Category: Moving Tips

Summer is the busiest moving season of the year, but May, which is the last month of spring and when many people start preparing to relocate, is National Moving Month. Here’s everything you need to know about this month-long holiday along with tips for how you can make the most of it for your upcoming move.

What Is National Moving Month All About?

As the busiest time of the year for home sales, summer is also when the most moves occur for houses, apartments, and dorms alike. Altogether, out of the 11 percent of Americans who move every year, more than one half — nearly 6 percent of the population — do so between June and September.

Summer moves have become so prevalent, in fact, that the federal government was prompted to designate May as a national holiday. But this month isn’t so much of an occasion to move (although you certainly can, if you want to) as much as it is a month-long, summer moving kickoff. Throughout May, students, renters, homeowners, and others who will soon be moving can find loads of tips, advice, and resources to help them set everything into motion.

So, if you’re thinking about changing your address this summer, whether by moving within Florida or across multiple states’ lines, use National Moving Month as a time to plan and prepare. To help get you started, our movers in Gainesville have put together the following moving tips. Apply these to your situation, or call us today to schedule moving services!

Summer Moving Tips For Gainesville Residents

What drives summer moving in Gainesville? It’s a mixture of necessity and choice. Since most college dorms close in the summer, and many off campus housing rental contracts end around then, students who are involved in summer athletics, camps, or courses or planning to work a summer job usually have to move. Meanwhile, many homeowners choose the summer to move because the real estate and job markets are hot, while parents also need time to enroll their children in school before the fall.

Whether you’re relocating to Gainesville or starting a new life outside of the area, use these tips from our professional movers to have a successful move this summer.

Call The Movers In May

If you’re moving in the summer, May isn’t too early to call your local moving company in Gainesville. Demand for moving services spikes in June and July as students vacate dorms and apartments near the University of Florida and Santa Fe Community College. (This trend contrasts with what would be typically a steady demand for moving services in a non-student town.) Therefore, if you want to make sure and secure the movers you want, schedule them in May.

Sell Your Unwanted Items In May, Or Wait Till August

To cut down on moving costs, lighten your load by selling the items you no longer need, such as clothes, furniture, or electronics. Downsizing reduces both the size of your moving job and the costs of packing and delivery. If you’re trying to make a few extra bucks, a good time to sell is in May (before students leave the campus) or August (after they return). Students are among the largest consumers of secondhand products, which they buy to save money or accentuate their image with vintage flair. During the summer, however, the buyer-market shrinks considerably.

If You’re Moving Bulky Items By Car, Try For July

When most of Gainesville’s student population is gone in July, local traffic is lighter, which creates a window for moving bulky items. Sure, driving on Archer Road with a mattress on the roof of your Camry is like tempting fate when the roads are congested during the school year, but this maneuver becomes easier to pull off during the summer slowdown. That said, renting a moving truck or hiring professionals to move bulky items is always a safer choice, both for pedestrians and your belongings.

Whether it’s May, January, or October, UF Mover Guys is available to help you out with residential moving in Gainesville. We handle local moves as well as long-distance moves, and we offer both single moving services and full-service packages. Call us today for a free, no-obligation price quote!

Moving day ends when you unload the truck at your new house or apartment. However, the moving process continues for several days as boxes need unpacking, furniture needs arranging, etc. In order to help you settle in faster, our movers in Gainesville made this easy-to-follow, post-move checklist divided by timeframes — feel free to add or subtract tasks per your situation!

Moving Day Preparations

1. Set Up Utilities

Before moving into your new home, be sure to set up the utilities, so you don’t have to spend the first night with no electricity or (gasp) Internet.

If you’re moving to Gainesville, here are links to local utility companies.

Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) provides electric, natural gas, water, and other services. Check with your landlord or realtor to confirm which services are your responsibility.

Cox Communications offers cable, Internet, and phone services. It takes a few days to process a new account or transfer your services (and longer if you’re not doing self-installation), so call in advance!

