Long distance moves are a major life event, and the best way to make sure yours goes smoothly is to make sure you plan ahead. Reach out to moving companies in your area about 3 months before you are planning on moving. Especially in the summertime movers reach capacity, and by planning ahead you won’t have to worry about finding a mover at the last minute. Plan ahead to make sure you aren’t forgetting anything important before your move READ MORE...
Deciding to remodel your home can be huge and daunting decision. Though we are Corrigan Moving, many of our customers have used our services even though they aren’t actually relocating. READ MORE...
However, when you’re wondering if all you can do is huddle in front of your fireplace or binge-watch Netflix all winter, take heart. Rochester is full of things to do.
Don’t let the weather deter you! There are plenty of things to keep you busy in Rochester, NY in the winter.
Are you managing a Rochester, NY move this winter? Let Corrigan Moving Systems help you tackle a winter move. Contact us for a quote today.
There are so many moving pieces to keep organized when moving your family. It can be overwhelming and stressful at times. Be sure to check out our “What You Should Be Doing” Series for a complete moving checklist. Following these guides will ensure nothing is forgotten and everyone & everything is ready to go before your move.
But if we had to mention 2 of the utmost important items, here they are:
If you’ve decided to pack your own belongings, you’ve taken on a very big task. People are usually surprised by how many boxes they ultimately have packed once everything is out of the closets, drawers, and storage spaces. All these boxes can cause extra stress when it comes to unpacking, if they aren’t properly labeled to start with.
Never assume you’ll remember that you put the coffee pot in with the crock pot. Or that you tucked your favorite shoes in with the bathroom items, because you had extra space. Label the outside of the box with a description of the contents. The more specific you can be now, the more grateful you’ll be later. If there is something in the box that you think you’ll want right away, be sure that is specifically listed.
Use a labeling system that works for you. Some people color-code everything. Others make a separate list in a notebook and then use a numbering system to correspond the list to the specific box. Another option is just to write on the box itself. Always label on the SIDE of the box. Never the top. When boxes are stacked on top of each other, you’ll want to be able to still read the labeling on the side.
Every box should have your name and order number on it. This will help ensure that your items are never confused with another shipment that it may come in contact with (particularly for interstate moves).
Lastly, always include on the box the room that the contents came from. Or more specifically, the room that you would like them placed in at destination. This will make delivery go smoothly because the crew will already know where to place the boxes and won’t take extra time asking you for direction. Check out this for more tips on labeling boxes.
Even if you’re just moving locally and you’ll be in your new home before dinnertime, pack a suitcase for everyone. Place enough items in it for the first night or two. Unpacking your boxes into your new home can be a long process. Having just arrived at your new home, you aren’t going to want to dig through all your “Bathroom Items” boxes to find your toothbrush. The suitcases will make the first night and morning in your new home much more relaxing.
Include in this suitcase a few essentials, too
a roll of toilet paper
shower curtain
basic cleaning supplies
paper towels
phone and laptop chargers
a few toys and games for the kids
If you keep these simple tips in mind, your moving day will be a breeze. Just remember — it’s all in the preparation.
When planning a move, it’s always smart to plan for the unexpected. But one area that you don’t want to be surprised is the pricing and cost of your move. Thankfully, the unexpected can be avoided if you are diligent up-front when comparing estimates and moving companies.
You want to feel like you’re being treated fairly with the service and cost. Unfortunately, not all moving quotes are created equal. You have to put some work to really understand what is being presented for your move. It would be a mistake to only focus on the bottom-line dollar amount without understanding what went into the pricing. Read our article on pricing to help give you an understanding of what goes into our quotes. Estimates from different moving companies may be based on different services, weight estimates, packing options, valuations, and many other factors. The cheapest estimate may not always result in a less costly move.
It’s extremely important that you understand what is included when you’re comparing estimates. Ask your mover some specific questions:
It’s wise to be wary of low-ball estimates. If the pricing is “too good to be true” compared to the other quotes you are getting, it probably is. It’s also important to verify the quality of the moving company you work with – ask for recommendations, reviews, and referrals.
From the first phone call to the final delivery, every employee at Corrigan will leave a long-lasting positive impression on our customers and show how different we are from some of the other movers in the industry. As Corrigan employees, we strive to provide what we call “Corrigan Quality” on every move. Being on the Corrigan team comes with a sense of pride, and each position is filled with people wanting to provide the highest quality possible to customers during these life milestones. Our goal is that your move with us will be your best move ever.
The house is packed, the movers have arrived, and your belongings are being loaded for your long distance move across the country! You may have lots of emotions surrounding leaving this place you’ve called home and making new memories in your new town. But before you can start moving into your new house, you need to get yourself and your family to your destination. What is a family to do during this time? It can be difficult to spend several days without your belongings during a long distance move. Or you can turn the whole experience into a road trip!
Since all your belongings are loaded onto a 53’ semi-truck or Snapmove containers, it takes some time for your shipment to travel the hundreds or thousands of miles to your new home. Transportation on semi-trucks is much slower than travel in a car. First, those large vehicles just drive more slowly than your sedan can zipping along the highway. Second, there are many safety regulations in place that limit the amount of time a driver can spend behind the wheel each day. This is really important to keeping our highways as safe as possible. But it means that although you might be able to drive 800 miles in a single day, a professional driver usually can only cover a maximum of about 500 miles per day. Third, your truck might need to pick up additional shipments before heading out. If your shipment is sharing a truck with other shipments that are heading in the same direction at the same time, your driver might not be able to leave immediately after loading your shipment. He might have to stay back for a couple days to get another load or two on his truck. But once everything is loaded and secure, he’s off on a long distance drive to deliver your shipment.
In the meantime, pack up the family and set out on a good old fashioned Road Trip across America. When I was growing up, in order to plan a road trip, we would stop by the local AAA office and pick up an inch-thick book for each highway you would be traveling. My mom would endlessly sort through the pages and pages of words trying to assess what would be fun (Wall Drug, South Dakota) and what would be a dud (beaches of Grind Stone City, Michigan). I can’t blame her for deciding to stop at every single Laura Ingalls Wilder Homestead sites from Michigan to Washington, even though we’d finished reading those books years before. It was challenging to find the best road trip stops in the pre-internet days.
Thankfully things are so much easier now. Planning your road trip during your long distance move is much more organized. My favorite website is https://roadtrippers.com/. You can build an interactive map of your route, which is fully customizable to the roads you want to take. It gives you suggestions of places to go along the route within a reasonable detour distance. And has guides for specific highways throughout the United States with top attractions. No more flipping through hundreds of pages of the AAA guide to find what you can only guess is a worthwhile stop.
Making a long distance move is challenging. But it can be made much more enjoyable if you embrace your childhood and take a road trip during your move. Plan your stops before you go or embrace the true freedom of the road and make spontaneous decisions as you go. Either way, you’ll already start building memories before you even reach your new home.