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Packing up your electronic devices for your move

Do you have your moving date set but just can’t get going on packing all of your electronic devices? Does the thought of boxing up all those cords, chargers, remotes and discs make you tired just thinking about it? Here’s help. Here are some tips to help you pack up your gadgets to save time and effort while you pack and when you unpack.

Before you start packing, get organized

Organizing your devices beforehand can save you lots of time when you arrive at your new location. First, you’ll need to back up the data on your computers. You can purchase an external hard drive, subscribe to a data storage service or back it up on the cloud. That way, if your computer gets damaged or ends up going into storage, your data is safe and accessible. 

If you take photos of the wiring on each of your devices, you can save yourself a lot of time once you get to your new place. Having a diagram to which you can refer will make reconnecting your devices a snap. 

Make a list of all of your electronic devices before you start to pack. As you pack each device, cross it off your list. You’ll feel better knowing that you are making progress, and you’ll be less likely to forget a device or two. 

When you start packing, put your devices in their original boxes if they are available. If you no longer have the original box, consult the owner’s manual for the best way to pack your device. Make sure that you have all of each device’s components before you pack them.

Label each box clearly

Make a list of each device and component contained in every box. Write it on the top of each box. This is especially helpful if you plan to pack more than one device in some of your moving boxes. To save time when you reach your destination, label each box with the name of the room to which you want it to go.

To keep the cords organized, tie all of the ones that go with a given device together. Or, simply wrap the cords that go with one device with colored tape or twist ties in one color and wrap those that go with another device in another color. 

Remember to pack your devices’ owner’s manuals and warranties

You can pack all of your owner’s manuals and warranties together in a designated box, or you may choose to pack each warranty and owner’s manual with its corresponding device. Because there may be some jostling around during your relocation, you’ll want to have your warranties handy in case one of your more sensitive devices gets damaged.

Moving has its challenges. One of the most important decisions you must face is whether to buy a new home or fix up an older one. Vintage homes have charm, but they often come with dated amenities that need to be repaired or replaced. On the other hand, new homes may be move-in ready, yet carry with them a higher price tag than you may not be able to afford. Here are some ideas you can consider while you prepare a moving checklist  to lay out what you want in your new home. 

Learn about property values

Several factors weigh heavily on a home’s value. Its location, its age, its size, the land on which it sits, the demand for housing in the target area and the home’s quality all impact the selling price for every home. Size every candidate up by those characteristics to see if its price is indeed a bargain, or if it is overpriced.

The home’s neighborhood is something that needs to be taken into consideration when you make an offer. Homes in older neighborhoods may be worth much less than similar homes in thriving neighborhoods. If you have a financial advisor or a real estate professional you trust, ask their advice on estimating the future value of the home and the growth potential of the neighborhood. 

If you can get an older home for a low price, you may find that you can increase its value by making renovations, making it a good investment for people who are handy with making repairs. The best places to recoup the money you spend on renovations are bath and kitchen updates. Updating exterior features such as doors and windows increase both curb appeal and the value of your home. Updates, however, should not be more luxurious than those in typical homes in the neighborhood, since one of the biggest factors in home appraisals are comparable homes nearby.

Consider your budget when selecting your new home

Don’t forget the utilities, homeowners’ association dues and other fees that impact how much you can afford for your monthly payment. These hidden costs can make paying your bills difficult if you don’t take the cost of home ownership into consideration. If a new home is not going to fit with your budget, consider buying an older home that you can move into and renovate over the years. In every home under consideration, take a close look at the home’s roof and siding. Replacing or repairing these items can cost thousands.

Choose a storage solution that best meets your needs

Once you choose your new home, you’ll need to pack up your things and move them to your new location. If you’re doing extensive renovations, though, you may have to live in temporary quarters until the repairs are finished. If you have very few large items in your household inventory, you may be able to use a portable storage unit. On the other hand, if you are moving a lot of large items, other storage options may be a better choice.

Don’t forget to consult your local moving professional early on in the moving  process. They will be able to give you solid advice based on years of experience as you get ready to move.

