Commercial Property

There are many reasons why people need self storage. They range from creating more space for living to temporarily having no home at all. The reasons also vary from country to country. Let’s examine some of the main reasons why people need and use self storage.

Selling a home:

Self storage can be of great use when selling your home. It is not a well kept secret that the less cluttered your home is the more spacious it appears. This appearance of extra living space in your home can translate into more interested buyers and a significantly higher sale price. This is why one of the first recommendations you will receive from your real estate agent prior to putting your home on the market is to “de clutter” your home.

This often involves packing away unnecessary ornamentals, old lounges and furniture that are really not needed in the home. Some home owners even go the extreme of storing everything they own and renting newer more modern furniture and plants just for the sale period. Some self storage facilities offer a free no obligation quote at your home to accurately assess the storage space you will need and can even provide a removal solution.

People who hoard:

The desire to “hold on to things” goes back many centuries and in extreme cases can be referred to as hoarding. Hoarding is about the fear of throwing something away that you might need someday or that if thrown away will cause a problem. More recently our grand parents and great grand parents who experienced the great depression of the 1930’s have passed down the need to protect and acquire possessions that they themselves once lost. There are many examples in the self storage industry of people renting a storage space so they can continue to collect items that they can no longer store in their home.

Hoarding can cause problems in the family home due to a reduction in the actual living space. Self storage offers these customers an opportunity to clear some space at home and still fulfill their need for retaining and gathering items. Because self storage can be rented on a month by month basis it is easy for customers to increase or decrease the amount of storage space they need. It is not uncommon for individuals to have 2 or more storage units which they often visit to look through their “stuff”. Extended hours access at most storage facilities gives customers the flexibility to visit their storage units when it is convenient for them.

Building a new home:

Most people who have built a new home have done it, yes move in with in laws for a period of time while the new home is being built. However, it is quite rare that our accommodating family will have the space needed to store all our prized possessions. People using secure self storage to store all of their belongings while they build a new home is very common.

Most customers who use self storage during this period like the flexibility of month to month renting due to the uncertainty of when their new home will be completed. Customers also like the fact that they can increase their storage space at any time allowing them extra room to purchase and store new furniture for their home. Some self storage facilities will even receive deliveries of new furniture directly into your storage space on your behalf.

Due to the nature of building a home, storage for this purpose is often at least 3 to 6 months or more. Some storage facilities offer prepayment discount solutions for 3, 6, 9 and 12 months payments in advance. Alternatively you can arrange to have your payment automatically deducted each month from your credit card.

Divorce:

It is unfortunate but marriage breakdowns and high divorce rates are becoming more prevalent in today’s society. It is often the case where one person is forced to leave the family home and needs to store the items that were solely theirs. This can often include a car and the contents of the garage. Most storage facilities deal with these situations regularly with discretion and privacy. Should you need to store a car you should check with the storage facility to see if this type of space is available. Most times cars are stored in a lock up garage space but alternatively there may be opportunities to store it in a secured outside space.

Most customers in this situation have a tough emotional time and the need for storage can be sudden. A good self storage company will have trained team members who will have an empathetic and caring approach and provide a complete storage solution including quote, move and store at very short notice.

Traveling:

People often choose to travel for either work or pleasure for up to twelve months or more. With their house often unoccupied during this period they feel more secure placing their treasured possessions into a secure self storage facility. If the move overseas is work related often the company pays the bills and will require quotes. A good self storage company will be able to visit your home, provide a free quote and submit it professionally to the company responsible for making the payments.

Because 12 months is a long time you need to ensure that you save money where possible while also storing at a safe and secure location. The best way to secure the right size and price is to have an experienced self storage consultant come to your home to provide a free no obligation quote. This ensures that you will only get the space you need and will not be paying for additional unused space. Your storage consultant will be able to advise you on the best way to store your belongings for the long term and how to box and wrap them for maximum protection. Click here for information on boxes and wrapping materials. Ask your storage consultant to bring along some samples of boxes, tapes and wrapping materials to show you.

Death in the family:

It is a sad fact of life that at some stage we will all experience the death of a loved one. Many a storage consultant have had the melancholy task of assisting family members store the belongings of a deceased relative when no other options were available. Often time is needed to sort through their affairs and belongings and so a month or two of storage can relieve additional pressures during this difficult time. Storage consultants can help make this difficult task as hassle free as possible by organising everything including removal and packing with just one call.

Moving back into the family home:

So the kids leave the nest and you have all this spare room to do with what ever you want. And you do by creating a study and an entertainment area, not to mention your own in house storage area. Then 12 months later you get the phone call “Mum it has not worked out and I need to come home”. You can rustle up a bed but where is your son or daughter going to put all of their recently acquired possessions?

Self storage is the perfect solution. Because siblings often move in and out of home a few times before settling down, self storage allows them the flexibility to store their belongings just for the period required and when needed they can get it all out and move again. Some storage facilities have a free move in trailer and driver service which is very popular among young people who can’t afford removalists and have not got too much furniture to move. Big Box Free Truck and Trailer Photo

Lifestyle and hobbies:

Some people decide to use storage to improve their way of life. This is particularly the case in Asian countries where living space is at a premium and having a storage unit is just like having a garden shed. It is merely an extension of their home. While this form of storage is not as prevalent in Australia it still exists in the more densely populated cities where apartments and living space in general are smaller and more expensive.

