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Money & Time-Saving Tips for Moving Your Business

Moving your business is an all-consuming experience. Regardless of whether you’re moving personally or professionally. For business owners gearing up for the latter. A successful move is as much about securing the right location as it is about properly preparing everything for the move. As you get ready to move into your new office, consider the following best practices:

Moving Your Business – Donate Old Office Equipment

There’s nothing like the added dead weight of old office equipment to further complicate a move. As you ready your office equipment for the move, first decide what stays and goes. If you have outdated printers, computers, phones, copiers, and furniture, it’s time to leave all that behind.

Save space, time, and money by taking these unwanted items and donating or selling them. Since these older models are finding a new home, you’ll have a lot more space in the moving van for everything you do need in your new office. Additionally, you can arrange for any new equipment and furniture to be delivered to your new location—it’s a win-win.

Start Packing ASAP

Far too often, moves are complicated by an impending deadline. With the rush to move out of an old office at the last minute, anyone would succumb to the anxiety of such a high-stress situation. Avoid this sort of issue by starting to pack as soon as you know you need to move into a new office space.

Whether you’ve been planning to move for years or you have to move at a month’s notice, you need to make every day leading up to your move count. While the act of packing itself is fairly simple, in reality, it is incredibly tedious. With all the sorting, labeling, and packing up required during a move, giving yourself as much as a month or two in advance to pack is a great way to stay ahead of schedule.

Moving Your Business – Schedule a Moving Company

Moving an office is a larger scale move than going from one apartment to another. Even if you’re attempting to keep this move as minimal as possible. It’s in your best interest to hire a moving company. While there are some preparations like packing and labeling that can be done on one’s own, moving all the heavy equipment and fragile items from your old office to the new location is best left to the professionals.

What’s more, with a moving company, you can take advantage of their insurance policy. These policies cover your items in the event that anything is broken or damaged in the care of the movers. When hiring a moving company for your move, be sure to schedule them well in advance. The best moving companies are always busy, months in advance (especially in the busiest seasons).

Number and Label All Boxes

When in a rush to get through the packing process. It can be tempting to stuff everything into the nearest cardboard box and load it on the truck. Though this pack-and-go method may seem more efficient, it will lead to further confusion when you arrive at your new office.

As you pack each box be sure to label them and number them. Labeling the boxes will help you figure out where every box goes in the new space while the numbers allow you to keep track of everything to prevent you from losing anything throughout the move. Moreover, labeling and numbering the boxes and having an inventory handy makes it easy to hold the moving company accountable in the event that anything is lost.

Carefully Pack All Computer Cables

Packing up and actually moving is only half of the battle. The true challenge for many comes during the process of unpacking. Depending on how well all items you pack your items before the move, you may find that unpacking goes simply or it quickly becomes the most complex part of the move.

Make things easy for yourself by packing your computer cables, electronics, and anything with long wires very carefully. Put these items in zip-locked bags to keep everything from becoming tangled or damaged. Additionally, make sure these bags are clearly marked so you are able to unite them with the proper electronics when you unpack.

Moving Your Business – Pack Monitors and Computers Separately

Avoid the unnecessary damaging of your most fragile equipment by packing them separately. With your computer monitors, be sure to keep these precious items wrapped individually inside bubble wrap or thick moving blankets. As you pack these, take care to keep tape off the monitor itself.

Wrap the rest of the computer in heavy blankets and avoid stacking them on top of each other. In addition to protecting this hardware, be sure to backup all data on a regular basis so that you have several copies of it before your move.

Read Instructions for Complex Equipment

Equipment like mini-fridges, printers, and copiers often come with specific instructions to guarantee a safe move. Do your best to read through each item’s manuals before attempting to move them. While these devices may seem as though they’d travel well in a box with a few sheets of bubble wrap, you may not realize that they may become damaged internally during the move. Instead, stick to the instructions and pack each item accordingly.

Write out a Checklist

Think you’ve taken care of everything? Think again. Even if you try to be as thorough as possible, without a checklist, you’ll likely forget a few key things. As you gear up for your move, make sure you have a workable checklist. One that includes everything you need to do, what has been done already, and what is left to do. Additionally, have a list handy with all the supplies you’ll need as well as a plan for unpacking.

Moving Your Business – Update All Contact Information

As much as packing, moving, and unpacking is a major part of the moving process, so is making an update to all your contact information. In order to actually ensure you still have a business to run when you move to a new location, don’t forget to alert clients and customers to the fact that you’re relocating.

While this may seem like an obvious detail, with the business of moving, it’s easy to forget to update all your business’ contact information. Make it a point to change your address, phone number, and any other contact information in all directories—both online and in person. Additionally, make sure any clients with scheduled appointments are aware of all the pertinent details regarding the office move.

