Moving Questions, Answered by our Phoenix, Arizona Movers
Moving is typically stressful, the Arizona Movers of Beltmann Moving and Storage offer answers to these common FAQs to take the stress out of your Phoenix move
Our Arizona Movers Have these Top Tips for You!
- Go through your house and eliminate unwanted items before the packers arrive.
- Hang or fold all clothes and place in closets, packers don’t do this.
- Unplug and disconnect electronics, appliances, remove printer cartridges (ink damage is not covered).
- Review Moving Guide for items that your movers cannot carry.
There are many items on the list of things we cannot carry put out by the U.S. Department of Transportation, be sure you dispose of them properly before our packers show up.
- Acids of any kind
- Adhesives of any kind
- Aerosol Cans
- Ammunition
- Anti-freeze
- Batteries
- Charcoal Briquettes
- Alcohol/ Ammonia/ Bleach/Cleaners/Disinfectants/ Liquid Cleaners/ Petroleum Products
- Petroleum Products
- Fire Extinguishers
- Gasoline/ Kerosene/ Lighter Fluid
- Lawn Chemicals
- Lighters/Matches
- Opened Fireworks
- Polishes
- Propane Tanks/Scuba Tanks
- Shellac & Varnishes/Paints
- Solvents/
- Welding Gases
If your new home is not ready and you need to put the bulk or your belongings in storage, let the packing crew and driver know you’ve placed the items you are keeping in a separate place. If you need additional storage you may face extra charges (if your company is footing your moving bill, they may not pay the extra)
Before our Arizona movers arrive, you need to do the following:
Empty any planters of plants and soil (drivers have the option to not move plants).
Remove mirrors, tapestries, blinds, and curtains, pictures, from the walls, some movers will remove them for an extra charge, by doing this you can avoid damage to the walls.
What Should You Keep Handy on Packing Day?
- All-purpose kitchen knife, can opener, and saucepan
- Breakfast bars, protein bars
- Cleaner (unopened)
- Coffee, coffee filters and coffee maker
- Dish soap, dish towels, and paper towels/Toilet paper
- First aid kit/Flashlight/candles/matches
- Garbage bags
- Easy to prepare foods
- Mug, plate, fork, knife, spoon for each member of the family
- Nightlight
- Salt and pepper
- Scissors or box cutter
- Toaster
What Are Things You Shouldn’t Do On Moving Day?
For items valued at over $1,000, don’t forget to ask the moving company for a High-Value Item form to list them. For items of extraordinary value, you may need to provide documentation proving their value. Make sure you give the driver a copy of this paperwork, this way they can take extra care with these items.
At the other end don’t forget to have a designated person use a copy of the inventory sheet, this way they can check each item off as it is unloaded and placed in your new home. If you find anything not checked off, have the driver go back into the truck and search for them. Failure to do this makes it hard to prove the items were missing later. By checking it off, the moving company can execute a trace in an attempt to locate them.
If you are shipping a safe, don’t forget to empty it and leave it unlocked before it is loaded on the truck.
What Things Cannot Be Shipped with Your Household Goods and Will Not be Covered by The North American Protection Policy?
- Appraisals
- Coin/Stamp/Card Collections
- Computer Backup Disks/ Software Licenses
- Currency/Money
- Deeds// Legal Documents/ Manuscripts/ Passports
- Jewelry/ Precious Stones
- Medications
- Negotiable Instruments/ Receipts/ Stocks/Bonds/ Tax Records
Do You Have Any Tips to Help Us Save Money?
Here are our Arizona movers top ten ways you can cut your costs and keep your move within your budget:
- Declutter your home, reduce, recycle and dispose, the less you have to ship the lower your bill.
Do this by:
- Online auctions for high-value items like rare coins and collectibles.
- Consignment stores and antique stores are always in the market for items to sell.
- Have a garage sale or put up a stand at your local flea market.
- Give leftovers to charity, Goodwill, Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul.
- Take a good look at your appliances and furniture, if anything won’t fit in your new home, get rid of it.
- Use empty planters to pack small items in.
- If you have a large collection of CDs and DVDs, remove them from their bulky packaging or create copies on your computer and sell the originals to a music/movie store.
- Leave shop tables/benches, sawhorses, and stools behind.
- Leave things like fertilizer, firewood, gasoline, lumber, paints, pesticides, and, pool chemicals behind. Many are dangerous while others cannot be legally shipped or will raise your shipping costs.
- If you have things like heavy furniture, pool tables, pianos, antiques, in your home. They tend to attract more buyers and can increase your final sale price. If your home has already sold, you might see if the new owners want to buy them.
- Collect any deposits you are owed before leaving it is much easier to do in person.
- If you have paid your homeowner’s insurance in advance, check to see if you are owed a refund. Alternatively, if you are buying a new home, see if you can transfer your insurance policy.
- If you have paid dues to things like health/fitness/country clubs, be sure you check to see if you can get refunds.
Are There Tax Deductible Moving Expenses?
The best way to determine what may or may not be considered a tax-deductible moving expense is to consult a tax consultant. Here are a few of the most common deductions:
Costs of:
- Shipping your car
- Hotel expenses during the trip to your new home
- Moving your pets
- Packing, shipping/transportation, and unpacking
The number and type of tax deductions will most likely depend on the nature of your move. Qualified deductions include, but are not limited to:
- A new job
- Moving to a new country/are in the military
- Self-employment, but you must plan to work for 78 weeks during a 24-month period of which the first 39 weeks must be in the first year
- You plan to work full-time for the first 39 weeks of your first year and within close proximity of your new home.
- Your new place of employment must be at least 50 miles further away from your new home than your previous place of employment.
What Items Need Special Preparation Before Moving Day?
- Check for moisture in your appliances, dry them out and keep them dry to prevent frozen mechanics and seals.
- Dishes need to be cleaned to prevent the growth of mold and bacteria.
- Unhook and unplug all appliances and electrical/electronic goods (label all wires to make reinstallation easier).
- If you have important files on your computer, back them up on discs or in the cloud. Place the discs and any external hard drives in a padded box.
- Remove ink/toner cartridges from printers to prevent ink spills.
- Remove CDs/DVDs from computers/electronics to prevent warpage due to heat. If you plan to keep things in long term storage, try to remove electronics and discs from the storage containers and keep them in a cool place.
- Fold and hang your clothes, doing so will make them easier to unpack at the other end.
Are There Any Reservations/Arrangements I Need to Make?
Any arrangements or reservations you need to make will depend on your current home. If you are an apartment renter, there may be specific moving requirements that need to be met. You need to check with the building owner, landlord, or supervisor to determine the appropriate procedures. These are the most common requirements:
- Is there a freight elevator or do you need to reserve the standard elevator?
- Do you need parking permits for the moving van, where is it allowed to park?
- Is there room in your complex parking lot for trucks up to 75 feet long?
Do You Have Special Packing Instructions?
When our Arizona movers/packers arrive, they expect certain things to have already been completed or be ready to pack. This includes:
- Remove everything to be packed from the walls and windows, including paintings, mirrors, window treatments.
- Remove bedding from mattresses.
- Dispose of items on the above list of items you cannot ship.
- Remove loose items, fragile items, and liquids from dresser drawers.
- Leave boxes unsealed, they must be inspected by our movers to ensure you are not shipping items on the list of items we cannot ship.
- Remove perishables from fridges and freezers, plan your meals accordingly.
- Clean all garbage cans, grills, and disconnect your outdoor hoses.
- Pack your necessities in suitcases and keep them in a separate place to avoid them being put on the truck.
