Preparation is Key! Tips to Keep in Mind Before Your Move

Moving can seem like a hectic, overwhelming undertaking consisting of an endless list of tasks, worries, hassles and expenses. But don’t worry, as experts in the moving business, UF Mover Guys is here to share the simple secret to taking the stress out of your next move. The truth is, with proper preparation and organization, moving to a new home doesn’t have to be a pain!

The more you plan ahead (and start early), the easier your move will be. Here’s a few important preparation tips to help streamline your upcoming move:

Get Housing Plans in Order

Contact a realtor or rental service as far ahead of time as possible to help you locate your next home. If you’re currently renting, don’t forget to give your landlord at least a month’s notice about your upcoming departure. If you’re a homeowner, put your current home up for sale at least 3–4 months before you intend to move, and give yourself at least 1–2 weeks between your move date and the closing of the home you are departing.

Pack with a Floor Plan in Mind

Once you’ve lined up your next housing arrangement, be sure to keep the new home’s size and floor plan in mind when you’re planning and packing for your move. This will help you envision what furniture will fit into your new space and what items you may want to replace or give away.

Sort and Declutter Ahead of Time

Whether through auction, antique dealers, consignment, charity or family members, getting rid of unneeded household items before relocating means there will be less stuff to move when the time comes. It’s also possible you can make a little money from selling unwanted items, and extra cash always comes in handy around moving time.

Notify People About Your Move

Don’t forget to inform family, friends and neighbors of your upcoming move and new address! Also notify the post office and utilities about your move a couple weeks ahead of time and complete Change of Address notices for all mail, newspapers and magazines.

Pre-Pack!

You can save time by pre-packing small items and valuables such as art, silver, crystal, jewelry and electronics. People usually prefer to hand-carry these items, so be sure those boxes are clearly labeled for hand-carrying.

Make Plans for Your Pets

It’s a good idea to arrange for a pet-sitter ahead of time as pets often get stressed on moving day, and it’s better if they aren’t underfoot. Ask a friend or family member to keep your pets at their house for the day, or pay to have them lodged at a kennel — they’ll thank you for it!

Stay Organized

Save yourself a headache by keeping all moving-related paperwork organized together, and all lease or home sale and home purchase paperwork together. Things tend to get misplaced during moves; organizing all needed paperwork in one large envelope will cut down on the chance of an important document getting lost.

Hire the Right Movers

Don’t try and do all the work yourself! Moving is a big undertaking, and you’ve already got all the planning to handle on your own. UF Mover Guys is a local Gainesville moving company with years of experience and a professional moving staff. Our North Central Florida moving company provides free quotes, unmatched moving services, friendly staff and affordable prices. We guarantee you’ll be happy you hired us to do all the heavy lifting!

Clean Last

Cleaning becomes a whole lot easier once everything has been removed from your home. If you’re looking to avoid having to clean everything yourself, consider hiring a professional cleaning service such as ​Gainesville Mini Maid​ to handle it for you. They’ll handle everything from scrubbing floors to cleaning kitchens and bathrooms, and it’s never a bad thing to have one less item on your to-do list on moving day!

Moving in With a Significant Other? Here Are Some Decorating Tips

Decorating Tips for Couples

Moving in with your significant other is an exciting big step. Once you are living together, you will need to learn each other’s habits and preferences and how to deal with them. The last thing you want to do is start a big fight. Just like with any other living situation, you will need to learn how to compromise.

Take Inventory

Before your Gainesville moving team arrives, begin by assessing the furniture and decor you both possess. If you both have full sets of furniture you may need to downsize. In the event that you have problems agreeing on which piece should stay, make a trade off. For example, perhaps one of you can keep the sofa and the other can keep the bed. With any pieces of furniture that you decide you do not need, donate or sell it. You can then use any proceeds to buy decor for your new apartment.

Find Common Interests

Even if you both have extremely different taste, try to find some form of common ground. Perhaps you both love the color blue or the use of metal in decor? Then use this element as a main part of each room. This way, you can both be satisfied with the new look.

Assign Individual Areas

If you are unable to reach a compromise on specific sections, divide them up. One of you can be in charge of decorating the kitchen while the other takes over the living room. This will help both of you get what you want without the stress of compromising on every specific decision.

Add Neutral Pieces

Because you are combining elements from two different apartments, it may create a somewhat eclectic atmosphere once your Gainesville movers drop everything off. Therefore, be sure to use plenty of basic pieces to lay a foundation. Then your individual belongings can work as accents.

Give Yourselves Time

Let’s face it, you will not be able to make every decision in one day and if you do, a serious fight will ensue. Instead, work at a gradual pace. Do your best to make major decisions that affect the function of each room first. Then move on to smaller issues. It is okay if the process takes awhile.

Communicate Calmly

The most important thing to remember when moving in together is that you need to be patient. This is not the time to try asserting your dominance in the relationship. Instead, listen to each person’s perspective and do your best to make sure each person’s style is represented equally in the apartment. Remember why you are moving in together in the first place.

