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For whatever reason, you have come to that place in your life when you are entering into a new kind of lifestyle: a “shared household” or “blended living.” You have lived well enough on your own, perhaps, but now that chapter of your life is ending and you are starting a new chapter, and you are looking for both practical advice and some shared wisdom. Both of you may realize there are some unique challenges facing you as you begin moving in to live together.

At Paramount Moving, we have some wisdom to share and some advice to give, so here are our suggestions and thoughts about this new stage of your lives.

Plan for a Wonderful Life when moving in together, not a Wandered-in Life

There is a phrase that has been coined: “Decide rather than slide,” Make plans, carefully thought-out decisions to create this new living arrangement. Experts on human relations often caution people to avoid finding one another in the other’s living space. Later on, they may each decide to make arrangements to work on a more settled or a bit more permanent living situation. This kind of life, where one person wanders into the life of the other, often fails to create a sense of stability, essential to developing a healthy living relationship. The expense of moving in may be wasted if there is no plan in place to help create mutually agreed-upon reasons to be together.

Same space, New perspectives when moving in together

It’s great to be able to find a new place that is ready for building fresh and beautiful memories. Usually, though, what happens is more of a matter of moving into someone else’s world. Our advice is that you both see this experience as creating a new environment rather than working with an old environment with some new stuff added on. 

The person moving in should have an equal say about what stays and what goes, how to decorate, etc. They should feel the space is theirs as much as it is their partner’s.”

Concepcion also recommends signing a lease together on a new place and doing so intentionally. “Look at when your leases expire and plan a date when you’ll move in together. If one of your leases ends sooner, ask your landlord for a few extra months where you can pay rent month to month. Then, if the time rolls around and one of you gets cold feet, you still have a place to live,” she advises.

Have a conversation about which furniture you’ll bring, what you’ll store, and what you’ll buy together. Moving in together is a great time to downsize, get rid of stuff, or get a storage unit to keep larger items you won’t need in your new place together. You’ll also want to plan your moving process, whether you’re moving locally or long-distance. Will you need to rent a truck, hire full-service movers, or use a portable moving container to make downsizing and storage easier?

One Can be Better than Two: Dealing with Unnecessary or Duplicate Items when moving in together

Perhaps your bachelor apartment was already full of things before the big move. Perhaps you had a great gym set-up…and so did the person you are now living with. You may have much more space now than either of you had before, but keep some things in mind and decide on these things:

• What is shared and what is personal?

  • Depending on the kind of blended household you have, you may need to make some boundaries: This is for me…this is for us. Having your own personal computer is fine,  but If you have two TVs or sound systems, that’s something to talk about.

• What needs to be stored and what will fill up the new space?

  • For some blended living arrangements, there may not be room for some things to be displayed or used in your new residence. This is especially true for exercise equipment or different kinds of collections from figurines to DVDs and CDs.

• What needs to be kept, donated, recycled or even thrown away? 

  • You need to reduce the number of things you bring into this new household before you move in together.  On your own, before the move, take the time to look through all your personal belongings and decide what you want to keep, give away, or throw away. You may wish to get together with your new partner and think about what will be good to have in this new place. 

Money Matters

It may be obvious and difficult, but the financial aspects of your new living arrangement need to be discussed carefully. Frequently, some couples combine their financial accounts when moving in together, other partners may create joint accounts. Others need to keep them entirely separate, but have some kind of transparency, for example, proof of payment for certain items or services. 

Remember, stay open about money and your household finances. Here are some areas to consider, particularly how and when:

• Rent or mortgage or home payments
• Different kinds of residence insurance
• Utility payments
• Electronic services: WiFi and home entertainment
• Groceries
• Transportation: shared or shared vehicles, public transit
• Hospitality: special get-togethers and parties
• Special areas: pet care 

Shared responsibilities: From Vacuuming to Washing Dishes

Who changes the roll of toilet paper? Who checks the doors at night? These questions need to be part of an open and clear conversation about how you both work together. Take the time to outline the different daily tasks that need to be taken care of during the time ahead. Taking care of this early on, and learning how to live together in this new living arrangement, will help reduce future conflicts.

Paramount Moving Cares

We are in the business of helping you transition from one lifestyle to another, from one location to another. We are very familiar with the stress of change. If you need further help with how to plan your blended lives, give us a call, and we as professional Calgary movers will be happy to help you.

We’re Paramount Moving: We Help Move You to Build Your Dreams.

You have taken a big step… now it’s time to book an elevator in advance for your move.

You are going to move out of your residence into either an apartment or condominium and you’re starting to make that important list of things to do. You’ve hired a professional moving company–check;  made your moving budget–check; got your packing materials–check, and you believe you’re ready. Here’s one more item to consider: taking steps to book an elevator for the move. Didn’t think of that? Very few first-time movers do that. Let’s look at some key information you will need to learn:

FIND OUT ABOUT YOUR ELEVATOR SERVICES AND HOW TO BOOK IT:

Before you begin to plan your move, take the time to find out what kind of elevator service is available in your apartment or condominium complex and, if necessary, the service available in the new complex into which you are moving.

