If you’ve been thinking about moving, we’re here to say: go for it! Moving is one of the best ways to start fresh, and if you’re looking for a new place, there are so many great places to choose from. Moving takes courage and commitment, but it can also be one of the most rewarding things you’ve ever done. You’ll be able to see new things and meet new people, and if you’re relocating for work or school, you’ll have an opportunity to learn new skills and grow in your field. But before you start packing up your life in boxes, let’s talk about what makes a successful relocation.Whether you’re moving across town or state lines, there are some important things to consider when moving.
Tips to Store Fragile and Dangerous Items
Why Is A Last Will & Testament Necessary?
Most of us don’t want to spend our time thinking of our inevitable death, admittedly it can seem a little morbid. However, not preparing for the future can leave your family unprepared and unprotected in the event of your passing. Having a will is arguably one of the most important things you can do to protect yourself and your family. A Last Will and Testament can be as simple or complex as you choose to make it. It is simply an instruction guide that outlines how you want your estate to be distributed, makes key points and expresses any final wishes. It will give you much-needed peace of mind that you, your spouse, children, relatives, etc. will all be legally protected. If you die without preparing a Last Will and Testament, your estate may not be distributed in the way you wanted, there may be unnecessary family feuds over financials, custody, assets, the burial process, etc. If this is not reason enough to get a will in place, then keep reading through our list of reasons why a Last Will & Testament is Necessary. #1. Have Full Control over the distribution of your estate. As explained above, a Will is a legal document that outlines your wishes regarding your estate in the event of your death. This may include things like money, houses, stocks, pensions, jewelry, etc. You will determine in your Last Will and Testament, how you want all of your assets distributed in the event of your death. For example; A family heirloom that you may want to pass on to a specific individual, you need to make clear intentions in the Will in order to minimize any disagreements that may arise. This applies to the entirety of your estate because if there is no Will in place for survivors to act on then it could result in unnecessary arguments, expensive legal action and failure for your wishes to be followed. #2. You Can Name the Person Responsible For Managing Your Estate. In the event of your death, your Executioner of the Will is the person that becomes responsible for carrying out your requests in the Will. They are the person that makes sure all of your affairs are in order and taken care of after your death. They become responsible for paying bills, cancelling credit cards, notifying the bank and government of your death and distributing all assets. This can be a large and overwhelming task for even the most prepared individuals. Therefore, it is important that you select this person carefully. Executors can be family members, but they don’t have to be. The person you choose for this large task needs to be someone most importantly that is honest, trustworthy, and organized. #3. You Decide Your Children’s Guardian. If you do not have an up-to-date Will that appoints the Guardianship of your children, the courts will be forced to take it upon themselves to choose a family member(s) or appointed guardian to take care of any minor children. The cost and time required to create (or keep up-to-date) a Will is nothing compared to the peace of mind that you will have, knowing your child is in the care of someone you choose and obviously trust. By ensuring you have a will in place, you can make sure you choose who raises your child in the event of your death, not the courts. Support is incredible, raising a child with a village is imperative. But, while having more than one person willing to take on the responsibility of your child is fortunate; it can sometimes be worse and cause major family rifts and arguments. Family tensions can rise steadily under normal circumstances, but under the stress of a tragedy and the loss of a loved one, it can become far worse. By doing due diligence, you can protect all survivors to the best of your ability. #4. Minimize your Estate Taxes Having a Will does not always mean that you will pay fewer taxes but it does allow you the opportunity to be prepared. You can foresee and plan what tax deductions might be made. In Canada, your estate will be taxed as a whole before any distributions are made. However, the value of assets you give to family or charity will be deducted from the value of your estate. So giving generously can drastically reduce your estate value and in turn the taxes. #5. You Can Choose to Disinherit People You can choose who inherits each portion of your estate, but you can also choose to disinherit people in your will. This is a legally binding way to ensure that people that may have stood to inherit your estate if you die, can not have access to any of it. Without a will, your estate could end up in the hands of an ex-spouse or estranged relative. This is especially important in the cases of separation without a formal separation agreement. Times have thankfully changed; creating a Will used to be a costly endeavor, so there were many people who chose to only do it as they grew older, leaving many people unprepared in the event of accidental death. Preparing a Last Will and Testament is about smart financial planning. You can create a Will now, and update it throughout your life as circumstances change at an affordable price. At Relocate Stress Free Inc, we would love to assist you with planning and helping you protect yourself and your family.
