Category: Moving Tips

Tips For Moving With Roommates

Moving means embarking upon a new, exciting beginning, but this time can also feel stressful, particularly when roommates are involved. Whether you are moving into a place with a roommate for the first time or you’re moving into a new space with roommates you’ve lived with for years, moving with roommates requires care and organization. Here, our movers in Gainesville, FL, discuss the top tips for moving with roommates.

Are you in search of a dependable Gainesville moving company to help make your move a breeze? Contact UF Mover Guys today to book moving services you can count on!
Tips For Moving With Roommates

Discuss Timeline, Budget & Expectations

As with most stressful situations, it’s best to begin with a conversation between you and your roommate or roommates. Be sure to sit down with your roommates and discuss all the details of your moving timeline, budget, and expectations. When are you planning to move? If your move-out date doesn’t overlap with your move-in date, you’ll probably want to set up transitional housing and storage. 

What is your budget? Moving costs can add up, so be sure to lay out the costs ahead of time. What are your expectations? Once you decide on a moving date and budget, discuss what each person expects of one another regarding packing up personal and common areas, who will do what, when, and how to ensure you stay on top of your schedules. 

Make A Moving Checklist

There are many aspects to a move. Keep a running list of the tasks you and your roommates need to complete and reminders for important dates. A shared list will help each roommate stay organized and on top of their respective duties. If you and your roommates are not yet living in the same space, make sure your list is easily accessible to all parties. Ensure each person knows what they are responsible for.

Your moving checklist should include tasks, such as sorting and organizing prior to packing, and a loose gameplan for what to do first after you’ve moved into your new living space. It’s important to go through your belongings and downsize, especially if you currently live alone and plan to move in with others. Additional people means additional stuff, and it’s easier to get rid of the excess by donating it or tossing it before your move. 

Maintain Open Communication

Communication is key for just about every relationship in life. Your relationship with your roommates is no different! Moving can be stressful, and can be a test of patience. To help prevent potential quarrels, communicate often and openly with your roommates. Discuss what you’ve completed on your to-do list, communicate your plans, and talk about your desires and intentions. This is one of the only ways to help ensure your relocation with your roommates will be successful.

Hire A Trusted Moving Company

Moving with roommates requires a significant amount of communication and organization. Each part has to fulfill its personal responsibilities and mutual tasks. One of the ways you can make relocation easier for everyone is to hire a reliable local moving company like UF Mover Guys to handle all of the heavy lifting! Our professional and experienced moving staff will carefully pack, transport, store, and unpack your belongings, providing you and your roommates with the precious time you need to heal with more important tasks. Schedule moving services today!

How To Pack Smartly For Your First Move

Moving for the first time is exciting! After all, you are going out into the world on your own and in your own living space! While moving may feel like an exciting prospect, preparing for a move can be challenging, especially for those who have never moved. If you’re moving for the first time and you don’t know where to start, have no fear! Getting organized early and following these moving tips from your local movers with UF Mover Guys can help make your first move (and any that follow) much easier and hassle-free.

Looking for a dependable moving company to handle the heavy lifting? Contact our moving company today to book moving services from our dependable movers in Gainesville, FL!

Start Packing Early

One of the best ways to minimize stress for first-time movers is to give yourself plenty of time to plan and pack ahead of moving day. The earlier you begin, the better. You can start by packing up specific areas or items you don’t often use, such as items in your closet, clothing you wear the least, decorative pieces, or books you won’t read until after moving day. This way, the majority of your living space will remain as normal as possible while making progress with packing. Commit yourself to packing a few boxes each day, and make sure to leave several boxes and packing materials for the items you will leave to pack until the last day, like your toiletries, favorite clothing items, and everyday dishware.

Pare Down Your Items

Packing is the best time to go through your belongings and purge the excess. Sorting through your possessions and being brutally honest with yourself can help you distinguish between the items you can’t live without from those you can leave behind. Designate a donation box (or several) and keep it separate from what you are taking with you. After you’ve sorted your things, you can then decide if you want to sell items of significant value to help fund your relocation, donate the items to a charity you like, and throw out items that can’t be reused. 

