Top Tips for Choosing the Best Cross-Country Movers for Your Relocation

When it's time to hire a packers and movers company, you want to make sure you're getting the best. Check out these tips to help you select the best cross country movers for your transfer and understand cross country movers' pricing. These tips will give you the courage to find reputable movers.

Should You Move Cross-Country Yourself or Hire a Professional Moving Company?

When deciding whether to employ a packers and movers company or transfer your belongings yourself across the country, you must first ask yourself the following questions:

• How many of your belongings are you transporting?

• Who will be in charge of the heavy lifting?

• Who will be in charge of transporting your belongings?

• How long do you think the process will take?

It's a good idea to start studying the costs and logistics of movers to help address these questions. You'll have a clearer understanding of what each step entails and the related costs once you've collected enough details. This will allow you to make an informed decision about whether you should move, employ skilled cross-country movers, or combine the two moving options.

Before hiring movers, do your homework, ask for recommendations and read reviews:

When it comes to find the best cross-country movers, thorough research is essential. Aside from conducting an online search for moving firms, suggestions, and word of mouth from relatives, colleagues, or neighbors are also effective methods of locating experienced, dependable movers.

The next move is to read their reviews until you've narrowed your search and have a list of possible companies. You will learn a lot about movers and the moving industry by doing research on the internet. If any of the companies you're considering has a lot of positive or negative feedback, make sure to read and compare them on other pages.

Ensure that every moving company you are considering has a reputable website as their online presence. They have a physical address where the offices and moving trucks are located during your study. You have the right to visit every moving company's office that you are considering for your cross-country transfer as a prospective customer.

Is the movers' company insured and licensed?

A unique license the number is requested of any cross-country moving company moving you from state to state. You can verify whether the license is valid by going to the public. Do not employ movers to move your belongings around the country if they do not have a license number or are not covered.

Get Price Quotes:

Before hiring movers, make sure to check the price quotes available from the best moving firms. You must have your estimates in writing and include any extra fees you'll have to pay. If at all possible, you want to know if there will be any additional fees upfront.

Unforeseen situations may often occur, resulting in additional charges. These may appear on the day of the transferor when the objects are being transported. These additional fees will be added to the overall cross-country moving costs.

Conclusion:

It's also essential to understand the degree of professionalism provided by the companies you're considering. This starts with your initial contact and continues until you decide which movers company to employ. Is it true that your estimator arrived on time? Is it possible for you to get a call back promptly? Have you gotten answers to all of your questions? Did the estimator ask you any questions? Is there any prior experience with your form of movement with the company? All these factors will help you determine in choosing the best movers to get your job done with utmost perfection.

Front Door Colors that Add the Most Value to Your House

Color is important as it is often associated with many different connotations, for example, red often conveys danger or power; green is a symbol of nature, and blue represents peace and calmness. This is the same for the color of your front door, it has a big impact on the overall look and feel of your property. Read on to find out more about the best color door to have to increase the value of your house, and its overall curb appeal.  

Curb Appeal 

Curb appeal relates to the attractiveness of a property and its surroundings when viewed from the street, often when your house is on the market your curb appeal is the most important thing to consider. There are many aspects of the exterior of your house that can improve curb appeal, from a well-kept garden to beautiful looking windows. First impressions matter, and people are more likely to base their opinions on the exterior rather than the interior of a house, after all, it is the first thing seen, a poor exterior could put someone off even visiting the interior of the house, it is the main invitation factor. Therefore, investing and increasing curb appeal is a great idea that will pay off in the long run. 

According to the recent research by Sell House Fast, it takes guests just 38 seconds to judge your home by the way it looks from the exterior. 76% of property purchasers agree that first impressions are everything when they visit a property, and the color of your front door could make a significant difference to its value. 

The survey also revealed that blue is the best color for your front door if you’re putting your home on the market and could add an average of $5,000 to its value. At the opposite end of the spectrum are brown front doors, which can in fact decrease the value of your property.  

Exterior decoration and landscaping are not everyone’s strongest points nor are they always affordable, but there are many ways to increase your property value, without having to spend a great deal of money, one of which would be, painting your front door to increase curb appeal. 

Exterior Doors & Color  

While the research discovered that blue is the most valuable front door color to have, a white front door could also add around $4800 to the value of a house and a brown front door is the is one color to avoid, as it can decrease the value of a home by an average of $1000. 

According to another study from Zillow, homes with charcoal gray, smoky black or rich jet black doors were sold for $6,271 more than expected.

