Where to find local movers

Your house move can go so much smoother if you have a professional and reputable moving company on your side. As easy as that sounds, with so many local moving companies to choose from, it makes it difficult to find a mover that possesses all the aforementioned attributes especially if you have to move soon. That’s why it is always best that you take that extra time to properly seek out a mover, one that you can trust.

Research is the first step towards successfully finding a local moving company. You can start your search by first thumbing through telephone directory under “movers.” This would help you to get a start on a few companies to put on your list.

With the list of movers that you have found in the telephone directory you can now perform an in-depth research about the moving company on the Internet. You can either go directly to the company’s website to read the testimonials there or you can simply use the search engines in finding out more information about the local moving company. It is through search engine results that you are provided with deeper information about the company – most of the opinions expressed at these websites are unbiased and not always positive.

Is the moving company in good standing with its customers? The only way you can find this information out is to ignore the glowing feedback that you may get at the moving company’s personal website as it may not all be factual. Instead head over to the Better Business Bureau website as it is one of the places where you can get information on a company’s track record about how they treat their customers whether good or bad.
Not only should you take note of the bad feedback but you should also see how well the company has handled a negative situation.

In addition, another way to get information about a local moving company is by asking your friends, family and co-workers who may have recently moved or who may know someone that has moved. Surely, they would be able to provide you with the name of a moving company that they know for being reputable and professional given that they have only just recently experienced great service.

Useful Information Regarding Moving Costs And Tax Breaks

In many cases, much of the cost of a long distance move can be recovered through tax incentives and breaks. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) states that if your job or business required you to move, you may deduct reasonable moving-related expenses. To find out if you qualify for this tax break, the IRS requires that any new place of employment be at least 50 miles farther from your previous residence than the distance from your old job. In cases where a person was not employed, the move has to be at least that distance from your previous home. Another condition of the IRS is that the person be able to prove that they are employed full-time, for a minimum of 39 weeks, for the first year immediately after your move.

You do not have to remain at the same job for that year, just be employed for that number of weeks at a job. People who are self-employed must work for at least 39 weeks in the first year and a minimum of 78 weeks in the first two years at the new location. Military personnel who have been ordered to move also qualify for this tax deduction without needing to meet the employment and distance criteria, as long as the move is permanent

With regard to your initial moving expenses, keep all receipts for the move as well as moving-related insurance, and even the cost to disconnect and connect your utilities is deductible. Other deductions include reimbursements of 19 cents per mile for gas (for 2011) to reach your new home, the cost of a hotel room, but not any meals, the fees for storing your possessions for up to one month, the cost of moving your pets and shipping charges if you shipped a vehicle.

Please note that the IRS will not allow any moving expenses to be deducted from your income tax if you got any moving reimbursements from your employer.

Some other expenses that are not deductible include real estate taxes, utility security deposits and costs incurred while looking for a new home.

Weigh Your Options Before Your Long Distance Move

A long distance move is perhaps one of the most stressful activities that all of us have to go through some time or the other in life. It has all the elements that could be a source of worry. There is a deadline. Each move is different from the previous one because the places, the type and the amount of goods to transport will be different. Suddenly you have to uproot everything which was setup over a course of many years and entrust all your prized possessions to a moving company. Everything has to be packed and suddenly you seem to have more things than what you ever thought you had. Nothing can possibly eliminate the stress of moving but if done in a planned way it is likely to be a happy experience.

One of the most important activities in a long distance move is selection of the moving company. These are the people to whom you entrust the responsibility of packing and transporting your goods to the destination safely and on time. This is one case where it is better to slightly compromise on the price rather than on the quality. There are many companies out there but a few of them could just be scams. Moving companies differ in the way they estimate the cost, calculate the final costs, the terms and the type of service that they provide.

The first task is to make a short list. This is the process where you weed out any scam companies or the ones with which other people have had bad experiences, or who are not really experts at the locations involved. This will involve some looking up on the internet and asking people who have used a long distance mover before.

The next thing to do is to get estimates from the companies in your short list. This is a very important step. Different movers have different terms and conditions and so just the price estimate may not tell the full story. If you don’t compare several quotes you will almost always make a wrong or less than optimal choice.