Gather Moving Supplies

The process of packing requires a significant amount of packing supplies to help make the move as simple as possible. Having these items on hand will help make packing and organizing your belongings much easier, and it will also ensure your items arrive safely in your new living space. You will need moving boxes of all different sizes, scissors, permanent markers, heavy packing tapes, stickers, and paddings, such as newspaper, bubble wrap, or another form of packing insulation. If you’re unsure how many boxes you’ll need, take the time to assess the items you intend to pack and scale from there. In most cases, it’s better to gather more supplies than you think you will need, especially if this is your first time moving!

Pack Like A Pro

Even for those moving for the first time, there can be a lot of items that need to be wrapped properly and packed safely. In addition to padding purchasable for keeping your items safe in the moving boxes, you can use items you already have on hand, such as socks, towels, bedsheets, and other soft materials, to pad boxes containing fragile items like glassware and decorations. Blankets, comforters, pillows, and clothing can even be placed in a heavy-duty contractor bag, as these bags can fill in open spaces in a moving truck. Remember to pack your heaviest items, such as books, in small boxes so they are easier to carry. While you pack, make sure to label each box, bag, and bin with the contents and the destination room in your new place. This will help make it easier to organize your boxes based on where they should go in your living space and simplify the unpacking process. 

Book Professional Moving Services

Our experienced Florida movers offer moving services to help make the process of moving simpler for those moving for the first time and those experienced with moves alike. If you’re looking for a professional, local moving company that can help simplify your relocation, then look no further than UF Mover Guys. We offer packing services, loading, unloading, and much more! Contact us today to schedule moving services!

Common Packing Mistakes

Moving can be hectic, with so much to do in a short amount of time. Packing and moving efficiently can save you a lot of hassle and time in the long run. How you pack greatly impacts your moving and unpacking success. Here are some common packing mistakes to avoid during your move. 

If you need movers in Gainesville, FL, our movers can assist you with packing, moving, and unpacking in your new home. Contact us today to book your move with our Florida moving company. 

Underestimating The Amount

Underestimating how much you have to pack is an extremely common mistake people make when moving. Give yourself ample time and start organizing and decluttering your home weeks in advance. If you have a lot of belongings or particularly large and heavy items, consider hiring a professional moving company to help with your move.  

Insufficient Supplies

Without the proper supplies, moving will be a lot more difficult. Make sure to obtain enough quality boxes, it is better to have too many than not enough. Also, collect bubble wrap or moving blankets to help protect your items on the journey. 

Randomly Filling Boxes

It is tempting to pack quickly and say to yourself, “I will deal with this when I unpack.” However, you will save time and hassle if you pack per room. Packing per room allows you to pack and unpack efficiently. You pack boxes by what room items belong instead of a collection of those items. For example, a box with “master bedroom” items instead of “pillows” from all over the house. When you move, place the corresponding box in the room it belongs in. Randomly filled boxes take much longer to unpack and can often waste space and supplies. 

Not Labeling Boxes

Labeling boxes is essential, especially for glass and other breakable items. Labeling should indicate what room the items belong to and if the box contains any fragile items. 

Misplacing Commonly Used Items

We have all been there when you spend your first day in your new place and can’t find a water glass, socks, or charger. Making a designated “unpack first” box or suitcase with the essentials will help prevent this. Include a couple of days of outfits, essential toiletries, and anything else you know you will need on the first and second days of living in your new place. 

5 Tips For Saving Time When Moving

Moving into a new home is an extremely exciting time. However, preparing for and conducting a move can be time-consuming without proper planning. We’re sure everyone would prefer their move to go as quickly and efficiently as possible, so they can get straight to enjoying their new home. Accordingly, the experienced movers with our Gainesville moving company have compiled the following tips and tricks for moving quickly and efficiently. 

Contact our moving company today to book moving services from our dependable local movers!

Create & Follow A Schedule

Making a detailed moving schedule can help your move go as smoothly as possible. Try to create a week-by-week checklist of crucial things that need to be done at least 60 days ahead of your move. Include things such as when you need to start and finish packing when to submit address change paperwork and other important information on your schedule. 