Moving Company in Florida

It is exciting to finally move in with a significant other. Therefore, it is best to do everything you can to keep the process fun and simple. Let a Gainesville moving company do the heavy lifting so you can begin thinking about the style of your new place. Contact UF Mover Guys today for dependable and timely moving services so you can enjoy your new life experience.

Disassembling Furniture Before a Move

How to Properly Disassemble Furniture

During the moving process, it can be difficult to move all of your possessions. This task becomes much more difficult if you have large, bulky furniture. Therefore, it is much more beneficial to take time to disassemble your furniture before your Gainesville moving company team arrives. When altering your valuable items, it is important to do it well.

Measure Furniture

Before you begin the moving process, take time to measure your furniture in order to determine if it will fit well within the moving van. Also, make sure your large pieces will be able to fit through door ways and hallways and the room at your new home each item will go in.

Analyze Furniture

Once you decide which pieces need to be disassembled, you need to look for disassembling points. Often, there are areas that are specific points where you can take them apart such as screws. This is especially true for bookshelves and desks. Sometimes, they are beneath fabric and you must thoroughly search them.

Get the Proper Tools

In order to properly disassemble your furniture, you will need to obtain the necessary tools. This includes items such as a hammer, Phillips head and flat head screwdriver. You may even need a small hex wrench, which will be helpful for tiny screws.

Consult a Manual

Some pieces of furniture may be easy to disassemble. However, others may be more difficult. Therefore, it may be helpful to read your manual. If you can not locate the manual, you may be able to find it online. Manuals will be particularly helpful for pieces that do not have obvious disassembling points.

Secure Hardware

After you remove the screws, it is important to keep track of the hardware. If you lose it, it will be much more difficult to find similar screws when assembling the piece of furniture again. Place the screws in small plastic bags and label with the accompanying name of the furniture, or you can tape the hardware to the furniture so you can find it once your Gainesville movers finish.

Disassembling your furniture may take time, but it will make your Florida moving process run much smoother. There is also more danger associated with carrying cumbersome furniture. You can accidentally drop it, which may cause an injury or damage your furniture and will then require repair costs. It will also make the task much easier for your Gainesville moving company.

Places to Meet People After Moving to Gainesville

Sometimes, moving to a new place can be isolating and you may find yourself cooped up in your apartment by yourself on a Friday night. In addition to getting accustomed to navigating your way around a new city, and unpacking your plethora of boxes delivered by your Gainesville movers, you must also form new social connections. This may be particularly overwhelming if you do not know where to go.

School or Work

This may seem obvious but if you are a student you will regularly see the same people in your classes and if you work you spend the majority of your time at your job. Do not be afraid to be outgoing and strike up a conversation with someone you do not know. You will automatically have something in common to talk about and they may be interested in spending time together outside of that environment. Take advantage of that time together and do not let yourself be a hermit in those situations.

Volunteer

There are many places that require a lot of help. A great way to fill your time is by finding ways to make a difference in your community. There are many different places you can volunteer in Gainesville depending on your passions and what you might enjoy doing. While you are volunteering, you will interact with other people and it has the potential to be a great way to meet new friends.

Student Life

If you are a student, take advantage of organized events. Gator Nights is held every Friday night at the University of Florida. They show new movies that have been recently been released, and have free food, crafts and other activities you can participate in. The best part is it is all for free! Many UF students attend this event so it is a perfect way to socialize.

Joining one of UF’s 1,000 organized clubs is always another option. This is preferable because there are so many options, you are guaranteed to find one that corresponds with your interests. These smaller groups also facilitate the growth of friendships and they also look good on your resume.

Community Events

If you find yourself with free time on a weekend, do not spend it in your apartment curled up on couch. Instead, look up activities occurring in the community. For instance, in the summer, there are periodic festivals with musicians and artists that would make an entertaining outing. Downtown Gainesville offers a variety of coffee shops, restaurants and nightlife spots which are other great ways to meet people.

After your Gainesville moving company leaves, you are left with the task of making new friends. In general, the key to meeting people in a new area is to be friendly. If you initiate conversations with people you do not know, eventually you will find someone who is also looking for a friend. If you stay in your apartment, nothing will ever change and you will not meet anyone new. So, be brave and build lasting friendships; you never know who you will meet!

What You Need to Know About Moving Insurance

The Truth About Moving Insurance

There are many costs that are associated with moving and they all start adding up; maybe you want to cut down the cost by removing certain expenses. Sometimes, you may not even know which services are worth keeping. Moving insurance may seem like an add on that may not be worth it. However, even the best Gainesville moving company can make mistakes. Here is some information that might help you make this decision.

Important Details Regarding Moving Insurance

One important factor to be aware of is that moving insurance is offered by a third-party and not necessarily by your Gainesville moving company. Your moving company may be partnered with an insurance business who can assist you, but you may choose someone else in order to compare prices.
There are different levels of moving insurance: full replacement value protection and released value. Full valuation provides compensation for the total cost of the item that was damaged, but it costs more money. Released value insurance is coverage that is based on the weight of the items rather than the cost of replacement.

