First thing’s first: if you can, transport your plants with you in
your own vehicle—don’t ship them. Oftentimes, if you ship them, they
won’t receive enough airflow, water or sunlight.
What You Need to Get Started
To set yourself up for success as you pack your plants, make sure you have these items on hand:
A sturdy moving box for each pot (small boxes are best so the plant doesn’t move around too much)
Plastic pots to replace clay pots during transit
Sterilized potting soil
Packing paper or newspaper
Bubble wrap
Plastic bags and ties
Paper towels
Flea collars
How to Prep Your Plants for the Big Day
Houseplants are living and sensitive; they will need time to adjust
to the transition. Start prepping your plants approximately three weeks
before moving day. To prep your plants, take these steps:
To make your plants easier to carry, repot them into plastic, lightweight pots with sterilized soil.
Prune the plants a week before moving day. Remove dying pieces and cut back additional foliage, for example.
About three days before moving day, water your plants.
Unfortunately, houseplants often harbor pests that states won’t want
you bringing across state lines. Put a flea collar around each pot to
draw any critters out. If you live in an area with the , there are more
steps you’ll have to look into.
How to Pack Your Potted Plants
Step One:
Put a plastic bag over the plant and pot and tie it at the bottom. This is done to keep the soil in the pot.
Step Two:
Put the plant in a box. Make sure the box is taped on the bottom to keep the plant secure.
Step Three:
Fill any extra space in the box with newspaper.
Step Four:
Allow for airflow by putting holes in the box.
Step Five:
Label the box as “plant.” This is especially important if you’re
getting help from friends, family, or a moving company so they know to
be extra careful with that particular box.
Taking some simple steps to prepare your vehicle for shipment will help make your experience smooth and trouble free.
A couple things to remember.
You will get a call from the driver the day before pick up and delivery to set up the time for pick up/delivery. Sometimes this carrier will call you early the morning of pick up if they are located near you. The trucks are large car carriers and may not be able to get close to your house safely. If this is the case the driver will arrange with you to meet at a location where the truck may be loaded or unloaded safely. At origin and destination the driver will inspect your car for any damage and note the bill of lading. You will be asked to sign off on this on the bill of lading. Please be sure to review and agree or comment on any notations made on the bill of lading with regard to the vehicle's condition, and note any discrepancies or changes at destination. This will be the basis for a claim if necessary.
You should have alternate arrangements for a contact if you plan not to be at either location. It is your responsibility to be or have someone be present if the truck arrives early or is delayed.
Please have no more than 1/4 tank of gas in your car
Please remove all ski and bike racks
You will need to supply the driver a full set of keys that work to start your vehicle and lock/unlock it.
Please remove any electronic toll devices so that they are not charged going across the US
Please remove all personal items from the inside of the car. You may put things in the trunk of up to 100 lb total with some carriers or below the window level in the way back if there is not trunk.
If you need to put lots of items in your vehicle please be sure to get this cleared with the carrier ahead of time. If they allow extra items you will most likely be charged extra. You will not really know how much until the driver arrives and assess' the amount of things in the vehicle.
I got a call from a friend's friend today who was desparate for help. He contacted a company he thought was A Major Van Lines; same colors and similar logo. Well guess what- they were not! A broker who charges a large deposit up front and a large amount when picked up. A warning sign. They based their estimate on cubic feet of space on a truck rather than weight which can be audited. The delivery window was anytime during a 30 window after pick up.
They provided a price which was attractive to the customer and he scheduled the pick up. They charged 1/3 of the estimate at booking, 1/3 at pick up and the balance at delivery. The move was assigned to a mover, for pick up and delivery named HM (abreviated). Since pick up it is now 30 days and no delivery, just demands for more money. The price has gone up from $3800 to over $6000 based on the company's claim the cubic feet went up. Neither the mover nor the broker are calling their customer back and he has no idea where his belongings are.
The warning signs...
Large deposits paid to the broker in several payments. Large deposit due carrier at pick up. The legitimate Van Lines agents may charge a deposit but it is paid to the mover itself not to a broker. It is usually a couple hundred dollars if charged at all.
Estimate based on cubic feet not weight. There is no way of auditing the size of the actual move using cubic foot measurments. When weight is used by a legitimate mover/van line; weight tickes are required from a certified weigh station before the household goods are loaded on the truck and after resulting in the net weight of the shipment.
