One Simple Move is “The Kim Komando Show Cool Site of the Day”

That’s right it happened again folks. Two years ago One Simple Move was featured as The Kim Komando Show Cool Site of the Day and then again just two days ago. I think she understands how helpful we are during a move. How our interactive moving checklist and planner with email alerts makes staying on top of your move a breeze. And she probably appreciates how our moving tips and advice help simplify every moving task. Or maybe it’s everything combined that makes One Simple Move the best move planning website available.

My Moving Estimates

I contacted three of my most trusted moving companies to get estimates and the estimates came back at approximately $450, $650 and $750. Out of courtesy I won’t give the names of all three but I will say that the estimate that I trust the most is the one for $650 that I got from Chipman relocation. The low ball estimate at $450 did not seem even close to right and there’s no way it would have ended up at that price. I’ve worked with Chipman several times before and they have always done a great job. Their estimate is not always the lowest but is typically highly accurate, and they have some of the most professional moving crews I’ve ever seen.

Actually these were all much cheaper than I expected considering the four flights of stairs and the elevator. Although they were only rough estimates and not binding because I didn’t have them come out to the house to do complete estimates. I was left wondering if they would have shown up on moving day and changed their estimates on me. The other reason they were fairly reasonable is because these estimates don’t include any packing or boxes, I would be doing all of the packing.

I have to say, looking back now that it might have been worth it for me to hire the movers. I spent about $100 on a moving truck and almost another $100 buying my friend and moving buddy drinks and dinner afterward. And he continues to make me pay for it with sarcastic comments to this day. Ultimately, though, I ensured that there was no breakage in a very difficult move and I relished in the pride I had from getting it done myself and I still saved almost $500. Plus I probably had one of the hardest day long workouts that I had experienced in years. All things considered I think I made the right decision for my move. My next move though, as our family and possessions grow, will probably be a different story altogether.

My move – the overview

Well I knew it would be a tough move, but it really exceeded my worst expectations.  Besides the psychological aspect, moving is really all about the stuff you own.  And I had really seemed to accumulate quite a bit over the last several years coinciding with recent life changes.  Life just happens and it seems to happen fast right about the time that you get married.

I moved in to my last apartment with my wife to be and two other roommates.  I was fresh out of college and owned more sporting goods equipment than furniture.  Shortly thereafter, my wife and I were married, our roommates moved out but my brother-in-law moved in.  We bought some furniture as needed to fill the house because my still in college brother-in-law had about the same furniture owning status as I was.  And, we acquired a massive amount of housewares from our wedding.  So much so that we couldn’t even bring all of our wedding gifts home and they stayed in our Mother-in-law’s house for years to come.  Eventually we would bring box by box to our house as we needed particular items.

We continued to add to the furniture and accumulate even more “stuff” as the first three years and then the big change, we had a baby girl.  We suddenly had more stuff than we knew what to do with.  A nursery was constructed and quickly filled with a crib, changing table and dresser along with all the other never ending necessities required for babies and young children.  Plus, my wife’s brother moved out and we had one more room’s worth of furniture to fill.

Two years later, and with another young girl added to the family we had our three bedroom apartment filled to the brim.  Thankfully we didn’t have a garage’s worth of stuff too but we still had accumulated quite a lot.

All in all we had over 6,000 lbs. worth of belongings total to be moved.  I know because I completed an inventory using our inventory sheet and the experience I gained from working so closely with professional moving companies.  And, all of that had to be moved down from our fourth floor apartment using a small 4×5 service elevator or the stairs.  Then it had to go back up one or two flights of stairs at our new home which has three stories.

My move was not going to be easy.  Actually, my move was one of the most challenging moves that I have ever seen in the over two dozen relocations that I have personally overseen.  I wondered how long my move would take me and could I even estimate that?  Or would it be worth it for me to pay someone to move me?  I thought I’d get some estimates from some of my favorite moving companies to get an idea of what I’d pay, or how much I could save by doing it myself.  Stay tuned and I’ll let you know what my moving quotes were in my next entry.