Color is a powerful force when it comes to influencing a buyers choice, it can affect the mood and ambience a house might give off. It can even influence physiological reactions,' said Lee Chambers, Environmental Psychologist and Wellbeing Consultant. 

'’While in office design, we use green in regenerative environments, and blue in productive environments, the color of your front door can influence a buyers initial perception. Our eyes are drawn to entrance points, so a front door is often one of the first things we notice.'’ 

The Psychology Behind Color 

The study also looked at the psychology of color to discover what certain door colors can reveal about the homeowner’s personality: 

• A red front door is seen as very traditional, like a post box, which conveys a vibrant and passionate personality. 

• A green front door conveys a trusting, grounded personality and represents growth. 

• A white front door is seen as more modern, clean, organized and peaceful. 

• A brown front door, usually wooden, promotes a more natural sense, strong and stable. 

• A black door can be mysterious but also stylish and sophisticated. 

• A blue front door can promote a feeling of serenity and an appealing sense of freedom.  

If you're thinking about selling your home choosing the front door color wisely is definitely something worth bearing in mind.

Console Table Placement and Designing Tips to Amp Up the Entire Space

Interior designing, of any room or corner in the home, can be the most exciting and fun-filled task. On the contrary, the same can turn out to be one of the most daunting tasks also. It all depends on your knowledge, experience and the resources you count on. As lack of options can be frustrating, the abundance of them can be intimidating too. The more options, the more overwhelmed and confused you would feel. 

Take, for example, the table choices to make for your living room, drawing room or entryway. You have multiple choices, from purchasing a trendy coffee table and vintage center table to buying a console table online. You got to have a taste for all these tables and then only you can end up making an ideal choice. This article is all about console tables and how you can enhance the overall appeal of the room with them. 

Perfect for narrow spaces, these tables can be placed and styled anywhere you feel like. Here are some tips that would help you make console tables stand out and become the highlight of the room or entryway.

Accessorize

The best console table would be a simple piece with a basic color and minimal design. The purpose here is to use warm accessories to make the simple console table an accent piece of the room decor. A brown console table here can be decorated by placing a golden colored lamp, bright yellow or orange colored flower sticks or mixed colored potpourri in a tray.

Paint it Red

If you have an old console table lying in the store for long and you wish to incorporate it into your new room decor, then this tip is for you. Take that table out, polish it and paint it red. You can opt for some other bright color also, which you think would best suit the overall interior decor and elements. The best part here is that you don’t even require additional accessories to make the console table stand out if you have painted it bright.

Contemporary Art

If by any chance you have an antique living room console table, you can enhance its charm by surrounding it with some contemporary art. You can hang a modern painting on the wall behind the table, place a very trendy vase on the table and even place an elegant and modern ottoman or an upholstered bench in front of the console table. 

Chandelier

Suiting the overall aesthetic appeal and theme of the interior decoration and the way your console table looks, you can choose a chandelier. It doesn’t necessarily have to be big and luxurious but a small/trendy piece can do the trick. Rather, you should go in for some gold-toned chandelier that is small yet classy to create a special console corner.

Luxe Material

These days you have plenty of choices, as you can buy a console table online right from the confines of your home. You can go for simple/conventional ones, contemporary ones and the ones that come with luxe materials. You can also buy a console table that comes covered with luxurious faux leather and like. 

Pattern on the Wall

So you have picked a vintage charm console table for a room that is minimal in design and color. To make the table stand out, you can place it against a wall on which you can apply patterned wallpaper. You can opt for striking pattern wallpaper or a simple pattern in an eye-catching color.

With a Mirror

Another simple yet attractive way to style your console table is to pair it with a mirror. You can buy mirrors in different shapes, sizes and styles. You can go with frames that are plain wood or decorative frames like golden metal frames. You can pick different shapes and sizes of mirrors, which you feel go best with the rest of the interior décor. 

Put Up Some Chairs

For the living room console table, you can add some chairs to it. Nicely upholstered and plush chairs placed on both sides of the table make a stand out seating. You can match the upholstery with the rest of the seating in the room. 

Don’t Forget to Balance

As compared to side tables and end tables, console tables are longer. This is why you must keep the element of balance in mind while designing or placing them. You don’t have to put everything in the middle or more stuff on either side. Rather, strive to create a balance.

Collage

Finding a perfect spot to put up a family collage is pretty tricky. It has to be somewhere where everybody visiting your home can have a glance over. One such place is the wall behind a console table in the entryway or the living room. 