A Dedicated Elevator Service

 It is becoming increasingly common for some multi-storey condominium complexes and apartments to have specially-designed elevator service, particularly for deliveries of large freight items.

It’s good to check out if you have a specially-designed elevator service for your apartment or condominium, then learn how this elevator service can be used to move your own belongings out of your own residence. 

If you have an apartment manager, or someone called a “concierge,” then contact that person to get as much information as you can about using the dedicated elevator service. 

You may need to fill in a special application form, which may take some time to process, so make allowances in your moving schedule in order to do that.

Check if you need special insurance for this service and what fees may be involved. Additional fees may include a damage deposit, whether it is booked by the day, half-day, or by the hour. This may involve a pre- and post-inspection by the manager.

The apartment manager or concierge may also require you to hire special personnel to install special padding on the elevator walls. If this is required, you may wish to negotiate the installation and the price with the manager. Rely on the professional moving company you have hired to install the padding for you.

The “Service Mode” Elevator Service 

In some apartment and condominium complexes, there is a special button or switch that can be turned on during the day of your move. 

With this service, you and your movers have a designated use of that elevator. When in service you can expect that the doors will remain open when needed. Also, the elevator will remain on your floor, and the elevator cannot be called into service elsewhere. 

As with the Dedicated Elevator Service, take the time to contact the apartment or condominium manager or concierge to discuss what is necessary to use the service mode of the elevator.  

Prepare to fill out an application form. Discuss the fees or deposits involved,  Ask about any special kinds of padding you may need to install. As with the Dedicated Elevator Service, the manager may want a pre-and post-inspection.

BE AWARE OF TIME WHEN YOU BOOK AN ELEVATOR:

Timing is a key factor here. Be sure to set aside ample time for the move. Be sure to talk about your moving plans with the professional moving company you have hired as you take the steps needed to book an elevator for the move. We suggest that you always reserve the elevator for the time estimated by your moving company. At Paramount Moving, we know this is especially important when you are moving into a new building. 

We have heard about bookings that were planned poorly, that did not leave sufficient time to complete the transport of all the belongings. If this happens to you, it will mean:

• you’ll may be unable to use the elevator at your new building when you need it
• may have added fees to request access to use the elevator,
• you will face costly delays, particularly if another resident is using the elevator ahead of you and will add to your moving expenses because you’ll need to pay your movers for the time they have waited to move you.
• you may need to hire additional movers to help you move in more quickly and this, too, will add to your moving costs.

BE MINDFUL OF THE LITTLE THINGS

Some apartment and condominium complexes…

• have service elevators that open out into the parking areas of the main building.
  • This adds distance from the elevator to the awaiting moving trucks.  Be aware of the extra time it will take for the movers to transport your boxes and crates.

• may have special time restrictions on elevator bookings.
  • When talking to your building manager or concierge, find out if this is the case. If it is, make sure your moving company knows about this ahead of time.

• may have special regulations around freight or moving van parking to prevent inconvenience for residents by your move.
  • Because your moving company will be bringing a truck or large van, double-check to be sure that you reserve the designated loading areas. This is especially true even if you’re only using the moving company’s packing services. It is generally a standard policy that you reserve a parking area for the moving truck

• may have special policies or restrictions that your professional moving company should prepare for, such as:
  • maximum heights for loading docks
  • policies preventing noise from early morning or late-at-night moves
  • a post-move clean-up policy, to keep the elevator looking clean
• have a special room next to their dedicated service elevators

IT’S ALL IN THE PLANNING

Take the time to plan ahead. Work with your professional moving company. Prepare to book the elevator reservation well ahead of time for your move. The manager or concierge may even give you extra help in your planning and suggest the best times to move, usually when most of the residents will be away. We at Paramount Moving hope that these tips will help you to be prepared for your upcoming move and for that time when you need to book an elevator for the move.

At Paramount Moving, we like to reframe our thinking: we are “budget-friendly.” We find ways to give you a quality experience of moving, that matches the realistic budget we have worked on together. We know ways to help you work through the stress of a move, from hiring the right movers to obtaining quality moving supplies. Based on our years of experience as one of the premier, but budget-friendly movers near you, familiar with all sorts of situations, we have put together this checklist we believe will help you:

I have hired professional, highly-recommended movers, and affordable movers

• Professional movers will save you time and money.
• They know how to pack efficiently, safely, and skillfully.
• Professional affordable movers have the equipment, supplies, and experience to help you.
• By purchasing Paramount Moving’s full-service packing plan, you can continue your usual schedule, avoiding the cost of needing to take time off from work or looking for pet and child care while packing.
• Paramount Moving comes highly recommended, fully insured, and with clear billing policies.

I created a schedule that works for us and our cheap moving company

• Conditions change if moving in different seasons, months, days, and hours.
• Winter moves have different challenges than spring or summer moves.
• Avoid the first and last few days of the month.
• Weekday moves are less stressful than weekend moves, as are moves that may require driving in rush-hour traffic.
• Paramount Moving will help you choose a workable schedule for comfortable and cheap moving.