Follow up on tips for selling your car or “when to trade-in”

Recently I wrote an article with tips for selling your car but there are times when it makes sense not to sell your car but rather to trade it in, presuming you actually need another vehicle.  As it happens I encountered just such a situation last week.  Although automotive transactions are not the purpose of this blog, I feel this issue makes sense to address because of it’s tendency to coincide with moving and I wanted to share my experience.

I have sold several cars in the past as a private seller and they have all been successful with the vehicle selling within two weeks at the  most and fetching a reasonable value.  But a few weeks ago I had an episode with my vehicle that caused me to trade it in.  Of course I didn’t get quite the money for it that I could have gotten had I sold it myself but I had good reason to not to try.

In my case the number one reason for attempting to sell it myself was that I felt I could no longer trust the vehicle.  The same part in the vehicle failed twice within one week  and left me stranded and I was somewhat afraid that it or another part would fail soon.  Even though prior to that it had been a great vehicle I now wanted to get rid of it fast.  Mostly, the vehicle was reaching a point in its life where many parts were reaching the end of their life.  And if I wanted to sell it I would have had to disclose to the buyer what work was needed and it would have reduced the price of the vehicle equally.

Almost just as big a factor is time.  Between kids and work, the extra time required to sell it myself was not worth the possibility for a little extra money.  With a trade-in you can easily get it done in few hours rather than a few days or weeks.

Finally, trade-ins typically make negotiating the price on a new car easier.  Often the dealer will work with you a little more on a discount because they know they can also make a little on the sale of your traded in vehicle.  And lower financing rates can be available when you put more down on the purchase of the vehicle.

So we traded it in and got almost exactly what we expected based on trade-in blue book value.  It was slightly less than what I would have wanted but the trade-offs were well worth it.  Most importantly, the transaction was actually relatively quick and painless and the stress of the old vehicle was behind us.

Tips for selling your car

Sometimes moving is the best time to sell a car.  Which really just gives you one more hassle.  But by heeding the advice below you can take some of the pain out of the process.  Of course most of this advice does not apply to near junkers and is only for those seeking maximum value out of their vehicle.

First and foremost (and this is probably the most obvious) make sure to thoroughly wash your vehicle inside and out.  If you have time, detailing the interior really makes a difference in the way your car feels to a potential buyer.  Like a clean home for sale, you want people to be able to envision themselves in the vehicle, you don’t want them wondering what you did in the vehicle that left the goo in the cupholder or the stain on the seat.  And many buyers feel that cleanliness is a reflection of how well the entire car has been cared for.  Furthermore, and as much as possible, try and keep the vehicle clean until it’s sold.   It doesn’t just need to look good in the pictures for the ad but also when meeting a potential buyer.

Second, consider what maintenance or repairs the vehicle needs and determine what, if any, work makes sense to complete before a sale.  For example some minor repairs (or ones that fix funky sounds), oil changes, air filters and other routine maintenance will help sell the car quickly and maximize value while new tires or suspension might not give good return on investment.   Another good tip is to have a friend drive and critically examine the vehicle to provide a more objective viewpoint since they’ll probably notice things you don’t.

Then, when advertising your car put yourself in the buyers shoes.  Regardless of if you advertise in print, online or parked on the corner you will still need to establish a price and write a brief overview of the vehicle.  Typically you’ll be limited by space so be sure to include the essentials like the make/model, color, number of miles and key features.  Determine your asking price by considering both Kelley Blue Book value and actual prices of vehicles for sale.  Searching used car websites like autotrader.com or eBay will give you a great idea of market value which may be higher or lower than KBB.  Remember too that certain vehicle market prices will vary based on geographical areas (eg. four wheel drive vehicles demand higher prices in snow prone locals).

