This week, I am going to provide you tips on what movers want you to know when you plan your next move.

To insure your move is successful and on time, I am going to provide you some tips about what movers want you to do and know prior to moving day. These tips are from many of the movers that I have dealt with over the years in the moving industry:
• Packaging – Your household goods need to be packed prior to moving day. This allows for an expedient packaging and moving process. I highly recommend having the movers do all the packaging for you. We are professionals and know how to pack to minimize any damages in transit.
• Valuables – This is something I receive questions about all the time. When you have valuables and or items that can’t be replaced, basically they are priceless, pack them and move them by you. Important documents, jewelry, heirlooms, medications etc., should not be packed in the boxes your movers are taking. You never want to risk it, take those items with you. As far as antique furniture and other big ticket items, make sure to purchase extra insurance to cover those important items.
• Labeling boxes – Please be sure to label your moving boxes. When you arrive at your destination, you will need to know where the boxes need to be located when unloaded by the movers.
• Be there – Make plans to be present during your moving day. Movers are professionals and know what they are doing and don’t want to be micromanaged. However, you should be there to oversee and make sure everything is moved out. In addition, be a good host and provide lunch and snacks for your movers to enjoy while they are doing all the heavy lifting.
• Unlawful items – Last week, I provided a list of items movers can’t move because they are not legal to do so. Plus, many of the hazardous items can destroy your household goods during transit. Throw away or giveaway hazardous items that are not allowed to move.

Follow these tips prior to your move and you and your household belongings will be off on a safe and expedited journey.

Last week, I discussed how to stay positive during a move to another house and country, this week, I am going to provide you important information on moving to Latin America.

The Americas, especially during the summer, is a perfect time to make a move but you need to book early since it is the busiest moving time of the season (see blog #62).

Rainier Overseas is a proud member of the Latin America and Caribbean International Movers Association (LACMA). LACMA’s membership consists of experienced and prestigious moving and relocation companies from the Americas and throughout the world.

Like last year, we attended the 2017 LACMA convention in Puerto Vallerta, Mexico. The convention brought together some of the most innovative and award-winning moving companies in the world. Moving to the Americas can be challenging at times and it’s important to make sure to hire the most experienced and knowledgeable movers in the industry. We work with excellent LACMA members who are well-known in the market for their strong customer support, reliability and availability as well.

LACMA members are the best at what they do and their services are second to none. Your shipments and overall move will be in the best hands possible.

As a LACMA member, Rainier Overseas will ensure your move to be the smoothest and safest ever. If you plan to make a move somewhere in Latin America or the Caribbean, please feel free to email me at cesar@rainieros.com and you’ll receive personal service directly from me and the best that LACMA has to offer.

Please visit their website to learn more at http://lacmassoc.org/index.php for more information.

Safe moving!

Moving can be very stressful time especially if you must move in a hurry and haven’t booked your move during the busiest summer months. You may be scrambling just to get a good moving date as I discussed last week, make sure to book early if you want to move during the summer.

This week, I am going to provide you tips on how to stay positive during a move. Keep in mind, with excellent preparations, moving doesn’t have to be negative and should and could be an overall positive experience. Expect to have mixed emotions especially when moving overseas but a positive attitude will go a long way.

Tips to staying positive during your move:
• Humor – Having a sense of humor can make all the difference in the world. Watch funny movies, read the comics section in your daily newspaper, tell jokes and know that your moving experience is only a matter of time.
• Leave the heavy load behind – I have mentioned this in the past but worth mentioning again, leave all of your packing or most of it to your professional movers. This saves you time, energy and a lot of headaches because the pros know how to pack your household goods so they arrive undamaged and safely.
• Choose to be positive – Yes, it is stressful moving but if you choose to be positive and optimistic, your experience and outcome will be a positive one. List all of the things that will be positive in your life by moving to a new house in your notes section on your phone and review it frequently.
• Prepare early – As I discussed last week, schedule your moving day at least two months beforehand and even earlier if possible. Create a pre-moving list and be organized so your move will go smoothly and will be less stressful.
• Friends – One of the best ways to keep a positive attitude is to visit your friends frequently and have fun. This takes your mind off the move and gives you the opportunity to put your good sense of humor to work.
• Safety – Keep safety a top priority, the last thing you want to experience is a back injury or anything else that could put a big damper on your moving experience and then some.

