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Inviting people to your new place is a great way to show off your home and meet new people from your new community. Not to mention maintaining friendships with others from your old neighborhood.

Gathering for a fun event, such as a party, has many possibilities. What better way to begin making new memories in a home than to throw a housewarming party?

Let’s look at a few terrific housewarming party themes you might want to consider.

Seasonal Parties

If you’re hard-pressed for a theme to pull your housewarming party together, you can’t go wrong with seasonal parties.

• Spring. Plan a weekend brunch to show off your cooking skills. Decorate with seasonal fresh flowers. If you have a garden patio, it’s the perfect location.
• Summer. Throw yourself a backyard BBQ, have a nighttime bonfire complete with s’mores, or throw a pool party if you have a pool.
• Fall. It’s usually warm enough to throw a “summery” backyard BBQ or, if, towards the end of the month, go with seasonal pumpkins, apples, and similar fall-themed treats.
• Halloween or Thanksgiving. Get into the Halloween spirit with some of these spooky foods and treats.  If you’re beyond Halloween, go for a Thanksgiving theme with seasonal fare, sharing thanks, friendship, and fun.
• Winter. This season brings many possibilities. Decorate festively for Christmas or with a beautiful winter wonderland theme. Secret Santa, cookie decorating, ornament making, or simply cooking or catering seasonal goodies for your guests.

Other ideas for any time of the year include potlucks and inviting your neighbors to share their best dishes, hosting a wine tasting, or holding a formal sit-down dinner for a more intimate, getting-to-know-you evening.

DIY Taco Bar

Taco bars typically hold broad appeal. Set out different fillings (beef, chicken, pork, and vegetarian options), tortillas, and a variety of toppings. For beverages, offer horchata, Mexican beer, and soda. Complete your theme with festive music and decorations.

Game Night

A great way to gather people is to plan a game night with snacks and Hors D’oeuvres. You can break out traditional games, such as Trivial Pursuit, Pictionary, Yahtzee, Scattegories, or a deck of cards.

Prefer digital? Many companies, such as JackboxGames, sell games able to accommodate big groups. Guests use their smartphones and follow prompts on the TV or a laptop. Great games for big groups (some you may need to rotate players, but even non-players can participate as “audience” players) include Quiplash, Fibbage, or Bracketeering, to name a few.

Dessert Party

Every housewarming party worthy of its name involves food. If you’re not a good cook or don’t have the time or budget to plan a meal for a large group, you can always plan a dessert party. Assemble a table with pastries, doughnuts, pies, cakes, cookies, and other delectable desserts. Complete your theme with coffee, tea, milk, and hot chocolate.

Moving Made Easy!

Housewarming parties are fun to think about, but first, you’ll need to complete your move. By working with a reliable and trustworthy mover, you can get settled in more quickly and get planning your party.

When you’re ready, contact us for a free quote.

Creating a floor plan is an important task you want to tackle before you move into your new place. This way, you know well ahead of your relocation about any adjustments you need to make.

Benefits of a Floor Plan

A floor plan is a multi-purpose document that helps you and your movers. For you, it’ll save money and time, and, for your household movers, an appreciation of not having to figure out where to place heavier, more oversized items upon arrival. Benefits of a floor plan include:

• Ensuring your furniture and other oversized items fit in your new place before you move them.
• Informing your movers of exactly where to place your belongings.
• Saving you time and avoiding unnecessary heaving lifting of items if they don’t fit or look right where you initially placed them.

By taking care of a floor plan ahead of time, you’ll avoid the complications and costs of moving items that won’t fit in your new rooms. Making a floor plan isn’t as complicated as it sounds. Here we’ll list easy steps you can take.

Consider Your Layout

To start, think about the layout of each room in your new house, condo, or apartment. If you prefer a specific layout of your furniture, TV, and other items, sketch where you want your things to go on paper.

If you’re like many people, you might be “locked in” to a specific look and feel, but try to be open. You might be surprised to learn another room arrangement might give you more open space or offer the ability to take advantage of better natural lighting. To aid in your planning, try using a floor plan app.

Take Accurate Measurements

Once you know where your larger items should go, take measurements, not once, but twice. Even if your furniture fits beautifully in your current home, this configuration may not work in your new place.