The best way to guarantee a stress-free move is to do as much preparation as possible. With the aforementioned tips, you’ll be able to make moving day that much more stress-free.

Moving Your Business – Self-Storage Units Help Small Business Owners

It is known that for small businesses, any expense must be well-balanced. Wherever you can save money, go for it. But have you ever thought of saving cash by ordering a storage unit?

If not, learn that this solution can serve not only during the move, but also as:

Document archive
Showroom for a home-based business
Inventory stash

If you’ve been racking your brains to find a attractive solution for your expanding business, it’s time you take into account storage warehouses. This way, you can wait until you find the best space for a new office, all while growing in a cost-effective manner.

When you take a traditional storage one of the big issues is a tiresome commute with all your items to the site. When you do not own a truck all that becomes even more of a hassle with multiple trips or expensive hire charges. With the help of mobile units by Box-n-Go, you can manage to get the job done easily. They bring the containers to your business location. You fill them up and they will take them to a safe facility. They offer easy payment schedules to ensure your invoicing is managed with the minimum of fuss. Business storing and moving with Box-n-go is very simple. Just call 877-269-6461 and they will take care of the rest.

Using a Self Storage to Prepare for a Newborn

You have a little bundle of joy on the way, and you’re making changes at home to accommodate the little cherub. This can get a little challenging. But there are a number of things that could ease the workload, like a self-storage unit. Yes, the benefits of a self storage for newborn and expecting parents may be overlooked, but they can be helpful at this time.

Storage for Newborn – De-Cluttering

You are probably planning to put in a nursery, but now you see you don’t have much room.

The reality is you may have enough room in your home. However, you’ve got so much stuff it is hard to make room for the nursery. This is one thing a self-storage can offer: space. All expecting parents have to do is clean house by donating what they don’t need. Throw away any trash, and place things they don’t use often in a storage unit.

Room Evolution

Sometimes, a parent has to change a room completely in order to prepare it for the baby. Depending on what you are doing, it may be necessary to empty out a room completely.

A self-storage unit will give you a place to put things temporarily. This will give you the freedom to remodel or rework in order to install carpet or paint. This storage unit cannot only hold the stuff in the room but also things you’ve already bought for you baby. There is no need to crowd the hallway in the house or some other room because all you need is a little extra space.

Storage for Newborn – A Changing Need

As expecting parents, you are probably getting a lot of gifts and buying all sorts of things. You might stop at a thrift store or some other interesting store and find things that might be great for your bundle of joy.

The thing is, sometimes you find stuff that your baby won’t need for some time. You do not want these things to clutter up your baby’s nursery. You can keep all your precious finds in a good storage facility. Trade things as your baby grows up and his or her needs continue to change.

Spread the Expense

Parents have all sorts of expenses when expecting a baby. As much as you want to have everything ready, you also know that money doesn’t grow on trees, so getting prepared in a short period of time can be financially straining.

There is a solution though; you can simply buy bulk items before hand, and use a storage unit to have everything in place. This way you can spread bigger expenses over the course of a long period of time to avoid stretching out your wallet too thinly. That is a pretty sweet deal, so do not hesitate.

Storage for Newborn – The Rejects

Everyone you know is pretty excited for you, and they are probably going to try to show you somehow. Sometimes, they might give you a gift that you’ll definitely appreciate but don’t necessarily love.

You do not want to throw gifts like these away. But you really aren’t going to use them, and you do not want them cluttering up your nursery. At this point, a self storage can come in handy for you. You get to put all those unwanted gifts away without hurting anyone’s feelings. You can keep them there until the time is right to find a new home for them if needed, or just keep them for sentimental reasons.

Where Memories Rest

A good self-storage has a number of little features that customers love, like climate control. This is important because it can help prevent mold, which could damage your possesions. It can also keep bugs away, which can be a problem in some storage facilities.

You do not want bugs to invade your precious things, especially because those belongings represent memories. Your baby is going to grow, and you are probably going to want to keep your baby’s belongings. These are things you get to pass down or can show your child when he or she is grown. You are going to love showing pictures, toys, and clothes to everyone. Your storage unit is going to make it easier to preserve those memories and keep them safe.

Storage for Newborn – Beyond the Nursery

There is a lot going on in your baby’s nursery, but that is not the only aspect of your home that is transforming before your baby arrives. You may also decide to start baby proofing your home.

This requires some work, and it requires observation, ensuring you don’t miss a single detail. Some things are easy like plugging up electrical sockets. But some things are a little more complicated, especially as your baby grows up. You are going to want to get rid of sharp edges and tall shelves that are not secured to the wall. What you want to do is place all items you feel are dangerous in a self storage unit until your baby is a little older. Then, you can put them back in place.