To cut costs, people may insist on packing their own belongings. Paramount Moving can even help you there. There are many ways people try to pack up their belongings. We strongly suggest the following:

• Rely on your affordable moving company’s knowledge about the best boxes to use.
• Make sure they are heavy-duty moving boxes.
• Only pack items in used boxes if they have not been bent or patched in any way.
• Check with friends or family members who may have moved. They may have extra unused or previously used, but still adequately strong boxes.
• Check on your moving company’s access to moving bins.
• Using bins is often a less expensive and often less time-consuming way to pack belongings in containers that are rented and re-used.

I have taken care of our unnecessary things to reduce work for Calgary low-cost movers

• Decide on the things you should leave behind and how you will take care of them.
• Having less, you will be charged less and save time and money.
• Our Paramount Moving staff suggests you take the time you need, rather than making, stressed, last-minute decisions to decide on what you need to pack or leave behind.
• Consider selling, donating, or recycling the things you can leave behind.

• Think about what items are fragile before you pack them. Fragile is: “Can the object survive a waist-high drop?
• Collect good amounts of packing materials, such as bubble wrap and packing paper 
• Low-cost packing materials may be newspapers, older T-shirts, bags of cotton pads and old towels. 
• Check to be sure the box is well-filled. Extra space may leave room for objects to move and break. Fill those empty spaces with extra packing materials to prevent any kind of movement. Be innovative,  time- and cost-effective: look for what you have in your own home to help you.

Paramount Moving is ready to help you whether you are planning a commercial move or an apartment move at an affordable price. Also our experts prepared for you a moving checklist.

“This was the best moving experience–ever!” Moving Company Reviews…and you!

When YOU have the power!

We live in an era promoting positivity. Great reviews of products and services, from banks to dentists, from tiny ice cream stores to multi-store franchises, are eagerly requested and encouraged by customers and clients. Moving companies in Calgary rely on great reviews, too.  Customers and clients have great power either to make…or break…a product’s popularity and a service’s reputation, particularly when it comes to moving company reviews. That is one of the ways how to choose the best moving company in your city.

What is the value of a moving company review?

As with anything that seems small: a dime, a 100 calories, a push-up…all by themselves, they do not seem much, but when added to others, the dime becomes a dollar and the dollar becomes several hundred; the calories become 1000 and effects up or down are seen, and the push-up? Ten or twenty a day, and great things start to happen. The same is true for a review.

All by itself, it may not seem like much, but when added to others that support or warn against hiring a certain moving company, that moving company review takes on significant power. The moving company reviews are useful and powerful in the following ways:

• These reviews help you to avoid generally poor companies and direct you to better ones.
• Moving company reviews give you a trend to observe:
  • Some reputable moving companies, with trustworthy movers, fair pricing, and well-maintained equipment with excellent protection of the residence and belongings,  generally receive positive reviews.
  • Poor moving companies with lazy movers, shocking cost surprises, and substandard equipment and protection of homes and belongings are given reviews to warn people away.
• You avoid feeling alone in making your decision for…or against…hiring a certain moving company; you join with others who support your experience.
• The reviews may help you to form questions that you might ask other companies when making your decision: What do you charge? How long have you been in business?

Things to watch out for when using reviews.

1. Select a few companies at a time to research

   • Take the time to shorten your list of companies you want to research to three or four. There are many moving companies in Calgary, and there are thousands of moving company reviews you may end up reading. You may find this approach may waste your time, and valuable time you could have used to prepare for your move. Choose companies you believe to have a solid reputation. Reading those reviews may help you with your final decision

2. Reviews are opinions rather than facts: see them in perspective.

   • Look carefully at how many people have reviewed any moving company. Only one review, whether it is good or bad, is not enough of a trend to decide for or against a company. People who use a service may forget or be uninterested to write a positive or even a negative review about it. However, many reviews that are positive or negative will give you an idea of the general experience people have had with a moving company.

The information a moving company review reveals.

The power of another person’s experience

• Yes, the moving company ruined some priceless objects. The moving company may be silent on that: the customers will tell all.
• “It happened to me”: Rude comments from the moving team, the movers have dirty uniforms, the moving company uses poor-quality packing materials– all these comments and more will all come out on the comments or feedback page, even when the moving team kept quiet about them.
• You see the company’s integrity to let a few negative comments appear despite the many, many other positive ones. Moving companies are made of people, like you and me, and mistakes happen, but this moving company is willing to let those comments appear, but they do better the next time.
• You learn about the company’s punctuality, attitudes, and professionalism. They may advertise that they are punctual, have a great attitude, and treat clients professionally, but the reviews will either agree with or disagree with those statements.
• Stories about hidden fees that affected the moving costs may help you to decide. There are stories about companies that fail to reveal what the customer will actually have to pay. For example, a company does not tell customers that they will be paying both hourly rates with mileage for local moves. Then, when the final bill needs to be paid, that fact is revealed. The bill may be paid, and the company may forget about what was done; however, the customer will always remember…and post that story on a comments page.