Add your measurements to your floor mapping to ensure everything fits nicely. If an item doesn’t work, this provides you time to explore other layout configurations or plan to sell, give away, or donate the furniture you won’t be able to bring. In this case, you’ll also have time to look and order new furniture that will fit.

Pro tip: Remember to measure doorways, hallways, stairways, and room entryways to ensure movers can navigate and bring oversized items inside.

Think About the Traffic Flow in Each Room

When planning your rooms, consider the traffic flow in each room. You don’t want to put a recliner chair in the pathway to your dining area or place a big-screen TV in front of a window. Try to create a floor plan that allows your household members to move through each room effortlessly.

Ready to Schedule Your Upcoming Move?

Creating a floor plan sounds complicated, but it’s not as hard as you think. Armed with one, you’ll have a more straightforward moving experience.

If you’ve found a new home and are ready to pick a date, contact our professional movers. We’re happy to answer questions and offer free quotes. Contact us today!

A company’s investment in the building or space where its activities will occur is substantial. This is still the case even if you run a business providing professional services and require an office. 

You have two choices: buy a commercial property or lease an office space. Renting versus buying can be a significant decision that affects numerous aspects of your business going forward. Take a look at a few things to consider as you determine whether buying or leasing an office space is the best plan for your operation.

How is your business anticipated to grow in the future?

The anticipated growth is essential when deciding whether to buy or lease office space. 

Leasing a small space may be fine if you operate a small business. However, leasing may be even more feasible if you expect to add more employees and need more room eventually. It is often more financially logical to lease in the beginning and consider buying once growth has stabilized and you are more confident about what kind of space you will need.

How likely is it that a specific location will be an ideal permanent setting?

One of the biggest reasons businesses relocate is to access customers. Therefore, consider your current customer base and how or if that could change shortly. Relocating your business after you have purchased the office you are using can be more time-consuming and challenging than simply allowing a lease to expire and finding a new place in a new location. If you are sure the area will be an excellent permanent base for your operation, buying may be a more feasible option.

Does your business have the funds to handle property maintenance?

One major perk of leasing office space for businesses with limited cash flow is that property maintenance is often not the tenant’s responsibility. For example, if you lease an office building, the property owner will likely be financially responsible for repairs. However, if you buy that building, those costs will be your responsibility. If your business has a steady cash flow and room in the budget to maintain the property, purchasing an office space could be a viable option.

Can you obtain financing for the investment?

Obtaining financing to purchase real estate that will be used for business purposes comes with its own challenges. Lenders often want to see the following:

• Stable business finances
• Healthy personal finances
• Sustainable business plans
• Property that can hold its value as collateral for the loan

Many small businesses start out leasing a property because obtaining commercial financing can be challenging. Therefore, if you are just getting started, leasing a property until the company is more financially stable may be the only option unless you have private funds.

Get Expert Help with Your Business Relocation Plans

Moving a company requires extensive preparation and the coordination of many moving parts. Therefore, enlisting the aid of an experienced business relocation company can be a critical step in providing support. 

Are you looking to discuss your upcoming relocation plans? Then, contact our team to get started.

Choosing a neighborhood when making a household move is a big decision. Especially if you have children, the community where you live will affect everything from the school they attend to the children they may choose to be friends with.

Finding a neighborhood with the right services and convenient features can help your family find happiness in their new home. Here are some tips for finding the ideal home if you’re looking for a new residence.

Sidewalks and Walkability

Kids need a safe way to walk throughout their neighborhood. Sidewalks give children independence from their parents, making it safe (once they reach a certain age) for them to walk to school, their friends’ houses, and other parts of the neighborhood.

To find a neighborhood where your kids can walk safely, pay attention to the presence of sidewalks when you’re looking at houses. The best sidewalks are wide and easy to traverse, free from damage by tree roots.

You can also check a neighborhood’s walkability by looking up its walk score. A community’s walk score will tell you whether the area you’re considering has good access to public transportation and how far that community is from essential services.

School District

What are the schools like in the community you’re considering? Find out which schools are highly ranked in the town or city you’re considering moving to. Knowing the quality of the schools will help you determine whether the neighborhood you’re viewing will be a good fit for your kids.

Remember that many online websites are dedicated to helping parents find the best schools in the city where they live. Looking up the reviews from parents and people who work at each school can help you make a decision that you and your kids will be happy with for years to come.

