Why Winter is an Incredible Time to Move

Feature image CC0 Public Domain, by Canon EOS Rebel T3i, via Maxpixel

The commonly held wisdom is that no one moves during the winter. There's a grain of truth to that. Kids are in school and the weather is nasty. Even in warm weather states like California, it's slow season throughout the moving industry. Winter moving can be a real hassle, but winter can also be the best time to move.

Why Winter Moving is Great

Your home could sell faster and for more money

That might be a little hard to fathom, but homes sell faster and for more money in the winter. For sellers, it seems, desperation is their friend. Winter buyers tend to be more purpose-driven, and, well, more desperate to find a home. People move in the winter because they need to (they have a new job, a change in family situation, etc.), so things tend to move faster. People move in the summer because they want to, so they take their time. Obviously, you can find exceptions everywhere, but that's the general trend. 

A study by online brokerage Redfin found that average sellers net more above asking price during the months of December, January, February, and March than they do from June through November, even in cold-weather cities like Boston and Chicago. And homes listed in winter sold faster than those posted in spring. Source: Money

Moving Companies are More Flexible

Since winter is the slow time to move, moving companies have more flexibility. Most companies are able to do smaller moves during the winter. They might negotiate somewhat lower prices, and throw in a few extra incentives, like some packing materials, or perhaps a month of storage.

If you have specific time restraints, you're far more likely to find a moving company that can accommodate. That's not always an option when moving crews are performing 2-3 moves per day, seven days a week.

How to Survive a Winter Move

One of the best things about living in California is that, for the most part, there's no snow. You don't have to worry about movers sliding around on ice as they're carrying your 400-pound armoire. We do get rain in the winter, though. Sometimes lots of it.

The best moving companies (like Fairprice) take all precautions against the rain. The movers cover their feet when walking into your home. Furniture is shrink-wrapped, instead of just blanket wrapped.  If your mover is packing for you, they will take all measures to ensure that your boxes are safe from the rain.

If you're packing your own boxes

If you're packing your own boxes, you might want to consider investing in plastic boxes. While that doesn't sound environmentally friendly, you can reuse the plastic boxes to store out-of-season clothing, holiday decorations, and anything you might store in your garage, storage shed, or basement.

If you don't have plastic boxes, cover your boxes with tarps. Use quality boxes. It takes a lot more rain to penetrate and weaken a brand new, solid box, than it does a used box. Take extra precautions if you are moving to a place that does see snow.

It would be naive to say that winter moving doesn't come with challenges, but with a quality moving company and a little planning, there are a lot of benefits to choosing the road (so to speak) less traveled.

Moving During The Holidays? We Can Help!

Are you Moving During the Holidays?!

Let www.fairpricemovers.com help!

We offer flexible and guaranteed windows of arrival to help you fit your move into your busy holiday schedule.

Too busy preparing for the holidays to pack your boxes? www.fairpricemovers.com offers full box packing at all-inclusive, no hassle rates to help keep you on budget when you need it most!

No matter how big or small your move is we can help! We can move pianos and other one off bulky items!

We provide local residential and business moves for California cities such as San Jose, Campbell, Milpitas, Pleasanton, Dublin, Los Gatos, Cupertino, Fremont, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Sacramento, Foster City, San Mateo, San Francisco and beyond.

Moving to a new state? We provide long distance moving up and down California as well as to other states such as New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and more!

Call the best movers in the bay area, top rated on Yelp! www.fairpricemovers.com today for your free quote at 877-576-8882 OR fill out an online inquiry form on our website!

Great Winter rates available!

Call today!

Modern Day Moving

Hi Everyone!

So... what's different nowadays in moving?

The stress is still the same, the headache, the hassle, not to mention the hair pulling out, but really... what's different?

Technology!

Here at Fairprice Movers Inc. we use technology to make moving easier for our customers.

We start with an online quote through our state of the art moving system.

On our website you can submit a request to get a quote so that one of our sales associates can call you.

After we speak to you on the phone we send you a professional quote for your move through email.

If you have questions about the size of your move vs. the size of our trucks, we can even send you a link to fill out the inventory for your move to ensure we're showing up with the right size truck!

Booking is made easy with online contracts you can e-sign as easy as clicking a button!

We also use our system to send you reminders before your move day, receipts and follow ups afterwards!

Cell phone use has also helped making communications with our clients easier! Here at Fairprice Movers Inc. our staff is text-friendly. This means if you need a quick answer, we've got it for you!

Of course email is still a fabulous tool for explaining complicated situations to us, sending us photos of odd-shaped things you're moving, and asking questions of course.

We love technology and how much easier it makes it to service you and your move day!

E-Signed,

Nancy=) 408.621.8530 (texts welcomed!) or nancy@fairpricemovers.com (emails will be answered promptly!)

How to save money moving!

Dear friends, family, and clients,

It's been a while!

Since we last chatted, Thanks to our fantastic crew and awesome clients Fairprice Movers Inc. has experienced it's busiest year yet!

