Moving Guru Blog

Having a Moving Away Party

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Devie Lin

Moving is leaving.  It’s taking yourself and going to another place miles upon miles, sometimes oceans away from the people you see each day.

Having a moving away party is a great way to create closure with your friends and family. It allows you and them to share a final experience together and say goodbye.  Of course, moving away does not mean that you will never see these people again, but even in the age of Skype, it does mean that things will never quite be the same, especially for the people who you see daily or weekly.

A good moving away party can take on many forms, but here are some things to consider to make yours a memorable bookend to your time in town:

1. Choose a place soaked in memories – if you and your friends spent many summer nights on your patio, have the party there; if you used to frequent a restaurant or bar, have it there.  Enjoy a place you have enjoyed many times before.

2. Don’t invite the world – you want to be able to spend meaningful time with the people you are closest with, so don’t invite everybody you’ve known and their sister.

3. Keep it simple – don’t plan on cooking a five course feast or slaving to make everything just right.  Again, you want to spend time with your guests.

4. Keep it open ended – don’t plan an afternoon party if you have to be somewhere at 7:00 that night.  Cutting things off early is like throwing water on a fire.  You want your party to smolder with laughs and reminiscence as long as feels right.

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Moving On Moving

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Devie Lin

Moving on sometimes requires moving away.

Life can be painful.  Significant others split; people have professional failures; daily routines can become burdens, whether it’s a demeaning job or a congested commute.  When these things happen, it’s hard to think rationally.  Strong emotions can smother any other thoughts, and these emotions can scream, “leave, get out, move.”

Choosing to move is often an emotional decision.  Perhaps to some extent it always should be; you should feel a desire to relocate.  If your gut tells you it’s time to go, then go.

However, you need to make sure that you can afford to move where you want to go.  Follow your emotions as far as your finances and well-being can follow.

Moving on by moving away is not a bad thing.  However, moving away without thinking about the economic consequences of moving can lead to more pain than it soothes.

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Moving to a New City from an Old One

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Devie Lin

Moving to a new city is not easy, especially if you don’t have an opportunity to live there while finding a place to live.  Finding an apartment while living in a different city and home hunting from a different state are difficult, time consuming and stressful tasks.

However, there are some basic ways to make the search easier.  Here are three tips for finding the right place for you without ever seeing it in person:

1.  Research a neighborhood first – a bad neighborhood can ruin a good rental, and a good neighborhood can help make a run down spot seem, well, charming.  Check local newspapers, talk to friends, look on the Internet and perhaps even read up on the history of the city in the library.  Then pick out a neighborhood or two that you would feel comfortable targeting and begin looking for rental units in them.

2.  Talk to people – a real estate agent is ideal, but they cost money.  However, don’t shy from calling friends of friends, people who work in your industry or even local restaurants and businesses in the area to see what they think about where you plan to live.

3.  Use the Internet – on top of offering access to newspapers and online publications, the Internet offers websites, such as Craigslist, that can help you find rental units.  It also offers Google Street View, which lets you check out what streets and neighborhoods actually look like, and review sites, like Yelp, which let you check reviews of local fare and events.  All together, the Internet is the best way to experience an area without ever being there.

Posted in Apartment and House Hunting, Types of Moves | Leave a comment

Yard Sale Haggling

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Devie Lin

 is generally a fun experience.  You get to hang out with friends, drink coffee in the sunshine and meet new people who want to buy your old, worthless stuff.

However, a yard sale can get cutthroat really fast.  Seriously.

Some people are experienced yard sale patrons who are dead-set on getting deals at your yard sale.  They want to haggle; they want to abuse your ignorance.  For an inexperienced person, a yard sale haggler can be a real killjoy.  However, they need not be.  Here are three tips for managing yard sale hagglers:

1. Use price stickers – stickers will at least provide a starting point for a haggling interaction, and most people will simply pay the sticker price.

2. Over-value – price all of your goods a little bit above what you hope to get.  This will give you leeway to haggle a bit.

3. Write down the positive qualities of your goods – come up with a sheet that details the positives for each good (this record is in good condition / no longer in print / my cousin bought it in New York, 1974).  Keep the sheet with you.  It will help you argue that a higher price is appropriate when someone tries to haggle with you to lower it.

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How to Sublet Your Place

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Devie Lin

Life doesn’t play by the rules of your lease.  A new job can spring up in the middle of a month or a family issue can arrive without warning, causing you to need to move.  In such a case, you might find yourself needing to leave your current place with months still on your lease.

You never want to break your lease.  While your landlord will have a duty to find a new tenant, you will be on the hook for rent owed until he does.  So, what do you do if you need to move?