If you’re changing your cellular plan to get a local number, AT&T and Verizon purportedly have the best cell phone coverage in Florida according to WhistleOut. As for the cheapest cell phone plans, NerdWallet reports that Sprint ranks high for non-prepaid plans while T-Mobile ranks high for pay-as-you-go plans. And when you need to buy, sell, trade, or repair a phone in Gainesville, a popular location is Re-Tech in Butler Plaza.

Lastly, before you move, don’t forget to cancel the utility accounts for your previous address. You don’t want the new residents filling their backyard swimming pool while your name remains on the water bill.

2. Inspect Your Furniture & Other Belongings

Once your belongings arrive at your new home, inspect individual pieces of furniture and fragile items. We’re not saying it’s necessary to use a magnifying glass to find hairline scratches, but you should take a quick look over each item as it comes off the truck to ensure the item is in the same condition in which it was loaded.

Professional movers accept liability for damaged items. They also take care not to damage items when moving them. But if you spot any scuffed or broken items, let the movers know.

3. Unpack The Essentials

You’ll have time in the coming days or weeks to finish unpacking, so get to the essentials first. If you planned ahead, you may have set aside boxes with special items to get you through the next couple of days. These might include toiletries, shower items, clothing, and food.

If you didn’t pack a first-day box, hopefully, you at least labeled the boxes. Check which ones contain your toiletries, especially towels, clothes, and kitchen items for cooking.

Steps For The First Week

Now that you’ve gotten through moving day, your attention should turn to tasks that should be completed during the first week.

4. Finish Unpacking

There’s not much to it but to do it. Grab a box, pull out the contents, and put them in their correct places. Finish unpacking one box before moving to another, and always throw away or recycle packing materials to avoid a mess and save the planet.

Not everyone has the stamina to unpack a full house. If that’s the case for you, check with your moving company for packing services. They also can help with assembling furniture, transporting items to storage containers, or carrying bulky items up stairs.

5. Map Out Your Commute

Many of us have to move for purposes related to work or school. Whether you came to Gainesville to attend the University of Florida or Santa Fe College, or you moved here to start a job, it’s helpful to plan your route before your first day’s commute. The best route might not be the shortest distance. Sometimes, preferred routes have the least traffic or the fewest tolls or potholes.

In addition to giving you the shortest route, Google Maps also has filters you can set to find the fastest route and spot traffic well ahead. iPhone users can take advantage of Apple Maps, which lets the user avoid tolls.

Both apps are free. But if you’re willing to cough up some dough, MotionX GPS Drive is another highly rated paid app that gives directions in multiple voices and even remembers your parking spot.

The First Month

After a week, you should be settling into life in your new home. Before you call the move over and done with, you’ll want to address a few final tasks.

6. Head To The DMV

Most states have laws requiring residents to update their driver’s licenses within 10 or so days after changing addresses. If you’re a Gainesville resident, you’ll want to head to the nearest office of the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV).

To save time and avoid standing in line, you can take care of new licenses, tags, and plates online.

7. Throw A Housewarming Party

A housewarming party is a great way to meet your new neighbors — once your home is fully unpacked and presentable. If you’re in a residential neighborhood, try going door-to-door to meet your neighbors. Just be mindful of the fact that some people are less welcoming of drop-ins.

If you have friends in the area, be sure to invite them, as well. Having a few familiar faces in the crowd can help to cut through any lulls in conversations between new people who are just getting acquainted.

Whether you’re planning a move, in the middle of one, or finishing up the last steps, UF Mover Guys can help. We offer everything from full-service moves to individual services, such as packing, loading and unloading, and even temporary storage. We also handle local moves within Gainesville as well as long-distance relocations. Contact us to schedule your move!

If you’re preparing for a move and have a surplus of unused or unwanted items, organizing a garage sale may be your solution. Here are some tips provided by UF Mover Guys — the moving company Gainesville, FL, residents trust.

Start Planning In Advance

Choosing a date is one of the first steps to pulling off a successful garage sale. Planning the sale a few weeks in advance gives you plenty of time to identify unwanted items, price the items appropriately and advertise the sale.