If you follow these tips, you should have a positive moving experience and less stress when moving to another house in the U.S. or overseas.

Safe moving!

Deciding which mover to move your household goods can be daunting. You want to make sure the firm you hire is reputable and insured. When you decide to move overseas or within the U.S., you need to do your research so you find not only a reputable mover but a mover that has a strong track record of ensuring your household goods are moved safely.
Rainier Overseas is a boutique moving company that provides hands-on service to all of our clients. In other words, when you decide to move with us, you will receive personal service from our experienced movers instead of being assigned to a novice mover with little experience like many of our competitors do.
Testimonials are a great way to assess if a moving company has the “right stuff” to move your household goods safely and on time.

Below are some testimonials from last year that we provided before along with some new ones as well.

I’d like to share with you from our customers who used our services at Rainier Overseas and were more than pleased with their moves:

“I’m very thankful for your services and will be quick to recommend you to anyone who might be looking for a moving service.”

Steve B.
(Garden Grove, CA)

“Thanks so much for your help, definitely a much easier process than I expected and the best money I’ve ever spent.”

Meredith L.
(Seattle, WA)

“I wanted to write and thank Rainier Overseas for an excellent job in shipping, storing and delivering our household items to us yesterday. Everything looks great and the service has been exceptional, both in Denmark and in the US. The goods were packaged extremely well and the packaging and delivery people on both sides did an outstanding job. I also appreciate the excellent communication from all parties with regard to our shipment/delivery. My family very much appreciates this level of service.”

PV S.
(New York, NY)

“We thank you very, very much for everything and the amazing job you did we are so very pleased, appreciating your hard work and happy we chose you to do our move if you need any recommendation please let us know.
Have a great day!”

Beny R.
(Gainesville, VA)

“Over the past few months, Cesar Castro’s attention to details, precise information and guidance helped me decide that I should hire Rainier. I had other options and spoke with a few other companies but the service from Cesar and Missy was above expectations. All my questions were answered by him and Missy almost immediately. The agent in Brazil – Denilson – was fantastic! Congratulations on having a strong team.”

Andre Suaid
(San Francisco, CA)

“We received the lift last week and wanted to thank you all for the excellent delivery, everything got to our apartment in perfect condition (and we noticed just how well everything was packed back in Albany) and the delivery went smoothly!
(We just gave our recommendation to another couple in the UC village). Thank you very much for the excellent service!”

Rinat Rosenberg K.
(Miami, FL)

If you have previously used our services and would like to tell us how we did, feel free to submit a testimonial via our website or you can email me directly.

Safe moving!

Last week, I provided you tips about what documents you should have when moving overseas. This week’s blog highlights important moving tips for our military when moving and transferring overseas. Moving is complicated by itself and if you are in the military, you know moving your household goods and family can be quite a challenge.

A permanent change of station (PCS) is something every military family will experience eventually.

To make the move a lot smoother, here are some simple tips when heading overseas:
• Personal Property Office (PPO) – Once you receive your PCS, contact the PPO. You might have already done this before but no two moves are alike and they have excellent resources for you. There, you can find your basic entitlements and responsibilities among many other helpful tips. A website you will find useful is the Department of Defense site that offers a lot of basic PCS information.
• Contact sponsor or new command – Once you receive your PCS, your sponsor can help you get to know your new destination and provide you valuable information about what specific belongings to bring or not to bring. In other words, if you are moving to a country that doesn’t accommodate big-sized furniture, your sponsor will let you know so you can put some of your possessions in storage until your new PCS.
• Know your entitlement – Make sure you find out how much weight for your move that the government will pay for you. This is important to ensure you stay within their budget and yours too so you avoid any extra excessive weight fees or charges.
• Papers in order – Before moving, you will need to make sure you have plenty of copies of your PCS available and stored in a safe location. Be sure to have any letters of authorizations, powers of attorney docs, appraisal of high-priced belongings, video or photo identification of your items, and pertinent insurance policies.

