Trucks with no company names, or logos are a flag for a potential unlicensed illegal movers.
Moving day is approaching, and you may have found that you are in need of some extra hands on the move. If you’ve never hired a moving service company you may be asking questions like “How much is this going to cost?”, “What is the difference between a licensed and unlicensed mover”, or “ Why not use this craigslist guy?”.
First off, we are going to strongly advise you not to use the craigslist guy, just for the simple reason that he probably isn’t licensed. Having a license for a moving company is important for you to the consumer because it ensures a few things:
In the past few years, there has been a skyrocket in complaints against unlicensed moving companies. Many sting operations to shut these illegal operations down (Here is an example story from New Jersey). From items getting stolen to unexpected price hikes, you need a company you can trust. For the Metro Detroit area, there is no better company to use than Men on the Move. You’ve probably seen us on highway helping someone with their move or heard about us on the radio. When it comes down to it, no one does it better than Men on the Move.
We also offer free quotes for your commercial or residential move so you can better assess your moving costs. Finally, we are fully licensed, insured, and always give our award winning service.
When preparing to move out of an apartment in Michigan we recommend giving yourself 6-8 weeks. Giving yourself enough time will reduce stress levels that come with apartment moving, and ensure that everything is prepared for your first day in your new home. If you do not have that much time, its okay, use this information as a guide for apartment moving in Michigan.
Begin your apartment moving preparation by creating a moving journal where you will keep notes 
or important information during your moving process. This is the time in which you will want to decide if you will be moving or hiring a professional moving company in Michigan. Plan your moving budget, if you are moving long distance, moving intrastate, or even moving interstate, and will be shipping items prior to moving, be sure to incorporate that into your Michigan moving budget.
Check with your apartment landlord to see how much notice is required before moving, also check with your new landlord to see any restrictions the complex may have on moving into a new apartment. Look into new school districts, begin the change of address process, and make a list of who you need to notify about your move.
Begin planning how you will arrange the furniture in your new home, this will help if you need to downsize prior to your move. Also, start gathering moving boxes or moving supplies.
Remember that moving companies typically charge based on weight and distance. Use your last 4-5 weeks prior to a Michigan Move to use some of your food, detergents, or other items that you routinely purchase from the store. If you have valuable items that you wish to not have on the moving truck, plan what you will be transporting or shipping. Begin packing your items and continue to make address changes if necessary.
Contact your hired moving company to make sure they do not have restrictions on what they can move. Look over your lease and see what types of cleaning or maintenance you must do on your current apartment to ensure that you receive your security deposit back if applicable.
Call your utility companies and schedule a day to have your utilities transferred to your new residence. This will ensure that everything is livable the day of your move and ready for you the first night in your new home.
Take time to confirm all scheduled appointments, meetings, or child care arrangements. Be sure to include a follow-up call to your moving company to ensure that there are no changes and everything is still on schedule.
Double check that everything around your apartment is ready for your move out inspection. Have a box of cleaning supplies handy in case you need to touch up or realize you missed something. Also, ensure that you keep a priority box out and accessible so that you have what you need for your first night in your new home.
If you have any last minute packing to do, do it. Be sure to do a walk-through of your apartment, turning off lights to rooms you have completed your walkthrough in. Also, turn off your thermostat and any appliances that need to stay in your apartment.
Before the moving truck leaves your apartment to ensure that they have your cell phone number and you have yours to keep contact in case something happens during transit.
When you arrive at your new home directly the movers in which room each box or item goes so that it is easier to unpack and set up your new home.
For more information be sure to check out our printable PDFs on moving tips for Michigan residents. Allow us to give you a quote for your residential apartment move in Michigan today.
Moving can be a large project. Moving with children can add to your moving stress because your child’s entire routine is disrupted. Learn how to make this transition for your children as easy as possible by following the tips below.
The best way to prepare your child for an upcoming move is to communicate and keep them involved. Let them know that the family is relocating and that everything is going to be alright. Children trust parents and depend on them to keep them in a loop with what is going on. If you are unable to take the children with you while searching, show them photos of homes. This will keep them involved throughout the entire process.
If you are moving a ways from your current 
location, you may have to switch schools or doctors for your children as well. Speak with your child’s current pediatrician to see if they have any recommendations to help with the process. You will want to ensure that you have enrolled your child in their new school. Do this prior to the move so that they do not have to miss much school.
When you bring your children to the new house, it is best that you have their room set up. Your child will experience feelings of loss by moving into an unfamiliar environment. Having their room set up when they get there, will help your child to relax and feel comfortable in their new environment.
To help you and your child adjust to your new environment, give your child a tour of the neighborhood including their new school and doctor’s office. If you have not already, make sure to secure their new daycare as well.
The trusted movers at Men on The Move in Michigan are committed to helping you make your move as nonstressful as possible. To make your move easy, we offer free quotes and moving supplies. Hire Men on The Move for your next move, because we are licensed, insured, open 7 days a week, and offer long distance moves. So contact us today.