Stock Up On Supplies

Nothing can slow down a moving day like running out of supplies. Avoid making a supply run in the middle of packing by stocking up on enough supplies ahead of time. Well before it’s time to pack up, stock up on supplies such as tape, box cutters, cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, and markers.

Declutter

The more belongings you own, the longer it will take to pack and move them into your new home. Prior to packing, go through everything and get rid of as many unnecessary items as you can. This may be challenging at first, but you may find it very liberating. Besides saving money on boxes, this can help save on space by decluttering. Additionally, you could make some cash by selling old stuff in a garage sale.

Pack Efficiently

You can save time later by packing smart now. Specifically, develop a system to indicate where boxes need to go in your new home. For example, you could use a color coding system where mark boxes with colored stickers that signify which room they go in, i.e. blue for the kitchen, red for the living room, etc. Conversely, you could simply write what room a box goes in on the top of each box. Furthermore, label the boxes with what is contained inside.

Book Professional Moving Services

Nothing will speed up the process of moving like services from a professional moving company! If you’re looking for a professional moving company to help streamline your move, look no further than UF Mover Guys. Our experienced Florida movers offer moving services to help speed up the moving process, including packing services, loading and unloading, and much more. Contact us today to learn more or book moving services!

6 Reasons To People Relocate To Gainesville

Gainesville is a lively city with a lot to offer residents. The city has a beautiful balance of a quaint city surrounded by nature with ample things to do. There are excellent opportunities for school, career, and leisure. If you are considering moving to Gainesville, FL, check out the many reasons to relocate to this wonderful city. Once you decide, contact UF Mover Guys and schedule moving services with our professional moving company today! 

Quality Education

Gainesville is home to one of the top public universities in the state, the University of Florida, which is well known for many of its bachelor school and graduate school programs. This university boasts a prestigious ranking due to the student’s success, small class sizes, education and research resources, scientific discoveries, and innovations. The university not only brings students from all over the world, but it is the largest employer in Gainesville, providing diverse jobs at all levels. UF also provides a social community for the city through athletics and the arts. 

Beautiful Weather

Florida is known for its warm weather and minimal natural disasters. The state is an excellent escape from cold weather and snow. Gainesville offers a slightly cooler climate than southern Florida while maintaining mild winter temperatures. Gainesville is typically not significantly impacted by hurricanes or other natural disasters, thanks to being inland. 

Central Location

Gainesville has a central location to the rest of the state and Georgia. The beautiful east coast beaches are about an hour and a half away. Orlando and the surrounding attractions, including Walt Disney World, are just an hour and 45 minutes south. Gainesville also has a public regional airport that offers flights to the four major domestic hubs. 

Cost Of Living

Compared to the rest of the country, Gainesville is widely considered an affordable city. Although it rises every year, home prices are typically lower than the majority of cities of similar size. Florida having no state income tax also attracts many people. 

Excellent Healthcare Facilities

Gainesville is home to UF Health Shands Hospital, which is well known for medical research and as a leading cancer treatment facility. It is ranked in the top 50 hospitals in the country and the top hospital in Florida. For potential residents needing specialty care or looking for a career in the medical field, Gainesville could be an ideal place. 

Outdoor Recreation

In North Central Florida, Gainesville is surrounded by ample untouched nature and accessibility to outdoor recreation. There are picturesque parks such as the vast Kanapaha Botanical Garden and Cellon Oak Park, home to the largest live oak tree in Florida. With miles of smooth bike trails, the city also has a large cycling community. Gainesville is also home to some of the most beautiful natural springs in the state, with crystal clear, refreshing waters and opportunities for swimming, kayaking, tubing, snorkeling, and scuba diving.

How To Protect Furniture During A Move

Furniture scuffs, dents, and even broken parts are common when moving if the right precautions aren’t taken. Not only can this ruin an investment, but it can cost you more to replace it or cause extensive damage to something irreplaceable. To help ensure your furniture gets through your move safely, the moving experts at UF Mover Guys offer these furniture protection tips.  

When you need dependable moving services you can count on, we’re here for you! Contact us today for a quote or to schedule moving services!