Ways to help you research

Even with all the reviews, you may read through, a moving company review gives only part of the story. For the rest of the information, take the time to contact and talk with a representative of the moving company. 

From your talk with someone from the moving company, you can ask about things you have read.

Here’s what you will gain from this research:

• Based on your conversation, you can get a firsthand impression of the company’s professionalism. For example, how the patient was the representative in answering your questions.? How carefully and clearly did the representative answer your questions?
• Learn about the rates. Will you be charged hourly, by distance travelled, a combination of these? You need to know what you’re going to pay for and how.
• How long has this company been in business? In a moving company check, you may not learn how long this moving company has been operating. The length of time that this moving company has been doing business definitely says something about that company and also their reputation. Newer companies may have more enthusiasm and better equipment than older companies. Older companies may have much more experience with moving challenges. These are some things you may need to consider.
• Are you licensed and insured? This is a question a lot of customers fail to ask. To cut costs, some moving companies may choose to do without proper insurance and licensing. In turn, they can then advertise cheaper rates to attract customers. Usually, clients find out that insurance and licence missing by the end of the move. It is important to check what moving companies tell you about their professional licensing, insurance, and other operational certification on their website and displayed in their physical office. If there is nothing mentioned or displayed,  ask. If the company is unwilling or even uncooperative to discuss the topic, move on. This company will be a waste of your time and money.
• Are your trucks and equipment well-maintained and certified? Moving Company should protect end secure your belongings during transportation. It is a good idea to ask about the condition of the trucks and the kind of equipment that the moving company uses.

Get the confidence you need by doing a moving company check

With these questions, you can learn a little bit more about the moving company you want to hire. With these facts in hand, then spend some time reading the reviews.  This two-step process, research and reading reviews, will give you the confidence that you are choosing a good moving company.

From your research, you may get facts that the reviews overlook. From the reviews, you can find out other information about the company. You can learn if it has a good response time when returning customer calls, if the moving company carries out a thorough estimate of your home and belongings before making a quote, and how well the moving company communicates with you. Simply put: a moving company should be attentive to your needs, be prompt when responding to calls, and show you that they want your business.

Get ready for a great day!

Celebrate! You look around and you see how big your company has grown! Well done! Along with that growth, you realize you have a new opportunity for growth: finding an even better space to expand. Now, its time to find out how to move an office? It will mean relocating your entire office but you have faced other challenges, and Paramount Moving, one of Calgary’s premier office moving companies, is ready to take you to that next level.

We understand how you want to keep your business going, even while we are moving you. Our team is ready to help you with that challenge, too. We are ready to help you move all those office supplies, every chair, and desk, every piece of equipment big and small.  At this time of both an at-home or in-office business, we realize that your office might need to be closed. We understand your concerns that this move will disrupt your business for a few days while every piece of equipment is being installed at your new location. We care about your office and business as if it were our own.

So, what will Paramount Moving, your Calgary office moving company, do for you?

With Paramount Moving, you can count on us helping you in these ways:

• Mapping out your move with you, long before our trucks and crew arrive
• Using our expertise to guide you, looking over your old and new office spaces,
• Surveying your inventory, logging it down, analyzing your moving needs.
• Creating a guaranteed quote from all our research,
• Offering our expertise to answer your questions about logistics, time, and costs.
• Provide our full-service moving package, if you choose that option, or explain our various packing alternatives.

When “Moving Day” arrives

When the day of your move arrives, our professional and skilled movers will efficiently take care of your office move. Guided by our five key values, TRUST, INTEGRITY, RELIABILITY, TEAMWORK, and CARE we are dedicated to keeping your schedule, budget, moving goals and plans in mind. Because we are one of Calgary’s top-of-the-line moving companies, at Paramount Moving we fully understand that each minute counts, each dollar spent needs to be used well, and each client and each element of your business needs to transition smoothly from one location to another.

The Paramount Promises              

1. Efficient and innovative moving strategies    

At Paramount Moving, we strive to get you to your new location, using efficient and innovative approaches. There will be challenges, but you can count on our moving team to find the best way to work around each of those challenges. We often turn to often-overlooked approaches long before the move begins and even during the move itself.

2. Skilled office set-up

Your main goal is to have your new office set up according to your own plans. We want that for you, too. We keep your goals in mind. What is our #1 priority as one of Calgary’s exceptional office moving companies? It is to give you a smoother and stress-reduced transfer from your older location to your newer one. With years of experience, we use various strategies to pack away any piece of office equipment or furniture, all well-labeled. You can rely on us to transport, unload and set up your office equipment exactly as you tell us, in your new office setting.

