Blogs


3 Ways Self-Storage Makes it Easier to Sell Your House

Moving Tips


Moving Tips In the challenging journey of selling your house, every advantage counts. A survey conducted for Zillow found that selling a home is rated as more stressful than buying a new house, planning a wedding, getting fired, becoming a parent, and teaching a teenager to drive. Enter self-storage: a game-changer in simplifying the process and enhancing your home's marketability. In this blog post, we'll explore three pivotal ways self-storage can ease the burden of selling your home, from elevating its appearance to ensuring security and facilitating a smoother transition to your new abode. Let's delve into how self-storage can be the key to a successful and stress-free home sale. 1. Enhancing Your Home’s Appearance Preparing your home for sale involves strategic steps to enhance its appeal to potential buyers. One of the most impactful ways to achieve this is through effective decluttering. Self-storage provides a convenient solution for temporarily relocating excess furniture and personal belongings, creating a sense of spaciousness and tidiness that captivates buyers. Staging your home is another important way to make it appealing to buyers. Staging is the process of selectively removing and storing items that may detract from the desired ambiance, which allows you to showcase each space in the way buyers would most likely use it. With self-storage space to temporarily move items ...


Norm Kotoch
May 16th, 2024


4 Tips for Moving Furniture to Your New Home

Moving Tips


Moving Tips Your furniture is often the most difficult to transfer during a move due to its size, shape and quantity.Below, we provide four tips to make moving furniture from one home to the next easier and safer. 1. Lighten Furniture (If Possible) Furniture can be heavy and difficult to transport. Fortunately, some items can be made lighter by removing or dismembering pieces. When preparing furniture for a move: Remove items out of drawers, dressers and chests. Pack these items in labeled boxes so you can easily find them after your move. Take apart any furniture that has multiple pieces. For example, remove couch cushions and chaises when possible, or separate mattresses from bed frames. Slide heavier furniture, instead of lifting, until you reach the door or stairs. Limit heavy lifting to only when it’s necessary. 2. Get Supplies to Protect Furniture Once you have disassembled your furniture, wrap and prepare it for protection. To do this, you will need: Bubble wrap. Furniture covers. Heavy tape. Mattress bags. Paper padding. Plastic wrap. Each piece of furniture will have it’s own unique needs when preparing for your move. For example, consider using extra padding for furniture with sharper edges or more delicate pieces, such as antiques. Conduct proper research before you begin. 3. Be Conscious of Furniture Placement When packing furniture into the moving truck, be conscious of placement to ensure items arrive safe and sound. A few tips to consider are: Line the sides of the truck with boxes to prevent furniture from moving or slamming around while in motion. Line the bottom of the truck floor with blankets to avoid furniture from shifting or getting scratched. Pack dismembered pieces (e.g. table legs, small dresser drawers), if applicable, in boxes or storage containers. Load your heaviest furniture into the truck first to avoid it smashing into more delicate items. Place longer or ...


Norm Kotoch
May 12th, 2022


Sold! How to Stage Your Home to Sell It Fast

Moving Tips


Moving Tips Preparing to sell your home can be a stressful time. Cleaning, organizing, rearranging—it can require a lot of time and effort. Below are ways that you can improve each room in your home to make a favorable first impression with potential buyers. Bathroom Buyers don’t want to look at a dirty or outdated bathroom. Luckily, there are simple ways you can clean it up: Eliminate surface mold. An easy technique is to add one-part bleach to ten-parts water. Spray on the affected areas, and wipe away. Refresh the walls. Apply a fresh coat of paint to ensure your walls don’t show water damage or peeled paint. Shower doors. Sometimes shower doors can get water build up and look pretty unattractive. Clean with a homemade, all-natural cleaner. Bedroom The bedroom is meant to be a place of relaxation and comfort. Set up your room so that potential buyers can see themselves living in it. Add a headboard to your bed. This will both draw attention to the bed and tie the room together. Appeal to both sexes. Get rid of your gender-specific pieces in favor of neutral colors. Remove distracting or unnecessary furniture to keep your room simple and help buyers imagine what they can do to it. Depersonalize the room. A great place to store excess furniture and personal items in the meantime is a self-storage unit. Kitchen The kitchen can be one of the most expensive rooms to update. However, there are simple ways to get the look you want without the cost. Instead of installing new cabinets, paint or stain them. And don’t buy stainless steel appliances if your current appliances are in good shape. Instead, apply a stainless steel stick-on-covering. However, sometimes a paint job or a stick-on won’t cut it. If your cabinets ...