4 Tips for Organizing Your Home
Have you heard the saying, “a place for everything and everything in its place”? What a GREAT rule of thumb to live by when focusing on organization in your home. If you are like so many others, you walk in the door and drop your keys wherever you stop first. Fast forward, it’s now time to leave and you can’t find your keys and everyone is getting a little comedy show with breakfast watching you run around in a tizzy looking for them. This is avoided by following that rule, and maybe a key rack or basket by the front door! Check out these 4 tips for some of the best ways to keeping your home neat and organized! Declutter The first step to organizing a cluttered house is, in fact, decluttering. Learning how to get rid of stuff is a necessary first step. Because if you don’t, you will just end up shuffling clutter from one room to the next, trying to find somewhere to make it all fit. Clutter is probably the biggest reason for disorganization. A few great ways to remove clutter could be recycle things, have a garage sale and donate reusable items. Clean Out Your Closet Every Season By removing summer clothes for winter months you free up a ton of space. It will allow you to easily access the clothing for the current season and also leave you space for any new purchases. Any empty looking closest is about the best reason to justify a shopping trip. That’s a win, win! Pro tip- that garage sale money you just made from decluttering could go towards funding your shipping trip to fill your freshly emptied closet! Labels and Baskets Are Your Friend Grouping like items in baskets keeps them organized and easily accessible. Baskets are your friend here. They are so versatile. You can mix and match sizes to meet your needs. You can also label them or colour coordinate them. They can be used in vanity drawers, dresser drawers, pantry shelves, even the play room. Labelling the baskets makes finding things much easier and a lot more efficient. For children who can not read labels colour coordination may be an easy way for them to tidy their toys and keep organized. Pro tip- check out your local dollar store for a selection of baskets. They usually have tons of options. Put It Away. Right Away. You have worked so hard to declutter and give everything a home. Now comes the hard part, you have to keep it that way. It may seem like an easy idea, but the most simple way to keep things organized is to put your things away in their place immediately after using them. It can be as simple as hanging up your coat after you wear it. The more little things you can do throughout the day, the less likely you are to create clutter in the first place. A little bit each day will keep your home organized and ultimately you feeling more relaxed.
Our Top 5 Tips For Selling Your Home When You Have Pets
It’s true that many people love pets, however, your furry family members are a large part of the process of selling your home. Remember to consider how they fit into the equation and how evidence of their presence can affect potential home buyers and the sale of your property. Here are 5 things to consider when you are prepping your pet friendly home for sale.
10 Tips For Decluttering Your Home, Simply
Decluttering is something we all dread, however, it is a necessary part of living comfortably. If you stay on top of the decluttering process it will be easier to get ready to sell your home, should you ever need to.
