How to Be a Good New Neighbor When Moving

August 17th, 2020

People all around America do a lot of moving, and that could mean getting used to a new town, area, or state. Whether you’re moving to a house or apartment, we’ve all heard mixed things about having new neighbors that you don’t know yet. Here are some tips to help you become friendly with your new neighbors:

Introduce Yourself and Your Family

If you can, get out to meet your new neighbors a day or two before your scheduled move-in day. They will appreciate knowing their new neighbors are friendly and respectful of the street or neighborhood. Let them know what day is your moving day so they can expect the trucks, movers, and the moving hustle and bustle. It is a good thing to make them aware beforehand in case of noise or taking up the street.

Exchange Contact Information

Once you are settled in and comfortable in your new home, you’ll have had several opportunities to say “hello” and get a general opinion about your neighbors. If you feel comfortable, give them your phone number, email, or whatever you use to stay in touch. This is the beginning of building trust in a relationship for both sides. When you are out of town, you can feel confident they will contact you if any unforeseen issues arise at your home. It takes time to get to know people, but eventually, if you have a neighbor you trust, could even let them know where the spare key is in case of emergencies.

Have a Housewarming Party

If or when you plan your housewarming party, think about inviting your new neighbors along. Let them get to know you! It’s a great way to create great new friendships and show you are excited to be in the area. You can also be inclusive of the entire neighborhood and recommend a BBQ to meet everyone. This is a great way to learn about the area you moved to and the people who reside there. First impressions go a long way!

Maintain Your Home

Bad neighborhood karma can happen from being the one house on the street that stands out. Once you’ve adjusted to your surroundings, make an attempt to sustain your home’s appearance. Try to keep both your front and backyard free from junk and clutter, make sure the lawn is mowed and shrubs and trees pruned. Remember to be respectful of your neighbor’s space, so make sure any plants or bushes on your side of the fence don’t fall on their property.

Contact RARE

RARE Moving & Storage wants to make your move an easy process! From packing to moving services, we are the best moving company in Boston and beyond. Contact us to learn more. Give us a call or fill out our contact form. We offer free estimates!

How to Have an Eco-Friendly Moving Process

August 17th, 2020

Are you someone who likes to live green? Helping the environment is always important, and you should do it when you can. You are even able to make your moving process into an environmentally-friendly event! Here are some ways to make your move a little greener:

Donate, Gift, and Sell

When you are looking to get rid of items that you no longer need or use, make sure that you avoid throwing them out. Many things that you don’t need anymore could be useful to someone other than you. Practice efficient recycling, gifting, donating, or selling items instead of throwing them out.

Use Pre-Used Green Moving Supplies

Ask people you know who has moved recently if they have moving supplies that they don’t need. This gets rid of needing to buy new supplies and ensures that nothing goes to waste. It is often the most straightforward actions that create enormous impacts for good or harm. This is one of the easiest ways to have an eco-friendly, green move.

Use Eco-Friendly Materials For Packing

Using eco-friendly packing materials means cutting down on plastic and packing peanuts with no other usage other than moving the day before they join a landfill. Use clothes, towels, and blankets instead of disposable packing materials. Using what you already have produces less waste, making your move sustainable and green.

Dispose of Chemicals in an Eco-Friendly Way

When you are cleaning your cabinets and getting rid of things that you won’t need in your new home, make sure that you dispose of hazardous materials and clean chemicals in an environmentally friendly way. Most cleaning materials and chemicals have instructions to learn how to safely dispose of them, so make sure that you read and follow them.

Recycle Moving Supplies Once Your Move is Done

Once you’re move is over and done with, avoid directly disposing of moving materials that you no longer need. There is always a chance someone else could get good use of your moving materials, so post on Facebook Marketplace or ask around.

Avoid Unnecessary Trips Back and Forth Between Homes

Unfortunately, fuel is not very eco-friendly. This means that the more trips you have to take back and forth to your new residence, the more impact you will have on the environment. Avoiding additional trips and cutting down on driving back and forth between your old and new space is another way to make your move a little greener. If you can avoid unneeded trips, you will be able to cut down on fuel and other emissions.

Contact RARE

RARE Moving & Storage can help you make your move more efficient. Contact us for a free estimate. Give us a call or fill out our contact form for more information.

Common Moving Mistakes to Avoid

May 21st, 2020

Some people move a lot, but if you’re a first-timer, you may need some tips and tricks. RARE Moving wants to make your move go as smoothly as it can.

Moving on Your Own When You Need Extra Help

Even though it isn’t cheap, having a moving team to help you out is very worth it. Doing a move on your own even with friends and family, it can take a lot more time and energy than hiring movers. If you have items of significant value, it’s also going to be way riskier. The can be many situations where moving on your own works out, it’s a mistake to immediately ignore the idea of hiring movers because you don’t want to spend the money or you think it’s easy on your own. Think about what you have to move. If you believe you can do it yourself, great. But if you have any doubts, it’s time to call in the professionals.

