Typically when you are hiring a moving company, your first instinct is to kick back and enjoy the show. Sometimes when you’re hiring a moving company, you are just trying to get things from Point A to Point B. Maybe you don’t have a big enough vehicle to haul your furniture, or you cannot physically move the furniture on your own. We understand this, and at Strong College Students we are here to help you no matter what your situation! We are just glad to be able to be a part of your moving experience. But if you belong in the latter category, this post is for you!

There are several things you can do before your student moving crew arrives to assist with expediting the moving process. Make sure that the floors are cleared of smaller items and any loose items so that your movers already have clear and unobstructed pathways. They may not mind picking up your dog toys or yoga mats off the floor, but it will save you both time if that is taken care of prior to their arrival.

You will also want to make sure that your electronics are unplugged beforehand. Again, the crew may be happy to sort through your tangled mess of plugs behind the television stand, but your move will go faster if you have done that yourself.

Next you can make sure that your wall hangings are off the wall of your home or office. If you want the students to move those items in the truck rather than hauling them in your car, having everything consolidated in a couple of corners of the house is a great strategy. Otherwise the moving crew will have to spend time reaching for your paintings and removing them with care. It is much easier if everything is ready to be picked up. You can also help your moving crew by making a decision on whether or not you would like these art pieces to be protected. We do provide home and office packing as well as moving, so if there’s anything fragile that you may want professionally packed we can even pack just individual items for you. One of the best ways they can protect art or mirrors is by placing them in a mirror box. If you would like to use a mirror box, it’s also a good idea to try to speak with a service representative prior to your move day so that you can request this packing material.

The above actions may seem small and not very time consuming, but every moment counts when you are trying to pack up your entire household! Consider taking small steps like these before your crew arrives on move day if you are looking for a fast move. You will both be thankful later.

The best part of moving is when the job is done! Having everything in your new home and put away is a very satisfying experience, especially for our customers. It feels like a fresh start and can be a great reminder of a promising future.

That being said, you don’t want to completely forget about your past! Even after the last dish has been put in the kitchen cupboard and the last shirt has been hung in the closet, there are some tasks to complete that may not be at the top of your priority list. One of them is to compare dual fuel energy tariffs in the area of your new house, but the biggest one after a home move is to change your address!

First you will want to change your address for the services that you receive, if you are moving locally. Switch your cable, internet, sewer, trash, water, and electricity services over to your new home if you can still use the same company. If you cannot use the same company in your new area, make sure you cancel your old services, and read the fine print for any cancellation fees. Sometimes moving can expose loop holes in contracts and possibly even get you out of a bad cable contract!

Next you will want to update your address for the accounts that you have. This probably includes your banking accounts first and foremost. Even if you are going green and receiving paperless statements, you will still want to update your address. One reason is so that if you ever need to key in a zip code while checking out at the store, you do not have to try to recall all of the zip codes you have resided in before.

In general, you will also want to change your address on your registration card if you are registered to vote. It would be a shame to be unable to exercise your rights on voting day just because you are too far away from your designated voting location! You can always get an absentee ballot if you remember to request one, but having an updated address is good in the event that you ever need to provide proof of residency.

Last but not least, make sure you update your address on your driver’s license, vehicle registration, and insurance policies. Maybe you are moving to a safer area and your auto insurance premiums will drop! Even if that isn’t the case, you want to update that information because most auto insurance policies will go so far as cancelling your policy if they ever find out you are garaging your vehicle in a different location than what is listed on your policy. As far as changing the address on your driver’s license and vehicle registration is concerned, check your state for their requirements. Florida requires you to update your address within thirty days of moving. It would be a shame to get a ticket for not having that information up to date when an officer was going to otherwise let you off with a warning in a minor traffic stop!

Our college student movers are always there to help if you have any questions after your move is completed. After the heavy lifting is done by Strong College Students and a few easy phone calls are made its time to finally sit back and relax! We want to make your move as simple as possible, we deal with this day in and day out so if you are unsure of anything ask a college student mover during your move or feel free to contact our Strong College Student Moving call center and we will be more then happy to answer any questions you may have about this!

 

• Contributing Author- Kari Piatt

Some Moves take much more planning than others. On these moves it becomes more than just moving. It is communicating effectively, planning and utilizing proper moving technique to move the items. There was a recent move completed by Philip and myself where all of these factors came into play.

 

We moved a huge vending machine out of storage which took much planning and prepping to safely execute this move. First we had to take the time and properly inspect all items and surroundings. This aided us greatly in deciding not only how we would move this machine, but also where we should expect any difficulties depending on the surroundings. Next is to come up with a set plan of action in order to make things run as smooth as possible. Our plan for this move was to initially start by wrapping and protecting the entire machine then start maneuvering it little by little towards the destination. We custom wrap all items which is included in all of our full service home and office moves. These steps prior to actually moving the item allowed the whole moving process to flow smoothly. On top of all of that though you can never forget to communicate with the other college student movers on your crew.

 

Communicating with your partner on a move as much as possible is very important during a job like this. Even if it’s just to agree that you would both lift an item using the same technique, it’s much safer and it makes all the difference in the world. Communication, I would have to say, is the most important trait I have boosted since working here at strong college students. No matter if you’re working with someone just out of mover training or a good friend and staff member for years you always have to communicate. There can be a lot going on during a move but remembering and staying on top of communication with your partner for the day is always a top priority.

 

 

 

 

• Contributing Author- Strong Captain, Luis Sanabria