Peace of Mind

As an expecting parent, you probably have a lot going on in your mind. You have to prepare a lot of things in your home to get ready and ensure your home is safe. There is a lot to take care of, and it could feel overwhelming.

You are not alone in this because you probably won’t find a parent who did not feel overwhelmed as you do now. Having a good storage unit gives you peace of mind by giving you some of the aforementioned benefits. It may not seem like much, but the truth is any peace you can get is going to mean the world to you. Your family will also value this peace as it helps the whole family.

Keep in mind that most storage facilities offer insurance to customers on top of all the security perks you get, such as 24/7 surveillance and access to the unit at all times. These are just some of the benefits you can get by having a storage unit now that you are expecting a little bundle of joy.

Your life is definitely going to be changing. But the change is going to feel great, especially after taking care of any space issues you might be facing with a good storage unit. Do not hesitate to talk to a storage unit specialist about any questions you might have regarding some of the benefits mentioned or anything about the storage unit itself. The specialist will have the answers you seek.

Need Storage for Newborn – Let Box-n-Go Help

After you live in the same place for a while, stuff will most likely start piling up. Toys, books, clothes, shoes, souvenirs you can’t let go of. And the list could go on. What do you do when you realize your space is too cluttered but you can’t really throw everything out the window?

Moving to a larger space is not a handy solution for everyone, so what about self-storage units? You kill two birds with one stone: you can enjoy both your current home and a cleared space. Open up your space or just redecorate without moving out. Now that you’ve read about these benefits of self-storage, you know there’s an easy solution to store your belongings in a safe and convenient way.

Our Box-n-Go team is here to offer the best services, so make sure you check our website for the full range of facilities and offers. Call us at 877-269-6461 and we will be happy do help.

How to Talk to Your Kids About Moving

Whether or not to move is a tough decision. Telling your kids that you are moving can also be very tough. How to talk to kids about moving? There are a number of things that you can do to ensure that things go well as you break the news to your kids. Before telling your kids that you are moving, make sure that you are in an environment where there are as few distractions as possible. Make sure that there are no items around that might distract your children. Do not break the news to your children in front of other people where it can be an embarrassing ordeal for them.

When to tell your kids you are moving

You should only tell your children that you are moving once you’ve made the final decision to move. Do not going to say, “We are going to move,” if no serious decisions or actions have been made. It is without a doubt that your children will most likely have some level of strong feelings about moving. There is a pretty good chance that your children may have negative emotions. Including resentment, sadness, fear and anger.

How to help avoid negative emotions

To help quell these negative emotions, there are various things that you can do. For example, be understanding about their feelings—do not make fun of them or scold them for feeling negative emotions. Make them feel reassured that there is a high level of validity to their feelings. Also, do not dismiss any fears or questions that they may have.

Children can feel anxious and upset from the feelings of instability that result from moving. This is why you should fill them in on all of the information that they need to know about the big move. Tell them the truth as much as possible and do not lie.

For example, tell your children where you are moving. It can be quite angst-provoking to not know where one is going to move to. Be very specific about the details of the place that you are moving to. If you need to, crack open a map and point out where the new town is going to be, and where it is in relation to the old town.

How to tell when you are moving

Another vital piece of information is when you are moving. This piece of information provides another speck of stability that gives children their bearings. Provide a timeline to your children. This way that they have a time frame to refer to in their minds. If your children know when the big move is going to happen, they will have enough time to tie up loose ends in their lives. Do not think that your children’s lives are any less important just because they are so many years younger than you.

How to explain why you are moving

You should also explain the reason for why you are moving. The reason can be anything—a job, a desire for a change of pace on the part of the parents. The need to live in a nicer neighborhood. A divorce, the need to take care of relatives or anything else. A good way to make the news brighter is to tell your children about why they should be excited about the move. There are a number of reasons why your children should be excited. Perhaps the neighborhood is safer or cleaner, or perhaps it is more bustling and stimulating.

Another good way to make breaking the news to your children easier is to involve them in the moving process. Give them important tasks so that they feel some level of pride and stability in these seemingly unstable and changing times. You can assign them to various tasks such as painting walls, picking out décor and sorting through boxes of donations.

Giving your children a sense of purpose will help them get over the fact that they are moving away. Away from a place that they may feel attached to and/or have a lot of roots in.

How to teach your kids to stay in touch

Talk to your children about how they can stay in touch with the friends that they have made in their old neighborhood. Nowadays, the internet makes it easy for people to stay in touch via social media and email. If your new home is within a reasonable driving distance from your old home, tell your children that it is possible to drive back to visit old friends.

You should also tell your children about how they will have positive social experiences and make new friends in the new neighborhood. How you will help them to achieve those things. Various things that you can do for your child include enrolling them in different types of camps and recreation programs, sending them to local classes, putting them on local sports teams and joining institutions.