Self storage can

also provide those with elaborate hobbies the space to indulge in their favourite past times away from the mischievous hands of children or unsympathetic partners. This may include building trains and tracks, collecting and reading comics or simply storing your valuable coin or stamp collections. With extended access hours to visit your storage space, excellent security and a variety of different sized units to choose from at reasonable rates, self storage can provide that extra space you have always wanted.

So there you have it. These are some of the main reasons why people need to use self storage. The benefits of taking advantage of self storage are more than just peace of mind but often a sense of relief that your affairs are sorted and you are free to get on with living without your possessions tying you down.

For all your storage needs please contact Big Box Self Storage as we would love to help.

If you have a specific reason why you need personal storage that is different from those listed above we would like to hear about it or if you would like to provide feedback on the article then please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Living in Italy has been a reality for me these past five years following a holiday in Umbria (which is in the dead centre of Italy – horizontally and vertically) and is known as the ‘Green Heart of Italy’. We found the Umbrian people generally friendly and the Mediterranean weather promised benefits for our various ailments.

Based on our experiences (which may be peculiar to Umbria), the main differences between living in the UK and living in Italy are as follows:

Children

Italians are very indulgent with youngsters being allowed to stay up late and adults expected to overlook tiredness tantrums. The concept of adults predating on children is largely alien to our rural community.

Pets

Many Italians consider that animals should either work or provide food or preferably both. There is a massive feral cat population (why pay for spaying?) and dogs are mostly chained up or caged.

Food

Italian food and the Mediterranean diet can be bad news. Pizzas and pasta are covered in greasy meat and cheese, the drinks are high-sugar, salt (in excess) is added to everything (except bread!) and alcohol is the preservative for cakes. Although the older Italians are remarkably healthy, many younger ones have high cholesterol that is exacerbated by virtually everyone smoking.

Prices

Generally higher than the UK although if you have a garden, it is much easier to grow your own fruit and vegetables here in Umbria. Pork and chicken from an Italian butcher are usually of good quality.

Work

The Italians have been inundated by East Europeans and North Africans offering cheap labour. Jobs are not easy to find – even for the Umbrians themselves.

Driving

Not quite as bad as the cartoons would have you believe although if you venture south to Naples and Rome, it can be hair-raising. Although it is an offence to operate a mobile phone while driving, you won’t see Italians paying attention to it.

Entertainment

Apart from the numerous festivals (every vegetable or dish has its own ‘festa’) – we are about to have the ‘festival of the red potato’ – entertainment is what you make it. Italians gather at the many bars in the evening to argue about politics and football and to play cards.

Language

Everyone speaks Italian, the immigrant workers will speak their native tongue too but no-one speaks English except other ex-pats and the highest educated Italians.

Redtape

Italian redtape is world-famous although it is not aimed at foreigner since native Italians suffer equally. Offices will redirect you to other offices that never open or which won’t answer their phone. You always need ‘one more form’ and you are always ‘deemed to know’. For example, if a bill doesn’t arrive, you are supposed to have paid it anyway and it is your fault that the Post Office hasn’t delivered it.

Lifestyle

All that said, it is an easier-going pace of life here in central Italy. If you want to get out of the Rat Race, feel clean fresh air on your face, know that the youths stood in front of you at midnight are just waiting for ‘last orders pizzas’ and will wish you ‘Good Evening’ as you go past and that the graffiti on the wall tells the tale of a love-lorn lad and not some diatribe of obscenities and hate, then this might just be for you.

Well can we expect to see you living in Italy?

If there is one city that sends people scrambling when looking for an apartment, it’s New York City. New York City can be on of the most expensive cities in the world to live in, and to non New Yorkers who are looking to move there, they are often shocked at the sheer price of apartments that are even considered good deals. There are several parts of New York City where a studio apartment costing $1,200 is considered a steal.

If you’re looking for a 3 bedroom apartment in a decent part of Manhattan, you should expect to pay close to $3-5k a month. While the city offers high pay, many people outside of NYC don’t even realize how expensive the prices are. If you’re expecting to find any type of an apartment for under a grand, in most parts of Manhattan, you should drop that thought completely.  

Studio apartments on the Upper East Side are reasonably priced and can start at $1,750, which is a great deal you should jump on. There are very few cities around the country that have that same level of pricing for basic housing as NYC. If this isn’t shocking enough to most non-New Yorkers looking to move to this city for the first time, what can be even more surprising is that the competition to get an apartment is very high and brutal. If you find a deal, you have to have all your paperwork in order and jump on it immediately.  

If you’re looking for an apartment in New York City, or are even earlier in the process and considering a move for a job, the general rule of thumb for most places is that to apply for a decent apartment, you have to be able to confirm that your annual salary is a minimum of 40x one month’s rent. Finding the exact neighborhood you want to live in, as well. Are you looking for Ritz? Art? What part of the city do you want to live in? Out of all the New York City boroughs, the three best for finding decent rents (by NYC standards) and better deals are Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.

No matter where you end up, you need to be prepared for a smaller apartment than you are probably used to. Even the “luxury” apartments in NYC are small compared to what you might have become accustomed to in other cities. And keep in mind that despite the high prices, the competition to get a place to live is surprisingly high.

If you see a place you like that you can afford, grab it immediately. This can’t be emphasized enough. If you wait even a single day, there’s a very good chance that it’ll be gone by the time you get your stuff together to go after it. If you’re looking for an apartment in New York City, follow the advice given in this article, and good luck.