When potential buyers come to look at the car be sure you are ready for them.  You might want to check with your insurance to see if you are covered if the buyer takes a test drive.  You’ll also want to check with your local DMV to establish what paperwork is required to transfer ownership and license, you DO NOT want your name to be on a vehicle after you’ve sold it as this can have potentially harmful legal consequences depending on the new owners proclivity for illegal activities.  Before you meet the potential buyer, be sure to let them know which method of payment you require. Be prepared to respond to low ball offers and be firm on what is the lowest amount you’ll accept.

These steps are designed to help you prepare properly and get the most out of your car.  Yes, it’s a fairly substantial amount of work but it’s really not all that hard or time consuming, except for maybe dealing with phone calls and potential buyers, but then again if you’ve got interest in your vehicle that’s a good sign it will move soon.  Of course if this sounds like too much work you do have the option of selling it a used car dealer or donating it to charity, just don’t expect to be satisfied with what ends up in your pocket afterward.

Moving tips – tips for selling on Craigslist

Moving is an ideal time to free yourself of unwanted items and Craigslist really is a great way to do it.  I frequently use Craigslist to sell items I no longer have any use for and I’ve had success with almost every sale.  It’s most ideal when you have several semi-large ticket items and you want a fairly simple selling transaction.

Craigslist is easier and less time consuming than a yard sale and is more powerful and widely used than any other auction/classifieds site.  This is especially true when you desire a quick local cash transaction for household items.  If you have plenty of time and really big ticket items or specialty pieces eBay may be a better option.

Most importantly, if you’ve never sold anything online don’t dread the process.  Craigslist is especially easy to use, partially because of its limited features and the minimal time required to open an account and post an ad.

Benefits of Craigslist

• Anonymous posting – You do not have to give anyone any personal information until you are ready to sell.
• Sell on your time – As opposed to garage sales where you need quite a bit of prep plus an entire day to devote, you just set up the ad and reply to inquiries through email or by phone at your leisure.
• Easy set up – Probably the easiest account setup for any online classifieds service.

Tips for selling on Craigslist

• Research prices of comparable items – A brief search through other Craigslist postings can give you an idea of the items for sale and there prices.  Obviously if you have time you can price your item more aggressively than if you have to sell within a couple of days.
• Include pictures – If possible for the item, include any decent pics you have or take some if necessary.  Any pic is almost always better than no pic.
• Describe your item well - You don’t need a sales pitch here but be sure to include make, model, year, condition, color, size, maintenance history or any other info of interest and as required.
• Tell shoppers why it’s for sale – Potential buyers are on the look out for people unloading items because they are broken or trashed so if you’re selling because of a move be sure to say so.
• You don’t need to include a phone number or email address! – Although including a phone number or personal email might get a little more response than just allowing people to reply through Craigslist’s anonymous reply process, you will almost definitely work harder as well.  This is because you will be forced to work through the selling process on the potential buyer’s time as opposed to on your own, negating one of the big benefits of this method.  You’ll get calls and emails from hagglers and halfway interested folks and can waste substantial amounts of time.  Instead I recommend just waiting for email inquiries to come through Craigslist’s anonymous reply process and then reply to potential buyers that seem like the best fit.  Remember though that when you do finally reply directly to potential buyers you will have to give up your email address, so if you’re really concerned about privacy you may want to use a secondary email account to send ad inquiry replies from to protect your primary email account information.

Hopefully this helps for those who have been hesitant to try this site.  It’s a fantastic option for getting cash for items you aren’t using and don’t want to move.  With Craigslist you can make money by selling your stuff while saving money by moving less all without spending a lot of time.

The moving process goes greener

We enjoy giving our readers green moving info because we understand the importance of the movement.  I found this article on Mother Nature Network (MNN) about residential movers finding ways to go green which discusses some of the most recent trends the moving industry is experiencing in their push to be more green.