No specific delivery spread- in this case the customer was told delivery sometime in a 30 day period for a relatively short distance- Oregon to Arizona. Vanlines will provide a specific delivery spread in dates and will pay a penalty to the customer for late delivery.
Unlimited amount of money due to deliver the household goods. Most Van lines will limit the amount due to unload the shipment, then a balance due afterward.
No visual survey or video survey by the mover it self. Estimate not written on the movers document or Order for Service
Types of terms to watch out for:
The carrier reserves the right to collect up to 50% of the balance due prior to the goods leaving the origin state. Subject to federal law, payment in full of all charges is required before delivery and prior to unloading.
Upon pickup carrier, will collect up to 50% of the remaining balance
Should the customer’s estimate come in under the predicted cubic feet, XXXXX Broker will refund 50% of the customer’s price for cubic feet up to 1000 cubic feet. It is the shipper’s responsibility to pursue the carrier if they are looking for additional reimbursement beyond 50% of the price per cubic foot.
The carrier who is responsible for picking up and delivering the household goods of the customer has up to 30 business days to deliver the household goods of the customer
First available delivery dates (FADD) are not guaranteed delivery dates. The first available date is the 1st date you are ready and willing to accept your delivery. The carrier has 30 business days from the FADD you choose to deliver the household goods
If you see any of these warning signs or feel uncomfortable that you may be getting into an uncertain agreement to move your belongings- call your Moving Consultant at Consumers Relocation before you sign.
Shipping a vehicle and have some flexibility in timing? Then now might be a good time to do it. We are seeing rates inching up, and expect a big jump in vehicle shipping rates by May. June and on during the summer is definitely the peak in rates for shipments.
Consumers Relocation ships hundreds of vehicles each year and only uses the best carriers and providers. You can feel confident that your vehicle is in safe hands, with no surprises in rates or services. All carriers are fully insured. Our network or carriers covers the entire USA and we ship internationally as well.
Interest rate hikes over the past months intended to slow inflation has cerntainly put a damper on the relocation business!
During the first quarter of this year Van Lines are reporting significant reduction in business over past years. This has resulted in some cases loss of drivers who are already in short supply in the industry.
What this means for those planning to relocate during the traditionally busy spring and summer months is perhaps a shortage of trucks/drivers available for moves, and desired move dates being unavailable with some Van Lines.
People desparate to move may scramble to find solutions which may not be in their best interest.
Consumers Relocation offers customers a safe alternative since we work with multiple reputable, world class van lines and local agents to ship household goods. Call us and ask to speak wtih a moving Consultant
Relocating is a part of life, and every one of us switches
households at least three times in our lives. This is a tolling process,
both emotionally and physically, and you want to help yourself make the
right choices when the day comes. Because of that, you need to start
making the schedule on time, and here, we are going to list some of the
reasons why you need to start planning your move as early as possible.
1. You will be able to evaluate items
The most important rule of every move is that you need to decide
which things you want to keep, which items should be donated, what can
you sell and make some cash, and what things should be just thrown away.
When you need to pack in just a week or two, there is no way for you
to do it, and chances are, you’ll end up keeping things you never use,
and you’ll throw away items that you are going to need. So, instead of
rushing, and doing everything on the last day, you should give yourself
time.
Start going through every room, and make separate piles of things.
Find places where you can donate your goods, and don’t forget to have a
yard sale to make some money.
2. You won’t have to rush
Source: spacer.com.au
When we rush, we end up breaking things, and in the middle of the
process, we start throwing things away that can be useful or can be
donated. This is the part when we just want to get rid of as many items
as we can because we realize how many things we actually own.
On the same note, when we are near the end of the packing, we just
start giving up on separating things, and we end up being clumsy, we
tend to break or damage a lot of our possessions, and when we just have a
small portion of goods left, we decide that we need to pack all of that, we just throw things in boxes and hope that we can get them sorted out later down the line.
When you have a lot of time to move, and when you can plan things in
advance, you won’t have to rush through this process, and you can take
all the time you need to make decisions.
3. You can book the service you want
If you need to move, chances are, you cannot do it on your own,
especially if you are moving across the country. Because of this, you
will need a trustworthy and reliable service to help you out. More often
than not, these companies are booked far in advance, and the ones that
are left last minute may not be as careful or as reliable as you would
need them to be.
