hang something, box something or store something and people are moving home more than ever.

The most recent improvement has been in long term storage companies which is also climate controlled storage.

There is a growing trend in markets large and small to convert former grocery stores or other vacant retail space into secure, climate controlled storage companies. This new market model is a win-win for everyone. Strip mall owners are able to get long term leases on retail space that was sitting idle. The self storage center is able to get a great price on existing space that is already under roof and has HVAC. Plus,can be converted less expensively to storage units then if they were starting from scratch. The big winner is the self-storage consumer.

Since these new storage companies are in retail areas they tend to be more conveniently located than newer, free-standing self storage centers. Because the overhead is lower the rates for individual storage units are often less expensive per square foot. These centers also offer a wider variety of space options since not all of their storage units are the same cookie-cutter size. This is really handy if you have something that is over sized or an odd shape that needs to be stored. The biggest plus is this new generation of climate controlled storage is an added level of security.

The converted retail stores to self storage centers have limited access, either through the front doors or the shipping bay doors. These are easy to monitor both by humans and by video security cameras. This is much better that hundreds of feet of chain length fence - often with blind spots that are not monitored - and the risk of someone breaking into your storage unit undetected.

Another plus, especially if you do not visit your storage company very often, it is unlikely you will experience a climate related accident such as freezing of water damage. If the roof is leaking in these storage centers, someone will notice. If the roof is leaking in a single storage bays of a free standing self storage center, no one would notice until you arrived and opened the door.

Another plus of these next generation storage companies is many will offer high security storage. This is usually a section within the storage center that is well secured, with heavier locks on doors, better video monitoring and often manned by a security guard 24/7. These are well suited for the storage of valuable antiques or works of art. While not inexpensive, this level of storage goes for a fraction of what high end, all-climate storage used to cost.

The only down side to these new storage centers, especially those that are just getting started, they do not offer the same access that the more mature free standing self storage centers offer.

Because there are now more options then ever for self storage, including the new portable on demand storage solutions, rates have been stabilizing and in some cases actually coming down. You would be well advised to shop around for the best pricing, especially if you are looking for a long term contract. Self service center owners are less likely to give a price break to someone who will only be there for a few months, but will often cut deals better than the printed price sheet for someone looking at a multiple year lease.

Before you sign any long term contract, be sure to read it carefully and insist on a job change or emergence “escape” clause. If you suddenly get transferred or have something else unforeseen occur, you don’t want to end up paying for years on an empty storage unit.

When you know someone is moving home, what could be better than a gift to welcome them to their new abode?

But what do you buy someone who is stressed out from moving home?

How about something to make the house feel more like home, even if it looks like a warehouse with boxes strewn across the floor? Lavender aromatherapy candles will help to create a soothing and calming environment after the chaos of changing address. It is also an ideal way to release tension from the build up of the day after the house and furniture removal has taken place and you are ready to unwind.

Gifts for when your Child is moving house:
Maybe you want to buy for a son or daughter who has moved in with friends. They can easily forget that mum or dad will not be waking them every morning and are likely to turn up late for work or college. An alarm clock could be the perfect moving home gift to ensure that your loved one is still kicked out of bed in the mornings but in a more subtle way!

Moving home gifts for couples:
Couples setting up home for the first time, will want to make the most of their new found freedom and will take advantage of their home move by entertaining family and friends. Some trendy tableware or crockery will add the finishing touches to tea and cake with mum and dad or a full blown dinner party for friends.

Leave a House-warming gift when you move home too!
On the day of your own home move, why not leave a gift for the new residents of your own home? A bunch of flowers, box of chocolates or a bottle of wine are the ideal way to say ‘thank you’ to the people who made it possible for you to move home and to wish them well at your old address.