Giving Yourself too Much Time To Pack

If you give yourself too much time to pack, chances are you are going to wait til the last minute to even start. Make a timeline of when you need to pack certain rooms and belongings. That way you’ll stay on track. It will be stressful realizing you haven’t started and you move in a week. You need to plan ahead and organize yourself. Set a deadline to have everything done, maybe a week before the actual moving day. That way you’ll have more time for cleaning and other necessities before leaving your current space.

You don’t get rid of unnecessary items

When you begin to pack for your move, you are going to run into some items that you don’t need or want anymore. Rather than packing them up promising yourself you will donate things after your move, get rid of them now. This will save you effort and space. Packing up these items is unnecessary. Moving is the absolute perfect time for a yard sale or adding to the donation bin near you. Save time once you get to your new place by getting rid of these items now. Someone else may be in more need for them than you. If you don’t want to donate or sell, give them to someone close to you who you know will take good care of your old belongings.

Contact Us

RARE Moving & Storage is Boston’s premier moving company. Give us a call or fill out our contact form to get in touch with us!

Moving from an Apartment to a House

April 17th, 2020

Congrats! Moving from an apartment to your own home is an exciting experience for everyone involved. Having space to yourself, and usually MORE space, is a big step in anyone’s life. What you have in your apartment may not be needed in your new home, so before moving, you should be aware of what you are packing and what you may need once you’re settled in. Moving from apartment to apartment is different than from an apartment to a home.

Thoroughly Go Through Each Room

Before you begin to pack up any of your belongings, take a walk through your apartment to see what furniture and pieces you have. Chances are, you’re going to have more than one living area space to furnish once you’re moved in. Plan where you’ll put furniture, wall hangings, and other decorative pieces in the new house. If you want to start completely fresh, that’s fine. Many people sell or donate their furniture that they know won’t be used once moved. 

Sort Through Shared Items

If you have been living in the apartment with a roommate or two, be sure to check with them on items you plan on taking or getting rid of. A lot of the time, homeware items such as coffee makers, utensils, and glassware are bought and split between roommates. Other belongings can get mixed up in each other’s stuff. Make sure you are taking what is yours, so no one comes looking for their special flower vase that they can’t live without!

Pack According to Rooms

When packing up your belongings, sort them into boxes based on where they will go in the new house. Take a house tour in your head and try to picture where you want certain furniture and home accessories. Items you had in a specific room in the apartment space may be going to a completely different type of room in your home. This is also a good time to get rid of smaller items you know you won’t need or use once you move. If you have roommates currently, try to offer them kitchenware and other universally used items if they aren’t needed for you.

Let Your Moving Services Know

Giving your moving team the address to your new place and letting them know it’s a house rather than another apartment is a nice heads up. This way, they’ll know the right way to move your belongings and prepare them for any materials they may need in the process and take different precautions. Some movers may already be aware based on the address, but it can’t hurt to let them know.

Contact Us

From apartments to houses, RARE Moving & Storage can provide moving services to make your move go as smooth as possible! Give us a call or fill out our contact form to get an estimate or to learn more about what we offer. 

Tips for Moving Safely During COVID-19

April 16th, 2020

For some people, moving is inevitable. Whether your lease is up, your home finally got off the market, or you’re a student who now has to move home, many are in the process of packing up and getting ready to go. During this time where you’re going in and out of your own space to move your belongings elsewhere, it is super important to take necessary precautions to keep you and everyone else safe.

Don’t Use Old Packing Supplies

Many people who move always look to friends and family who may have old boxes, or go around and ask grocery stores for ones they don’t need. During COVID-19, this isn’t a smart move. The virus can live on cardboard for up to 24 hours. For this reason, you are better off buying brand new boxes. It may seem like a hassle and annoying to be spending the extra money, but it will keep you safer in the end.

Double-Check Everything

In most areas, moving is considered an “essential” service, such as RARE. If you had contacted a moving company long before many businesses had to shut down, it does not hurt to call and ask if everything is still squared away for your moving day. Ask if they are still in operation, taking specific precautions, and ask them if you need to do anything specific to help this process go smoothly. Even if you assume they are open and still planning on moving you, call just to make sure. You don’t want to get to your moving day and be stuck with no one to help.

Sanitizing Materials

When moving day comes, be sure to provide sanitizing materials to everyone involved in assisting you with moving. Having hand sanitizer or a sink with soap and water is ideal. Also, be sure to wear a face-covering such as a mask. Chances are, the moving team will have their own masks. Help make everyone involved feel safer!

Delay Your Move if You’re Sick

If moving day comes and you are not feeling your best, postpone your move until you are better. You don’t want to risk getting the movers or anyone else involved in your move sick. Make sure when the time does come to move, you sanitize and clean the surfaces of your space before you leave. Whoever is moving in after you should not have to deal with catching your germs.

Contact Us

RARE Moving & Storage has been deemed an essential service during the COVID-19 pandemic by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Learn more about our COVID-19 Readiness Program or contact us to schedule a move.