People love console tables for their unobtrusive presence, as well as the wide range they are available in the market. You can style them in multiple ways to make them the highlights of the space.

Guest Post - 8 Smart Ways to Turn Your Home Into an Eco-Friendly Space

According to a 2018 Nielsen survey, 48% of US consumers are willing to change their consumption to save the environment. These are the same consumers who spent almost $130 billion on sustainable fast-moving consumer goods.

This signifies that more and more people are willing to make changes to live a sustainable lifestyle.

However, going zero-waste does not have to be grand. If you follow the tips listed below, you can get started doing your part in saving the environment.

Decorate with Plants

If you feel like your house is drab, consider adding indoor plants.

For one, they add color to your home decor. Second, indoor plants are believed to help purify indoor air. Because in case you do not know, the air we breathe at home is also filled with pollutants.

What's cold about having indoor plants is that you do not have to use a chemical-laden air freshener. Thus, you are reducing your risk of incurring respiratory health issues.

Make a Rain Garden

A rain garden is a shallow depression designed to help flowers, grasses, shrubs, and plants grow in wet conditions. It is also meant to collect rainwater, allowing the ground to seep it back. Doing so slows down the runoff rate while using the plants or vegetation to filter the water pollutants.

It is a moderate infiltration method that can filter various pollutants. A rain garden also helps the pollutants break down in the soil instead of flowing through the drains and the water system.

But other than that, a rain garden also serves as an ornamental decoration. So, you get to beautify your house while helping save the environment.

Create Your Compost

Composting is an efficient and environment-friendly way of reducing your kitchen waste. That's because it allows you to turn your food scraps into fertilizer.

What happens is that you save your food scraps and add them to your zero-waste kitchen composting bin. The bacteria and other microorganisms break it down and transform it into dark and crumbly fertilizer. You can then use the fertilizer for your backyard vegetable garden.

Hence, you are making a circular economy from your kitchen.

Cook Intelligently

Other than green cleaning, green cooking is also becoming a popular trend for sustainable living.

Green cooking is simply the process of cooking in a more environment-friendly manner. This includes the following:

• Buying in-season and local produce from the farmer's market

• Conserving energy while cooking

• Making the most out of your ingredients

• Composting your leftover

If you are unsure how to get started with green cleaning, here's a quick tip: Shorten the food chain.

Meaning, buy locally sourced products as these likely consume less gas from the farm to the market to your table.

Repurpose Old Furniture

If you are thinking of sprucing your house, we suggest that you repurpose old furniture pieces.

An affordable way to do that is through upcycling. For instance, you can transform an old oak door into a dining table. Another is to upholster your stools using an old shirt.

The rationale behind this is to reduce as much waste as you can while beautifying your space.

If you have the budget, though, you can spend on customized furniture pieces using refurbished wood and other materials.

Add Window Treatments

These days, being eco-friendly is no longer limited to individual efforts. There are now brands and companies that allow people to start with their zero-waste journey. This includes your window treatments.

Here's the thing: A house can lose up to 30% of heating energy through your windows. But when you install window blinds, for example, it can help regulate the indoor temperature.

As a result, your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system does not need to exert much effort to warm up or cool down your home.

Optimize Water Consumption

Next to air, water is an essential factor for the preservation of life. Water is a limited commodity that, if not handled properly, will result in a shortage of resources.

That said, you should consume water efficiently.

Having a rain garden is one of them. Another is replacing your toilet with ultra-high efficient models. Such toilet models limit your water usage runoff, ensuring that you only consume 1.28 gallons of water per flush. As a result, you get to save around $150 per year.

Get Solar Powered

If you are willing to invest in having a sustainable home, consider installing solar panels. Doing sp allows you to reap the following benefits:

1. Reduced monthly bills

2. Get rebates from collected SREC

3. Increased property value

Other than that, solar-powered homes are environment-friendly. That's because you are turning sunlight, a renewable resource, into energy. Doing so reduces your need to rely on fossil fuels to power your home.

And we all know that fossil fuels emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, contributing to global warming.

The key to having a sustainable home is to be conscious of what you consume and send to the landfill. So, not being able to afford solar panels should not be an excuse to not do your part in saving the environment. And the tips listed above include budget-friendly and cost-effective ways you can have a sustainable home.

Author Bio: Robert Helms is a freelance writer based in a NYC. When not writing for clients, he spends most of his time on DIY projects that can make his 800 sqft. apartment a home.