While trucks are slowly getting cleaner and more efficient the biggest change is the push for reducing the environmental impact of the packing process.   Rental and used cardboard boxes have been around for a while and can sometimes be found from local movers and from companies like Ecobox which focus primarily within their local service area.  Several new “buy and sell” moving box websites such as usedcardboardboxes.com, boxcycle.com and freecardboardboxes.com have popped up lately and some are easier to use and offer more than others with regards to services and ease of use.

Beyond that are companies like Earth Friendly Moving in the Los Angeles and Orange County Area and Frogbox in the Seattle and Vancouver areas which offer rental plastic bins.  These bins can be used hundreds of times before going to a landfill instead of being used once and then contributing directly to the estimated 18% to 26% of landfill space that cardboard and paper consume.  Earth Friendly moving also makes their boxes entirely from 100% recycled plastic and offers a variety of recycled products including packing peanuts, paper, bags and other moving supplies.  In addition to being green these products provide a competitively priced alternative to traditional packing supplies.

Electronic and computer recycling – going green

When moving, one of the biggest tasks is getting rid of stuff.  By eliminating the amount you’re moving you can save quite a bit of money and time.   In my article about how to save money on your move using a cube sheet you can see how much money you can save by reducing the total weight of things to be moved.  Unfortunately some of the time savings are lost when you realize how hard it can be to get dispose of certain items appropriately and even more difficult when you’re trying to be green about it.

Along these lines some of the more difficult items to dispose of can be home electronics, computers and related equipment including monitors and printers.  I feel like printers deserve special recognition because if your experience has been anything like mine printers just don’t seem to last.  Or you may get a new printer or computer and just hold on to your old one until you can determine what to do with it.

If you do have a television or printer that still works, you might consider selling it depending on how outdated the technology is.  Old computers are different for two reasons.  First, technology advances so quickly that old computers become outdated quickly.  Second, selling a computer requires complete erasure of hard drive contents to protect the security of your old data and personal information.  You’ll need to be somewhat technically savvy to be able to do this properly or you’ll have to pay someone to do it.  Note that deleting files does NOT erase your data and old data can be recovered fairly easily from someone with the right skills.  Donating computers to a school or other program is a another worthy consideration but also necessitates proper deletion of hard drive data.

My recommendation for the simplest solution to dispose of computers and other electronics is using an electronic recycling business for all of your old electronics.  Due to the sheer quantity and rapid growth of electronic goods requiring disposal this industry is booming and the number of electronic recyclers is growing.  Although there is no single electronic recycler that I’m aware of that operates across the US, I have outlined below several electronic recycling businesses or websites where you can search for the nearest e-recycler.

• Earth911.com:  www.Earth911.com – Probably one of the easiest to use and one of the most comprehensive of all recycling center search sites.  Just type in what you’re looking to recycle and where and you get a list of centers and businesses near you.
• myGreenElectronics: www.mygreenelectronics.org – Another very simple and fairly comprehensive search site.
• E-cycling Central: www.ecyclingcentral.com – A state by state clickable map brought to you by the Telecommunications Industry Association is easy to use but relatively limited in number of e-cycling locations.
• ASL Recycling: www.aslrecycling.com – They work with moving companies and other businesses throughout California and organizations and coordinate e-cycling programs and events and do all of the recycling in house utilizing green and efficient methods.
• Best Buy: www.bestbuy.com – Although the scope of what they collect is somewhat limited and they require you remove your computer’s hard drive before donating, they do have many locations across the US and will give you a $10 gift card for donating.  Best Buy recycling program information
• Staples: www.staples.com – Although they have many locations, TV’s are not accepted and a $10 fee applies to all computers and related equipment.  Staples recycling program information

How to dispose of a vacuum cleaner

Recently I was trying to get rid of an old vacuum and I wasn’t sure what to do with it.  In the green spirit of reuse and recycle I just couldn’t get myself to put it in the trash (which may even be illegal).  The vacuum cleaner was aging and although the motor still worked it needed a new filter, brush and belt.  The price of the parts was about what the vacuum cost when it was new so it made more sense to get a new one.  This led to my consideration of the options regarding how to get ride of a vacuum, working or not and which methods of disposal work best for certain situations.  So whether your moving, or just getting rid of old items, consider the options below to determine what’s best for you.