How to talk to kids about moving – Do not make a big deal out of it

As you tell your children about the fact that you are moving, do not act overly dramatic or make a huge deal of it. Tell them calmly and respectfully. Do not speak down to them in a condescending manner, yell at them or taunt them.

Tell your children the specific details of what has to be done for the move. For example, if you are going to downsize and plan on moving to a much smaller living space, you may need to tell your child that he/she has to give up a number of his/her possessions.

Different circumstances surround every major move that people make. As you speak to your children about moving, keep these circumstances in mind. The surrounding circumstances of the situation affect what you should say and what you shouldn’t say.

For example, if the circumstances include a situation that can be emotionally charged such as a divorce, be choosy about the words that you say so that you do not upset your children. If it involves financial insecurity, you may also want to be careful with how you explain things to you children.

How to talk to kids about moving – Do some research

The situation can be about a lot more than just moving, and this can make the situation more stressful and possibly even heartbreaking for your child. So, this is why you should also put some consideration into what you say and how you say it. To help your children in the transition from one place to another, do some research about things that may improve your child’s life or make him/her feel better. For example, put actual effort into researching what activities your children can do in their new neighborhood.

These are the things that you should do as you partake in the task of telling your children about a big move. Be understanding of the high probability that your children will have strong feelings about moving. As the adult it is your job to act mature, honest and transparent to your children in such a sensitive situation.

Choose the right company for your move

Does not matter which movers and packers you choose, it’s important to keep the end goal in mind. Regardless how difficult the process may be, or how much help you need to employ, the ultimate goal is to end up settled in your new home with the least amount of stress possible. Different people will have different opinions about how to accomplish that, so it’s important to go with the movers you think will suit you best, not necessarily what has served other people well in the past.

The mobile storage units provided by Box-n-Go Storage make moving with kids easy, straightforward and cost-effective. We deliver the units at your doorstep and thus save you time for packing. Box-n-Go also has team of movers and packers providing people with flawless service for years.

How to talk to kids about moving – Follow the box tips below to ensure success when packing:

Always ensure you use good quality boxes from a moving supplier when packing storage containers. Used boxes from the supermarket are seldom strong enough and are likely to fail over time.
It is a common mistake to not fill boxes correctly. A half full box is liable to collapse when stacked so it could easily damage your possessions. Conversely if a box is over packed it will not stack correctly and will also collapse.
You can save yourself a lot of time if you clearly label all boxes when packing your containers. This is vital so you can easily access your goods while they are in temporary storage. You can have access, too, if you eventually have them returned.

Beware of the weight of items when packing

Be wary of the weight of boxes when packing them. You need to keep the packed weight at a comfortable weight for lifting and carrying. No more than 35 pounds is recommended. You can control weight by packing heavy items like books in smaller boxes. Clothing is always bulky and troublesome to store. We store it hanging to minimize creasing and damage. Wardrobe boxes designed for this purpose are a wise investment.

Box-n-Go is always ready to help. Call us at 1-877-269-6467. Our Los Angeles self storage and moving experts are standing by to assist you with any aspects of your move.

How to Prepare Your Home for an Open House

While no one likes moving, it’s a necessary transition that practically everyone will have to perform at some point in their life. Before you can even make the move, however, you need to sell your home first. In the game of selling, appearance is everything. That’s why preparing for the open house is so vital when it comes to selling your home. It can be easy to miss certain details, however, that could be the deciding factor that makes or breaks a sale. To ensure that you exceed your expectations at the open house and make the best sale possible on your home, you should consider these tips and ideas.

Preparing for an open house – Lighting

Perhaps you noticed that when you enter a home that is bright and lit up, the entire place just feels a lot bigger and cleaner. For whatever reason, humans tend to react positively to bright homes. Darker homes can often make you feel enclosed and not necessarily in a good way. That’s why lighting is so important to consider for your open house.

You don’t want people to come in and think that your home feels cramped or oppressive. Everyone wants to think that their home is spacious and offers a lot of space to grow in. Even those who prefer tinier homes still want to feel as though each room has a lot of space. You can offer that illusion by playing with the lighting.

For example, the best way to increase the lighting in your home is to let in natural light. If your house has a lot of windows, then this is going to be easy for you. Simply pull back the blinds or curtains and let that light shine into your home. It’s not a bad way to check on the views from those windows either. If there’s a giant bush that has overgrown and blocks most of your window, then it’d be a good idea to chop it down so more light can enter into the room.

If you have lots of windows

For those who aren’t fortunate enough to have a lot of windows to let in natural light, then you’re going to need to do what you can with artificial lights. Sometimes all you need to do is replace light bulbs with ones that offer a brighter illumination. However, it is important that the light doesn’t offer a blinding contrast that can make the rest of your home bleed out in terms of color. You’re not looking to bleach out everything.

