Tips for Downsizing Your Home
If the kids have gone away or you just need a less expensive place, a great solution is downsizing your home and moving into a smaller house.
The 27 Essential Things to Do After Moving to San Antonio
New to the area? Here are our top 27 things to do after moving to San Antonio With a multitude of savory food, historic venues, and hundreds of family-friendly events, San Antonio has quickly become one of the gems of Texas.
How Moving Has Changed Since 1947
The regulations, market place and technology has dramatically changed how we interact with both our customers and team members since this truck was dispatched from our original Lubbock, Texas location. When Gene Anderson started Dependable Relo in 1947 and signed an agency agreement with United Van Lines, he had no way of knowing the dramatic changes that would impact the relocation industry almost 70 years later. He began the company with a simple vision of providing the customers with the service they needed. Whether it was moving across town or storage and fulfillment of product, he knew the customer needed people who cared enough to do the job right the first time.
In my more than 25 years with Dependable Relo, I have seen changes in everything we do. It was not that long ago when, if you wanted to locate a driver, you had to wait until he checked in for his daily call. When they did call in, you had to communicate the entire shipment information to them over the telephone and hope they had a pencil handy to write it down. Today, we can not only locate the van operator immediately, but we can also send them messages and the entire load information directly to them in seconds.
In the past, the driver showed up at origin and completed a hand written inventory of all the items being relocated. Today, the movers are equipped with handheld computers to inventory and bar code each piece being moved. This inventory can be printed or e-mailed to the customer upon completion and the customer can check each piece into their new home as it arrives.
Despite all these changes, customers still need people who care enough to do the job right the first time.
In today’s fast-paced environment, we tend to forget about the personal touch. A team of people is still needed to load and unload the trucks. We can have the most recent technology, but the driver must still drive to the pickup point, load the order, drive to the destination, and unload it. You need dedicated people to correctly estimate, coordinate and dispatch the packing and loading teams.
Moving is a complicated process. The customer has to worry about a lot of things on top of their move. The last thing they need to worry about is the team of people handling everything they own.
When you choose your mover ask the following questions.
1. What is your hiring process for the people who will service my order?
2. Do you run background checks on everyone on your team?
3. What type of training do your movers complete before they are allowed on a job?
4. Are they registered with the state and federal government? Check their status by having them provide you with their Department of Transportation registration numbers.
If the company cannot answer these basic questions to your satisfaction, then you have not found your relocation provider.
At the end of the day, it is not the truck or the technology that will handle and deliver your belongings. It is the team of people that care enough to do the job right the first time. If they miss the mark, are they willing to work to correct their mistake quickly?
As always, do not hesitate to contact Dependable Relo and allow us to help with all your moving and relocation needs.
How to Do an Office Move (The Right Way)
#1 – Create a growth plan.
You need to know the trajectory of your company to get the best results for your commercial move. This means knowing how your new building will fit with the goals of the company. If your business is growing, you may need to over-prepare by getting a much larger space that you need at the time. A growth plan can include:
- What is the target amount of employees we will have?
- Will we create new departments to take on new responsibilities while at this building?
- What is the technology forecast for the company?
- How will our infrastructure need to adapt to accommodate new equipment?
- Will we outgrow this building in a way that will cost us money?
#2- Create an office relocation timeline and goals template.
Set goals that your business can achieve with this move. Perhaps you want to find a location that is closer to clients . Maybe you’d like to find a larger space to support company growth. Communicate those goals to the team involved in planning your office move. If your team knows these goals, you will avoid any oversights that may hurt your company’s move.
#3- Don’t attempt your move alone; assemble the troops!
You need a move team that can handle different aspects of the move. For many teams, this is a good starting point for an internal team:
Employee mover that deals with individual requests
IT relocation expert that handles tech infrastructure during the move
The “Common Sense” Residential Move In Checklist
Congratulations! You’re moving for the first time! We know that’s a lot of exclamation marks, but we’re excited to help you on your very first move. It’s an amazing, anxious, and awesome experience that can fill you with butterflies. There are a lot of things to do before you even set out for your new home.