Pick A Date & Time

The majority of garage sales occur on both Saturday and Sunday. Gainesville movers suggest scheduling a weekend sale to increase the chances of more business — which will ideally generate more success.

Another detail to determine is how many days the sale will run. If you’re downsizing from a modest apartment, a one-day event on Saturday — the busiest day of the week for garage sales — should be sufficient. On the other hand, if you have a surplus, the best option may be a multi-day sale.

Bargain hunters typically begin early in the day to find the best deals. Scheduling your sale early means you’ll see a wider range of participants. Also, know your location — as a Gainesville moving company, UF Mover Guys understand local weather is finicky. Afternoon showers put a literal damper on garage sales, so scheduling an early sale may bypass a storm.

Advertise Wisely

When it comes to advertising, there are several dos and don’ts. Things to do include writing a compelling ad that portrays the garage sale as an event worth attending. Listing a few of your best items for sale is a great way to drive in traffic. Advertising it as a moving sale implies that you’ll have great deals or that everything must go, which typically attracts more visitors. Movers recommend posting your garage sale ad on social media, local online classified sections and in the newspaper.

It’s suggested not to run the ad too many days in advance as people may forget by the time the sale date arrives. And be careful not to target your ad to areas that are too far to travel.

Presentation Is Everything

One detail that you shouldn’t lose sight of throughout the day is the presentation of the garage sale. Before the sale begins, arrange belongings in an organized and appealing manner. As your items sell, rearrange the remaining items to maintain an impressive presentation.

To keep everything organized, use moving boxes and packaging labels to sort items into categories, such as kitchen utensils, books, and clothing. Using boxes and labels also allows shoppers to find items they’re interested in easily and quickly. Note that you can purchase all of the moving boxes and materials you need for your garage sale from UF Mover Guys!

Find Local Movers In Gainesville, FL

Around the time you begin to plan for the move-out garage sale, you can also schedule moving services with UF Mover Guys. Whether you’re a student leaving the dorms or a family vacating a multi-story home, our team is adept to handle all sizes of moves. We have a fleet of moving trucks to transport both within Gainesville and across the country. We also offer temperature-controlled storage facilities and individual moving services, including full pack-ups as well as loading and unloading services where we do all of the heavy lifting. To schedule moving services, contact us today!

For renters moving is as inevitable a part of life as waking in the morning. However, just because renters move often doesn’t mean it comes easily to them. Quite the opposite: many renters still make the same moving mistakes, some of which cause them trouble and aggravation when it’s time to move out. Here, UF Mover Guys, a team of movers Gainesville renters trust, lists common post-move errors and how renters can avoid them.

Over-Customizing The Interior

The apartment isn’t yours to own; by definition, it’s a rental. However, you still can decorate however you want — up to a degree. Keep in mind: the alterations you make must be undone before you move out. Otherwise, you’re financially liable for repair costs. If you take customizations too far — painting rooms a color that’s hard to paint over; swapping out ceiling fans and appliances; attaching wall hangings with big nails that create gaping holes — that will cost you later. Instead, stick to ephemeral decorations — like sticky putty for wall art — and refrain from altering things that can’t be easily brought back to their original appearance.

Letting Your Guard Down

During all of the excitement of moving, it’s easy to let down your guard. You’re so focused on what’s in front of you, you forget about the dangers around you. But even if the area itself is safe, an Instagram post depicting your truck-full of belongings on the street side could post a security risk. Other lapses of security include leaving doors and windows unlocked, which can invite in intruders, vandals, or thieves. To deter theft at your apartment, you should remain vigilant: lock up when you’re not home, even if it’s only for a few minutes, and have a trusted confidant keep tabs on your stuff.

Cleaning The Wrong Way

Landlords ask tenants to clean their apartments before moving out — that’s standard practice. But this policy is a double-edged sword. It’s beneficial to you when you first move in: the apartment is freshly cleaned and in pristine condition. However, after you’ve settled into the apartment, you have to clean regularly to prevent things from quickly going downhill, at which point you’re left with a sizable clean-up on moving day. Worse still, if you don’t get things cleaned up, the landlord keeps your security deposit (usually one or two month’s rent). As a workaround, have the moving company put your belongings in storage for a few days. This gives you time to deep clean the apartment while its empty.

