Moving all of your belongings from one home to another is always a busy, challenging, and often emotional process. Often you will be tempted to do it on your own to save time and money, but before you get started, you should ask yourself – “Will it be worth it to pay movers instead?”
Here’s why:
Experience: Unless you’ve moved a lot, or have similar job skills, moving is easy on paper, and hard when you actually get started and things start to go wrong. Experienced movers have dealt with just about every curveball that can be thrown during a move, and more likely than not you have not.
Preparation and Outfitting: As a result, professional movers have the tools and tricks of the trade to do your job efficiently. If you don’t know the best way to move heavy, unwieldy and/or delicate furniture, then you should best leave it to the pros. Also, the list of gear needed for a major move is significant. Odds are you don’t own handtrucks, furniture straps, moving blankets and pads, bubble wrap and tons of boxes. Vehicles can also be an issue. Can you move in a pick up or a trailer? Do you need a rental box truck or a full blown semi?
Efficiency: Professional packers and movers have done this dozens and hundreds of time. They can make quick work of packing lots of little things (like in kitchens, garages, etc.) and make it fast. Since you’re likely paying them by the hour, their speed and efficiency is crucial. If you’re under a deadline to get out because the bank is on you, or get moved in so you can settle in to start a new job, that extra time saved using professionals will make a difference.
Peace of Mind: Professional movers are more likely to move things without error, and if they do, claims can usually take care of any damage. If you’re extra worried about something, you may want to handle it yourself, but that doesn’t mean you have to then perform the whole move yourself. More importantly, you can save your strength for other issues you may have to deal with while the move is going on. All of those extra hands mean you’re free to do something else, without exhausting yourself at the end of the day.
As with everything, there are exceptions and issues to paying for movers or not.
Are you moving a few boxes and have a suitable vehicle? You probably don’t need movers.
Are you moving a lot of little things that will take a long time to pack. Movers come in handy.
Got a lot of furniture that will wear you out moving with your friends? Hire movers.
Concerned about moving anything and damaging it? Let the movers take it. At least they’re insured.
By all means, ask questions about extras that you may think are included, but may not be.
Are they charging you for any of the fragile wrapping materials? How much?
Are they charging by the hour or by the day? How much is each additional mover going to cost?
If they crate items, what does that cost?
What IS and IS NOT included?
Is paying for movers worth it? Unless you’re a pro, don’t have much to move, aren’t worried about the work and have the supplies and means on hand, then the answer is usually “Yes”.
Websites featuring real estate properties for sale have changed the real estate game over the last five to ten years. Before that time, traditionally showing a house was by appointment only. Though to see the house in person it is still done this way, a buyer will have a much better picture of the house before ever seeing it in person. This is because a buyer can view most listings via the internet, showing all of the rooms and street views. Many include a video tour of the property inside and out as if you are there.
The advantage for buyers using these real estate websites is it makes shopping for houses in a far away place very manageable. You no longer have to go to the location time and time again. A prospect can choose an area where he or she is getting transferred to and do preliminary searches to pick the houses he/she wants to view in the few days they plan to be onsite.
Seeing the areas on the internet allows families to understand and view schools in the area, find out statistics on the schools, and allow them to see the addresses and phone numbers of the neighborhoods that go to each one. This way they can make sure they purchase a home within the boundaries of the schools they want their children to attend. With a zip code they can also view neighborhoods with Google map aerial views and street maps.
To preview properties and neighborhoods online allows those who are relocating to find out more information in relation to houses and neighborhoods than they did under the old system of walking into houses without previews. Your Realtor is also a wonderful resource to both preview certain properties and to help establish value. Most Realtors farm certain areas so they are very familiar with the neighborhoods within those regions of interest.
The display of a home on the internet site can be great or very misleading so you do have to be careful. The video brings you to the entrance, through the opened door to the foyer, and lets you view each room one by one. Sometimes you can see if the bedrooms are big enough to accommodate your family or figure out if there is a place for a home office. You might have questions like; is there storage space available on the property? What are the features of the backyard? Or think about your given interests and hobbies and ask; is this the house you like? Many times it’s the kitchen and bathrooms that help you to decide.
Some other great features the internet previews allow you to see are size, color, condition and special features of the baths, showers, and cabinets of the home you are interested in. The most important question you will have to ask yourself is…is this home one you can visualize yourself living in with all of your family and all of the furniture you currently have?
Most purchases these days start with viewing the home online, but it will never take the place of you actually walking through that door and seeing the home in person.
It really is a great time to be a first time home buyer because not only are rates historically low, but the Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) is providing very low rates themselves. As of today, their Great Rate is 3.95%, the Great Advantage rate is 4.25% and the Great Start rate is 4.55%. As you can see, if you are a first time home buyer with a credit score in the mid-600′s, now is the time to apply for a home loan.
Just to give you a little history about the agency, the THDA was created in 1973 by the Tennessee General Assembly. The assembly’s stated purpose for the THDA was “to promote the production of more affordable new housing units for very low, low and moderate income individuals and families in the state, to promote the preservation and rehabilitation of existing housing units for such persons, and to bring greater stability to the residential construction industry and related industries so as to assure a steady flow of production of new housing units…”
It is important to remember that the THDA loan process is a two-pronged one. First, the buyer must go through the FHA process. Then, second, they go through the THDA process. The buyer must get documents from both processes signed, so when you buy a house, you need to give yourself enough time to get the proper paperwork finished. Make sure the seller understands the process as well, so there will not be any miscommunication.
With THDA rates so low, it would be wise to get your financial situation in order if your are looking to buy a home. You really can get a great deal on a mortgage, and it is worth the time and energy to see if you qualify. Take some time to talk to a home loan professional so you can understand exactly what you need to do to start the process.
As many of you may know, I live on Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, TN. This is a friendly, welcoming area of Middle Tennessee located just a bit north of Nashville on I-65. I have lived here for over 30 years, and I raised my two girls here. Needless to say, I am fully invested both emotionally and financially in the well being of this town. My husband and I love living on the lake, and we often have people over to enjoy it with us. My youngest daughter is probably the most frequent recipient of this hospitality, as she loves being on the boat.
However, Hendersonville has much more than just the lake. In the last 5 to 7 years, developers have built dozens of new stores and eateries. This has enabled the local population to stay in Hendersonville instead of driving to Nashville every time they want to go to a nice restaurant. This has also had a domino effect on housing construction. Even though the housing market in general has struggled, Hendersonville has not been as hard hit as the larger urban areas have.
When you go to visit Hendersonville, you will want to be sure you stop to visit the Streets of Indian Lake shopping complex. It has a host of restaurant choices that include Mimi’s Cafe, Brixx Woodfire Pizza and Kohana Japanese Restaurant. Even better, there are some great places to shop. Barnes & Noble, Chico’s, The French Shoppe and Ann Taylor Loft are just a few of these places.
The best thing about Hendersonville, I would say, is the people. I have friends and neighbors that have always been there for me, and I will always be there for them. You will find few better places to raise a family, and the school system is top notch. If you are looking for a home, I cannot recommend Hendersonville any more highly. Trust me, you will feel right at home.