While you compare the quotes you have to read the fine print very carefully. Here are the important reasons why you should compare quotes from several moving companies before you make your decision:

• It may be better to pay a little more for better services. So price is not the only factor.
• It is better to pay a slight premium for a reputed mover than for a company about which you don’t have much information.
• Insurance cover is a very crucial component of the move package. It is best to avoid companies which don’t have sufficient insurance cover. In particular you should check the claims procedure should something go wrong. Some companies don’t cover damage unless they do the packing or unless they have an obvious role in the damage.
• It is necessary to check what is included in the move package and what could change if parameters during the actual move vary from the estimate. This is especially important if the estimate is based on weight. Weight cannot be accurately determined till the items are packed.
• It is best to select a company which allows you to be present when the cost is finalized such as when the items are weighed.
• You should not select a company that does not put all the conditions including any special conditions that they have agreed to in writing.

It is best to get the quotes of several moving companies before you make that crucial decision of selecting the company to entrust your goods and your move to ensure that your long distance move is safe, smooth and hassle free.

Where To Live? Newark and Jersey City

Moving To The Newark or Jersey City Area

The climate in Newark is very warm and humid in the summer months with average temperatures in the 70s and 80s, and cold in the winter, with freezing and below freezing average temperatures from December to March. Newark is divided into five wards and, generally speaking, the best neighborhoods can be found in the West, Central and North Wards. Forest Hill, which is in the North Ward, is known for its large, stately homes, and the Forest Hill Historic District.

Great Places To Move To In Jersey

In the West Ward you will find Ivy Hill, Fairmount, Vailsburg and in the Central Ward are many sites of historic interest, parks and universities, including New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Essex County College. Neighborhhoods to consider in the Central Ward include University Heights, Springfield, Seventh Avenue and The Coast/Lincoln Park.

Hire Movers in Newark and Jersey City

The South Ward is home to Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and there are 17 schools in that ward as well. The downtown district is located in the East Ward of Newark, the Ironbound neighborhood is a vibrant, safe area for families.

Jersey City is less populated than Newark but is a popular city due to its location, on a peninsula bordered by Hoboken, the Hudson River and the Hackensack River. It is close to Manhattan, N.Y., which makes Jersey City a much more affordable alternative to Manhattan real estate. The recent influx of banks to waterfront offices in the city is why it is now called “Wall Street West”. Jersey City has gone through many major changes and is experiencing a resurgence, with the construction of several high rise condominiums and office towers on the waterfront where railroad tracks and warehouses once dominated. One disadvantage to Jersey City is the strict parking laws and there is a lack of free public parking.

Divided into six wards, Jersey City is very racially diverse. Some of the nation’s top schools are in Jersey City. The best neighborhoods include Hillsborough, Montecito and Paradise Valley, Scarsdale and Los Altos Hills. Money magazine has designated Jersey City as one of of the top 100 best cities to live in.

Moving in Jersey City , NJ US

How to Move a Piano

Need to move your family’s piano? Here’s how to do it right.

There is no need to call for professional movers if you want to move most pianos. Four or five people, a dolly with four wheels, pads to protect the piano and straps to keep it secured and a moving truck are all you require. However, if your piano is an antique, you might consider using a reputable piano mover and buying insurance for it.

Upright pianos

If you want to move an upright piano, try to determine its weight—large pianos can weigh 500 to 800 pounds, so you will need sufficient manpower, usually three or four strong people.

Although many pianos have wheels, do not attempt to roll the piano on its metal casters, since they are basically just there for decorative purposes and to keep the piano balanced. The casters could break or cut deep marks in floors or carpeting.

First, get a dolly with four legs, and then lay the piano on its side, in the center of the dolly. Now the weight is evenly distributed and it should be easy to maneuver the piano on virtually any fairly even surface.  Instead of attempting to pick up and place a piano on the dolly,  tip the piano on one side and place the dolly under the piano, which can then be carefully lowered onto the dolly. As it is pushed on the dolly, take care not to let the piano edge touch the floor or any other furniture or doorways, which could damage the piano.

Alternatively, you can use what is commonly known as a ‘skid” board, which is long, flat and padded. The skid board makes moving a piano up or downstairs much easier.

Keep in mind that the floor you are moving the piano to must be able to bear the weight of your piano.

Grand pianos

Grand pianos are more difficult to move, due to their larger size and weight. They usually weight at least 1,000 pounds and it is not uncommon for them to weigh over a ton. For this reason it is a good idea use piano moving companies to move a grand piano. Their sheer size and cost require insurance and a careful, experienced hand.

In order to move a grand piano, remove the pianos legs from the body before placing the piano on a dolly. Grand pianos need to be handled with even more care than upright pianos, since their weight is not evenly distributed. A grand piano should be placed on the dolly with the short, straight side resting on the dolly. From here the task get tricky, since most of these pianos cannot fit through regular doors, and can’t be carried down stairs. A crane is utilized sometimes for grand piano moving, as well as special dolly’s, moving straps, and lots of manpower.