Click here for more moving tips.
So, you are preparing for your upcoming move with Men on the Move, and you have almost everything packed and ready to go…..except your clothes. As you look at your neatly folded drawers or your closet that you have spent so much time color coordinating and organizing, you begin to get overwhelmed. “I wish I didn’t have to re-fold all of these clothes and put them into boxes only to have to reorganize them after the move”, you tell yourself.
Before you start emptying your drawers like a mad man dumping each drawer onto your bed only to have to refold them and put them in boxes, head to your kitchen. Find your clear plastic wrap (you may have to buy more, but it’s worth it!) and head back to your drawers. Starting at side of the drawer tape the end of the plastic wrap down. Pull the plastic wrap to the other side, tear it, and tape again. You can also go all way around the drawer, which will be much quicker but will also use nearly twice as much plastic wrap. The choice is yours.
Be sure to repeat the process multiple times, covering your drawers tightly, preventing your clothing from getting dirty or falling out. The more times you repeat the step the stronger the covering will be. We recommend buying a large restaurant size roll of plastic wrap to reduce waste and having to keep opening small rolls.
This process will also work on more than just drawers with clothing, you can use this handy packing tip for silverware, desk drawers, junk drawers, and much much more.
You huge master bedroom walk-in closet is full of clothes, right? Maybe you have spent tons of time color coordinating and getting it just right. Let it be known that there is a way to pack your hanging clothes without taking even one item off of a hanger
Head to your kitchen once again and grab the box of drawstring kitchen garbage bags then head back to your closet. Take about ten hanging clothing items (possibly more if they fit) and squish them together really really tight. Use your garbage bags to slide over the bottom of the squished together clothing and pull the drawstring tight. The hangers hooks should still be outside of the garbage bags.
We hope you enjoyed our quick time saving moving tip! Please Like Us on Facebook and let us know how they worked for you, we would even love to see your photos!
Are you in need of a moving company to help move your belongings between homes? Did you know that packing your belongings when hiring a professional moving company can help save you money on your move?
As professional movers, we want to share with you the tips and tricks of packing that we use every day. Properly packing your boxes can benefit you during the moving process whether you are doing the moving as well, or you are hiring Men on the Move to move your household items for you.
Our experience in how to pack all of your household items can help eliminate the risk of damaged items during a move, or the overall cost of the move. Allow yourself plenty of time to pack up all of your belongings and ensure that it is done correctly.
Before you begin packing away your items, you should be sorting your items into categories. Go into each room and sort items based on categories like necessities, heavy, and light items. Through sorting, you can make sure that necessities are properly labeled so you can access these items immediately, instead of having to open multiple boxes to find them. In addition, determining if an item is heavy or light will help you put them into the right box. It will also help you distribute the weight of items as well for travel.
It is important to remember that the weight of a box should not exceed 50 pounds. If a box is over 50 pounds, you run the risk of a box breaking or being too heavy to move. Sorting heavy and light objects will help you place them better. Putting heavy objects into smaller boxes will help prevent the box exceed 50 pounds, making it easier to carry. Likewise, bigger boxes are perfect for lighter items because you can put more items inside without exceeding the weight limit.
Fragile items like glassware, mirrors, dishes and antiques have the highest risk of breaking during a move. After all, boxes receive damage from being dropped. Furthermore, outside pressure from other boxes can squish the box itself. As a result, packing these items requires extra care and precautions. You can use dish packing kits, that provide foam and cardboard to separate your dishes properly. However, you can also use other items such as:
Anything that can be used as cushion can protect these delicate household items from being damaged or destroyed during the moving process.
Another aspect that many overlook once all the boxes are ready is to label. Label everything, this will save you time and money. All of your boxes should have a label that marks that indicate what room they belong to. This will help movers place the boxes in the correct room once the truck is unloaded. Furthermore, the labels should include what items are inside and if they are a necessity, light, or heavy. The labels will help movers place the items safely in the moving truck because heavier boxes need to be put in first. Also, it will help them place the lighter boxes on top. This will prevent the boxes from being crushed and destroying the items inside.
Men on the Move provides a variety of moving tips to help our customers through the moving process! To see all of our tips on packing your boxes please check out: Moving Tips: Packing Tips for the Do-It-Yourselfer and The Importance of Packing and Moving Boxes.
Finally, if you need packaging supplies, contact us today. Also, we offer a wide variety of packing necessities to help prepare you for your move! Men on the Move is here for you!
Posted in Moving Tips on April 28th, 2011 by We Haul Moving /
Moving can be a stressful transition all on its own, but moving while pregnant takes the cake. There are tips for all kinds of moving dependent on location or timeline, but there are also tips for moving while pregnant that are key to keep in mind.
So while life change is always expected during pregnancy, moving can throw your whole life for a loop. Keeping moving tips for pregnancy in mind while preparing and going through a move is vital. Stay healthy and keep your baby’s health in mind to have a successful, pregnant move.