One final tip, always purchase movers’ insurance before you move so that your personal belongings are protected when they are shipped overseas, it will give you peace-of-mind. By following these tips and thoroughly preparing before your move, you will know you did everything in your power to ensure a safe military move.

Safe moving!

Last week, I discussed what type of moving insurance there is and how you need to insure your household goods. This week, I’m going to list the documents you need with you before moving overseas.

If you plan to move overseas any time soon, it’s important that you have your documents in order before you move. Many tend to forget that you must provide proper paperwork documenting your identity when living abroad. In addition, it’s also important to have employment contracts, lease and rental agreements in hand as well as medical insurance and records especially if there is an unforeseen medical emergency while traveling to your overseas destination.

Documents on the plane
When you are boarding the plane to head overseas, besides your passport and visa, make sure you have the following paperwork not only for you, but for each member of your family too if appropriate or anyone else that’s moving with you:
• Identification
• Driver’s license
• Certificates of citizenship for naturalized individuals
• Marriage certificate
• Adoption papers
• Divorce and child custody papers if your children are accompanying you abroad (if applicable)

Depending on the country you’re traveling to, you may also need passport-size photographs for your visa upon your arrival, as well as the lease or rental agreement for housing in your new country so authorities know where you’ll be living. Also, make sure you make a copy of your passport and visa just in case you lose either one of them or both when traveling.

Emergency documents
In addition to the documentation necessary for your family to enter the country, you also want to have important paperwork close by in case of emergencies. You should include the following:
• Medical insurance coverage
• Medical records
• Dental records
• Property and motor vehicle insurance records
• Income tax records for several previous years
• Wills
• Power of attorney

Gathering this essential paperwork ahead of time will help to ensure you’re prepared for your transition to living in a foreign country.

Safe moving!

This week, I am going to take a deep dive and provide you with more useful and explicit tips on writing an effective online review. The best moving company reviews are honest and straight forward. People believe what is written in reviews and take into account when making decisions on which company they plan to hire.

Some of the tips to take into consideration include the following:
• Provide succinct and useful information – Review the facts that you would want to know if you were planning a house move. In other words, think about what customers would want to know about your move when considering the company you used. Focus on customer service, efficiency, trustworthiness and overall experience.
• Be impartial and give a factual account of your moving experience – Don’t get too personal or melodramatic. Like on the long-running series of Dragnet, “just give us the facts ma’am.” List all of the pros and cons of your move to make your review more helpful and objective for your readers. If something did go wrong, don’t blame the movers unless it was really their fault.
• Don’t use offensive language or personal attacks – Some reviewers use bad language and it’s counter-productive. Even if you are correct, if you use foul language, it will demonstrate that you are rude and not credible in your review.
• Use proper grammar, no spelling mistakes – You want to be sure your online review is credible and trusted. A good tip here is to write your review in Word, grammar and spell check it in the document and then cut and paste it in the online box the sites provide for reviews.

Lastly, I would post your review on several websites such as Yelp, BBB, MyMovingReviews.com, and other pertinent sites so your opinion and review will be read and understood literally throughout the world.

Safe moving!

This week, I’m going to provide you some tips on how to thank your movers.

After you have completed your research and found an excellent and reputable mover, you’ll probably will be at a point where you want to thank them for a job well done. It’s best to make it easier on your movers to get to the items you need to move ensuring a safety moving day.