Before you make a down payment, check your potential new home for these hazards

It’s an exciting prospect to buy a new home. But before you sign on the dotted line, be sure that your potential home has no hidden dangers. Here is a checklist to help you identify some common home hazards.   • Asbestos, a material used as insulation in older homes, can cause serious, often fatal respiratory diseases after long term exposure. Particles of asbestos become airborne when a piece of asbestos is disturbed. If your home was built prior to the 1985 ban on asbestos use in construction, you may want to have the home inspected by a professional to make sure there are no traces of asbestos. If there are, consider asking the previous owner to pay to have it removed before you move in. • Mildew and mold are usually present if the home smells musty. Molds and mildew produce airborne allergens that are especially harmful to people with mold allergies, asthma or other respiratory conditions. The presence of mildew and mold usually indicate that the home has a moisture problem. High humidity or leaks are usually the culprits. • Corroded, cracked pipes occur often in regions that have wide variations in weather within a short period of time. Certain soils also tend to corrode pipes. If the home has damaged pipes, consider replacing the old ones with synthetic materials that hold up better. Steel, clay and tile pipes are more likely to become corroded over the years. • Cracked, warped or bulging foundations are expensive to correct. If you see sloping floors, cracks in the home’s interior or exterior, bulging walls or misaligned windows and doors, a faulty foundation is usually to blame. Foundation issues can be caused by poor quality fill dirt used during the home’s construction, by seismic activity or by high humidity. If you see any signs that your potential home may have foundation problems, have the home inspected before you buy. • Termite problems can cause major damage in the wooden components of your home. Excess moisture often attracts these and other pests. If a home you are considering has a termite infestation, make sure that the problem is corrected before you make an offer. 

Consider having a home inspector conduct a thorough examination of your top choice before moving in. If the home does not meet your standards, insist that the current owner have any hazardous conditions repaired before you agree to buy the property.

After the problems have been corrected, you need to take steps to make sure they do not happen again. If the home has trouble maintaining proper humidity levels, have a humidification system installed by an HVAC professional so you won’t be at risk for mold, mildew or other damage caused by high humidity. Treat wooden and concrete sections of your home with a sealant to protect them from deterioration over time. 

How to decide if a DIY move is right for you

Moving itself is quite a challenge. One of the biggest obstacles you have to overcome is your decision about whether to hire professional moving services or to do it yourself. One of the best ways to make that decision is to list the pros and cons of each alternative. Armed with that information, your decision will be easier. There are several important aspects to consider.

Pros

• You are in charge. You’ll choose the relocation means, packing method and supplies and your helpers. If you are moving to a new home located near your old one, you even have the option of transporting your goods via a few boxes at a time. When you do it yourself, you don’t have to coordinate anything with a moving company . You work on your own schedule.   • It’s cheaper. If you can sacrifice lots of extra time, packing quality and have friends and family available to help, you may get lucky and get a lot of labor at the price of a hot meal.   • You decide the schedule. If your schedule changes, no worries. You can adjust your moving dates as you need. With professional moving services, though, it will be a little more difficult to have complete flexibility and depending on the time of year, this flexibility can be very limited. • You can pack your own fragile and antique items. We understand. You don’t want to trust Aunt Bessie’s fine china to just anyone. However, if you break them, you’ll have only yourself to blame.

Cons

• Procrastination can ruin your best intentions. You don’t realize how tired you will be just from planning your move, let alone doing the physical labor. Because it’s such taxing work, you may be tempted to put off important tasks until the next day. But of course, tomorrow never comes. Soon it will be the day before moving day, and you will have to scramble around at the last minute to get everything packed. Of course, you’ll have a sore back, too. • Hidden costs of DIY moves can impact your bottom line. Not only do you have to rent a moving van, but you’ll also have to buy your own wrapping material, boxes, crates and packing tape. Don’t forget that you’ll have to pay for your own fuel and for every mile you travel. You may even have to pay a neighbor to help you load up the van. Do you have the time available or is there a cost to taking off work to get everything done? DIY may sound cheap, but in reality, it may be more economical to pay a mover. • For people in some situations, a DIY move may not be feasible. You may be better off hiring a moving company if you have young children or elderly people in your household. You’ll have to hire a caregiver to keep an eye on them while you pack and unpack. You, too, will find that a DIY move will become your full-time job for more than a few days, probably more like a few weeks or a month. You’ll lose precious time from your own job, and miss out on needed down time after you get moved in. Professional moving services can pack and unpack your belongings quickly and efficiently, giving you more time to enjoy life in your new surroundings. • You’ll be responsible for your heirlooms and other fragile items. If you really treasure Aunt Bessie’s fine china, you’ll leave it in the hands of experienced moving professionals. Because professional movers have years of experience moving precious cargo for museums and hospitals, you can be sure that it will all arrive in one piece.

Has your company outgrown your current office space? Many companies’ needs change over time. Perhaps you need a new location that provides better access for your clients. Maybe you need to offer more amenities for your staff so you can keep and attract high quality employees. Whatever the reason, there are several things to keep in mind when you search for your new office location.

Location sets the tone

For clients, it’s all about prestige and convenience. An office doesn’t need to be expensive to be elegant, but it should be attractive. Its surroundings too, should not turn off your clients. Easy, quick access to your office is also important for your busy clients. Frequent traffic jams, missing street signs and parking spaces located far from your office could spell trouble. Consider safety too, when choosing a new location for your office. Avoid high crime areas, as well as pothole ridden streets.