3. Protection of your equipment

From filing cabinets to filing boxes, from trophies in display cases to special mementos in your office…to us they are the same: your treasures, and we treat them that way. In fact, we will move your office as if it were our own. We use the best materials to pack and protect everything you own that we need to move. Paramount Moving will put down special protection for floors, walls, and doors. We will confidently pack away each item and expertly carry each heavy box from your office location, to our truck, and then into your new office space. We stand by our pledge that your possessions will arrive in the same condition as they were in your previous location. As your Calgary office movers, the time we take to move you can be the time you use getting more comfortable with your new office space and all the amenities around it. 

We are Paramount Moving: We can move mountains…one rock at a time!

When you move from home to home, you make new and perhaps even better memories. Moving an office though is even more than that. It may mean better business opportunities, increased profits, and greater growth. There are a number of things to think about when you want to move your office, and so you need office movers who will make the move work best for you. Paramount Moving is one of the premier Calgary movers for relocating your office. Let’s show you some things that are good to take time to work through when it comes to moving your office.

7 steps to relocate your office

Fix a date at least six months in advance to begin planning your office move

As experienced office movers, we have seen the difference in stress levels between those who plan far in advance, and for those who put off planning for the move until it is a crisis. There will be challenges to the move, but if they are taken care of earlier, they will make office relocation move ahead much more easily. Our professional movers at Paramount Moving suggest beginning to plan your move at least six months from the date when you must move. In fact, we would advise office managers to think at least a year, or if possible, two years, in advance. We will work with you and then, together, we will create a plan that will work for you. The best piece of advice we can give is this: make your moving plans as soon and as much in advance as possible.

Involve your staff early in the planning of an office move project and then the actual move

You have built a good business on good business models. Communication has been a key to this. Now is the time to use that skill with your staff on all levels. Depending on your office size, we would suggest a general meeting with your staff to inform them about your plans to move.  

If your office is much larger, then send an email out to all staff members to make them aware of the coming move. Following that, hold smaller group meetings of different sections and make sure those sections coordinate with each other. The key is to communicate. Make sure questions are answered with clear and definite answers. Respond to concerns in the same manner: clearly and authoritatively.

Our extensive experience has shown us that these steps help to settle the fears of staff members about how to move an office, with questions such as these:

• What can we do now to prepare in advance for the move?
• Can we expect our office to be like on the other side?
• What duties can be assigned to help us with this entire procedure?

Plan to visit your new office space

Take the time to look over your new office space. As the office manager, you may wish to go ahead first and then take your office team. This way, you can all get a feel for your new location before settling in. We have learned that this is a very important part of the office move because it helps everyone feel more at ease about the upcoming changes.

Hire skilled movers for packing and unpacking equipment

Every office is unique! Moving delicate equipment has one basic principle: rely on office movers near you who know what they are doing to disassemble and reassemble your equipment. Yes, moving computer systems will be challenging, but there are other kinds of equipment that need to be packed and unpacked with similar professional care. 

We consistently inform our clients that moving office equipment is more than just unplugging a monitor and putting it in a box. We know that making certain mistakes during the moving preparation and then future set-up could result in expensive losses. 

These losses and disappointments are what we at Paramount Moving want to avoid. We are dedicated to making sure each aspect of your move is handled with professional expertise.

Make sure your data files are backed up and protected

All vital computer data should be copied onto hard drives or stored in a safe and transferable manner. We advise that you use the best possible protection to secure this data. This data will later be accessed at your new office. Discuss how this data will be transferred to your new location with our staff at Paramount Moving.

Get rid of unnecessary paperwork

Going through filing cabinets, shelves, and storage areas and discarding unneeded documents and binders is helpful. Take the time to decide which documents need to come with you and which ones can be shredded. Recycle binders and documents boxes to reduce the costs of transporting materials.  You will probably get rid of anyway at your new location.

Stay in contact with your Calgary movers and ask for a suggestion on how to move an office in the best way

At each step along the way, let us know at Paramount Moving – Office Moving Division,  how we can help you with this crucial move. We have both the expertise and the experience to guide you well. It is always our goal to help create the best possible moving experience for you! From the first paper put into a document box to the final handshake at the end of your move.

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From the mouths of the experts

You can admit it: it’s exciting to travel a long distance. That excitement is particularly true when it comes to moving from home to another or one office to another using one of the best long distance moving companies.

Along with that excitement comes stress. There are so many questions, some unique to the families or businesses involved, some are expressed in general by a majority of movers. You know there will be a lot of short-term and long-term planning; look for information and materials here and there. 

You are smart enough to recognize bad advice, but what is some good advice, some better advice, and even the best advice for you? This article will lay out some good ideas, some even better ideas than one’s you may have heard, and some of the best tried-and-true advice out there.  So, from the mouths of some of the experts, and the skilled professionals at Paramount Moving, what do you need to know about your upcoming long distance move? 

What follows are some essential things we want to be sure you know before you even pick up the phone to call or search the web to find our contact information. 

1. Know the time you have…but be flexible.

Before you consider searching through pages of long distance moving companies, this is the first piece of advice to keep in mind. Find a calendar, look at it carefully,  and physically circle several dates that are good days for you to move. After that, write out several times when you need to arrive at your new home or office.