I'm going to try to do a little blogging for you again=)

We all know the saying "money makes the world go round", well here's a way to save some money on your next move!

1.Pack up your own boxes! It's not only more expensive per hour for us to pack the boxes, but it takes more time, and there's the cost of the materials to pack you.

2.Purchase your own materials for the move. The movers are going to supply you with the free use of reusable materials such as cloth furniture pads and wardrobe boxes. But they'll need some shrink wrap and tape to hold the furniture pads in place, and a few other things. Here's a list of what to buy:
-shrink wrap
-tape
-bubble wrap
-boxes
-packing paper
-mattress covers

You can purchase these items at any home improvement store, storage place, UHaul center, or office supply store. Also check Craigslist free section for people giving away boxes they used.

3.Choose a slower weekday for weekday rates like a Monday through Thursday. Everyone wants to move Friday through Sunday, so take off a day of work or move around your schedule to beat the crowds and high rates.

4.Move smaller things yourself. Move anything you can move yourself on your own, especially valuables and electronics. Moving TVs yourself is not only safer for the TV because it's not being subjected to the vibrations and bumps of a big moving truck, but we also don't need to crate your TV to move it if it's just going for a smooth car ride.

5.Clear up your clutter. Call Salvation Army for a pick up of donation items that you don't need anymore. Why pay to move stuff you don't want?

6.Call a junk hauling company to clean up trash, or items you can't donate.

7.Feed the movers. It's not required, but remember, they aren't robots, they have to rest, drink, and eat, and the easier you make it for them to do that, the faster things will go.

8.Be nice to the movers. Our employees are hard working and kind. They'll always be professional with you no matter how stressful the situation, but being nice goes a long way in getting things done.

9.Notify the neighbors! If we have to block a driveway, or double park to move you, let the neighbors know so they aren't grumpy and make us move the truck a million times during your move.

10.Empty out the dresser drawers. Make sure you don't have stuff in your dresser drawers, it's better for your furniture, and a lighter dresser moves faster than a full one.

11.Pay in cash! We offer cash discounts, ask us about it!

12.Purchase a voucher on Yelp.com! We offer some great savings there! But remember, just one discount per move!

Hopefully these helpful tips give you some insight to saving green this holiday season!

More to come!

Love,

The One And Only Nancy=)

Dear Nancy...

"Dear Nancy"

 

This morning I was greeted by an email from a potential customer looking for a little help with his pre-packing planning.

 

I felt very nostalgic as I answered his questions carefully today, coffee in hand, cool morning air coming in from my office window...

 

I might not be Dear Abby, but this morning I took on the persona of Dear Abby of the moving world, lol, it's not much, but it's something.

 

Well, enough of my babbling on, here's the gentleman's email, and my responses. Maybe you have some of the same questions about your packing too? Take a gander, you never know what you're gonna learn!

 

HIS EMAIL:

 

"Hello Nancy,

 

I am in the process of looking for a house in Livermore (I currently live in Fremont). When I find a property there, I will need to move from my current residence in Fremont to the new one in Livermore.

 

In order to ensure that packing doesn’t turn into a serious stress inducing experience, I am doing a bunch of pre-packing before I have found a home. This has led to a bunch of questions. If you could answer them, it would help me select the best moving company for the job. These questions are:

 

1. Do I need to box pictures?

2. How do I pack computers, keyboards and monitors?

3. How do I pack printers?

4. I have a midi keyboard, which is 38” long. I don’t have the box it originally came in. How will it be handled?

5. Do I need to box table lamps?

6. Can my dresser and chest of drawers have clothes in them?

7. Do you supply a wardrobe box?

8. What about a guitar in case, a sewing machine, and a reel-to-reel tape player?

9. What about luggage?

10. Will you disconnect and reconnect my washer and dryer?

11. Will you disconnect and reconnect my refrigerator?

12. How do you handle microwave ovens?

13. How do you handle stereo equipment?

14. I have a free standing glove of the earth. How do we handle it?

15. How do you handle floor lamps?

16. How do you handle garden tools (shovel, rake etc.), a awn mower, a wheel barrow?

17. Will you disassemble and assemble my desk (this requires only removing a couple of bolts that connect the top to two base units?

18. Will you disassemble and assemble beds?

19. I have some lumber (redwood), some of which is 8 ft. long. Will you move it?

20. Can you give me a list of things you will not move?

 

Once I have a house purchased, I will be asking for companies to bid the move and I will contact you for an estimate. Thanks for helping me with this.

 

Regards,

 

Potential Client"

 

MY RESPONSE:

 

"Hello!,

 

Thank you for your questions. I wish you all the best in your house hunt! I'm happy to help answer your questions for you!

You may also find my blog helpful: www.fairpricemovers.blogspot.com where I share a lot of helpful moving tips!

Here you go:

1.We can wrap pictures in the free quilted blankets, shrink wrap and tape for you, or we can sell you a picture box, or these are sometimes best moved in your own personal vehicle since they are so delicate.

2.Again, computers, keyboards, and monitors are best inside a personal vehicle for a softer ride.