Simple Holiday Decorating Tips When Selling A Home
Decorating your home for the holidays when you’re trying to sell can cause an unnecessary amount of stress for homeowners. These simple, but stunning, options could be exactly what you’re looking for. 1. For an easy centerpiece, decorate a serving tray with ornaments. Add some greenery and you’ve got a festive but simple piece. 2. Use clear glass vases with evergreens or other seasonal greenery in them in various places in your home. 3. For this next DIY, grab a serving tray, a small sting of lights, egg cups and some clipped greens placed in floral foam. 4. Pick up some simple bottle brushes and color them with fabric dye. They make adorable mini Christmas trees to decorate your home. 5. Search through your cupboards for champagne flutes and other glassware. Add Christmas ornaments, pinecones and curled ribbon to the display to add some colour to your décor. 6. Cut and fold holiday theme scrapbooking paper to create trees of different sizes. These little additions can be added to any tabletop or mantel. 7. Grab your handy serving tray and a square glass vase. Add Christmas ornaments to the vase and wrap with a bow. Finish off with a sprinkle of faux snow. 8. If you have a large window in your home, choose a single colour and hang ornaments of different shapes using ribbon in front of it. 9. Carry your décor through every room in your home by wrapping wide ribbons around solid-colour pillows. Place them on chairs, couches or beds to add some holiday colour throughout. 10. In the kitchen, add a wreath above your stove or on a door leading to your outdoor patio. Copper coffee cups with candy canes in them on open shelves or on an island are a fun addition as well. 11. Secure a bunch of brown twigs with a rubber band, add a splash of greenery and tie with a bright coloured ribbon. This simple piece makes a great addition to add to a door or above a mantel. 12. Repurpose an old frame by forming a large triangle out of 16-gauge wire. Add horizontal pieces curled on the ends for branches. Hang small ornaments and add a bow or star to the top to finish of the homemade tree. 13. Fill clear glass mugs or cups with peppermint candies and candy canes to add to your decorative table. 14. Sprigs of pine and berries dress up framed photos that are already hanging on your walls. 15. Add fresh greenery, a large red ball, red-painted pinecones and a bright bow to add some colour to your snowy back or front yard. These 15 tips are all simple, effective and budget friendly ways to bring the holidays to your home. Giving your potential buyers a peek into what Christmas can look like in your home is a great way to make them feel right at home!
24 Tips For a Smooth Move
Having been in the moving industry for as long as I have, there aren’t very many moving tricks that I haven’t heard about, both successful and disastrous. So I have taken the time to compile what I believe are some of the best tips to ensure your move is as stress-free as possible! Do it a little bit at a time. Don’t procrastinate on this job because it’s a big one, and you won’t be able to find the time to finish everything that needs to get done if you leave it until the last minute. Declutter before you move! I can’t stress this one enough. You do NOT want to move items that you don’t need. It creates more work, costs more money and utilizes more valuable time. One of the best ways to declutter your space is to put everything into four categories. Pack Now – Prioritize what needs to be packed first. Pack Later – Decide what needs to be packed last. Donate – anything that is no longer of use to you, but may be valuable to someone else. And Throw Away – anything that is broken or has no value to you or others. If you are moving last minute, then your best bet is to have a packing day. The more people willing to help you, the better! Create a moving checklist – In your list, make sure to include all the rooms in your home. Then you can create a row that specifies the following categories: Which colour will be for which room, who is in charge of packing that room, a box to check when that room has been completely packed, and then space for any additional notes. You will want to make sure you pick up good quality moving boxes and have multiple sizes for packing all different sized items. Try to use extra space like suitcases and large totes that may be currently empty to lower your costs and the space needed for moving. Make sure to have lots of storage bags on hand. All variety of sizes you will find come in handy for different things. You can place all those little odds and ends in there, so they don’t get lost. If you choose to colour code the rooms, it works well to place a label outside the room right before entering and then another on the wall inside. It doesn’t have to be fancy; just a big coloured dot on a piece of paper with the room name will do. These colour guides will help your movers know exactly where things need to go. If you have people helping you pack or move, make sure that you have coordinated food and drinks for them. You can make something like finger sandwiches, fruit and veggie trays ahead of time or make it easy and order some pizza. You will want to create a “moving station.” A moving station is a place where all packing essentials are kept. Then anyone can access packing materials as needed, such as boxes, tape, scissors, sharpies, etc. It is crucial to delegate one person to be in charge of managing the packing process. This person will be in charge of the master checklist you initially created with all the rooms. They will also be the go-to person for answering any questions related