Be careful to avoid making this move at the last minute. Life, however, may require you to make a last-minute move, but for long distance moving companies, the more time you give them, the better the move will be for both them and you.

You know that moving across the street or across the city is going to require much less planning than moving across part of the country or even from one side to the other. Here are some points to think about:

• drive times: trucks getting to your home or business, traveling for a long distance, and then arriving at your new location
• packing times: purchasing or finding materials for packing all your belongings, the time needed to wrap, take apart furniture or equipment, secure all items into sturdy boxes or bins, and then unwrap, put together items and relocate your belongings in your new home or business location.
• weather and special conditions affecting your move: 
• you may need to move in the chill of winter or the heat of summer
• staircases may be long and narrow or twisty and old
• there may be restrictions as to when you may begin or must end the noise of moving,
• legal and other special challenges that may slow down the time of your move or affect your budget.

These are but a few of the situations you may need to think about carefully when you want to create your unique moving timeline, but above all: be flexible and clear.

2. Create a realistic budget

Any kind of move will require some kind of expense, even if you carry out the largest percentage of the move yourself. If something needs to happen, you may need money for it. You need to know how much you have budgeted for your move.

Think about these things:

• fuel costs
• truck rental fees
• delivery charges, 
• short-term storage 
• moving materials needed, including packing and protecting your belongings 
• use of special moving equipment

At Paramount moving, we have skilled staff who can walk you through a Moving Day and isolate the various expenses that may occur. They may be big or small, but we will help you to make your move on the budget.

3. Know what needs to go…and stay 

From our point of view, it is best to include all those items you believe are important to go with you when you move. There are different levels of moving from just a few boxes to moving a large household. Well before the time comes to move, sit down and assess which items should be taken or be left behind in some form, whether given away or sold. Some may need to be left behind simply because they cannot be transported economically. Some items may not even be able to fit in the new location. If a new item needs to be bought at the new location, that too should be put into your moving budget.

4. Know the right techniques

One other important piece of advice is to know how to pack up things well. Here are some ideas:

• pack heavier things on the bottom of boxes and then put lighter items on top.
• use labels and stickers correctly:
  • Fragile items need to be labeled,
  • extra-heavy boxes need to be labeled,
  • places, where the boxes should go, should be labeled.
• taping the bottoms of boxes should be a priority, making sure that they can handle being moved and carried safely.
• take the time to pack things securely; avoid trying to find shortcuts–they can be costly.
• Don’t take shortcuts when packing. Packing light may seem like a good idea at first. Keep note, you need to ensure that your belongings are packed correctly and safely. Moreover, your truck or van should not be overloaded, to prevent damage or problems during transport.
• Avoid making multiple trips from your old home to the new one. 

The best advice of all

Take the time to research the best professional movers in your area, and prepare a list of your questions that will help you pick the most reputable, long-distance moving company possible. Be sure to look around to find online comments, reviews, and recommendations or warnings, looking into their insurance coverage, their previous experiences and how well they did, as well as their own tips on how to pack your items with confidence and care.

Consider Paramount Moving as one of the most reliable long-distance moving companies in the Greater Calgary area. We will be glad to work with you, whether you need to move from your home or office area.

We will do all we can to lift some of the stress away from you about this long-distance journey, and we will be sure to treat your precious belongings as though they were our own, not matter how far they need to travel in Canada.  Visit our website today and get ready for a great experience with your long-distance move.

How to Have a Great Move – Safety tips from Safety-Consious Moving Company

It has been often said: “Life is full of risks.” A safety-conscious moving company knows this and competent movers know the challenges of any move regardless of its difficulty. It’s hard work moving heavy things. They can be awkward, fragile, and even a bit dangerous to move around. Paramount Movers wants your move to be as safe and stress-free as possible. We have sat down with our professional staff and come up with some things to keep in mind about moving safely. We believe these tips will reduce the risks both during and even after this pandemic.

1. Move Things with Others, not Alone

You look at that bed or treadmill or even a set of dressers and sigh, “How will I ever move that thing?” That’s when you need to think: I need more help, professional help. All too frequently, failed attempts to move heavy objects may be costly. Those costs may come from injuries caused by trying to move those heavy things or from damage that may result if things go wrong. All of these could go well above the cost of investing in hiring safety-conscious movers. You are investing in professionals who are trained to safely move all your belongings, whether it’s a collection of wine bottles or a set of lamps.

2. Keep drinking water with added minerals

Not only does moving require lots of energy, but also lots of water. You will feel both tired and thirsty. Every moving company concerned with safety knows this: Drinking water will help, but replace certain minerals, too. A sports drink with the minerals you need will help you. You may simply want to add a little bit of iodized salt to your water. The key: keep drinking water, but don’t forget to add minerals, as well.