3.Same thing with printers, although they tend to be a bit sturdier than a glass monitor, you can either pack them up in a box with padding, marked fragile, or move it in your car so that electronics don't get jostled around by the truck.

4.The keyboard can be crated for $30 and put into it's own special box, or if it goes in your car, it's safe too.

5.Table lamps if the base or shade is breakable, are best wrapped up in a box marked fradgile, or put in your vehicle. Or we can sell you a lamp box to protect it. Taking out the light bulbs is a good idea too.

6.If you need us to carry a dresser or chest of drawers up or down any stairs, it must be emptied, not only for the safety of the dresser drawer tracks, but it makes it easier for the men to move these big pieces of furniture carefully through your homes without causing accidental damage to walls or floors due to the furniture being unruly and heavy.

7.We do supply up to (10) wardrobe boxes to use during the move free of charge, each box is about 6' tall and 2.5' wide, had a cross bar across the top where you can hang your clothing. Each box depending on the thickness of the clothing (i.e. puffy sweaters vs. thin houses) can carry about 20-30 pieces of clothing each. If you need more than (10) they are $15 a piece. We do not bring them to you prior to the move, we put them up in front of the closets right when we arrive so that you can fill them with clothes while the men disassemble furniture, wrap it up, and move it into the truck with the boxes, then at the new place the wardrobe boxes are the first thing off the truck so you have plenty of time to unload them into the new closets while the guys put the beds back together, unwrap the furniture, and put the boxes where they belong.

8.Guitar in case is fine in the truck. A sewing machine I suggest you pack up in a box with padding and mark it fragile, or move in your car. Same thing with reel-to-reel tape player.

9.Luggage is fine how it is, you can even fill them with the clothes from your dresser.

10.Yes we can disconnect and reconnect your washer and dryer. If you have a gas connection, please turn off the gas for our safety, and have all supplies available for the connections.

11.Yes we will disconnect and reconnect your refrigerator. If it has a water hookup, and the set up is easy, we can do it. Keep in mind for both the washer, dryer, and refrigerator, that we aren't handy men, but we'll do our best, and we do have experience, but if you are really concerned about it being done properly, please hire a professional.

12.Microwave ovens are fairly sturdy, just pack them up in a box with padding, and mark it fragile.

13.Stero equipment packed up in boxes with padding is fine.

14.We will wrap the globe up in padding quilts, shrink wrap and tape, and if it's really fragile we can suggest a little bubble wrap as well to protect it for an additional cost.

15.Floor lamps are much like table lamps, if the base is breakable, we need to wrap it up properly, take off the shade and wrap it separately, take off the light bulb. We can sell you a lamp box, or you can have us use quilts and shrink wrap and tape, or you can take it in your car for extra security. Loose items bouncing around the truck aren't safe, so we have to properly secure it somehow.

16.Garden tools should be boxed up or put into tool boxes or bins prior to our arrival. Wheel barrow can just go in the truck on it's own, it won't break. Lawn mower too, but it can't have fuel in it, we can't transport flammable.

17.We will disassemble and reassemble any furniture that needs it, free of charge, including your desk.

18.See 17, yes, especially the beds.

19.Yes, we can move the lumber.

20.Only things we can't move: Live plants that get soil inside the truck, plus their breakable pots don't tend to stand up well to the vibrations and bouncing of the truck, flammable like propane tanks, and fuel for mowers and such, and livestock=)

Thank you, I'm happy that you plan to reach out to me for a quote. I promise to give you a thorough quote you can depend on, and the best customer service you've ever had. We are an exceptional company, and we plan on doing a great job for you just like we do for all our customers.

Warmest Regards, Happy hunting,

Nancy Jensen
Director of Sales"

Have a happy weekend! Happy Spring!

Warmest Regards,

Nancy and Team

 

 



Pianos and Pool Tables Oh My...!

Dear Family, Friends, and Clients,

Hope the week is treating you well!

Whether you are moving from San Jose to San Jose, or from Palo Alto to Los Angeles, if you have an upright piano, baby grand piano, grand piano, or pool table, this is information you need to know about moving those items!

A lot of customers purchase pianos and pool tables from others on Craigslist and EBay, but they don't consider how they will get the piano or pool table to their new home. Sometimes the cost of moving the piano or pool table will exceed the cost of the piano or pool table, so buyer beware!

First of all, not all movers are professional Piano or Pool Table movers, so be sure you ask if they have experience with this! Fairprice Movers Inc. is very well versed in moving these items.

Movers that can also do Piano and Pool Table moves, can do them alone, or as part of a larger move.

Moving a piano can cost anywhere from $125 to $500 and up depending on the size of the piano.

If you live in a tricky parking place like San Francisco, there are also fees for long carries, as well as if the piano needs to be transported up or down any stairs or elevators, in some cases and fee for a piano crane is needed in order to get it to the level of your home or apartment/condo you need.

Smaller upright pianos can be moved in one piece, baby grands and grand pianos will have some disassembly and reassembly.