1. Sell it.  If your vacuum works and is still new enough and in good enough shape then selling it using online or print classifieds makes the most sense. If it’s old or if it needs a little repair this may still be an option but it might be better to try and find a vacuum sale and repair shop that is interested.

2. Donate it. This is probably the best option if the vacuum still works but really isn’t worth the trouble to sell it and if you just don’t need the extra money.  Remember there is usually a tax benefit for donated items (check tax code for details).

3. Leave it curbside. This should only be tried in urban areas if the vacuum works and with a sign indicating that it’s free and does indeed work.  This is usually most effective on the weekend.  A note here that this may be seriously frowned upon and possibly against city code in certain areas but I know that it’s done frequently in our community and it benefits both the disposer and the receiver.  Another note, please remove the item and find another way to dispose of it if it’s not picked up by someone within a couple of days, otherwise it will be sure to agitate neighbors and make the neighborhood look trashy.

4. Give it to a vacuum repair and sale shop.  This is what we decided to do and it made the most sense.  That way they could decide if it was worth it for them to repair and resell or to use to dismantle and use for parts.

5. Recycle it. In many areas your vacuum is recyclable by your local recycle center.  If you don’t know the name or location of your local recycle center, call or visit the website of your waste removal service to find their information.  In some cases the recycle center can provide free pickup of your vacuum and many other recyclable items and appliances.  If not a drop may be required but this is still fairly easy to do and much better for the environment than simply throwing your vacuum in the garbage or dropping it at your local dump or transfer station.

6. Trash it. Truly a last resort.  Besides the fact that a vacuum in a dump just doesn’t seem right, it might not even be allowed in certain areas.

Understanding moving insurance and valuation

A big concern to everyone when hiring a moving company is “What happens if the movers break something or lose it all together?” and the answer is that it depends.  It depends on what state you’re in or if it’s an interstate move and whether you decide to pay for extra insurance or not.  This may seem complicated but it is actually fairly straightforward.

For all interstate moves the movers are required to provide you with what is called “Released Value Protection” at no extra cost to you.  This is very minimal coverage and the moving company is only liable for $.60 per pound for every item.  So for example if they break a 25 pound TV they pay you $15.  Not very reassuring but it’s free and it’s better than nothing, but just barely.

For intrastate moves it varies state to state with many states also offering some sort of minimal protection similar to the $.60 per pound coverage offered for interstate moves.  If the moving company has not said anything about this coverage you should definitely inquire about it and review the contract closely.  It should mention this minimal coverage somewhere in the contract.  Again, not that this coverage offers a tremendous amount of protection but gives the movers some incentive not to thrash your stuff.

In many cases the moving company will offer you additional insurance for additional cost.  They usually want to offer this because they can make a little extra money on it even though the insurance may be provided by a third party insurance company.  The amount you’ll pay for this will depend on a deductible amount (typically either $0, $250 or $500) and the total value assigned to your belongings.  It can cost a few hundred extra bucks for this coverage but does provide you with some assurance.  With this insurance coverage the mover must either: repair the item; replace with a similar item or make a cash settlement for the cost of the repair or the current market replacement value of the item.

One more thing to consider is that if you pack your own boxes, it may be more difficult to make a claim against the moving company for any breakage that occurs in those boxes, regardless of how well you feel you packed them. In fact many movers will flat out say, we will not cover any boxes you packed.  Some, however, will say if the outside of the box is damaged they’ll cover it, if the box is still in tact, they won’t.

Even though you’d like to think that your belongings are safe, accidents do happen and it’s good to know what happens when they do.  This is just one more reason to pick a moving company with a big name, they have more incentive to be careful with your belongings because they want to keep their name clean.  If you picked your moving company blindly and because they were the cheapest they just might not care as much.
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Written by the One Simple Move Team