3. Wear enough comfortable clothes

Competent movers in Calgary know this: “Always wear layers.” For Calgary winters, this is very important, but it’s also important for the summertime, too. As the day goes on, you can take off or put on your different layers and stay comfortable. Choose safe and comfortable footwear: open-toed sandals are comfortable, but not all that safe. We do not advise wearing baggy clothing. Parts of these overly-loose clothes can catch on corners and trip you up or be ripped. If you’re not sure what’s appropriate–ask us. We’ll be glad to help you.

4. Keep Walkways Clear

Paramount Moving is a safety-conscious moving company, so we sometimes see things that others may overlook. Take special care to be sure that all the walkways you are using are clutter-free. The stray toy or the misplaced coffee mug on the floor can cause all kinds of trouble if tripped over. That simple stumble may be more than a bother — it could be dangerous.

5. Prepare and Keep and First Aid Kit Near You

While you are making your moving plans, take time to prepare a first-aid kit. Check online to find out what you can put together to prepare for your move. The Red Cross can also provide a booklet on quick first aid to include with your special kit.

6. Keep Boxes Reasonably Packed

You may want to pack a box as much as you can. Keep this phrase in mind: “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” As competent movers, we advise that you keep your items in your box balanced and that the boxes themselves are of a reasonable weight. This way you avoid the frustration and the danger of a box breaking open as you are moving it.

7. Give Movers Room to Move

While it is true that “many hands make light work”, this is not a regular “family chore.” This is a time when a safety-conscious moving company needs to take over. You have made careful preparations. You made sure everyone helped get ready for moving day. Now? It’s our turn. You can enjoy a stress-free day. Go to a park, have a picnic, relax, knowing that your move is in the hands of people who care about your belongings, both as they leave one place and arrive at another.

8. Refresh the Air, Improve the Safety

Because we are a moving company concerned with the safety of our clients, we know about many other aspects of moving safely. For example, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) strongly recommends that indoor air be replaced regularly with outdoor air. This not only means that windows and doors remain open for fresh air to flow into your home, but that fans can be wisely placed and used to circulate fresh air to help enhance keeping the air clean as we help you move.

Above All: Trust the Pros

At Paramount Moving, a safety-conscious moving company in Calgary, you will find that moving with us is more efficient, economical, and stress-free. We work with you so that Moving Day will be a great day! Planning that big move? Call Paramount Moving…today!

We may have heard this advice before: the cheapest isn’t always the best. This is especially true with different kinds of services from carpet cleaning to moving. If you are planning a move, it is a challenge to balance cost with quality. So, if you are going to get a moving quote sometime soon for the greater Calgary area, here are some tips to help you. 

1. Save up for quality

• Moving is a kind of investment…you are investing in the skills of strangers to move your belongings.
• The more you can trust those strangers, and the more you see how professional and skilled they are, the better your move will be.
• Save to get the best you can afford.

2. Look for satisfied customers

• Get moving estimates from:
  • reliable family members,
  • trusted friends
  • people who had a great experience that you can contact
• Rely on the good experiences of others to help you choose…they have good reasons for their great experiences.

3. Look for Quality Trucks and Moving Materials

• Consider the moving company’s perspective:
  • A competitive price offsets the cost of keeping professional movers and providing quality supplies, from boxes to moving blankets.
  • The inside and outside of the moving trucks are also important: belongings being moved are well-protected inside the truck, and the mechanical quality of the truck is taken care of, too.

This Could Happen:

Before your moving day, and even on your moving day, it is not unusual for a moving company to cancel your move completely. Why? It’s because they could take a better-paying job. If the trucks or equipment are only able to handle one move safely, then the less expensive one –yours– could be canceled at the last minute. You are left with all those packed boxes and have no one to move them for you when you need them to be moved.

4. Beware of Hidden Fees

You think, “What a great low-cost quote!”  Our advice? Beware of hidden fees!

• Various items could raise the price of your move…and you have no choice! Here are some examples:
  • Needing to provide Certificates of Insurance to building management and costs associated with processing them…charged to you.
  • Insurance costs associated with moving particularly valuable items.
  • Parking tickets or special traveling costs… added to your moving bill.
  • Undiscussed services such as unforeseen furniture disassembly, packing and unpacking, removing or moving around unusually heavy or difficult-to-move items may affect your final price tag.

What You Can Do

1. From the very beginning of your conference with your moving company, make sure you ask about who is paying for the different kinds of packing materials. Remember: no concern is too small. Ask…it may save you money and stress.
2. Make sure to choose a company that listens respectfully to your questions and may even ask a few of their own, taking all these aspects into account before giving you a quote…

5. Watch Out for the “Lowball Quote”

We are familiar with a very common and nasty sales tactic: the lowball quote, this baseball term means being “tossed an offer” of something lower, tempting you to “swing” at it, but the offer doesn’t help you as much as you had hoped.