First, you should see if you landlord is willing to void your lease.  if not, your next best option is to sublet your place.  To sublet, follow the following steps:

1. Check your lease – to see if it allows subletting.

2. Advertise – a sign outside your place and an ad on Craigslist should be sufficient.  Also, have your friends spread the word.

3. Consider dropping the price – if your place is $800 a month, consider dropping it by $50 or so to make it more attractive to a potential subleasee than the vacant spot right next to it.

4. Contract – always make a contract with the person you’re subletting to so you both know the essential terms of the agreement.  Type up the basics, sign the document and both keep a copy.

If your contract does not allow subletting, you might still be able to add the person to your lease.  You would need to talk to you landlord about this.

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Moving with Pets

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Devie Lin

Like ants on chocolate, pets can and will complicate any move.  Even the most trained of pets can get flustered in the hectic of it all and end up quivering under your car or crying at the feet of your movers.  There are some basic steps you can take to avoid a difficult situation, though.

1. Talk to your vet or a pet store owner (for vet-less pets, like fish and hamsters).  They can give you good, basic information to keep in mind.

2. Separate your pet from the move.  Keep them in a neutral room with food and water during the heavy-lifting and open-doors times of the move.

3. Avoid tranquilizing – unless your vet okays it. Tranquilizing certain pets, notably dogs and cats, can create more problems than it quells.

 4. Keep your pet’s needs at the top of your mind.  Move your pet and its needs out of the home last and into your new home first.

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City Data from City-Data.com

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Devie Lin

Are you thinking about moving to a new city?  Do you want to know what its industries are, its average home prices, its crime?  How about its common modes of transportation?  How many two bedroom rentals it has?

If so, head to city-data.com.  It will key you into all the stats and figures you could possibly want about your potential new home.  Heck, you might even learn something new about your current home.

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Using Rental Data to Your Advantage

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Devie Lin

Looking for an apartment in a new city or state?  Prior to choosing an apartment, you should know what price you should expect to pay.  At MyApartmentMap.com, you can find the average rental rates for states, cities and zip codes.  Arming yourself with rental rate data can help you weed through over-priced rentals.

Of course, you need to consider more than price.  A more-expensive spot can be worth the price if it has free parking, a patio, or a good location.  Here are some other factors to consider when comparing your prospective apartment to the average price:

  • Amenities (patio, space, fireplace,  bathrooms, garage, yard, etc.)
  • Location (shopping, crime, schools, etc.)
  • Parking (free parking, covered parking, street parking)
  • Public transportation (if you don’t have a car)
  • Lease (yearly, 6 months, monthly)
  • Sharing (roommate, shared yard, shared kitchen, etc.)
Posted in Apartment and House Hunting, Money-Saving Tips | Leave a comment

Recycle Your Electronics!!

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Devie Lin

If you have a virus-laden computer from 1995, it’s probably bathing in dust and cobwebs somewhere in your garage.  Unfortunately, when it’s time to move, you’re going to come across it, and your first instinct will probably be to toss it in the dumpster.

Don’t.

Electronics should always be recycled for two reasons.  First, they contain materials that can be hazardous to the environment.  Second, those materials might be of use to manufacturers.  For example, copper can be reused, as can a number of other materials.

Recycling electronics might seem terribly inconvenient for a person who doesn’t know the first way to go about it.  Fortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency has an online list of electronics recycling centers, which you can use to quickly find the recycling center nearest you.

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Saving up Before Moving out on Your Own

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Devie Lin

Moving out from your parents’ home is a big decision.  Not only will you be living alone, you will be bearing all the costs of living alone, including rent, groceries and utilities, on your own.

Before you decide to move out, you should make sure that you can sustain yourself financially on your own.  This requires making two budgets, one based on your savings and one based on your monthly income.

The moving out budget (savings) – moving out raises significant costs.  First, you will need to pay a deposit in addition to your first month’s rent.  Deposits are usually equal to a month of rent.  Second, moving itself is costly, especially if you have to rent a truck or if you are moving a great distance.  Third, you will need to stock your new home with the basics, everything from toilet paper to spices.  This will be significantly more expensive than your average shopping excursion.  You will need to have saved up enough money to cover these costs if you decide to move out.

The monthly budget (income) – your monthly budget should include rent, groceries, personal expenses (nightlife, coffee, dining out), gas, parking, insurance and any other costs that you can think of.  These should add up to be less than whatever your income is.

If you have enough money saved up to cover your move, and if you make enough money to cover your monthly expenses, then you are ready to move out on your own.

Click here to learn more about moving out on your own.

Posted in Apartment and House Hunting, DIY Moves, Moving Financials | Leave a comment