Moving is never easy. Anyone who has ever experienced relocation of any kind understands this. But when making a residential move, that is, moving from a place one calls “home” it can be especially difficult. And depending on how long you have lived in a specific location, the personal items, possessions and memories just seem to multiply making saying goodbye that much harder for everyone involved.
This is especially true with seniors. Not only have they experienced a lot of life and lived though many stories, often they have also collected a substantial amount of stuff. Moving house is always the result of some change of life whether it is social, financial or professional. And while moving is notoriously one of the most stress ridden events possible, this tension is often compounded when older people are involved. Whether relocation is the result of the death of a spouse or the inability or desire to take care of a large home, when a senior needs to move, there are several things to remember to make their transition easier.
Don’t Wait Till the Last Minute
If you are aware that a senior in your life will need to make a move in the near future, it’s important to start the planning process early. There is little worse than being forced into or rushed through an important move in life and helping older people is no exception. Attempt to talk about moving early and often. By avoiding last minute conversations about important topics, you will have a better chance of being set up for a successful moving experience.
Consider the Process
Moving can be both emotionally and physically draining. Generally speaking, seniors have less energy than their younger counterparts so it is smart to break the organization of the move into palatable sections. We recommend putting some thought into how much energy a senior can give per day in preparation for moving. Consider how going though old pictures and air looms can affect a person’s energy and plan accordingly.
Don’t Take it Personally
If you are helping a senior with their move emotions could be running high. Often when older people move it means the loss of independence. Keeping in mind how hard it is to be dependent on others, remember that kindness is the key to dealing with people in this type of transition. Focusing on the goal at hand instead of taking personally the stress of the situation is an important part of helping seniors during this time.
At Exodus Moving and Storage we always put our best foot forward. From the very start of our relationship with our customers we are committed to exemplary communication. Studies show that moving can be one of the single most stressful events of your life. Once the decision is made the countdown begins. The details, logistics and emotions come in. And before you know it, the day arrives for your actual relocation.
But we believe that if you choose the right people to have on your side it can make all the difference in your moving experience and even in your life. We take care to complete totally comprehensive quotes for your move every time. Our highly trained staff asks the right questions and is totally happy to come to your home to survey everything you want to move and give you a detailed quote, in plain language that you can actually understand. The following is an outline of the basic process that we go through in order to get your move off on the right foot.
We Show Up
There is a big difference between getting a ballpark figure based on a customer’s description of their move over the phone and giving a firm quote. Any company that gives a firm quote without actually surveying exactly what you need moved is not a reliable option as a professional mover. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, all reputable movers should furnish written estimates only after looking at your belongings or goods to be moved. At Exodus, it’s our pleasure to come out and get to know you and your move before we move you.
Moving Coordinator
One of the most important things when doing any job in an efficient manor is accountability. At Exodus, even though we are a growing company with extensive professional moving and storage capabilities, we work to maintain our individualized sense of service. To this end, each and every move that we do is assigned its own Moving Coordinator. This is the contact person available for communication from the very beginning of the process all the way to the end.
Comprehensive Quoting
A quote should include many different components. We pay special attention to the details and attempt to include everything including movers needed, vans and fuel, estimated distance, weight of belongings, packing charges, valuation and extra stops. We excel at the anticipation of every last detail so there will be no surprises. We are happy to show up at your home, do a comprehensive quote using an iPad and then email it to you before we leave. This way you can have it in your inbox for review faster to aid in your decision making process. We know that once you have a quality professional mover on your side, you can hand over at least some of the worry. And that’s our main goal, to do everything we can to promote peace of mind, every time.
Once the decision to move your company has been made and your goals for relocation have been clearly outlined, the real work begins. With so many things to consider it can be hard to know what to do first. It is a valuable practice to get as organized as is humanly possible before putting the wheels of your corporate relocation in motion. We recommend the first steps as follows:
Do Location Research
When you have figured out what you need from your new office you should spend some time really researching the area in which you plan to move. You will of course need to know a lot about this new city before you can commit to setting up shop in it. Take advantage of various reference materials such as the US Census Bureau Statistical Abstract by State in order to get the demographic details about your potentially new location. It can also be a good idea to subscribe to a few local papers for a couple of months before making the move. This will give you an idea not only about what is happening in the area but how the people in the area interpret these current events. Invaluable cultural insights can be surmised from reading local publications and can give you a better idea if this city is the best match for your business.
Create a Timeline
Sit down with those who are most strategically involved in the relocation planning and make a preliminary list of what needs to be done. Be realistic in this and make every effort to consider three main concepts: the physical office, the employees and the customers. Once you have decided to make a move, it can be easy to get caught up in the pace and excitement of the process. But time will fly during your logistical planning so creating a schedule that allows for real life and all of its delays is a key point. Ask yourself, will this move take 3 months? Will it take a year? After this, create your timeline accordingly.
Find a Professional
Once you have decided where and when to move, it is a good idea to assign someone in your company to be in charge of the overall process. Realizing that this will take up a good amount of their time should be a consideration when choosing an employee who already has a rather large workload. Beyond this decision, it is time to select a moving company that can help you with the logistics of you move. Considering that not only does your office need to be moved but also in most cases, your people and their families, it’s a good idea at this point to start shopping for experts in the industry. This part of the process will be easier once you have asked yourself the important preliminary questions. Knowing what you want and when you want it will make it easier to identify which moving company best suits you and your company’s goals for corporate relocation.