It is necessary to know that after all of your belongings are in your house, you should examine your possessions for damages. If there are any, you must report them immediately. You have up to nine months to file your claim, but the sooner you report it, the more likely you will be to receive compensation. In fact, if you are able to report harmed items on your receipt that you give back to them, you will have a stronger case.

Benefits of Having Moving Insurance

Depending on the form of insurance that you choose, you may receive the full value of any lost or damaged items. This is helpful not only because you will be compensated, but also because otherwise you would have to spend even more money on replacing your items along with the regular cost of moving in Florida.

No matter how much you trust your Gainesville movers, you might still have anxiety over the thought of your items becoming destroyed. Insurance may help to put your mind at ease. You can rest easy knowing that you will receive some form of compensation if your possessions become damaged.

Drawbacks of Insurance

Another downside to insurance is that insurance can be extremely expensive service. Especially if you decide on the full value insurance, you may end up spending exponentially more money. During the moving process, you may want to save money so you may need to count the cost of buying insurance.

While it is always beneficial to prepare for the worst, the worst may not happen. There is a chance that none of your items will be harmed during the moving process and you have spent unnecessary extra money during an already expensive process.

Mover Profile: Austin

Name: Austin

What is your favorite part about working for UF Mover Guys?

My favorite part about working for UF Mover Guys is the schedule.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I enjoy playing guitar, lifting, and going to the beach.

What brought you to Gainesville?

I came to Gainesville to start a new life.

If you could move any celebrity, who would it be and why?

If I could move any celebrity, I would move Kevin Hart. He’s hilarious.

What is your favorite moving story?

My favorite moving story is when we moved a couple to St. Pete. After the move they let us take a shower in their outdoor shower and gave us some refreshments.

Mover Profile: Tim

Name: Tim

What is your favorite part about working for UF Mover Guys?

My favorite part of moving is that it allows me to stay active and not be stuck inside.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I enjoy playing basketball and playing video games in my spare time.

What brought you to Gainesville?

I came to Gainesville for school and for the opportunities the city has to offer.

If you could move any celebrity, who would it be and why?

If I could move any celebrity, I would move Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. He is my favorite wrestler of all time and a great role model.

What is your favorite moving story?

My favorite moving story is probably the day it started snowing in Florida. It was a super chill move with 6 people and 3 trucks full. I had been to Alabama, Utah, Michigan and Vermont, and hadn’t seen snow fall until that day.

Mover Profile: Jake

Name: Jake

What is your favorite part about working for UF Mover Guys?

Every day on the job, there’s a new challenge to overcome. Every day is new and different, you meet new people and get exercise while working.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

As a full-time student I study most of the time, but I enjoy playing music when I do have spare time.

What brought you to Gainesville?

I came to Gainesville to go to UF.

If you could move any celebrity, who would it be and why?

I’d move Kanye. I hear he’s broke, so he shouldn’t have too much to move,

What is your favorite moving story?

Sometimes we get surprised with lunch. Every time that happens, it’s a good day.

How to Pack Small Appliances

Tips for Packing Small Appliances Before You Move

Knowing how to pack small appliances can make a big difference for your move. While most people never notice, appliances such as coffee makers and microwaves often have delicate parts made of glass and plastic that can break during transport. For this reason, you will want to take the following steps to make sure your favorite appliances arrive at your new residence in tact.

Clean and Inspect Your Appliances

It is important to carefully wash and dry your appliances before packing to ensure that no bits of food or water are left behind to create rust or mold. In Gainesville, movers also recommend using this time to carefully inspect your appliances for signs of damage or wear to ensure that they are in top condition before the move.

Remove Intricate Parts

Blender blades, coffee filter holders and other little parts on your appliance can tumble around and break if they are not packed securely. For this reason, you will need to disassemble any removable parts and pack them separately. If you are worried about being able to reassemble your appliance, then write the steps you take down on a notecard and tape it to the appliance. This way, you can work through the steps in reverse order when you set up your new home.

Choose the Right Box

The ideal box for shipping small appliances is the original one that it was packaged in, however, a sturdy small to medium sized box should do fine. Just make sure that the appliance fits snug in the box with enough room to add packing paper or bubble wrap. A quality Gainesville moving professional also performs an inspection of each box to ensure that it can bear the weight of the appliance and has sturdy tape applied to the bottom seam.

Wrap the Parts & Add Cushion

Begin packing your appliances by wrapping the cards and securing them with a twist tie. Then, add some packing paper to the bottom of the box, and use the same paper to wrap the appliance. If your appliance has bowls, then you should fill these with crumpled pieces of paper as well. Finish up by adding more crumpled pieces of paper or packing peanuts to fill in any gaps, and secure the top of the box with packing tape.

Correctly packing small appliances takes time, but it is worth the effort to do everything you can to prevent breakage. Fortunately, a Gainesville moving company can make it easier to know that your appliances will arrive in perfect condition with their professional packing services. Whether you need to move a few appliances or an entire household, using some extra care will protect your belongings.