UF Mover Guys understands the needs of renters. Our movers in Gainesville assist every tenant from students in dorms or off campus housing to families or professionals in high-end condos and townhouses. We charge no travel or fuel fees for local moves, and we have small and large trucks, climate-controlled storage, moving supplies, and anything else you’ll need to get the job done. For help moving, contact us today!

Life hacks are clever shortcuts that increase the efficiency and ease of everyday tasks. During a move, a few simple hacks can go a long way. While employing the services of a Gainesville moving company, you should expect your movers to use professional packing techniques and proper tools and materials. However, for the portion of the job that you’re responsible for, the following life hacks can make things much easier.

Everyday Items To Use For Packing Materials

Packing is a skill that comes naturally to many. However, when it comes to delicate and hazardous items, people often get hung up wondering about the safest and most cost-effective ways to pack these. Here, we suggest some easy packing tips for challenging objects you might encounter during a residential move.

Conceal Cutlery With Potholders

Just about everybody owns kitchen knives — unless you’re one of those ambitious people who cut up food with the edge of a fork — yet many people don’t know how to safely transport them.

Figuring out how to pack up a collection of unsheathed blades certainly is a perplexing dilemma. But there’s a progression of solutions you can go through until you find the answer that works for you. The main goal is to conceal the edges so the blades don’t scratch anything or, even worse, someone. If your knives have plastic protective covers, use them. If no covers are available, insert the blades into a knife block and wrap a piece of tape over the handles to secure them in place.

If none of those options is available, reach for your cloth potholders. (Everybody has a few of these lying around the kitchen.) Insert the sharp ends of the knives into the pot holders and then wrap the whole thing with tape or a rubber band. Now your knives are secure and can be packed in a box with other kitchen items.

Protect Stemware With Socks

Stemware is something else people struggle to pack. Most glasses have some degree of durability. But wine glasses are on the lower end of that spectrum because of their fragile stems, making them trickier to pack up and transport. But have no fear, our movers have a solution: socks.

To keep stemware from shattering, head to the bedroom dresser and ransack the sock drawer. Grab one pair of clean socks for each wine glass. Roll up the first sock and put it into the glass. Then pull the second sock over the entire glass. Hosiery might seem like it’s out of place in the kitchen, but using socks in this manner can mean the difference between you arriving at your new home with intact glassware versus a box of broken shards. Socks, and clothing generally, also can take the place of bubble wrap for packing mugs, plates, and other delicate pieces of dishware.

Use Pool Toys To Pack Wall Hangings

Because swimming pools are so prevalent in Florida, many people have access to foam pool noodles. These aren’t just life-savers in the water but also when it comes to packing up mirrors, pictures frames, and other flat wall hangings.

Grab a few pool noodles and make sure they’re the ones with holes through the center. (You should also check that nobody will miss them later.) Slice each noodle down the center, leaving you with two halves. Then cut these into pieces the same lengths as the width and height of the wall hanging. Fold one piece over each side of the picture frame or mirror until all four sides are covered. The noodles will protect the hangings items from dents in case of an impact with any other items on the moving truck.

Other items that can receive the pool-noodle treatment are your flat-screen TV and laptop. Meanwhile, if you plan to stack the wall hangings on the moving truck, lay a towel in between each of them for added padding. Even better is to use beach towels, which complete the pool theme!

Avoid Wall Damage With Rubber Bands & Soap

Life hacks also can help you prevent and mitigate damage to the walls of your home or apartment. Before you start packing up to move, take a look around and observe all the objects on the walls: TV mounts, shelves, posters. Chances are most of these are attached with nails, and you’ll need a hammer to remove them. One way to do this while inflicting the least amount of wall damage is to wrap a rubber band in a crisscross where the hammer’s head and handle meet. This creates a buffer between the hammer and the wall to prevent scuff marks and dents.