All pianos will be wrapped with quilted blankets, shrink wrap and tape to protect them during the move. Professional movers will use dollies, blankets, shrink wrap and tape, and either professional lift gates, or ramps to move your piano.

Most pianos will need retuning after being transported.

Make sure that the company you hire is a professional piano moving company that has the proper insurance to cover the piano should anything happen to it.

Pool tables are very similar to pianos, pool tables can take an hour or two to dismantle properly, and another hour or so to reassemble at your new home. They often cost about $200 to $600 to move, plus fees for long carries, and stairs just like a piano.

Fairprice Movers Inc. has a lot of experience moving both pianos and pool tables throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and beyond.

So before you purchase one of these beauties, be prepared for the cost to move them!

Warmest Regards,

Nancy and Team



Of Course I Know How To Tape A Box Shut!....Or Do I?...

Hi Everyone!

It's been a while since I've blogged, sorry for the radio silence! It's been busy busy here at Fairprice Movers Inc.!

So, you're no dummy right? You know how to tape a box shut....or do you?

Here are some helpful tips on how to do something that seems really easy, the right way, so that your stuff is safe inside those boxes you worked so hard to pack!

1st: Fold your flat box into a cube shape

2nd:Flip the box upside down and tape the bottom first

3rd:Fold the flaps on the bottom in

4th:Tape 1 long strip of tape down the middle of the box where the 2 flaps meet

5th:Tape 2 long strips of tape down the width of the box on either side of the box, the tape will resemble an "H" shape when done

6th:Carefully wrap and fill your box with your personal belongings

7th:Repeat the same steps 3-5 for the top of the box

Best Wishes,

Nancy and Team

How Wardrobe Boxes Work

Hi Everyone! Nancy here! I've been off blogging for a bit, but don't fret I'm back!

So, today's topic is the thrilling world of wardrobe boxes!

What are they, and how do they help you move?

Well, here's a photo of one, they are about 2' wide, 4-5' tall, and they hold about 20-30 pieces of hanging clothes in them depending on how thick the pieces are. i.e. more thin dress shirts will fit vs. puffy jackets, etc...

All movers provide a certain amount of these beauties free of charge to use during the move.

They will set them up in front of your closets the day of the move first thing! That way as they work on disassembly, reassembly of your furniture as needed, wrapping the furniture, and moving the furniture and boxes into the truck, you'll have all of that time to place your clothes from the closet into the boxes with your own clean hands.

The guys will then seal them up, put them on the truck last, so that they are the first thing off the truck at the new house. Then you'll have plenty of time to unload them at the new house while the guys unload the truck, unwrap, and reassemble the furniture for you.

If you need some to keep in a storage unit, or just to keep, they can purchased the day of the move of course.

It sure makes moving hanging clothes easier! Easier than laying them flat in the back seat of your car with all of the hangers tangling together!

Happy moving!

Nancy and Team

You only have 1 item to move...so why is it so expensive to find someone to move it?!?

So...you have a beloved recliner chair in storage, and you only need it moved to your garage at your house 5 miles down the street...you don't have a vehicle large enough to do this, plus the recliner is heavy! You don't want to bother friends to help, and you feel stuck figuring out how to move this beast of an item. So why when you call around to professional moving companies is it so expensive to get help?

Here's why:

1.Minimums: Professional moving companies need to charge hourly minimums to stay in business, most have 2 hour, or 3 hour minimums. Moving the dear old recliner may take about 15 minutes of real labor to load and unload, so you can see why this is already a bad fit for your needs.

2.Double drive time: Yes, professional moving companies do have to add on travel time aside from the labor, whether it be 5 minutes down the street, or 30, and this will add to your costs, and if this is a longer haul, gas surcharges may apply as well! Eeek!

3.Materials: Maybe you're moving a large round piece of table top glass that is 600 lbs or so, if it wasn't already crated (wrapped up properly to withstand the bumps and vibrations experienced by items in a moving truck while being transported), the  movers will need to charge for the materials to do so.

Here's your other options:

1.Bug a friend with a truck, and friends to help lift

2.Rent a UHAUL truck and some helpers who may or may not be professional

3.Leave it in storage and keep paying that huge bill each month to keep it there

There are a few problems with these options, 1.Friends can get worn out when you ask too many favors, plus do you have friends who can lift heavy items?, 2.Renting a UHAUL truck to move something is fine, but it costs money too! A simple pick up truck is $19.95 plus mileage and fuel per day for local moves, and it goes up from there. Plus the truck won't have a professional lift gate to help you with this heavy item. Then you have to pay the helpers you hire, and if they aren't professional, there are issues with legality, insurance, and liability you'll have to face, plus your item could be damaged during moving and you'll have no recourse. 3.Leaving it in storage is fine, but it'll cost ya! With prices of $100 and up per month, it could be an expense you don't need to make.

Here's why hiring a professional moving company like Fairprice Movers Inc. is worth it:

1.We are licensed and insured, so your items will be covered.

2.We are professionals, therefore your items will be moved safely.