Disassemble In Advance

When considering everything you must pack, factor in dissembling furniture and safely boxing up the small parts. For larger pieces that won’t fit in boxes, wrap them appropriately. Remove pieces, such as legs from chairs and tables, shelves from bookcases, feet from couches and futons, and break down bed frames. This will make each piece more manageable to move and will prevent damage from screws and nails during transportation. Just make sure to properly store and label all the parts and hardware!   

Get Specialty Boxes

Moving today isn’t what it was 10 years ago. Today, custom boxes are available for a number of items, complete with padding and foam options, useful for awkward and fragile pieces, such as televisions, computer monitors and towers, game consoles, and other electronics. These boxes may be bulkier, but they’ll ensure everything arrives in proper working order and are worth the investment.

Wrap Properly

For larger furniture pieces that can’t be packed or further disassembled, you will need to pad them with the correct wrapping. Use blankets or towels or purchase foam wrappings for tables and other wood-type pieces. Be sure to wrap them multiple times to create an adequate buffer. Secure the padding with cords, roping, or tape. For chairs and couches, you can purchase covers that prevent stains and tears.

Use The Right Moving Truck

While you may assume moving trucks are all the same, different options are available with features to help protect your furniture. For maximum protection, get a truck with rubber railings on the interior to keep pieces from knocking into the metal walls. Tie-downs are also essential to ensure nothing shifts during transportation. A truck with a ramp can help to make sure nothing is accidentally dropped during packing and unpacking. This feature is also important for your safety.

Have A Plan For Moving Items

Speaking of safety, it’s imperative to have a plan for moving everything, especially bigger items. This will protect your furniture and you. You should never attempt to move large furniture by yourself. Instead, ask a friend or family member, or if you’re in a new city, contact a professional moving company. Furniture gliders can also help make moving medium-sized furniture easier. No matter what you do, remember to take it slow and not put excessive stress on yourself.

The Difference Between Full Packing & Partial Packing Moving Services

Between changing your address, purging unnecessary belongings, cleaning your home, forwarding mail, and many other tasks, there is a long list of chores to complete in preparation for a move. For many, packing is one of the most daunting tasks to complete before a move. Fortunately, many moving companies offer full packing and partial packing moving services! But what exactly are the differences between full and partial packing moving services, and which is better for you? 

Below, our experienced movers provide a detailed explanation of the unique benefits of both full packing and partial packing services so you can decide which is right for your move. Contact our Gainesville moving company, UF Mover Guys, to schedule moving services from our local movers!

Full Packing Services

As the name implies, full packing services provides comprehensive packing services in which professional movers take care of all the work. These services are perfect for individuals who are short on time or don’t have enough manpower to move all of their belongings. With full packing services, you can rely on our professional movers to handle everything from start to finish. You don’t even have to worry about stocking up on moving supplies as the professional movers will come prepared with boxes, paddings, furniture blankets, and more! Many moving companies include furniture disassembly as part of their full packing services. Finally, in addition to packing up and loading your belongings, professional movers providing full packing services will also unload and unpack your belongings after safely transporting them to your new home. 

Partial Packing Services

Partial packing services are cheaper than full packing services but aren’t as comprehensive. Rather than packing up all of your belongings, partial packing services are available for individuals willing to take care of some, but not all, of the packing on their own. Whether you run out of time or don’t have the energy to handle all the packing alone, you can rely on professional movers to take care of the items you can’t get to. Additionally, partial packing services often includes assistance disassembling furniture and packing fragile items. 

Which Is Right For Your Move?

Whether full packing services or partial packing services would be a better option for you will depend on several factors. For example, if you have plenty of friends and family to help you, partial moving services should be more than enough to get the job done. However, if you’d rather devote your time and energy to things outside the moving process, full packing services are the best choice. Either way, you can count on the experts with our Florida moving company to make your move as simple and easy as possible. Contact our Gainesville moving experts today to request full or partial packing services!

4 Reasons To Hire Movers After Getting Evicted

Getting evicted is far from a positive experience and can be a traumatic, overwhelming experience, particularly when the eviction is unexpected. While you may not have adequate time to influence the outcome of whether you will remain in your living space, there are several simple ways you can help protect yourself and your belongings as you prepare to move out. While preparing for your relocation, hire our trusted local movers at UF Mover Guys to move your belongings and take some anxiety and stress-causing factors off of your plate. Here, our movers share four reasons why to hire movers after getting an eviction notice.