Whether you’re removing nails, screws, or thumbtacks, something else you can count on is them leaving behind small yet conspicuous holes. Best-case scenario: the new homeowners are displeased. Worst-case: your landlord charges you to repair the damage. Either way, it’s better to take corrective action before moving out.

One moving tip is to keep a bar of ivory soap handy while you’re packing. Every time you come across a pinhole in the wall, break off a dab of soap and insert it into the hole. If the damage is still noticeable, or you don’t have soap to match the wall color, you’ll have to use a proper repair technique: sanding, spackling, and then repainting the wall.

Use Labels To Stay “Organized”

Once the boxes are taped shut, it can be a mystery as to which items are inside which container. But not knowing the contents of the boxes makes unloading and unpacking take much longer. Keeping track of which items are inside of which box, on the other hand, allows you to stay organized and complete your move much faster.

When you know which boxes contain kitchen utensils or bedroom knick-knacks, for example, you can take them straight from the moving truck to the area of the home where they belong. To achieve this level of organization, put a written label on each box describing its contents. You can keep things general (“kitchen” or “bedroom”) or get meticulous with an item-by-item checklist. The latter takes more time upfront, but it allows you to keep track of everything much more easily.

Another way to take inventory of your belongings is to snap a few photos of the insides of each box before you close it. If you print out the pictures and tape them to the boxes, these can take the place of written labels.

As a full-service moving company in Gainesville, you won’t find UF Mover Guys cutting corners on packing techniques or materials. Everything we do is to the highest level of professionalism and quality. But while we don’t use life hacks ourselves, we’re happy to pass them along to you — anything to make your move easier! Call us to schedule moving services today!

If the idea of getting through a last-minute move makes you break out in a cold sweat, don’t worry! UF Mover Guys provides five tips to help anyone handle a last-minute move like a professional under any circumstances.

Hire A Gainesville Moving Company

When you’re working with a strict deadline, which is often the case with a last-minute move, hiring movers in Gainesville, FL, will be the best decision you can make. Our professional movers are trained to safely yet efficiently move all belongings out of your home on a tight schedule. Hiring a moving company will also let you focus on other details of the move, such as setting up utilities at your new home.

Organize Packing Materials

Don’t worry about finding a deluxe edition of packing materials — look around your apartment or home instead. Round up fabric materials such as bed sheets, pillowcases, towels, and even socks to protect fragile belongings. Most movers Gainesville residents turn to know how efficient these items are for wrapping around an object or used as padding between items in a box or container.

Call In Favors With Friends & Family

We’ve all been there — thinking it won’t take long to pack a home or apartment because you don’t have many personal belongings. That is until an upcoming move appears out of thin air and you quickly realize your belongings multiplied overnight. Now is the time to call in any favors that friends and/or family members may owe you for helping them with previous moves. The more hands there are sorting, packing, and loading, the more quickly the home will be ready.

Declutter & Donate Belongings

Before you begin packing, it’s a good idea to declutter and donate any belongings you either don’t want or haven’t used in a lengthy period of time. A good rule of thumb to follow, especially for clothing, is if it hasn’t been worn in at least the previous six months, donate the item instead of packing it. Other tips to help you decide if something should be decluttered include:

• Is the item damaged?
• Did you remember you owned it?
• Is it used on a seasonal basis?

A Gainesville moving tip the professional movers with UF Mover Guys frequently share is to start decluttering in storage areas or rooms that are seldom used each day.

Plan For Last-Minute Cleaning

While our team of professional Gainesville movers is loading boxes and belongings from your home, use the time to do some last-minute cleaning on windows, shelves, and other areas that may have been covered by boxes or furniture. Also, walk through each room to make sure nothing is left behind. This will be especially helpful if cleaning is required to receive the security deposit after move-out.

Hire Movers In Gainesville, FL

As a full-service moving company Gainesville, FL, residents have turned to for more than a decade, UF Mover Guys is ready to handle any type of last-minute move. Our team understands how stressful any move can be but works in lockstep with you to create a moving plan that works for you. Contact UF Mover Guys today to get through your next move like a pro!