Access to Services and Amenities

When you have kids, many services and amenities can come in handy. For example, it might be vital for you to be close to the doctor, dentist, hair stylist, community sports and recreation organizations, and more.

This is especially important if your children are involved in sports and other activities that can take up much of your time. You will only want to spend a little bit of time on the road for essential services if you’re already running your kids around after school to various events. Finding a centrally located home might be ideal for you.

Presence of Other Children

Often, children like to be around other kids. They need friends for their personal happiness and social development. 

To help your child find friends in their new neighborhood, choose a location where many other children live. While it’s not always easy to tell if an area has many children, look for clues like toys in the driveway or scattered around the yard, a basketball hoop in the driveway, kid-sized bikes in the front yard, local playgrounds, park district offerings, and so on.

Prepare For Your Upcoming Relocation

Make your upcoming relocation a positive event for everyone in the family. Hire professional movers to pack your items and safely get them to your new home. Contact us today to get started.

When preparing for a residential move, one essential component is figuring out how to pack all your belongings. If you have high-value items or antiques, you should take extra care with them to ensure they arrive in one piece.

However, while determining the logistics of your move is vital, you may be missing another step — appraisal. If you haven’t considered appraising your valuables before moving them or putting them into a storage unit, now’s the time to set it up. Let’s discuss the appraisal process and why you might consider it.

How to Appraise Items Professionally

Fortunately, you can find professional appraisers online with a quick search and filter by ratings and their proximity to your location. When looking at appraisers, make sure they specialize in the types of belongings they’ll look at. For example, if you’re appraising high-end electronics, you might not want to work exclusively with an antique specialist.

Be sure to contact the appraiser beforehand to discuss the items they’ll be looking at and their condition. The more information you can provide ahead of time, the faster and smoother the appraisal process will be, so you can get back to planning your move.

It’s also a good idea to separate and clean these items before the appraiser arrives. If you’re worried about using harsh chemicals on some belongings, you can wait and ask the appraiser for their recommendation. Most items just require good dusting.

Which Items Should You Appraise Before Moving?

Technically, you could appraise all of your belongings before transporting them, but as a rule, these items are appraised the most often:

• Gold and Jewelry
• Antiques
• Fine Art
• High-End Electronics
• Vintage Collectibles
• Firearms

If you need help deciding what to appraise, consider how much you paid for the item and how much it would cost to replace it if it gets lost, stolen, or damaged during transit. Generally, anything $500 or more is worth an appraisal, but ultimately, it’s up to you what you consider valuable and what you want to attach a dollar value to.

Why Appraise Your Valuables?

There are a couple of reasons to appraise your valuables before moving or shipping them to storage, such as:

• Insurance Claims – You may have property insurance on individual items or hope for your homeowner’s coverage to take care of them. Either way, you need to know how much the item is worth before making a claim.
• Paperwork Protection – If something does happen to your valuables during a move, it may be impossible to determine their worth after the fact. For example, if an item gets stolen, you need proof of ownership and its value when filing a police report. So, appraising your belongings beforehand gives you ample evidence and establishes a paper trail.

Get Moving Help for Your Most Precious Belongings

Work with trusted professional movers if you need assistance with your upcoming move. Contact us to see what moving options we provide.

Consider the impact moving has on your pets if you think it’s stressful for people. Dogs and cats have a unique sense that allows them to anticipate life-changing events. As soon as boxes and packing supplies appear, pets become anxious. 

Here are some suggestions to help your beloved furry friends cope with moving stress.

Select a Home You Both Will Love

Consider how much space your pets require when you are looking for a house or apartment. Before signing a contract, you should consider

• How much space do they need? 
• Would a yard be preferable for your dog? 
• Is the area suitable and secure for your pets?
• Are there places nearby to walk with your dog? 

Packing Tips With Pets

Anxiety in pets is common during the packing process. Therefore, you should start packing a few weeks before your moving day. Give yourself plenty of time to pack slowly. 

Put the boxes in a separate room where the pets can’t reach them. First, maintain as much of a regular schedule as possible to keep them busy. Then, gradually introduce the rest of the packing supplies and have them become accustomed to them.

Prepare for the Trip

You should always keep your pets in crates or carriers during the relocation trip. Even during a short move, crates are essential to prevent them from escaping or becoming a distraction for the driver. Therefore, introduce a crate gradually if your pet needs to be crate-trained or isn’t used to one.