3.We can install your item for you properly into your new home.

So what does it cost on average to get 1 item moved? Let's say the item is heavy, so we'll need 3 men, that can range on average per moving company, per season, and date, from $95 per hour and up to around $149 per hour let's say. That's about $300 to about $450 for just the labor, not including travel or gas or materials.

Suggestions to make the move more cost-effective:

1.Move something else! Have us  move the 1 item, and then use us to move things around the house you've needed help with, or purchase a piece of furniture you've been wanting from a store or person on Craigslist, and we'll pick that up and deliver it as well!

2.Share the move! Ask a friend if they have any items they need moved at the same time, we can make multiple stops, and use up more of that 3 hour minimum for you!

3.Be mindful of the day you're asking us to move it. First of all, don't be a last minute nelly! Then, pick a Monday through Thursday, and be really flexible with your time!

Hopefully this helps!

Happy moving!

Nancy and Team

Staging your home, and how movers can help!

Happy New Year to our family members, friends, and clients! We wish you a healthy, happy, and prosperous new year in 2014!

For some of us, a new year means a new home! But how do you get rid of the old one? Besides just placing your home on the market, you may also want to consider staging your home so that it sells faster, and for a higher price.

Staging is a lot like ringing in the new year, purging the old, or excess, and bringing in the new!

Moving companies like Fairprice Movers Inc. can help you take all of your excess or old items from the home, and place it in your storage unit or pod, so that everything looks orderly in your old home. Purging items also makes your home look larger to potential buyers.

Another way a mover can help with staging your home for sale is bringing in the new! Why not purchase a few new key pieces for your new home that you can first use in your old home for staging purposes? For example, want the home to look more established and high end? Always wanted a piano? Fairprice Movers Inc. can move one from the person or place you purchased it, to your home!

After your old home has sold, and it's time to pack up the rest of your items and move everything to the new home, Fairprice Movers Inc. can also help. We will start with the items at your old home, then stop at the storage unit we placed the purged items in to pick those up, and then deliver and install everything into your new place.

We hope these helpful tips were useful! Check out more staging tips on Nancy's favorite website http://www.hgtv.com/decorating-basics/15-secrets-to-selling-your-home/pictures/index.html?soc=share

Best wishes for this new year to you and yours!

Nancy and Team

What's a Wardrobe Box?

It's 9 days till Christmas! Whew! We here at Fairprice Movers Inc. hope you're all doing well, surviving the Holiday crowds, and getting that last minute shopping done=)

In the meantime I thought I'd share a short but helpful article on wardrobe boxes.

Movers include wardrobe boxes for free use during the move.

They are about 2.5' wide, and about 4' tall, and can hold about 20-30 pieces of clothing inside depending on their bulkiness, hanging up on a bar that crosses the inside of the box.

They save you from having to move hanging clothes by laying them in your car, the hangers tangling, items of clothing escaping from their hangers and slipping off, some even falling onto the floor as you carry them from place to place.

A lot of customers ask me if we drop them off early to your home so you can fill them. The process is this, when the men arrive to your home, while the Foreman in charge completes a home walkthrough and plans out the move with you, and completes paperwork, the men working with him will pop up the wardrobe boxes first in front of each closet that needs them. Then while the men are disassembling furniture, wrapping it up for transport, placing it on the truck, and moving boxes into the truck as well, you can carefully place your clothes into the wardrobe boxes. The boxes will then be placed into the truck last, and taken off the truck first at the new place so you can work on putting the clothes into their new closets while the men work on unloading the rest of the truck.

Hopefully this helps clear up any wardrobe box confusion!

Warm Regards,

Nancy

How To Safely Move A TV

Most of us own beautiful, expensive, flat screen TVs.

TVs are not just our most used, and favorite electrical appliance in most of our homes, but because of their price, are somewhat of an investment as well, and something we'd be upset to break, and don't want to afford to replace.

So you ask, how do you move your TV safely?

The first question I ask my clients is if they still have the original box. Maybe 2% of us really did safe that ominously huge box in our garage, and those 2% are the ones who are smart! So, if you are just buying a TV, please save the box! Engineers at the manufacturer spent countless hours creating this box especially for your TV, so what better to protect it than the original box?!

Ok, ok, so you didn't save your box (neither did I), so now what? Here are some options:

1.Movers like Fairprice Movers Inc., can wrap your TV in free padded blankets, place in your vehicle, and take back out free of charge, granted the TV fits in your car...

2.Movers can use a TV box to protect your TV with some padding inside, I'd suggest going out to buy one to specially fit your TV, as movers aren't always going to have that size readily available on their truck

3.Movers can "crate" your TV for you, the process does cost money, let's say $30-50/each, they wrap the TV with padded blankets, a layer of bubble wrap, a layer of cardboard, shrink wrap and tape to hold it all together, "crating" it like an egg crate to protect the TV's delicate screen

I hope this was helpful!

Warmest Regards,

Nancy

Do I Have To Empty My Dressers?

 

 

 

Hi Everyone! We hope you had a great Thanksgiving and Hannukah!