Norm Kotoch
May 12th, 2021


3 Moving Scenarios Requiring Storage

Moving Tips


Moving Tips Spring is a hot season for real estate. If you are selling your home or between residences, you probably have a lot to juggle. One of the biggest considerations facing those moving is what to do with all of your belongings. From furniture to clothing, personal belongings can become a hindrance during the selling or moving process. Self storage can provide home sellers and buyers with options to help simplify the moving process. Here are three common moving situations where self storage can be a viable solution: 1. Your Home Sells First It is not unlikely that your own home will sell before you have your dream home under contract, leaving you temporarily without a place to live. When your home sells before you’re ready to move, self storage can provide the appropriate space to keep your furnishings and belongings until you acquire a new home. 2. Staging Your Home For Sale When showing your home, it is important to stage each room in a manner that makes potential buyers picture themselves living there. Often times, excess furniture and clutter can make your home feel cramped, which can be discouraging to potential buyers. By utilizing self storage as a temporary solution to reduce clutter and maximize space, your home can appear more spacious and welcoming to buyers. Sometimes, removing just a few large or clunky items can greatly improve your chances of selling faster. 3. Home Foreclosure Foreclosure has become a common situation for many families in the current economy. Foreclosure forces many families to move suddenly, with all of their belongings in tow. When faced with this scenario, families have the option of temporarily storing their personal items in a budget-friendly self-storage unit until they are situated in a new residence. Moving ...


Norm Kotoch
April 1st, 2021


How to Relieve the Stress of Moving with Self-Storage

Moving Tips


Moving Tips Organizing, packing and keeping track of your belongings for a move can be stressful. Learn how a self-storage unit can help remove some of the hassle. Keep Your Belongings Conveniently Out of the Way One of the hardest aspects of moving is deciding where to put everything once packed, especially if you’re still showing your current home. Self-storage units offer a convenient solution that can be temporary or long-term. Keep your stacks of boxes and excess furniture out of the way, yet accessible. The following are common situations in which a self-storage unit is most useful. Staging Your Home: It’s recommended to simplify your home when staging it for a sale. Help future homeowners better picture themselves living in your space by putting some of your belongings in storage. Temporary Storage: It is common to have a gap between your closing and moving date. Or, you may be relocating to a new city for a new job. A self-storage unit is a great place to store your belongings until you’re ready to move. Downsizing: Empty nesters moving into a smaller space may need extra storage. Items like furniture, children’s toys and clothing can get stored until they will get handed down and used again. Moving In Together: Newlyweds or friends moving in together can have duplicate items that won’t fit in their new space. Self-storage can keep these items out of the way until you decide what to do with them. Protection With Climate Control Not all storage is the same when boxing things up to move. Attics, basements or garages can’t always protect your belongings properly. If stored in the wrong temperature or humidity, sensitive items can grow mold, pick up a scent or even discolor. Climate-controlled storage units, however, are designed to keep your belongings safe ...