Contact our Gainesville moving company today to request a free quote on any of our stress-free moving services!

Gain Peace-Of-Mind

Whether you have lost an eviction case or just received an eviction notice, preparing yourself and your belongings for relocation can be extremely stressful. You have to gather and pack up everything in a short time frame due to this forced leave. Because this relocation doesn’t fall under the traditional move-out protocols, your landlord or rental company may require you to comply with additional requirements, so be sure to double check with them! Give yourself some peace-of-mind during this process by hiring professional movers for eviction moving services. Having trusted movers by your side can make the process speedier and simpler. It will also help you avoid having to spend the time preparing for your move and worrying about how to relocate your items and all of the heavy lifting required.

Get Prompt Moving Services

If you’ve been evicted, then it’s likely you don’t have much time to think about the best ways to pack up your belongings and move them to another location. During a regular move, you might schedule your move-out date months in advance, leaving a significant amount of time to plan, organize, and complete all your tasks. However, with an eviction, time is of the essence. Depending on the specific language of your eviction notice, you may only have a short amount of time to be out of your current living space. When you hire professional movers to handle your relocation, you can concentrate more of your time, energy, and focus towards finding a new place to live and all of the other to-do’s on your list. 

Work With Experienced Movers

Certain moving companies may not offer specialized eviction moving services and may be unaware of all of the legal implications behind an eviction. They may not exercise adequate care or caution when it comes to the property’s moving protocols and requirements following the eviction, which can all further complicate the move. Professional eviction movers take all of these factors into account to ensure your experience goes as smooth as possible. The qualifications professional movers have with eviction moves provide them with the expertise and understanding required to conduct your move in a safe and efficient manner. This can provide you with additional comfort when it comes to knowing your belongings will be carefully packed up, labeled, and secured throughout the moving process.

Ensure The Safety Of Your Belongings

In most evictions, your landlord or property manager isn’t allowed to just barge into your living space and throw your possessions out. Instead, you should consider relying on trusted movers who care about the safety of your belongings, such as UF Mover Guys. Our moving company has high expectations of our movers when it comes to exercising the highest standards and levels of care with our clients’ belongings. We offer services that cover each and every aspect and stage of the moving process, so we can handle it all while you focus on more important things. Our movers can help ensure all of your belongings arrive at your new destination in a timely, safe, and efficient manner. Getting evicted is far from an ideal situation, but hiring professionals to handle your move can help make things easier. Contact us today to request a free moving quote!

6 Tips For Having A Garage Sale Before You Move

Having a garage sale before your big moving day can reduce the number of items you have to move while also being a source of additional cash to help fund the move. However, a garage sale can be a lot of work, especially if you aren’t properly prepared. To help get you ready for a pre-move garage sale, UF Mover Guys has put together this list of seven tips. 

Need moving services after the big sale? Our moving company has helped hundreds of clients by providing a stress-free move to their new home. Contact us today to schedule moving services!

Get Ready Sooner

A good way to provide full inventory for your garage sale is to do some spring cleaning first. We suggest finishing this anywhere from two weeks to a month before your anticipated garage sale date. Doing a deep clean of your home can help uncover more sellable items. After all, you don’t want to be packing after the garage sale and still be finding items you could have sold. Preparing sooner also gives you more time to focus on packing and securing moving services.

Make An Inventory List

As you decide on what stays and goes, note each item on a spreadsheet or another tracking method. Later, you can decide on possible price ranges for each item. Not only will this help you price everything faster on the day of the garage sale, but it will also be a reference point in case anyone is helping you out during the garage sale. Speaking of help, we strongly suggest you have at least one or two other people because hosting a garage sale can be tough work.

Get Supplies Prepared

While you can go bare minimum on the supplies, especially if you aren’t selling many things, you should prepare everything before the garage sale. Think about whether you want to display items on tables or blankets. What about chairs for you and your helpers? You’ll also want to mark item prices with tags or stickers. A garment rack, shower tension pole, or even sturdy rope tied between two points can neatly show off clothes. We also suggest using smaller bills and coins ready to make change, and maybe even a calculator to help with on-the-fly number crunching. If you’re having a larger yard sale, consider purchasing an inexpensive money box to keep the money organized and secure. Signage can also help advertise your garage sale.  