If you don’t want to end up having to go with just any service, it is
best to start planning and researching at least a few months before the
move. You should see which companies are available for you, and what
services they provide.
For more information on storage and moving services, and how they can make a difference for your relocation, check out https://m25group.co.uk/.
4. You won’t feel stressed
Source: kidsinthehouse.com
Stress is our biggest enemy,
and everyone who has ever moved from one place to another knows how
difficult this can be. You need to face the fact that you are moving
away from the people you love, the habit you have, and the place where
you have made so many memories. Relocation is always good and it makes
room for new and better things, but that does not mean that we won’t
feel sad about the things that we leave behind.
In these emotional moments, the last thing that you need is to have
to worry about technicalities, and when you do it at the last minute,
you will definitely add to the stress you are already feeling. So,
instead of dealing with anger, being upset, and instead of getting
headaches over all the small things, you should start planning your move
as early as possible.
5. You will have time to clean
We all know that we are not going to just leave our home looking like
a wreck, and no matter if you were planning to sell it, rent it, or if
you are leaving a place that you used to rent, you will need to do some
cleaning. It is hard to pack and clean at the same time, and having to
do it last minute means that you are not going to do a good job.
More often than not, people who plan to move in the last week end up calling cleaning services,
and that will add an additional financial toll on you. If you want to
save yourself some cash, and if you don’t want to rush to do everything,
then it is far better to start planning now and do things one step at a
time.
6. You will avoid making mistakes
Source: ssrelocation.com
It is said that during the moving process, everyone is bound to make
mistakes. This is all normal, and there are going to be things that you
forget, items that you throw away, and you will even break an item or
two. Once again, this is all expected, but you can easily minimize all
the mistakes that you make if you start planning on time.
When you have the luxury of time, and when you can do proper
research, you will avoid mistakes and you will be able to do it all
within your budget. Starting from selecting the right boxes and bags for
the move, up to researching and booking services, you can do it all
properly and you won’t have to pay thousands of dollars extra for
everything.
Have these things on your mind when you think you have months until
the move, and remember that the earlier you start planning, the better
it is going to be for you. You will have time to adjust to the fact that
you are relocating, and you will be able to make the right choices.
Know that there are always services that can help you out with the
process, and you don’t have to do it all on your own.
What follows is an interesting take on how this new variant will effect the housing marketing in 2022. This excerpt was taken from an article published on Realtor.com® written by By Janet Siroto
Jan 5, 2022.
Before the omicron variant of COVID-19 appeared on the scene, the
2021 housing market was rebounding healthily from previous waves of the
pandemic and turned downright bullish as the end of the year approached.
In spring 2021, a Realtor.com® survey found that only 10% of homeowners planned to sell within 12 months. By fall, that number had ballooned to 26%.
These
factors had portended a tidal wave of home sales in the new year. And
then the new omicron strain hit in November, followed by a December dip
in new listings.
Was this sudden drop due to omicron, or just the typical holiday season lull?
George Ratiu,
manager of economic research at Realtor.com, isn’t sure, but feels
optimistic that omicron won’t halt the housing market’s momentum,
particularly since this variant appears milder than its predecessors.
“We
are not through it yet, but so far, this virus seems to be a lot more
contagious, but also a lot less negatively impactful in terms of
sickness and death,” Ratiu says. He also points out that data from
epidemics in 1918 and the 1950s have also shown that viruses become more
contagious but less severe over time.
Indeed, indications from
South Africa, where the COVID-19 strain was first detected, showed a
steep surge in cases followed by a rapid decline. So there’s some reason
to expect that this latest wave of the pandemic in the U.S. will follow
suit.
Omicron doesn’t seem to have hit the economy as hard as previous waves, either.
“The
GDP and economy have survived fairly well,” Ratiu explains. “We’re
seeing housing weather the variant so far. Retail sales, consumer
confidence, and other indicators show guarded optimism in the road
ahead.”
Bottom line: Even as COVID-19 infection rates climb, most
experts aren’t bracing for a shutdown like we saw during the first wave
of the pandemic in spring 2020.
“I do not believe that omicron will have much impact on the selling season,” says Cara Berkeley, a personal financial expert at Penny Polly.
“The delta variant did not seem to slow things down here [in
Tennessee], so omicron should not either. The number of homes sold in
Nashville in November of this year was higher than the number sold in
November of last year. The upwards trend both in sales and in the median
price per home is continuing.”
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