• You may be given a quote for moving that looks surprisingly lower than what you may have seen from several other companies. This is a “lowball price” to get your business. The price will increase on the day of your move by adding:
• “necessary” numerous fees
• hidden charges
• extra costs 

What Can You Do? Ask about…

• Furniture that needs to be taken apart and then put back together.
• Heavier, bulky, or especially fragile items.
• Stairs, doorways, and access areas at either location that weren’t initially mentioned could result in a much higher quote than what was previously estimated.
• Assessments at both places to get an agreed-upon, guaranteed price you can save toward, rather than receiving a rough estimate that could easily change.  

 6. Do Some research: Check into the Credentials

No matter which company you look at, learn more about each one. Ask about these important topics:

• Is the company legally registered?
  • If a moving company needs to be registered with the government, find out what that registration looks like and how often that company needs to be registered.
• Does the company have a professional website?
  • A moving company with a professionally created website with many topics to help each mover, along with having a high approval rating are two of many critical aspects to check on with a potential moving company.
• Does the company have a physical location?
  • It is wise to conclude that movers who only create a website to operate online to cut costs will likely choose to cut costs in other ways as well, putting you, the mover, at risk.

 7. Think it through: Put all the pieces together

• Yes, there will always be much cheaper movers, but …they come with great risks.
• Yes, you may hire movers working for less than minimum wage, who are receiving few if any benefits, and who have minimal moving skills, but … you run the risk that your belongings may be poorly handled.
• Yes, those cheaper movers may have minimal skills to communicate, but … you may also have to deal with their minimal skills to work with you as their customer.

Choose these when getting your moving estimate:

• Movers who are well taken care of
• Quality equipment and trucks
• Professionalism you can observe and check on
• A company that is transparent about everything possible  

So… when you get a quote from the best movers in Calgary you want to hire, start saving for quality, start looking for satisfied customers, and start preparing to invest your time and money to get yourself on the right road for an excellent experience of moving on into a brighter future.

We are located in Calgary, but we are ready to offer:

• Crossfield moving services,
• Turner Valley moving services,
• Drumheller moving services,
• Airdrie moving services,
• Banff moving services,
• Canmore moving services.

Check the full list of locations where we work on the site.

The news has come: you need to move…and time is not on your side. What will you do? Take a deep breath, relax, and then look for “last-minute movers,” such as Paramount Moving in Calgary. We’ll make every second you need to plan work well for you. Yes, you need to move in a hurry, and we have some tips to help you…now.

You can try the move yourself, but it is easier to hire last minute movers

If you choose to move yourself in Calgary, keep these things in mind:

• Look at your schedule: list out what needs to be done and when.
• Gather packing supplies: moving blankets, many boxes of different sizes, lots of tape, cord and even rope, markers, and labels
• Contact people to help you: you may long-term helpers, others only short-term, so you will need to coordinate these various schedules
• Hire or find reliable vehicles to move your belongings.
• Deal with the stress and complications when things don’t go according to plan Now, if all this is possible for you to do, great. You can start planning and packing. However, this may not work for you. What do we recommend?

Call professional last minute movers, then set the date

Often those needing last-minute movers are already busy with a full-time job, with little to no time off to move right now. What’s the first step? Consider getting professional help. Hire movers last minute with a moving company that often deals with this stress. We will work with your budget to give you the best value for each dollar you need to spend. Everything will be discussed beforehand, so there will be no surprises. So, what else do you need to do? Let us help you set the date you need to move.

Next steps for a great move Cleaning up, cleaning out

• The date has been set, so focus on packing.
• If you are planning to have your mover pack for you: Start cleaning out things you no longer need from closets, cupboards, and storage areas.
• If you are planning to pack things yourself: A helpful guideline: get rid of things that haven’t been used for a year. Next: Get rid of things that you will not need in your new location. For anything, you are not sure about, whether to give it away or recycle it, just pack it. Take care of it when you are settled in at your new location.

 

Pack a “take-along” bag

Set aside a bag with items you need to keep close to you on your moving day:

• changes of clothes, including safe and comfortable footwear.
• toiletries, medications, important essentials.
• special documents, copies of cards, or ID, especially for COVID clearance.

Be systematic: pack room by room:

Choose a room, one you use the least, and start packing.

• Go from the lowest activity area to the highest activity area.
• Keep the items from each room together.
• Pack less-breakable items underneath more fragile items:
  • For breakable things, wrap them in towels, socks, or t-shirts
• Choose bigger boxes for lighter items: clothes, sheets, pillow-cases
• Choose smaller boxes for heavier belongings: shoes, books, games

Note: Avoid over-packing boxes. If you can’t carry it yourself, then repack it so it is a little lighter.

If helpers come, then cooperate with the pros:

The move may be a short one, and it’s always great to have friends or family help you pack. However, rely on the professional advice of the last-minute movers you have hired to help you.  Many hands may make work go faster, but too many leaders confuse the followers.  Instead, if you have concerns, follow the expert advice of the moving company. Then this last-minute move will be less stressful.  

A quick review…

• Call the last-minute movers to discuss your situation
• Set the date
• Follow the advice of the moving company to stay organized
• Gather recommended moving supplies,
• Start decluttering
• Then, start packing
• Finally…take a deep breath and relax…we’ve got the rest!