Norm Kotoch
February 11th, 2021


The Top Benefits of a Self-Storage Unit to Reduce Moving Stress

Moving Tips


Moving Tips Moving ranks as one of the most stressful life events. Your life is disrupted as you make adjustments to your daily routine. Plus, organizing, packing and keeping track of your belongings is a hassle. Then, once you move, you have to figure out where to put all your items. Luckily, you can take away some of that stress by storing your packed-up possessions. A self-storage unit is an option that offers many benefits. It’s one less stressor as you go through the home buying and selling process. For more information on the benefits of a self-storage unit to reduce the stress of moving, continue reading below. Keep Your Belongings Conveniently Out of the Way One of the most difficult aspects of moving is deciding where to put your belongings once packed, especially if you’re still showing your current home. Self-storage units offer a convenient solution that can be short- or long-term, depending on your needs. They keep stacks of boxes and excess furniture out of the way, yet accessible. The following are common situations in which a self-storage unit is most useful. Consolidating Homes: Did you just get married? Newlyweds or couples moving in together can have duplicate items that won’t fit in their new space. A self-storage unit can keep these items out of the way until you decide what to do with them. Downsizing: Are you in the process of downsizing? Empty nesters moving into a smaller space may need extra storage for items like furniture, as well as children’s toys and clothing that will get handed down and used again. Staging a Home: Do you have children? Pets? If you’re in the process of moving, but still have items in your home that don’t necessarily look ready for a real estate showing, a storage unit can help. Switching Jobs: Are you relocating to a different city for a new job? A self-storage unit is a place to store your belongings until you’re ready to move. Waiting ...


Norm Kotoch
April 15th, 2020


How to Pack Fragile Items for Moving and Storage

Moving Tips


When moving or organizing your home or office, chances are you have your fair share of fragile and breakable itemsto pack up, such as glassware or electronics. To avoid your fragile items from getting damaged during transport to your new residence, office or storage unit, use the right materials and implement proper packing techniques provided below. Packing Materials for Fragile Items Fragile items require packing materials that provide cushion during transportation, and protect areas that are especially susceptible to breaking or cracking, such as wine glasses or picture frames. Have the following items handy prior to packing your breakables: Boxes Bubble wrap Dish and glass packers Markers Newspaper or packing paper Packing peanuts Plastic furniture covers Tape Towels or rags It’s especially helpful to use boxes that are pre-divided for the specific dimensions of certain products, such as dishes or glassware. These smaller compartments help to limit the movement of breakable items, thus reducing the chance of damage. In addition, if you have the item’s original box and/or packing components, such as Styrofoam sleeves for electronics or other pre-packaged items, plan to repackage and transport these items in their original packaging. These materials are specifically sized for the product, and will provide the greatest level of protection. Steps for Packing Breakables Once you have your supplies ready to go, follow the steps below to safely and securely pack your breakable items: Secure the bottom of your box by taping all open seams and corners. Build a cushion base by lining the inside of the box with bubble wrap or packing peanuts. Individually wrap each item with bubble wrap, packing paper, newspaper or towels. Add additional material around thin areas, such as stems on wine glass or handles on mugs. Secure with tape to ensure the protective material stays in tact. Carefully place wrapped items in the box, starting with the heaviest on the bottom and the lightest at the top. If you have pre-divided boxes, insert items in their appropriate compartments. Fill any empty space in the box with packing peanuts, towels or paper to prevent breakables from moving around. This includes adding a layer to the top prior to sealing the box. Seal the top of the box with tape and label each ...


Norm Kotoch
October 19th, 2016


Download Your Complete Moving Guide

Moving Tips


When you make the decision to move into a new space, you quickly discover that there are many items to keep track of and a list of considerations to keep close at hand. We've taken our thoughts on the process and compiled them into one comprehensive moving guide to provide the moving checklist your family needs to move with ease.Security Self-Storage LLC In this ebook, you will find answers to the following questions (and more): How should I determine my budget? What percentage of my take home pay should be put toward a housing payment? What factors should I consider as I assess potential neighborhoods? How can I select the right retailers and movers for the job? How do I update my address with utilities, banks, schools, the DMV, IRS and other places of record? Which packing considerations should I keep in mind as I prep, pack and move boxes from old to new? We invite you to fill out the form below and find out. ...


Norm Kotoch
June 22nd, 2014