Have a floor plan that fits your needs

Consider your needs before you select a building. As you walk through the office space with your commercial real estate agent, look for the types of spaces that you and your employees need to do your work more efficiently. For example, if your business has a casual culture in which employees share ideas in relaxed surroundings, look for rooms in which comfortable seating can be arranged in conversation areas. If your corporate culture is more formal, you may need to look for spaces in which you can have both traditional closed door offices and conference rooms. Reception areas should be welcoming, yet create an efficient workflow.

Your new office should accommodate amenities you plan to offer

Companies who care about their employees go out of their way to make their lives easier with various amenities in their office spaces. If you plan to offer some of these amenities, be sure that the new office has spaces that can be used for those services. For instance, if you plan to have a kitchen or dining facilities, you’ll need to be able to pipe running water into those spaces. Other amenities require other special considerations. Offering these services can help you attract and retain a quality workforce.

• A gym or swimming pool • Daycare facilities • After school care • Dining or kitchen facilities • Spa • Car rentals • Laundry and dry cleaning facilities • Healthcare facilities • Meditation room

The building or corporate park in which you relocate should provide ample security. Ask about fees for janitorial services, grounds keeping and trash disposal.

Constructing an effective and efficient logistics plan for your company helps productivity and ensures daily operations run smoothly. As time goes on, things can change that may affect how your business runs. This makes it very important to periodically re-inspect the storage plan that your company has in place. When discussing logistics with a potential storage provider it can be extremely advantageous to take advantage of relocation opportunities as well as the creation of a customized plan to perfectly fit your company’s needs. So what should you do first?

Assess your current operations

Completing a close review of the logistics plan that is in place can reveal areas that are due for improvements. This makes it easy to come up with an attainable action plan with reasonable timeframes included.

Assess your current storage services

While reviewing your internal operations, take the time to look over the amount of storage space that is currently being used. Your inspection may reveal the need for more space, or the need to downsize. The objective is usually to project growth for your company. If you place an effective and efficient plan in place, productivity should see an increase which will have to be taken into consideration for warehousing. When it comes to storage, utilizing the proper size and location not only makes the most sense, it saves the most money.

Assess fluctuation in fuel price

Cost, in regards to relocation and storage, is based on a wide range of factors, one of the most important being fuel prices. It is because of this you will want to leave some room for these changes.

Assessing potential providers

Cargo ships play a huge role in the international shipping industry. In fact, nearly 90 percent of world trade occurs over the high seas. International piracy, though, threatens to raise the cost and risk of doing business internationally.   International piracy, brought to public attention by the 2013 film Captain Phillips, causes international corporations to lose money every year. Each ship must be insured against a possible attack by these rogue elements. If they succeed in their mission to steal a ship’s cargo, the company loses all of that merchandise.

Some companies choose to take the long way around areas which present an increased risk of piracy. These detours cause some shipments to be late, resulting in unhappy customers. If the cargo is perishable, the company runs the risk of losing the contents of the entire ship.

Thankfully, the Internal Maritime Organization has led the way to reduce acts of piracy against ships. With their firm leadership, the number of attempted and successful attacks plummeted to its lowest level ever during 2014. 

International shipping, storage and moving companies too, do their part to reduce the number of attacks on their ships. Companies take precautions to make sure that their customer’s shipments arrive safely and on time.

• Taking alternative routes If customers are flexible about arrival times, companies may choose an alternative route to steer clear of troubled waters. Customers need to confirm the route in advance so they can make adjustments if needed. Last minute changes of direction are always a possibility to avoid pirate attacks, so customers need to be open to sudden changes in shipping plans.

• Safety is top priority Shipping companies put their crews’ and cargoes’ safety at the top of the priority list. If confidential information or closely guarded technology is aboard, shipping companies will increase onboard security. A top quality alarm system, barbed wire fences and armed guards provide an extra degree of security that will keep crews and cargoes safe from harm. Some ships also have GPS navigation to help them avoid high risk waters.

• Marine insurance provides extra security Even with the best of intentions, the unexpected sometimes happens. Companies who ship cargo on the open seas often choose to purchase marine insurance. Various policies help safeguard customer investments in case an attack occurs. Companies should consult their insurance agent for the best policy for their needs.

Each year, Suddath helps thousands of major companies, nongovernmental organizations and private citizens move internationally. With our vast global footprint and resources, we are able to treat large or small moves with the same expert level of professionalism and service every time.

Assigned move counselor

Milwaukee move policy assessment and consultation

Customs information and counseling

Valuation or insurance counseling

Pre move kit

Destination information

Shipment of household goods