 

Today's blog is a short one, but a good one.

 

One of the top questions I get asked on a daily basis from our great clients here at Fairprice Movers Inc., is "Do we have to empty our dressers?".

 

Generally speaking it's best when moving any piece of furniture with drawers to empty them. The reason? For the safety of the men, their surroundings while carrying a heavy piece of furniture, and to protect the tracks of your drawers from breaking under the pressure of weight from fully loaded drawers.

 

I usually say the rule of thumb to decide if you should or should not empty the dresser drawers is stairs. If you have the dresser going up or down, or both up and down, flights of stairs during your move, empty them. When a full dresser is tilted to be moved up and down stairs, it puts even more pressure on the tracks of your drawers, and makes it wayyy harder for the guys to  move gracefully.

 

If you don't have flights of stairs, or just a few entry steps, perhaps just take out the heavy pjs and sweaters, leaving underware and socks which are light, and we can shrink wrap the drawers to the dresser so that they don't bang around while the dresser is being moved.

 

Hopefully this helps!

 

See you soon for more tips on moving like a pro!

 

Warmest Regards,

Nancy and Team 

How to Move AND Celebrate Thanksgiving in Style!

Hello everyone! It's that time of the year! Thanksgiving is this week! Not to mention Hanukkah for those of us who celebrate it as well.

I know some of our Fairprice Movers clients are moving this week on TOP of preparing for the holidays...nuts you say? Yes, it must be stressful! In fact my family and I moved two years ago during the holidays and I remember it vividly, and would not wish it on my biggest enemy.

With all that being said, I've compiled some tips below to help you look like the holiday rock star you are, all while moving!

1.Outsource the Feast!: There are many fabulous caterers selling fully catered Thanksgiving meals with all of the trimmings! Don't be too proud to hire one this year to make your feast just as fabulous, without all the hassle of cooking it on your own. Besides, you can't find your pots and pans anyway=)

2.Ditch the Dishes!: Don't fret about finding your plates and flatware in time for the holidays. Reflections brand makes silver silverware that's fabulously fake, but looks oh so real! There are also plenty of nice looking high quality plastic and paper plates you can use for your feast.  The best part? No dishes!

3.Make an exception, special!: Instead of being stressed out about hosting the holidays at your house, just give yourself a pass this year. Find a cool dig to each your feast at this year with family, and instead of talking about how awful it is to have to leave your creature comforts of home this holiday, focus on the positive and how nice it'll be to have a fun dinner out for once, letting someone else do all the work for you! It's ok to do the dessert back at your place if you want a space to mingle after the dinner is over=)

4.Stubborn? (me too): Too stubborn to hire a caterer or go out for dinner this holiday? It's ok, me too. Here's what I'd do if I were you. Take all of the things you will need to produce a beautiful holiday and place it in box/es labeled "Thanksgiving". Take those boxes to your new place in your own car instead of on the moving truck as to ensure nothing will happen to them. Our guys can put your dining room table where you want it, and put it together for you if it needed disassembly before the big move. Have them place only the furniture in your house, then the boxes in the garage stacked up neatly. Use the boxes marked Thanksgiving to have just the right cookware, flatware, glassware, table cloths, napkins, glassware, and décor for your feast. Ordering your turkey prior to the move is smart, most grocers will hold your turkey for you so you can pick it up when you're ready to start cooking it, instead of trying to get it over to the new house and fridge in a panic! Doing your grocery shopping prior to the move, and placing those items into the Thanksgiving boxes is a good idea as well. Then just pick up the perishables when you go back to the store to grab your bird.

5.Keep up the positive spirit!: If you plan to have your Thanksgiving in your new home, instead of bumming around negatively whining and complaining about the house not being that great yet, be positive with your guests, telling them how you plan to decorate it soon=) Family members and close friends who join you for the holidays won't judge you for just having moved, they'll still be plenty grateful for the feast you've prepared, and will be pretty impressed if you pulled it off along with the big move!

Happy Thanksgiving and Hanukah to you all!

Nancy and The Fairprice Movers Team

How Much Does A Professional Mover Cost?

So How Much Does It Cost to Hire A Professional Mover?

It's a valid question! Should you do it yourself with a UHaul Truck and friends or hire someone like Fairprice Movers for the job?

Perhaps understanding the 4 major parts of moving costs will help!:

1st: Labor - This is the cost of the time it takes a mover's employees to load and unload the truck with your boxes and furniture, disassemble, reassemble your furniture, wrap your furniture in protective blankets, shrink wrap and tape. Most professional movers have a 2 or 3 hour minimum for labor. This is hard for people just moving 1 item, or small studio or 1 bedroom moves.

2nd: Double Drive Time - This is the cost of the time it takes the employees to travel in their truck from your old house to your new house, times two, at the same per hour rate as labor.

3rd: Gas - This is a surcharge to pay for fuel for the truck. Fairprice Movers charges 8% of the total if the move is over 20 miles from your old house to your new house. Each mover does this differently.