It’s easy to pack up and head across the country compared to sussing out all the paperwork you have to finish when moving. We’ve heard a lot of stories from people who forgot to do this one thing when they moved. Because of that, it created some low grade chaos on their end. They couldn’t help it, though, because they didn’t know all the ins and outs of moving except for packing things in boxes.
That’s why Dependable Relo made the “common sense” list of things to do after you move. We call it “common sense” because after you find out, you’re probably going to slap your head since you didn’t think of it. The only reason we set that expectation is because the people that provided us these tips slapped their head because they didn’t think of it.
Our Moving Tips
Do you have running water and electricity?
This might be silly, but it’s happened before. You move to your new place and you don’t know what to do about the utilities. Whether you’re moving to an apartment or to a brand new home, it’s crucial to figure out how to get the power on. If you don’t, your house will be dark and your showers may be very cold.In order to get this fixed, contact your city’s utility department. Get detailed instructions from an operator and put your name with your new address. This will get bills flowing into your mailbox. Bills are never fun. What is fun is being able to turn on the lights when you want.
Do you have valid car insurance?
If you’ve recently moved with your car bought in another state, check your insurance. In some instances, your insurance may be completely invalid according to where you are. That’s why it’s important to check in with a new local agent in your new hometown.It’s easy to forget about insurance. When you’re not dealing with insurance instances every day, then you can put it out of your mind. However, when you get in an accident or get pulled over by police for something, you could be in significant trouble. That’s why it’s important to talk to an insurance agent and get your situation squared away as quickly as possible.
Did you get your car registered? Also, did you register to vote?
Most states have a limit of how long you can have your old license plate on your vehicle. If police pull you over and your tag is invalid, you could be asking for big trouble. Get your vehicle registered in your new home state as soon as possible. This can take away any potential headaches you have with law enforcement.Also, get registered to vote. It’s very easy to put this one off. If you’ve moved for a new job or something that takes up your time, this could get pushed to the wayside fast. If you want to have an active voice in your new community, you have to step up. Be a part of your new home and vote.
Do you have furniture?
Again, while this might seem silly, this is our “Common Sense” residential guide. We wouldn’t put this in if we didn’t know someone that this happened to. Instead of moving with their old furniture, they left it behind. While they were busy packing up the rest of it, they had completely forgotten to arrange any furniture to be at their apartment.It’s extremely easy to find used furniture in a new city. Hopping onto Craiglist.org and going to the free section is a fantastic way to find tables, chairs, beds, and more. Similarly, if you live in a town with a university, go out driving. Structure your move to be at just the right time, you can find a wide selection of fantastic furniture that’s available curbside.
Did you tell your workplace where you’re moving to?
You’ve got a new job in a new city, which means you’re leaving your old job. Tell your former employer where you are moving to. When tax season rolls around, you need to be able to fill out all of your tax information. If you can’t do that and can’t track down your W-4s come tax time, the amounts you pay may well exceed anything you could have imagined.Provide your former employer with all the details of your new home. This includes a new address, new phone number, and any new changes that might be happening. This can help send final pay stubs, final tax information, and anything else they need to send you.
Did you tell your bank where you’re moving to?
If you’re moving to a completely new city or state, inform your bank. When your bank information suddenly has new transactions popping up in a brand new area, it could look alarming. Also, if you’re getting regular statements from your bank every month, you won’t be able to keep tabs any longer.This particular stipulation is doubly important if you need direct withdrawal or direct deposit. If you’re working all the time, you have to set up withdrawals and deposits just to keep track of your bills. If you don’t get your financials squared away and stop using your old bank, you could suddenly go into debt due to automatic payments. Make sure you have a new bank if you need one and make sure your old bank is dealt with by either closing out your account or finding a new branch.