Don’t Shy Away From Advertising

You can’t hope people will just stumble upon your garage sale. The bare minimum advertising is road signs telling people when and where the garage sale will be. It’s usually best to set these up the morning of your garage sale, but other advertisements can be done in advance. Consider expanding your efforts to your social media pages, where you probably have access to a larger audience. There may even be local social media group pages for garage sales. You can also make flyers and ask local businesses if you can post them. No matter where you advertise, be sure to list details about what kinds of items you’ll be selling, especially if there’s anything special or unusual.

Be Prepared To Haggle

A time-honored tradition of garage sales is haggling. Even if you’ve priced every item fairly, there will still be people who try to haggle or bundle other items with their purchase. Consider what price you’re willing to accept for each item, and if someone begins to haggle, you’ll have a predetermined amount you’re willing to accept. If you don’t want to be haggled with or think something is worth more than anyone is willing to pay, consider selling the item through other channels, such as local consignment shops or online platforms. 

Have A Plan For Unsold Items

Even the most successful garage sales may not sell every item. Having a plan in place for leftover items can make the next step easier after a long day of selling. You may decide to have another day for the garage sale, but if so, you’ll need to revisit all of your advertising efforts. You can also donate items locally. If you’re over it and don’t want to deal with the hassle, consider scheduling junk removal services. We’ll take care of any leftover items in an eco-friendly, safe, and clean manner so you can focus on more important things.

Protect Yourself From Moving Scams

There’s a lot of trust between movers and a moving company. After all, you’re giving them access to all of your possessions and paying them for it — sometimes a lot of money. Unfortunately, not all moving companies honor trust, hitting you with fraudulent charges and holding your possessions hostage if you refuse to pay. But, there are red flags to look out for to help you avoid movers who would abuse your trust.   

UF Mover Guys is a professional moving company that has helped hundreds of clients move to their new homes. When you work with us, we want you to have the best moving experience possible. Check out our tips on how to avoid moving scams, and contact us today to get a quote or to schedule moving services. 

Ask For Referrals

The best place to start your search for a reputable moving company is through friends and family with insights into local moving companies. Not only can they provide you with referrals to companies they enjoyed working with, but they also may help you steer clear of companies unpleasurable to work with. If you can’t get any recommendations from people you know, try looking up online reviews. Just be aware a couple of negative reviews doesn’t necessarily mean the company is bad to work with. Instead, read all of the reviews and look for trends, such as hidden fees, flexibility, and customer service.  

Research The Company

While looking at reviews, you should also investigate the company deeper. Read through their website, look at online resources, and check their Better Business Bureau page to see their ratings. You should also check to see if they are registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the American Moving and Storage Association. Both of these associations will provide insight into the company and let you know if they are properly registered. If not, this can be a huge red flag that they are not reputable or trustworthy.     

Be Wary Of Hidden Fees

Any trustworthy moving company you work with should fully disclose all fees and information before moving any of your things. Hidden fees can include packing, unpacking, climbing stairs, moving heavy objects, and more. While these may be reasonable, they should also be discussed upfront. If the company is dodgy or flat out refuses to discuss these items of concern, move to a company that won’t try to spring extras on you in the middle of a move. Additionally, most companies will not require a deposit for holding your moving date. However, they may ask to put a credit card on file without charging it.  

Low Quotes

If the moving company gives you a quote too good to be true, it probably is. The best thing to do is shop around and get a quote from a few moving companies. This will allow you to compare their services and fees to determine if it’s suspiciously low or unreasonably high. Ultimately, you should go with the company with the best reputation and provides excellent services at reasonable rates.

Get Everything In Writing

As part of outlining any potential hidden fees, it’s imperative you get everything detailed in a formal contract. This should include dates, services, fees, and timelines. Also, avoid using cash and opt to use a credit card instead. Not only does this provide proof of payment, but if there are any fraudulent charges, you can have them removed through your credit card company.