One way to thank movers and to make their job easier is to clear all pathways of any type of obstructions or debris in your household. If it’s during the winter months, it would be ideal to clear your driveway of snow and make sure all pathways are cleared for them.

Another way to thank your movers is to respect their needs such as providing bottled water, tea, coffee and other non-alcoholic beverages. Also, giving them easy access to your restroom with plenty of handwashing soap and paper towels.

Most moves take most of the day so be sure to provide lunch for them. You can easily call in for delivered pizza, pick up some burgers or have food on hand or pre-prepared meals so they have enough energy to get through the day.

If you are happy with your movers and they did an outstanding job, have “thank you” cards prepared and give one to each mover. This goes a long way in showing your appreciation for a job well done.

Tipping is not required to movers but if you believe your movers did a great job, then one of the best ways to thank your movers is to tip them. Use your best judgment on tipping especially if you have unique experiences. The best tipping formula is to tip $4 to $5 per mover or about $40 a day per mover.

Another good way is to write a review of your moving company about how well they did. We welcome online reviews for Rainier because it demonstrates that we take care of our customers.

These are just some ways how you can thank your movers for a job well done.

Safe moving!

Last week, I provided some tips on how to limit the stresses of moving internationally. This week, I am going to try to provide tips to limit stresses about your taxes when moving overseas.

Leaving your home country usually does not mean that you are beyond the reach of its tax authorities. Any income from investments or other sources that is in effect in your home country usually remains subject to tax. Your earnings abroad may be taxed directly by your host country.

In most cases as an expatriate, you will pay taxes to your country of residence, however that may be defined. In some cases, your country of residence may have an agreement of exemption, or double-tax treaty, with your home country. This means that your home country credits your payment to your host country, so that the same income is not taxed twice.

Receive tax advice before leaving:
Many employers provide tax counseling and assistance to their expatriate employees, either in-house or through outside consulting firms. If this service is not provided by your employer, you should establish your own contacts with an international accounting or consulting firm specializing in international tax matters.

Tax responsibilities for expatriates:
Contact your respective government agency for information on what your tax responsibilities will be while living away from your home country. In addition to contacting your appropriate government department, the consulate of your destination country may be able to provide useful information.

By knowing the tax laws in your new city overseas and learning about your tax responsibilities here, you won’t be taken surprised by a big tax bill at the end of the year and best of all, Uncle Sam won’t be knocking on your door.

Safe moving!

You are relocating to another city, state or country and you have a long list of “to do’s” and may be wondering what your scheduled mover won’t or can’t move for you among some of your belongings. You don’t want to find out what your mover can’t take on the day of your move. It’s stressful enough to move and you don’t want a surprise when scheduled to be on the road (refer to blog #63 about staying positive when moving).

Here’s an important list to keep in mind that moving companies including Rainier Overseas can’t and won’t move:

Combustible chemicals
What personal items movers won’t move for you? Potentially dangerous chemicals include some of the following:
Bleach
Ammonia
Corrosives
Nail polish remover
Propane tanks
Aerosols
Paint
Gasoline
Lighter fluid, kerosene
Charcoal
Other chemicals

Hazardous materials create too many variables in the moving process. Combustible items are simply too dangerous to transport in a moving van or truck. Luckily, most of these are household items that can be easily replaced when you arrive at your new home.

Pets/plants
Pets – Movers simply will not move pets no matter how well-behaved they are or the type of pet carrier as well. Moving vans can get extremely hot or cold depending upon the weather. Too many variables that could go wrong, plus, it’s better to have your furry friend with you anyway.
Plants – Did you know there are laws against moving certain plants to specific distances? Transporting plants may mean introducing such invaders to your new state. Because of laws like these, moving companies generally won’t move your plants across state lines especially to different countries. Even if they were allowed to move them, plants could soil or die in transit, potentially damaging your other personal belongings.

Other
Perishable foods
fireworks
Explosives
Ammunition

Safe moving!