4th: Materials other than Shrink Wrap and Tape - This is the cost of boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap to protect glass items, mattress covers, lamp boxes, picture boxes, dish packs per use. To save on costs for full packing jobs, you can provide your own materials if you wish, they are easily found at any hardware store and most UHaul stores.

There are some other costs associated with unique move situations like having to hoist a couch or other heavy object that doesn't fit through your home's front door over a balcony to get it in, there would be a fee for this extra effort.

Stairs are only additional per flight when you have a super heavy or bulky item to bring up or down them. About $75 per flight.

Pianos and other really large one off items are a flat rate fee usually.

Hopefully all of this helps you understand the pricing structure that professional moving companies have.

Prices do fluctuate between Winter and Summer months as well as on weekday and weekends. Ask your moving company how this affects you.

Warmest Regards,

Nancy

Rain Rain Go Away! Especially On My Moving Day!!!

Moving in the rain is no fun but hopefully these helpful tips will prepare you to make the best of it!

1.Make sure you seal your boxes well, use laminated boxes, or Tupperware.

2.Get a sitter for the kids and pets during the move. Moving even on a nice day with the kids and dog running around is distracting, but on a rainy day can be worse.

3.Throughout the moving day take a break on the hour with some water, dry off, make sure you are rested, as rainy days can make moving more frustrating than usual, and you need to keep your cool.

4.Wear proper non-slip shoes during the move so that you don't hurt yourself.

5.Let the professionals do the hard work for you, we have many clients that want to help, but when it's slippery outside, sometimes it's best to leave the work to the pros who have moved many times in the rain before and know how to do so safely.

6.Have some old towels on hand to wipe down anything that gets wet before it goes into the truck, or after it's taken out.

7.Cover a path through your house for the movers to walk on. You can buy painter's tarps at Home Depot to help with this. The movers can also use a few free blankets to help. Also, ask your  mover that they bring shoe covers as well.

8.Move everything down to 1 or 2 floors of the house so that the movers don't have to trek through your whole house to get items into the truck.

Best wishes! Stay dry!

Warmest Regards,

Nancy

No time to pack? No worries!

Are you finding your move date steadily creeping up and your packing progress staying the same or non-existant?

Need help packing?

Fairprice Movers can help!

Did you know that we offer full packing services?

We can pack all of your loose belongings carefully for you so that you don't have to mess around with it.

We can also just pack the kitchen, garage, or any other space of the house that you are dreading, or wish to have packed professionally.

Not many people know that we offer free use of wardrobe boxes for all of the hanging clothes in your closets, so don't worry about packing up those!

Our employees are trained to pack your items carefully for you so they stand a better chance of not breaking in their boxes during transit.

Also, if we pack for you, our cargo insurance covers the items in the boxes we packed! Which is a huge bonus in case anything goes wrong, you can simply file a claim with our claims department.

Tight on cash? If you want full or partial packing services, we can help you do so and use your materials! Ask your sales associate for a shopping list of items to purchase and provide to our movers to pack for you, this way you are only paying our hourly rate for the packing services, and not for our materials on top of that. Although our packing materials are a fair price as well if you wish to use ours. It's only $6 per box no matter what size you use, $12 per pound of white packing paper, and $12 per dish pack box.

We look forward to custom quoting your full or partial packing move today!

Warmest Regards,

Nancy 408-621-8530

Protecting your home during a move

Moving from or to a home with hardwood floors?

There IS an answer to protecting them!

Ask your movers today if they offer the option of adding Masonite boards as a rental item to your move. This is an additional cost.

Masonite are thin boards of wood that are laid over the top of hardwood floors, even tile floors, to protect them during moves.

Winter is coming up and if you are worried about carpets getting dirt tracked on them by the movers during the move, ask your mover if they can wear shoe covers, this is an easy request, and normally its free of charge.

Movers also bring lots of moving blankets, which are not only good for wrapping around furniture to protect items, but can also be used in the doorways and heavy traffic areas of a home to try and help protect the floors that way as well. Remember they are not waterproof though, so if you are worried about rainy days causing a muddy mess on your carpets, it's not a bad idea to make the shoe cover request, use the blankets, and also provide your own big plastic painter's tarps from Home Depot for the entry ways and high traffic areas.

Movers are not responsible for damage to the inside of your home, such as damages to doorways, floors, and ceilings. Therefore it's a good idea to explore covering your floors against damage.

It's also not a bad idea to call your home owner's or rental insurance policy to see if you have, or need to add on, additional insurance to cover the interior fixtures of your home during your move, as movers are responsible by law only for the items they move.

Hopefully this little tip helps!

Warmest Regards,

Nancy

How to move a mattress...

Moving?

Don't know how to prepare those mattresses for the move?

Well first, check with the moving company you are using to see if they provide free shrink wrap for your mattresses.

If not, you can ask them the cost they charge for their mattress covers (like the ones seen in the photos above), they are usually under $10 a piece. You may find them cheaper at another place like Home Depot, a UHaul Store, or elsewhere. Remember to get one for your mattress as well as for your box spring if your bed has one.