That’s why it’s typically a good idea to have a few lights in key parts of the home that you, especially, wish to highlight and that make a space appear bigger. It’s best to play around with the lighting in your home for a while. See what works best and stick with it. You may want to consider some home staging advice from your realtor at your open house or an interior designer. They typically know a few lighting secrets that can really illuminate your home.

Besides adding in more light to your home, you should also have all of the lights on. Again, this is to make your home appear bright, but it also makes the home cozy and welcoming. It’s easier for potential buyers to imagine themselves living the home if they’re able to walk right in and feel welcomed by warm and bright lights. Any open house needs lots of light to show the property well.

Preparing for an open house – Landscaping

Home staging goes far beyond just how your house looks on the inside. The outside and surrounding area are just as important. Most judgments that potential buyers are going to make at an open house begins right from the front yard as they pull into the driveway. Would you be excited to see the inside of a home when you pull in on a cracked driveway and notice that there are weeds growing in the grass? It doesn’t exactly make for the best welcoming message.

When it comes to selling your home, the exterior matters considerably. As such, you should attempt to mow the lawn regularly and keep the grass freshly cut. To ensure that it is green and healthy looking, you should water the grass about a half hour before the opening of the open house. With a bright green lawn, your buyers are going to easily imagine themselves sprawling out on it during the summer and cooking some barbecue.

Its not just a lawn

Besides just the lawn, you should make sure that the garden–and lawn itself–is free of weeds. Trim the garden, too, to make sure that it looks well-cared for. Even if you have long since given up on your garden, you should at least make it look like there was an attempt to love plants. The easiest way to do that would be to just tear the remaining plants out of it and re-plant only a few fully-grown plants. Since it’s likely that the new owners will want to plant their own garden and will rip out the plants you have there anyway, at most, you just want to make sure that your current garden is limited in scale and trimmed.

In regards to the actual exterior of your home, a good power wash certainly won’t hurt. It can actually make your home look a lot newer and fresh. If your front door is old and battered, then you might want to consider replacing it. The same goes for old doormats that have clearly been used and abused. This is the welcome center of your home. If it doesn’t look great, then you’re not going to make those buyers feel excited and welcomed as they enter your home.

Final touches on the exterior of your home should be focused on appearance. Any trash cans or bins should be placed somewhere that they cannot see them. They don’t want to see your trash. You should also make sure that your mail or newspaper is picked up either by yourself or the realtor during the open house as quickly as possible. Piles of mail and newspapers can look unprofessional.

Kitchen

Home staging in the kitchen is vital. For many buyers, the kitchen is going to be their primary room of interest. If this area doesn’t meet their standards, then you can be sure they’ll be leaving to visit the next house. The most obvious rule of thumb here is to ensure that everything is clean. Wipe down those counters, make sure the oven is clean, and take great care to ensure there aren’t any crumbs anywhere. Your pantry door and cupboards should all be closed. While it doesn’t hurt to have a bowl of fruit or flowers on the counters, you should try to limit the amount of clutter.

It also doesn’t hurt to have a bowl of cookies for buyers to have. Nothing quite feels like a welcome feeling like a warm tray of cookies. To take that up a notch, you may want to be overly ambitious and cook a few different kinds of cookies in order to pertain to guests of varying tastes and dietary restrictions.

Again, you want to make sure that the trash can in the kitchen is placed out of view. You don’t want people looking through your trash. You also want to limit the chance of a bad odor from stemming from the trash can due to a meal your family had the night before.

Fact sheets should be be ready for visitors in the kitchen. This is usually one of the first rooms that people investigate, and so they can take a cookie and read over the fact sheet at their leisure in the welcoming space that you’ve created for them. remember kitchen is one of the most crucial areas when preparing for open house.

Open house – Bathrooms

Perhaps the heaviest cleaning that you’re going to need to perform is in the bathroom. No one wants to go into a bathroom and feel as though it’s actually ever been used in the past. Instead, they prefer to think that the bathroom is new and untouched. You can offer them this illusion by cleaning the bathroom until it shines. There’s also a few little details that can make it look professional and clean.

For example, the toilet lid should always be closed. Not only does this ensure that the inside bowl isn’t visible, but it can also help cut down on potential odors. Again, it also makes it appear as though the bathroom is brand new. This is an excellent detail of home staging that not every homeowner considers.

Another aspect is to remove all of your showering and personal items during an open house. Your razor, soap, deodorant, everything you use to prepare yourself for the day should be away and off of the counter or out of your shower. You want to make your buyers see the bathroom as their own. They can’t do that if they have a physical reminder of you within that space. This is a critical element when preparing for an open house.