Get them used to being in the crate. Put some treats or food inside the crate to entice your pet inside. After each successful crate session, treat them. 

Once the pet is comfortable in the crate, you can gradually introduce them to short car trips. This will ease the transition into car travel with your pet in the crate carrier. Moving day will go much more smoothly if you put in the time and effort to practice.

Plan for a Pet Sitter

When a lot of disruptive activity is going on, pets become anxious. Have a trusted friend or pet sitter care for them on your moving day to ease their anxiety. This will prevent them from getting in the movers’ way and keep them safe. Plan for them to stay with a friend at their house, or set up a “safe room” in your own home, free of packing materials and other potential dangers.

Prepare Your New House for Your Pets

Strive to make your new house 100% pet-proof by taking precautions in every room. Also, examine the entire perimeter of your yard’s fence for any openings they could use to get away.

If your pets are coming along for the move, keeping them in a separate room while you unpack so they can feel comfortable in their new surroundings without being in the way is best.

When unpacking, it’s essential to eliminate anything harmful, like chemicals, trash, or human food.

Tips for Calming Pets

Pets will be unfamiliar with the new space, but letting them explore too soon can make them uneasy. Instead, place the food and water in a quiet area away from the unpacking areas, and show them where to find them. Pets’ “home bases” should be stocked with all the essentials, including litter for cats, pee pads for dogs, and a selection of their favorite toys.

Make sure your dog is always on a leash. Your dog may experience anxiety in a new setting and attempt to run away. In addition, it will take your dog some time to learn the boundaries of your new home.

Once your pet has settled in and adjusted to your home, you can start introducing them to larger areas. Of course, they’ll feed off your worries, so being patient is critical. Keeping your cool will help ease the stress on your pet.

Plan a Successful Relocation With Your Pets

Whether you’re moving locally or long-distance, we’re your solution! Contact us today for a quote and more information.

Full-service movers can make relocating a breeze! From box packing to moving furniture, full-service movers have the experience and know-how to handle almost everything. 

Here are eight reasons to work with a full-service moving company.

1. Less Stress and Worry

Moving is stressful because it’s so much work, and there’s often a limited time to finish it. When you hire a full-service moving company, your movers can handle a significant portion of your relocation, and they’ll know how to do it right. In addition, the right relocation experts are trained to complete the work efficiently and safely. This means there’s much less to worry about when hiring full-service movers.

2. More Time to Focus on Your Relocation

Packing can take many hours if you’re doing it yourself. If you’re packing without the assistance of movers, give yourself a lot of time. That’s less time to focus on other aspects of your relocation, like finding a job, a new house, setting up utilities, settling in your new community, and more. When you have full-service movers working for you, you’ll have far more time to dedicate to the other aspects of moving.

3. Everything Is Packed Properly

Full-service movers use all the suitable packing materials, from bubble wrap to furniture pads and moving blankets, to complete the job. With everything packed correctly, you know our possessions will be safe and arrive at their destination in good condition.

4. Cost Efficient

Full-service moving may be more cost-efficient than you imagine. Full-service moving companies keep their prices affordable by getting the work done quickly, much faster than it would take untrained professionals to get the job done. Given how much time it will save, full-service moving is surprisingly cost-effective!

5. Safety

Moving can be dangerous for someone untrained. It’s easy to lift a box incorrectly and hurt your back, and it’s easy to fall while carrying piles of heavy boxes. Falls, overheating, pulled muscles – all these problems can happen during relocation.

6. Move Coordination

 A personal move coordinator is invaluable and can help guide you through every step of your move and answer any questions. With so many other things going on during your move, having one point of contact from start to finish lets you rest easier.

7. Add-On Services 

Full-service movers are often able to tailor a moving plan to your needs. Make sure your full-service movers can provide you with these services

• Storage
• Packing services
• Unpacking
• Custom crating
• Debris removal

8. Customizable Solutions

Professional moving companies offer customized services to enhance your move experience. Every move is unique, so finding movers that meet your timeline and needs is essential. Whether you need partial or full packing or help packaging fragile or specialty items, your full-service mover can help with custom crating, car shipping, and more.

Hire a Full-Service Moving Company Today

Moving is better when you hire a full-service moving company. Find out why working with a full-service moving company can transform your relocation experience. Contact us to schedule a quote on your upcoming relocation.