to packing. If you have more than one person giving directions, then you may have a disaster. Once a box has been packed, it is crucial to make sure that it is labelled appropriately with the right colour of tape or sticker for the designated room, so there is no confusion for the movers. Always write down the contents of each box in great detail; you can do this in a couple of different places: Write the details on the box if that works best, or You can number your boxes. ei. Kitchen could be 100s: So you would label your boxes #100, #101, #102, etc. Living Room 200s: #200, #201, #202, etc. Then on the master sheet, list the boxes contents under the number. The more details, the better. Sometimes we need something sooner than we think when we move, and it may still be packed away. Unpacking 15 boxes trying to find one item is not fun. You will find it much easier to assemble all the boxes at once, rather than only assembling one at a time as you need them. You can either do this before packing day or delegate someone to do it at the beginning of the day. It is easier to pick the appropriate size of box for the items you are packing. It will save you a lot of time in the long run. Use pillows, blankets and towels as an inexpensive way to help provide padding to breakables, valuables and electronics. If you are struggling to find a place for your long-handled equipment (brooms, mops, rakes, etc.), you may be able to utilize your garbage can to move them. Often furniture will need to be taken apart entirely or partially when moving. For any furniture that does get taken apart, place all small parts (nuts, bolts, screws, Allen key, etc.) in a plastic baggy to keep them together; you can either: Tape the bag directly to the furniture so that everyone knows where it goes. Or if that won’t work, You can label each bag with details of what piece of furniture it belongs with and create a general hardware box. If you choose this option, don’t lose that box! Label cords, remotes and other essentials with tape & sharpies and put all of them together in one bucket. Don’t leave loose cords anywhere. This box can go with the hardware box, but remember both are very important boxes, don’t lose them! Once you have finished packing the box and it get’s a label, it is important to move it to the side so that it is out of the way
Tips For a Stress-Free Move With Your Pets
Moving can be incredibly stressful for us as humans, so I can’t even begin to imagine how scary it can be for our pets. Especially since they have no sense of control over what is happening. It is essential not to forget about your pets and the stress that they may be feeling. Hopefully, these tips will provide your pet with an easier transition to their new home and help you both settle in quicker! The following tips will prove that a stress-free move with your pets is possible! Make Sure Your Soon-to-be Home Meets Your Pets’ Needs Before purchasing a new home, make sure you have considered the needs of your pets. If you have feline friends or smaller-sized dogs, you may be able to get away with a smaller square footage home and smaller backyard. Although, you may want to make sure there is vertical room for cats that love climbing. If you have a large dog, you will want to consider a home with enough space and a large backyard for them to run and play. When a large backyard is not possible, make sure you buy a home that is easily accessible to take your dog for consistent walks or that your new home is near a dog park. If you bring a canine friend to your new home, it may be a good idea to take them on a walk around the neighborhood and get them familiar with the outdoor space and smells. Talk to Your Pet’s Veterinarian If your move is taking you away from your current Veterinarian, and you will need to find a new one, you should reach out and let them know. They will advise you of what you will need to do to transfer your pet’s medical records. It would be valuable to ask for your pet’s vaccination record if you don’t currently have it to ensure they don’t miss their vaccinations. You will also need to do some research to find a new Veterinarian for your pet once you have moved. You can ask your current Vet if they have any recommendations of a great Veterinarian in the area around your new home. The Packing Process Much like humans, many pets don’t like change. You will want to help ease the adjustment right away by trying to keep their stress levels low. Try to keep their daily routine as normal as possible during the moving process. If possible, pack the room that your animal frequents the most last. If you are looking for storage solutions in the process of moving, make sure to head over to our friends at Crate It Storage and check out all their fantastic storage options. On moving day, you will want to keep your pets in a quiet room with the door shut. Consider packing an easily accessible bag for your pet. A backpack with enough essentials for a few days includes food, toys, treats, kitty litter, blanket, etc. This bag will come in especially handy if your pet does need to hang out somewhere else during the moving process. On The Road Do be careful when transporting your pet to your new home because if they do happen to get scared and escape their kennel or leash, they could get lost quite quickly with all the new-to-them scenery and smells. Even the most docile or well-trained dogs can respond differently under stress or to new environments, so it is best not to assume their reactions for their safety. If your animal has not spent much time in a kennel or on a leash, it may be good to get your animal used to it before the move. You can do