Your movers will wrap your headboards and footboards with padded moving blankets, shrink wrap and tape to protect them during the move.

It's a good idea to provide the movers with zip lock baggies labeled for each bed to place your screws from the bed in, then have one person, either yourself, or your foreman keep the baggies in one spot so they don't get lost when it's time to put the beds back together again. This is also helpful for any other furniture that the movers may need to disassemble and reassemble.

Hope this little tidbit was helpful! Keep a watchful eye for more tips to come!

Best wishes,
Nancy

Tips on Packing for a Successful Move!

Happy Monday!

Need a few tips on packing for a successful move? Well you're in luck! Here are some pointers that are sure to help you avoid typical moving blunders.

First thing is first, you are going to need boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, dish packs, picture boxes, lamp boxes, mattress covers, shrink wrap, and tape. You can get your supplies at any UHAUL Store, Home Depot, Lowes, Orchard Supply Hardware, there are many places you can purchase your supplies, and most offer great online coupons to help you save!

How many boxes do you need for your move? Well JDM Packing Supplies of San Jose has a great website with some suggestions here, based on the size of your move: http://jdmpackingsupplies.com/index.php/im-moving-how-many-boxes-do-i-need/.

Once you get to packing, it's a great time to try and clear out unwanted items that can either be sold on websites such as Craigslist, or EBay. Or you can donate them to your local charity such as Salvation Army, or Goodwill. If something is truly un-sellable, or not fit for donation, Fairprice Movers can drop it off at the dump for you, they can even bring your items to donation! Just ask your representative for more information on how this can be included in your move.

Here are a few other helpful hints to make your move go smooth:

1.Don't pack your boxes too heavy! Not only will it benefit the safety of the items inside the box, but will help the men safely carry your boxes.

2.Don't place valuable heirlooms, and ultra breakable expensive items in unmarked boxes, moving crew will treat all boxes as if they are breakable, but accidents do happen. Consider moving these items on your own.

3.Take everything out of your dresser, china cabinets and filing cabinet drawers, and place in boxes. This will ensure that the tracks inside your dressers and cabinets don't break from the weight place on them as the furniture is tilted while being moved up and down stairs, or while being carried to and from the truck.

4.Leave clothes in the closets hung on hangers, most movers include the free use of wardrobe boxes for the hanging clothes in your closets.

5.Take the tops of breakable lamps and lamp shades in your personal car or pay to have them wrapped, as loose items will not be covered by cargo insurance.

6.Defrost your refrigerator two days before the  move to allow for plenty of time to empty it out of food and ice. We can wrap the inside glass shelves for you professionally so they don't break during the move.

7.We can detach and reattach your washer and dryer for you.

8.We can unmounts your TVs from the wall. Ask for a recommendation on a company who can do a professional job re-mounting it for you, as we do not specialize in that.

9.We can move your BBQ but not the propane tank.

10.We can move your piano for you, just let us know before the move that you have one, and what type, there is a fee associated with adding a piano to your move.

11.We can shrink wrap your mattresses for you to keep them clean, you can also get your own mattress covers if you wish, or purchase one from us.

12.We can move tool boxes for you from your garage, just give us a heads up that you have some.

13.We can move motorcycles and quads, as well as ride on lawn mowers for you, please make sure there is no fuel in these vehicles before we move them.

14.Label your boxes which side is up, as well as if it's fragile, and what room it goes into when at your new house.

15.If you want us to stop by your storage unit to pick up or drop off anything during your move process, we can do that! Just be sure to put a bright sticker on the items that we will be bringing to storage so we load them last into the truck for easy access out of the truck and into the storage unit on the way to your new place!

16.The day before the move when pretty much everything is packed up in your house, and you feel like you are camping out in your old place, it's a good idea to have a clear plastic tub (can get them at Target) for each space of your house that you can quickly toss essentials into after you are done using them on the move day. These tubs can either be loaded into the truck, or popped into your own personal vehicle for easy access when you arrive to camp out the first day in your new house as well.=) For example you can keep your toiletries in the bathroom until the minute, and then toss them into the bathroom tub, then you have them for easy access at the new place too.

17.Don't have enough time to pack your own boxes? We can do that for you! Ask your sales associate for more information.

18.Potted plants in ceramic pots can easily crack and break from the vibrations of the truck, we can move them, but our Cargo insurance doesn't cover them. If you want to try and reduce the chance that they may break you can place them into a box with some padding.

19.Loose pillows from the couch, comforters, towels, can be placed in our wardrobe boxes as well if needed last minute.

20.Keep valuables with you at all times, fine jewelry, cash, heirlooms, and other important items should stay with you during the move.

21.TVs that don't have their original box to protect them anymore, china cabinets, glass table tops, big standing mirrors, and any other big breakable items can be crated with additional materials by our crew to keep them safe. Ask your associate for a quote.

I hope these tips help! If you have any questions for Nancy feel free to let her know and she'll address it in her next blog post!

Warmest Regards,

Nancy