Hampton Roads Moving and Storage

Happy Birthday Brenda!

hampton — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:35:38 +0000

Happy Birthday to our President Brenda Brenda Vandergrift Queeney!! 50 and Fabulous!!

Tips for having a sane & organized move!

hampton — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:24:58 +0000

Tips for having a sane and organized move:

-Get help. Have people on both ends help you pack, clean, unpack, clean, babysit, or whatever else it takes to get the work done.

-Set some goals. I am a big list/calendar/schedule maker. It helps with the stress. I made a schedule of the two weeks prior to the move. I first put in the activities (ie goodbye parties, lunches, visits, etc). Then figure out what items you need the longest. Then each day pack a room. My first days I packed decorations, books, things I didn’t need. Then I packed a suitcase and lived out of those, like we were on vacation. That way I didn’t pack up things we needed. Once the kitchen was packed up, we ate out for about 5 days.

-Write the room and specific box content visibly on the box. If you need to get in that box later you don’t want to search through 5 “Kitchen” boxes just to find your silverware. This is especially true if you are placing your items in a storage unit or won’t be getting to it for a few days/weeks; however long your memory retains (me = hours).

Tips for having a sane and organized move:

-Get help. Have people on both ends help you pack, clean, unpack, clean, babysit, or whatever else it takes to get the work done.

-Color code. Each room has its own color. Instead of writing on the box, write on half a sheet of colored paper (I suggest neons, you can’t miss them and they are easy to see the writing of a black sharpie on them). Then when it is time to unpack place that color of paper of that room above the door or some place very visible.

-Keep the little ones away. They don’t like the stress of a house being packed away, and you don’t like having them unpack and wandering off with something and hiding it. Pack during naps and bedtimes.

-Save the little one’s rooms for the last. Let their room be a sanctuary, and let it be the same as long as possible.

-Obtain many more boxes than you think you need. There are always those little things that you forgot to pack or just wouldn’t quite fit in the box.

-Have all the same size boxes, or just a few different sizes. This makes packing up a moving truck really easy.

-Pack your valuables well. You get what you pay for with movers. If you are having friends and family help you move for free, remember they are not professionals. Pack accordingly.

-Buy the ends of newsprint rolls from your local newspaper. It is like a roll of butcher paper only thinner. Perfect and inexpensive. Call your newspaper to see if they sell it. (Bonus! Kids love to make big artwork on the leftover newsprint! It will keep them entertained while you are packing the truck!)

-When unpacking, have someone manning the door. Look at the box/furniture and direct the traffic. This will make unpacking a little easier.

-As you pack each item, think if you have really used it in the last year. If not, throw it in the good will pile. You don’t need it taking up space in a box if you aren’t going to use it. Be brutal. You’ll be happy to not move with so much clutter.

-Wrap your furniture in newsprint to prevent from minor scratches. You can put something with a little more padding on the corners if you are worried.

-Keep original boxes of items you care a lot about. They make packing easy and you can feel safer about how they are packed. I have my boxes for my computer, food processor, printer, and Kitchen-aid.

-Relax!

Virginia Beach Named as One of the Nation’s Best Cities to Raise a Family

hampton — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:57:17 +0000

Daily Finance, an AOL Money & Finance Site, named Virginia Beach, Virginia as the second best city in the nation to raise a family, citing the following positives about our beloved city:

Acres of parkland per 1,000 residents: 77.7 (2nd highest)

Playgrounds per 1,000 residents: 5.0 (6th highest)

Violent crimes per 1,000 residents: 1.9 (8th lowest)

Unemployment rate: 6.1% (5th lowest)

Adults with at least a high school degree: 93.1% (5th highest)

Virginia Beach is extremely prosperous, due in large part to the presence of several military bases in the area. It has the eighth-lowest rate of violent crime among major cities and the fifth-lowest unemployment rate. It also has the second-largest acreage of parkland per capita, behind only New Orleans, which has suffered huge population losses in recent years. Virginia Beach also has one of the highest numbers of playgrounds per capita in the country.

Whether you are raising a family, planning for retirement or somewhere in between, Hampton Roads Moving and Storage offers well-priced moves for that stressful phase of your life. For the full article listing the top ten cities in the nation to raise a family, click here.

Want to know about our De-Cluttering services?

hampton — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:53:17 +0000

De-Cluttering Services

To save money, you may want to reduce the quantity of items you are moving.

Furniture
Get rid of anything that’s worn out, badly damaged, or soon to be replaced. Anything that will not fit in your new home should be discarded or left behind. Make sure your furniture will fit through doorways and up or down the stairs, both in your old home and your new home. Think twice about moving any items made of particleboard, such as shelving or storage units. Particleboard items do not normally travel well, since nails and screws may become loose when the item is moved. If you insist on moving these items, it will be done at your own risk.

Draperies, curtains, and rugs
Make sure these items will fit your new home’s floors and windows before you consider taking them with you. If you do decided to take them, consider having them cleaned before moving day and leave any protective wrapping on them for extra protection.

Kitchen Supplies
Go through all your cabinets and discard any items you don’t use. Use up your perishables and frozen items before you move. If you have canned goods or other non-perishable items, consider giving them to a food bank or soup kitchen.