this in a few different ways: Place the kennel in their most-frequented space as soon as possible with the door open so that they have full access to observe it. Try placing their food inside the open crate. Once your animal is comfortable eating with the door open, then try closing the door and letting them eat with the door closed. You can try carrying them around the house in the kennel for a few minutes at a time. Always end any time in their kennel positively by rewarding them with treats or playtime. Pet-Proof Your New Home Before bringing your pet into your new home, it is a good idea to make sure you pet-proof your home. Make sure there have been no poisonous pest-control traps that have been left anywhere in the home. Especially if the home was vacant before you move in. Remove any toxic houseplants that could be harmful or potentially fatal to your animals. Check that all windows have secure screens, You may want to ensure that you place screen protectors on any screens that extend to ground level if you have an animal that may jump up and ruin it. Tuck away electrical cords if you have animals that like to chew or may get tangled in them. Block off any small spaces or nooks that your pet could get trapped. Home Sweet Home Upon arrival at your new home, it may seem easiest to let your cat or dog loose to explore the house. However, remember this is a new space, and it may be scary or intimidating for them. To try and alleviate that stress, you should let them adjust to one room at a time. The first room you let them explore should have their food and water dish, bed, toys, and treats. This space will be their main comfort space, and as their comfort level grows, you can gradually introduce them to other rooms as you see fit. Moving can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be! Most importantly, be patient and provide reassurance by showing them lots of love and giving them extra attention through this time of change. With these tips your move with your pets can be as stress-free as your moving experience with Relocate Stress-Free Inc.!
6 Reasons to Move During the Spring
It’s finally here. Springtime! It’s officially the season of all things new, and what better way for new beginnings than with a big move? Calgary is seeing a growth in the older population in recent times. Are you among them? Where are you heading for your next move? Equally important is when are you relocating? For many, summertime is the ideal time to move. In reality, though, there are many benefits to moving during the spring. In fact, we highly recommend it for these reasons: 1. The Weather is Better People often forget about the debilitating summer heat when they opt to move during the summer months. As for the snow, injuries are possible even when you take strong precautions due to the ice. While the spring season comes with its own challenges, a quick look at the weather report should give you a fair warning to avoid surprise showers. Other than that, you’ll be avoiding heat exhaustion and frozen fingers. 2. The Cost of Moving is Low Because so many have scheduled their moving days for the summer, more moving companies are available to cater to you. According to economics, the higher the supply and the lower the demand, the lesser the price. By moving during the spring, you’re saving yourself a heap of money. Of course, it’s still recommended to give movers notice ahead of time — even if they’re not too busy. 3. The Kids Are Out of School Spring break is around the corner. Whether your kids go to school in-person or virtually, they now have more time to help you with moving. They can clean, pack and prepare for the big move without worrying about their studies. 4. You’ll Have a More Relaxed Summer All moves require work. And who wants to work during the summer? By moving during the spring, you’ll be way ahead when it comes to unpacking your items before the holiday season. You can go all-in for your summer vacation and not feel weighed down by the thought of a move. That’s done with! Spend your first summer in your new home with a carefree state of mind. 5. It Will Encourage You to Do Spring Cleaning Spring cleaning can be a pain. But if you move during the spring, you now have the motivation to get it out of the way. Well, you kind of have to if you intend to sell your home at a decent price. A good home cleanup will also leave you with more money in two ways: The movers will have less to carry, assuming they charge for weight. You can do a garage sale for things you no longer want or need. 6. Spring is the Ideal Time to Sell Your Home Since most people are bent on moving during summer, they need to have a new home to go to. During spring, there are a lot of home buyers looking to find their new beginning, too! The housing market is not like most. When the demand for houses is high, the costs go up — not down! Additionally, you get a wider pick of who you’re going to leave your old home to. Statistics show that this year is especially promising for house selling, with a record 2% increase in sales from December to January following consistent growth in sales over the past few months. Remember This When Moving During Spring There’s no way around it. Spring is a great time to move. But before you do that, remember that spring is allergy season. Keep these tips in mind: Check the pollen count in the air around your moving day. Avoid moving on windy days or take allergy pills if you do. Seal moving boxes well. Take eye drops to thwart pollen discomfort. The Relocate Stress Free team is all set to make your spring move as easy as possible. Give us a call or contact us today to get ready for your new beginning!