Last Details

When your home is clean, push back the curtains. Place the cookies are on the counter. You still have a few last few details that you might want to consider. The first is temperature. While the temperature of the home may vary depending on the weather outside, you should typically try to keep your home within the 68-72 degree range. This creates a comfortable space rather than being too chilly or too warm.

You may also feel like it’s a good idea to add in scents or candles. This isn’t always the case. Sometimes these scents can become overpowering and can give people headaches. You don’t want to drive them away because of a strong scent. Others may believe that the scents are an attempt to cover up an odor in the home. It’s best to just leave them out and keep your home clean to prevent odors from occurring.

Finally, if the weather is pleasant, open all of your windows for fresh air.

Using a mobile storage solution from Box-n-Go is an ideal route to de-cluttering your home and preparing for open house. Southern California residents can have a storage container delivered to their home. This will allow them to de-clutter and have a quick sale. One of the major points made repeatedly by home experts who try and get the best price for a home is that good presentation is vital. When any general makeover is carried out they always insist on a lack of ‘clutter’. Especially when the finished homes are presented for sale. This “home staging” as it is called is beneficial as real estate agents claim that that a well presented and clutter free home will sell quickly.

Contact Box-n-Go at https://www.boxngo.com or by calling 1-877-269-6461.

Preparing a Home for Sale – Home Staging

When you’re getting ready to sell a house, it’s common to run into one of two problems. If you’re living in the house, it’s probably filled with your belongings and decorated to suit your tastes. If you’re not, it’s probably empty, full of echoes, and looking decidedly not-homey. Home staging can help you remedy these issues and sell your home faster and for more money. It can easily become the most inexpensive and the most profitable solution for getting the most money for your home.

Often staging the home involves removing the clutter. This is where Box-n-Go comes in. We can help you move the clutter from your home and into the storage easily and economically. use the below tips to prepare your home for sale by improving its curb appeal and staging it properly for the visitors to be able to see your home’s value. Box-n-Go is your perfect home staging option. With Box-n-go it is easy to showcase the true character and value of your home.

What is Staging?

Staging is the process of arranging furniture and decor to help your house look its best. This makes it easier for potential buyers to imagine themselves living there — something that’s not so easy to do when the space is totally empty or cluttered with your belongings. It is easy with Box-n-go! Get a container or two delivered to your home. there is no rush in loading them. You can do it over several days, after work, or on the weekend. We can even help you with loading the heavy items. Once you are ready, we will come back and pick up the storage units and take them to our warehouse. There your belongings will be safe and secure for as long as you want us to store them.

Depending on the current state of your house, home staging can be simple or involved. It might be as easy as cleaning up and decluttering. On the other end of the spectrum, it might be as complicated as remodeling, painting, and renting furniture. Home staging will help you leave a positive impression with potential buyers. Impression that counts most.

No matter the current state of your house, these tips can help you get your house ready for a sale.

1. Start Outside

Have you ever driven past a house and fallen in love with it? That’s due in no small part to outdoor staging. Curb appeal is real — and it can have a big impact on the number of showings you get.

To start, make sure the lawn and shrubbery are in perfect condition. Re-sod any bare spots, rake up leaves, and make sure to trim the trees. Repaint any areas with peeling or faded paint, and consider refreshing the shutters, door, or window frames with a new color. Once you have a neat space to work with, dress up the entry with a few thoughtful touches. A wreath on the door, beautiful flowers in planters, and an adorable welcome mat can work wonders when it comes to drawing in potential buyers.

2. Get Rid of Clutter

Clutter is the enemy of home sales. It’s distracting to potential buyers, and it makes your house look unsightly and messy. Before you do anything else, go through the house and pack up all of your personal items. This includes:

Family pictures
Refrigerator magnets
Toys and games
Knick-knacks and mementos
Magazines and stray books
Items in “junk drawers”
Counter top appliances and cookbooks

Don’t forget about your furniture during the decluttering process. Too many pieces, especially if they’re large, make your home feel small and crowded. To start, cut your furniture down by 25%. If it still looks crowded, take away a few more items.

As you’re packing, resist the urge to put these items in the closet; they’ll just crowd the space and make it difficult for buyers to get a sense of the closet size. Instead, put them in a storage unit offsite. At the end of this process, your home should have a more neutral look that allows buyers to picture themselves living there.

3. Do a Deep Clean

The next step in the home-staging process is cleaning. We’re not talking about a quick refresh — we mean a serious deep cleaning that gets to every nook and cranny of your home. If you’re on a budget, you can do it yourself. If not, it’s a good idea to hire professionals to scrub the house for you. After living in a house for a while, it’s easy to miss dirty spots. A fresh set of eyes can help you spot and eliminate hidden grime.