Clothes
The rule of thumb is that if you haven’t worn something in two years, you probably never will. Give these items to a homeless shelter or charitable group.

Outdoor equipment
If swing sets, barbecues, picnic tables, lawn mowers, and TV antennas are in good condition and you’ll use them in your new home, take them with you. Otherwise, find out if the new owners or your neighbors are interested in buying them from you. After you finish sorting through your belongings, take stock of the items you are not going to move. If you give them to charity, make sure you get a receipt for tax purposes. You may also want to have a yard or garage sale to dispose of these items and make a little extra money.

Save Money, Be Green
Need help to get rid of your Junk? Arpin Van Lines has partnered with 1-800-GOT-JUNK? to help you get rid of those things you know you will no longer use or need, helping you potentially reduce the cost of your moving expenses.

For a fee, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? provides de-cluttering and junk removal services. The best part is that all items collected gets either recycled, donated, or reused. For more information about this program, please call us at 800-343-3500.

Social Media Study_Facebook Timeline vs. Old Profiles: How People View Them Differently

hampton — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:19:01 +0000

Your social media profiles have morphed as the sites they live on have changed. So has the way people view them.

To get a better idea of how profile design affects profile viewers, Mashable asked eye-tracking research startup EyeTrackShop to compare visual statistics for Twitter, Facebook and MySpace profiles before and after major site redesigns. The company had 30 people to look at the profiles while tracking their eye movements. Here are some interesting observations from the resulting data:

Facebook Timeline cover photos get noticed first. However, study participants still spent a longer time looking at the Facebook Timeline profile photo than the cover photo.
Facebook ads get noticed more in Facebook Timeline. While 43% of participants noticed Facebook “sponsored stories” in the old profile format, 63% noticed the ads in the Timeline format. Participants spent the same amount of time on average looking at the ads in each profile.
Personal information such as employer and location gets more attention in the new Facebook Timeline. Viewers spent an average 2.2 seconds looking at this section in the new format, which includes images, but only 1.6 seconds looking at this section in the old format.
MySpace text gets read last and least. In both the new and old versions of MySpace, top photos were noticed first and viewers spent the most time looking at them.
The New MySpace makes soundtracks more prominent. Ninety-seven percent of viewers noticed the section of songs you can click on to play in the new profile, but only 53% noticed them in the old profile.
Profile information is easier to find in the new Twitter. While viewing the old profile, participants noticed tweets before they noticed profiles. While viewing the new version, that pattern was reversed.

What to do 4-5 weeks before your move!

hampton — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:09:16 +0000

Contact or visit your local Post Office to obtain a Change of Address form. You can also obtain this form online at the postal service website by visiting: www.usps.com
Give a change of address to the following:
1. Banks
2. Schools
3. Friends & family
4. Insurance company
5. Doctors & specialists
6. Cellular phone company
7. Credit card companies
8. Subscriptions (Magazine, newspaper, etc.)
By this point you should have already hired a mover and received an estimate. Check with you mover to confirm that all the details of the move are set. If you are packing on your own, make the proper arrangements and get the right supplies.
Make the arrangements to connect and disconnect your cable, internet, electric and any other services you currently use. Dealing with this at an earlier date will prevent any date and time conflicts you may incur.
You may have to switch banks because your current bank branches may be sparse in your new town. Investigate the popular banks in the area you will be living in so that you can close and open new bank accounts as needed.
Check what the requirements are to receive a new driver’s license and complete auto registration at your new motor vehicle location.
If you will be making an international move, make sure your passport is up to date and has not expired. Passports generally take three weeks to process.

Moving Lingo 101: T

hampton — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:28:01 +0000

Tare Weight – Weight of the entire transportation unit (van/truck) and its contents prior to loading household goods.

Tariff – Schedule of rates or table of charges published by each van line which shows price schedule, classification rating, and other rules and regulations.

Third Party Service – Moving services (i.e., dismantling a pool table, removal of an antenna or satellite dish) performed by an individual or company not associated with Arpin Van Lines, Inc. The cost of these services appear as a separate item on the Bill of Lading.

Moving Lingo 101: S

hampton — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 20:54:52 +0000

Shrink Wrap – Plastic sheeting which is wrapped around large items (i.e., sofas) to decrease or eliminate soiling.

Shuttle Service – Service performed, usually at an additional cost, when a road or driveway to a residence does not permit access by a large van.

Skin – Burlap bag used to wrap and pad small items that may not be very clean (i.e., lawn mower, grill, etc.).

Storage Container – A large, front loaded plywood box into which household goods are placed for storage.

Storage-In-Transit (SIT) – Temporary storage of household goods in a warehouse (used mostly on long-distance moves).

Straight Truck – A moving truck constructed as a single unit (as opposed to a tractor and separate trailer).

Moving Lingo 101: R

hampton — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 20:13:42 +0000

Registration Number – Number assigned exclusively to a shipment for recordkeeping and tracking. Also referred to as “Reg Number.”

Replacement Value – Cost to replace a lost or damaged item based on current market prices or substantiated value.

Moving Lingo 101: P

hampton — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:56:11 +0000

Paperwork – The forms and documents that accompany a shipment.

Private Storage – Household goods stored by an individual, at his/her expense, in a self-storage facility.