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Self-Storage Makes Moving Easier

Jon Fesmire | May 27, 2016 @ 7:00 AM

In the United States the average number of times a person moves within his or her lifetime is about 12. That’s simply moving from one home to another and doesn’t count if you own a business and may be moving from one office to the next. It’s something we all have to do from time to time when new job opportunities arise, we go off to college, or move in with a partner. Ideally, there’s enough overlap between when we have to move out of one home and into the next, but sometimes that coordination just isn’t possible.

You may not need self-storage on a regular basis and may not think of it often. However, self-storage can help smooth out what would otherwise be a rough move. Let’s look at some reasons you may decide to rent a storage space for the duration of a move, and the advantages of doing so.

Few to No Helpers

Perhaps you live alone, or maybe it’s just you and your children. Maybe you don’t have many family and friends nearby who can help, or they’re occupied during the week you plan to move to your new place. If you’re essentially stuck doing your entire move by yourself and can’t afford to hire a moving company, then renting a self-storage unit for a month or two, near your current residence, may be the perfect option.

Your Busy Life

Maybe you’re simply a very busy person, and even with the help of friends, you know it will take a while to get from one place to another. Perhaps you have only a few hours per week to move things out of your current home. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to take one car-load at a time to your new place, even though you have to move from your old place within, say, a month? Self-storage can help you here, too, by allowing you extra time.

Moving Out Before Your New Home is Ready

This is basically the worst case scenario when it comes to moving from one home to another, and the most obvious reason to get a self-storage unit for a few months.

Let’s say you just bought your first home and will be able to move into it in one month. Meanwhile, your lease on your current apartment runs out in two weeks. You’ll have two important things to think about. First, where do you put your things? We think that self-storage is the obvious answer. Second, where will you stay? If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to stay with friends or family during that bridging period. If you’re not so lucky, you’ll need to stay in a hotel or motel, which, of course, will cost extra money. As soon as you know the situation, start planning for where you’ll stay, and start looking for a self-storage facility.

Self-Storage for Moving

Now that we’ve covered why you may want to use self-storage to facilitate a move, we come to just how to do that. Though this will take time, as all moves do, the steps are actually pretty easy.

If you plan to move everything to self-storage first, and then to your new home, you will need a larger unit than if you will be able to move some things to your new place, but also need to put some things in storage. Why might the latter be the case? Let’s say your new place is 20 miles away and you can bring one car-load over per day, and one car-load to your storage unit, which is just two miles from the home you’re leaving. You’ll pack the car, drop off the load at storage, go back to the old home, pack the car again, then go to your new place to spend the night, before you repeat the process the next day.

In either case, our size guide will help you determine how much space you will need. Consider the size of your current place and your moving requirements, and watch the videos to determine what will work best for you. Then, find a self-storage facility and unit to match your needs, and rent your space. Buy a secure lock for your unit as well and rent shelving if you need it.

Then, it’s time to start your move! Pack your belongings safely and put them in your self-storage unit. With a unit close to home, even if you’re working alone, chances are you’ll have enough time to get everything into your unit (or some into your unit and some into your new place) before your final day living at your old house or apartment. If you plan it well, you should also be able to get your old place cleaned up so you can get your deposit back.

After that, you can move your belongings to your new place at your leisure. This would be a good time to rent a truck so that you can bring over one or more loads in a day. It will also give you more time to arrange for friends to help, or you can simply go to your storage space when convenient, maybe twice a week, fill your car or truck with a load, and bring it to your new place.

This has an added advantage you may not have considered. The less you bring to a new place at a time, the easier it is to get it organized. You make one trip, organize what you brought with you, make another, organize that, and so on. That way, you don’t start with piles of discouraging boxes in your living room, so it’s easier to keep your place tidy from the beginning.

Once you’ve moved everything out of your storage unit, you can cancel your storage rental, knowing that it made your move much more comfortable. Most self-storage facilities offer month-to-month leases, so you can rent your unit for as much or as little time as you need it.

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