If you’re cleaning on your own, here are some spots to remember:

Clean and repaint the inside of cabinets and drawers
Remove everything from the counter top
Move major appliances and clean under and behind them
Dust fans, light fixtures, baseboards, and the tops of cabinets
Wash windows and baseboards
Clean fingerprints and hand prints from walls
Wipe down trash cans
Deep clean sinks and fix dripping faucets

Arguably, cleaning is the most important part of home staging. It allows your other efforts to take center stage and makes visitors feel at home. A dusty baseboard or a stained wall is easy to ignore when you’re living in the home. To potential buyers, it can be a huge turn-off.

4. Select and Arrange Your Furniture

Furniture is an underrated part of the selling process, but it can have a big impact on potential buyers. Imagine that you walk into a house and it has a ratty sofa and stained chairs; your attention goes right to those imperfections, making it impossible to focus on the rest of the house.

That’s why furniture selection is important in home staging. To start, evaluate your furniture. Is it neat, clean, and modern? If so, keep it for the staging. If it’s outdated, worn, or an unappealing color, send it to storage. Then, you can rent new pieces to supplement the remaining items. This can seem like a big expense when you’re strapped for cash, but it almost always results in better listing photos and more positive home tours.

As you’re choosing furniture, opt for neutral colors. Rich cream, sand, and beige tones create an upscale look. Lighter shades also help your space feel airy.

Once you have key furniture pieces, it’s time to arrange them. Instead of pushing everything against the wall, try moving it in. This creates a more spacious feeling and allows buyers to examine the entire room. Not sure where to start? A professional home stager can help create a contemporary design that will appeal to your buyers.

5. Add in Tasteful Decor Pieces

Does your house look bare? It’s time to add in a few decor pieces to complete the look. Aim for pieces that aren’t too crazy — this can turn off buyers with very different styles. Instead, aim for touches that make your home feel loved and lived in.

Some options include:

Bowl of fresh fruit in the kitchen
Centerpiece or runner on the dining room table
A few tasteful pieces of art on the walls; abstracts, florals, and landscapes are safe
Vase of flowers in the entry or on a coffee table
Candles or small pieces of art on side tables
Rugs under furniture groupings
Colorful throw pillows on sofas and chairs

6. Make Small Upgrades

Sometimes, small upgrades can make a big difference. As part of your home staging, focus on projects that are affordable and easy to do yourself. Some great projects are:

Replace old cabinet hardware with new, more modern pieces
Repaint kitchen cabinets and backslash
Polish wood floors or clean carpets
Change out old or stained light switch covers
Repaint dirty or stained walls

Do you have visible areas of the home that need repairs? Now’s the time to take care of them. Many buyers are looking for homes that are move-in ready, so by handling all repairs, you can set their minds at ease.

7. Create a Light, Bright Atmosphere

When buyers are looking for homes, either online or in person, lighting matters. To start, make the most of your natural light. Switch out heavy curtains for sheer or light-colored versions. In small rooms, create a more open feeling by replacing them with blinds or shades.

Then, look to your electric lighting. Replace any burnt-out bulbs — that way, buyers can see every part of the house clearly. To that end, make sure you have enough lighting. Add floor lamps or table lamps in darker rooms to create a cozy glow during evening showings. If you have fluorescent lights in the kitchen, swap it out for a more pleasant incandescent or LED fixture. Have a dark hallway? Add a few wall sconces, or simply place a lamp on a hall table.

Don’t forget about outdoor lighting. After all, buyers will be driving past or coming for showings after dark. Replace your flickering porch light with a warm, bright version. If you have a dark walkway, consider adding an additional light for safety.

8. Don’t Forget About Scent

The final part of home staging is scent. Make sure that every odor is scrubbed from the air — this is especially important if you have pets, if you smoke, or if you like to cook pungent foods. Air out the house and use gentle air fresheners if necessary. Don’t forget about common culprits like the bathroom, refrigerator, and kitchen sink. It’s also a good idea to swap your existing trash cans for new versions; that way, old smells don’t hang around.

9. Prioritize Staging Efforts

Between the upgrades and furniture rentals, home staging can get expensive quickly. If you’re on a limited budget, consider prioritizing your efforts. Start with the entry and the living room, move to the master bedroom next, and finish with the kitchen. For other rooms, particularly spare bedrooms, you can opt to leave them empty or use your own furniture for basic staging. That doesn’t mean you should neglect cleaning and repairs in those spaces — the entire house should be neat and spotless.

Home staging takes time and money, but it’s one of the most important parts of the selling process. By turning your home into an attractive, neutral area, you can help buyers imagine their own belongings in the space. Whether you’re staging just for the listing photos or leaving the decor in place for showings, it can speed up the process and bring in more offers. That way, you can get a great price and move on to your next home without dragging out the listing time.

Box-n-Go can help you take away your personal items and clutter and store them safely until you are ready to have them delivered to your new home. Our service is easy on your wallet and convenient. Just call us at 1-877-269-6461 and we will take care of all the details.