There are many factors involved in a process as complex as corporate relocation. Many entrepreneurs, owners and managers are faced with a difficult host of decisions when the concept of moving an office comes into play. With the obvious advantage of having already done business in one place for a while, each organization has a feel for what works and what doesn’t. With the benefit of this experience it is, of course, easier to compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of moving to a new place. But there are other things to consider such as how much the business disruption will cost the company and what are the new and differing environmental and regulatory concerns that may become a factor once the move has been made. The following are the first two steps before deciding to make a move.
Be Clear About WHY
While there can be many reasons for moving, making certain to completely articulate your primary goals is a vital activity before deciding to relocate. Are you looking for a more skilled workforce in a specialized field? Are you seeking to lower the operating costs of the company or to improve the quality of life for your employees? Perhaps you are looking to expand your market and have found that a new location would aid in this pursuit. Or maybe it’s truly just an issue of having the physical space you need to realize the growth that you desire. By being as specific as possible about why you want to move, it is much easier to realize your goals and make the best choices in order to maximize a relocation opportunity.
Be Clear About WHAT
A good place to begin, once you have decided exactly why you want to move, is to make a list containing everything you will need for your new office. Again, being as detailed as possible with your location specifications is the key to clarity and ultimately success. Write down everything that is a priority such as the size you need the office to be, the physical placement and in what type of neighborhood, along with what kind of facilities and equipment you will require. In this case your reasons for the move become very important: If your main reason for moving is to find more qualified employees, it’s important not to get caught up in a wonderfully inexpensive new lease in an area where the demographics do not support such a specified labor force. Be clear with yourself about what is needed as opposed to wanted and create your list accordingly. This will ensure that there is less ambiguity and confusion when it comes time to make the most important decisions.
When creating a checklist for a move, one of the most often forgotten items is the “open me first” box. And while this may seem like a concept of minimal importance, it can potentially make or break your first 48 hours in your new home. There are several different moving guides and relocation tips out there. Each one has a different view on what is important to include in this “box”. There is also some dispute on whether or not you should create an “open me first” box for each room of your home. While this can be a good idea, we feel that for the sake of ease and in an effort to not have to locate all of these boxes before nodding off to sleep, we would like to suggest creating one location that will have everything you need to be comfortable.
Use a Backpack, Suit Case or Duffel Bag
Make sure that this “open me first” box doesn’t look like everything else. It is also helpful to make sure that it doesn’t travel with everything else. If possible, transport this group of things with you in your personal vehicle so that you know where it is at all times. Keeping it in the trunk of your car is recommended until the movers have left and the house has “settled down”. This way you can avoid losing track of it in times of high traffic.
Pack for 2 days
Make sure to include a change of clothes for tomorrow and the next day. This allows for some extra time to get to your unpacking as well as an additional outfit to change into in case something gets spilled on or becomes sweaty from heavy lifting. Don’t forget PJ’s and sheets for your bed as there is literally nothing worse than finally wanting to sleep and having to search for linens. It is important to include all of your toiletries in travel sizes but especially remember to pack a toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant. A travel candle and lighter can be a nice touch to relax you on your first night in your new home.
Vital Forgotten Items
While this may seem obvious, toilet paper is a very important thing to make sure to have in your home throughout the moving process. Everyone involved will benefit from this item arriving first in the bathroom. Expect a long day of talking and coordinating during your move. Don’t forget to pack your cell phone charger and a pen and paper in that first box. It’s also important to make sure to bring soap, a shower curtain and a towel so that at the end of a hard day, you can easily get clean.
Get a copy of the “cube sheet” from your estimator or mover. This is a full listing of all the things in your home that are to be moved along with the estimated cubic size of each item. The cube sheet in an invaluable tool when it comes to creating accurate moving estimates. Having a copy of this is an easy way to make sure that nothing important is being left out and nothing additional is being counted.
There are a lot of administrative items to take care of when you move. Remember to cancel your utilities, change your address with the post office, and contact your friends, family, work, creditors, insurance providers, along with any subscriptions about your change of location. We suggest setting these changes up at least 3 weeks before your move date in order to insure that no important notifications are misplaced and no additional fees are charged.
After every move Exodus Moving & Storage completes, we will request your input about your moving experience with us. Continuous improvement is the hallmark of our success as a company and we are always anxious to get your feedback on how well we did our moving job.
Competitive and Accurate Estimates
The Cost of relocation is either based on weight or number of men and trucks needed as well as distance traveling. At no charge to you, one of our experienced and courteous Move Coordinators will review their move in great detail and provide you with an accurate move quote. Our Move Coordinator will also confirm requested pick-up and delivery dates.
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There are many factors involved in a process as complex as corporate relocation. Many entrepreneurs, owners and managers are faced with a difficult host of decisions when the concept of moving an office comes into play. With the obvious advantage of having already done business in one place for a while, each organization has a feel for what works and what doesn’t. With the benefit of this experience it is, of course, easier to compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of moving to a new place. But there are other things to consider such as how much the business disruption will cost the company and what are the new and differing environmental and regulatory concerns that may become a factor once the move has been made. The following are the first two steps before deciding to make a move.
Get a copy of the “cube sheet” from your estimator or mover. This is a full listing of all the things in your home that are to be moved along with the estimated cubic size of each item. The cube sheet in an invaluable tool when it comes to creating accurate moving estimates. Having a copy of this is an easy way to make sure that nothing important is being left out and nothing additional is being counted.
There are a lot of administrative items to take care of when you move. Remember to cancel your utilities, change your address with the post office, and contact your friends, family, work, creditors, insurance providers, along with any subscriptions about your change of location. We suggest setting these changes up at least 3 weeks before your move date in order to insure that no important notifications are misplaced and no additional fees are charged.