Dependable Relo wants your move goes as smooth as possible. If you can think of any other common sense tips to add, feel free to contact us and let us know. Let’s make this guide as comprehensive as possible for new movers. Have a good move!
International Moving Tips
An international move in itself is a big adjustment. You’re learning a new city, a new country, maybe even a new culture. For some people, the actual process of moving can feel just as stressful as the relocation itself. However, there are ways to pre-plan so you worry less about getting there and simply enjoy the adventure. Here are some tips for international moving.
1. Get the necessary paperwork out of the way. This step will vary depending on the reason you’re moving. You’ll need a different visa if you’re moving for school than if you’re moving for work. This is good to keep in mind if you’re moving with children. You and your family will also need passports if you are moving out of the country. If you don’t have passports already, be sure to give yourself ample time for applying and processing (ideally, several months).
2. Decide what to carry and what to ship. If you’re flying to your new destination, obviously you won’t be able to fit an entire household into carry-ons and a couple checked bags. Thus, you will need to decide what to carry with you and what to have shipped. It is recommended you keep important documents, medications, and clothing with you, as these things may be needed on a short notice. In terms of shipping, be aware of any non-allowable items. Your international moving company may provide you with a list, but generally non-allowable items include things like food, alcohol, firearms, narcotics, and explosives. However, these restrictions can vary depending on the country to which you’re moving.
3. Speaking of shipping, decide what you’d like to do with your car. Moving companies can often ship cars, but you may want to weigh the cost of leasing or renting a car if you’re only relocating for a short period of time.
4. Consider storage options. This is another factor to weigh if your international relocation is temporary, like for a military relocation or attending university. If there are certain items that are special or important to you but that aren’t necessary to bring or won’t fit in your new home, you can arrange for storage in your country of origin or where you are moving. If you’d like to minimize storage, look into how you can downsize your belongings.
5. Take care of all the “details.” In addition to the bigger logistical pieces, there are many smaller parts of the equation to remember. This includes finding schooling for children and relocation services for pets, transferring your bank accounts, getting any required vaccinations, and whether you’ll need a new cell phone and/or adapters for your electronics.
Embarking on an international move can seem like a daunting task, but can be very manageable if you break it up into smaller steps. Enlisting the help of experienced international movers is invaluable as well. As overwhelming as the process may feel, there are plenty of resources available to make it easier.
If you’re looking for international movers, make Dependable Relo your first and only call!
Dependable Relo Wins 7th Annual 10K a Day to Benefit the United Way!
UniGroup recently participated in the 7th Annual 10K a Day event to raise funds for United Way, an organization that helps people and communities across the U.S. We’re pleased to report that there was a great deal of enthusiastic participation from employees, including our staff at Dependable Relo’ headquarters in Round Rock, Texas. Teams from 19 UniGroup agency locations logged more than 158 million steps and raised more than $10,000 for United Way organizations across the country.
Dependable Relo is proud that we had so many passionate individuals from our company who were excited and willing to participate. In total, we had 3 teams and 55 participants, more than any other agent. What makes us even prouder is that this is Dependable Relo’s second consecutive year winning this event.
The team members from Dependable Relo logged 46,769,494 steps over the 12 week period. This adds up to a staggering 23,300+ miles! To keep our teams motivated and inspired, we had a biweekly drawing to give away 6 FitBits to members of the team who consistently achieved over 10,000 steps a day. And we certainly had many participants who went above and beyond these expectations. At the end of the challenge, we had 5 members who had exceeded 1,200,000 steps (or 600 miles) and 18 members who exceeded 1,000,000 steps (or over 500 miles) in total.
As the first place agency, Dependable Relo received a trophy recognizing us as “The Most Physically Fit Agency in the UniGroup System” for 2014. We would also like to thank the three hard-working team captains who encouraged everyone and kept them on track: Tanya Wilson, Valisha Woodhurst, and Sherri Brauer. It’s been wonderful to see how so many of our team members stepped up to help United Way continue doing its important, life-changing work.