How Much Should I Tip Movers?

Professional movers are an asset when it comes to planning a smooth and stress-free move. Not only can you depend upon them to help you pack up your house. But you can also trust them to show up on time and help load all of those boxes on to the truck. Once you have found the ideal company to handle your moving needs, your thoughts naturally turn to making sure that you do everything right on moving day.

Tipping is a generally accepted practice. It is a way for showing appreciation to anyone in the service industry. And your movers are among some of the hardest working people that you will ever meet. As you get ready for your upcoming move, you can use this guide to know how. Also when to tip your movers for a job well done.

Is Tipping the Movers Required?

Tips are always considered to be an extra amount of money that is paid as a gratuity to movers. While it may seem strange to pay additional money on top of your contracted moving fees, the truth is that your movers still deserve a token of your appreciation. Tipping is never required. Professional movers will never hang around after the job is done waiting for you to flash some cash. However, they may think that you were unsatisfied with their service if you fail to tip. Even a small tip lets them know that you are happy with the assistance they gave you during the move. Any mover will accept your tip graciously since it means that they earned your appreciation.

What Factors Influence the Amount I Tip?

Every move is different, which is why there is not a standard amount to tip. Instead, you need to carefully consider the circumstances surrounding your move as well as the effort put forth by the movers. For instance, a complicated move, such as one that involves transporting valuable art or antiques, should clearly involve a slightly larger tip. You may also choose to tip more for long distance moves or ones that occurred in poor weather. After all, even professional movers find that moving boxes in and out of a residence in the rain is hazardous and uncomfortable. But you will never hear them complain. Giving a larger tip for tough circumstances shows that you know they went above and beyond the call of duty.

Is It Ever Okay to Skip the Tip?

You should never feel obligated to tip for bad service. While you should always communicate with the movers during the moving process if you are unhappy, there are some things that should not be ignored. You don’t have to tip your movers if they showed up extremely late. Without an explanation or took excessively long breaks that caused your move to get delayed. You can also skip the tip if the movers were rude or disrespectful to anyone in your household. Some accidents are not always preventable. However, you can choose not to tip if the movers damaged property. Or displayed extreme negligence at the moving site. Giving them extra money after any of these mistakes could reinforce bad behavior.

What Is a Standard Tip for a Mover?

Most service industries receive tips based upon a percentage of the cost for the services. For instance, a 15 to 20 percent tip is common for servers in a restaurant. Movers, however, are tipped differently since there are usually several people performing the same job. There are two main ways that you can tip movers. For a simple move that only takes an hour or two, you can decide beforehand to just tip each member of the crew a specific amount such as $20.

While you can still use the set amount tip with complicated moves, you can also use a specific amount per hour to help make sure that your tip is on par with the amount of time that they spent working. For example, you might pay the movers a tip of $5 an hour. Slightly more if they are performing beyond your expectations.

What If Two Crews Handle the Move?

Sometimes, there are two separate crews that handle the move. This is common with multi-day moves or ones that cover a long distance. In this case, you can always check with the foreman to see how people usually tip. Alternatively, you can tip each crew separately. However adjust the amount to reflect that each person performed half of the services. For multi-day moves, tip the crew at the end of each day just in case someone is not there the next.

When Do I Give the Tip?

Tips are usually given once the job is complete and you have settled the bill with the moving company. However, some people do prefer to hand out a small tip in the beginning to let the movers know that they are serious about tipping for exemplary work. If you are not comfortable doing this, then you can wait until the end. In fact, it is usually best to make sure that they attend to each detail before you pull out your wallet.

How Do I Distribute the Tip?

You should always make sure that your tip is enough that each individual person involved in the move receives a portion of your token of appreciation. In a perfect world, you would be able to hand a lump sum to the head mover to have them pass out, the truth is that you may not be able to trust that the money will be distributed as you wish. Instead, hand each member of the crew their tip individually. This not only makes sure that the money goes to designated recepient, but it also gives you a chance to give each person a genuine statement of thanks.

What Else Can I Do to Show Appreciation?

Some of the nicest things that you can do for movers don’t even involve money. Moving is extremely strenuous both mentally and physically. Your movers will get hot, tired and thirsty. Consider having some cold beverages on hand that the movers can use to refresh themselves as they tire out. You can also order them food for lunch. Serve some snacks to keep everyone in good spirits. Also, be sure to have a bathroom set up with a few basic supplies such as paper towels and hand soap. Those little extra touches go a long way toward keeping spirits high at your moving site.

Tipping the movers is just one of the many things that you can do to show respect for the people that help you with your relocation. While there is no standard rule, understanding how the tipping system works for the moving industry helps you feel good about how you wrap up the final parts of your move.