» Self Storage Facilities
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Self Storage PerksBy joel on September 25, 2011 | 15 Comments
Depending on where you decide to rent self storage from, they could have different perks that will help direct you to want to rent from them. They could have free use of the wireless access at their office or even free use of their conference rooms. Whatever they have that is important to you that is definitely a plus. It is completely a great idea to ask many questions about the facility to see what you are getting for your money. For some people the more perks the better they feel about renting there. Be smart about where you are storing. Insure that you are not getting blinded by the smoke and mirrors of the storage facility. Make sure you are getting what you are wanting from that storage facility.If security is important to you, then it would make sense to insure that the facility has great security. You do not want the place you are storing from to have great security. If you decide to rent at a facility that does not have a great security package but that was important to you, you just got mesmerized by whatever else the manager on site was trying to sell you. Self storage facilities will have many perks, but again, if they do not have the perk that makes you feel comfortable about renting there than those perks are not for you.Some facilities that have high end security will have different perks that you could enjoy. There are facilities that will allow you to enter your own pass code when you become a tenant. If you can create your own pin code number for a security access entry, make it something that you can easily remember and write it down. The worse thing that could happen is that you load up many of your belongings to bring down to the facility to store and are not able to get in. Remember your pin number and you will be fine to get into the security laced self storage facility.Do not get roped in by features your local self storage facility has if they are not important to you. Kindly tell the sales person, wow, and then talk about things that are important to you. Many facilities have spent an extraordinary amount of money in order to attract people to their facility.Depending on where you decide to rent self storage from, they could have different perks that will help direct you to want to rent from them. They could have free use of the wireless access at their office or even free use of their conference rooms. Whatever they have that is important to you that is definitely a plus. It is completely a great idea to ask many questions about the facility to see what you are getting for your money. For some people the more perks the better they feel about renting there. Be smart about where you are storing. Insure that you are not getting blinded by the smoke and mirrors of the storage facility. Make sure you are getting what you are wanting from that storage facility.
If security is important to you, then it would make sense to ensure that the facility has great security. You do not want the place you are storing from to have great security. If you decide to rent at a facility that does not have a great security package but that was important to you, you just got mesmerized by whatever else the manager on site was trying to sell you. Self storage facilities will have many perks, but again, if they do not have the perk that makes you feel comfortable about renting there than those perks are not for you.
Some facilities that have high end security will have different perks that you could enjoy. There are facilities that will allow you to enter your own pass code when you become a tenant. If you can create your own pin code number for a security access entry, make it something that you can easily remember and write it down. The worse thing that could happen is that you load up many of your belongings to bring down to the facility to store and are not able to get in. Remember your pin number and you will be fine to get into the security laced self storage facility.
Do not get roped in by features your local self storage facility has if they are not important to you. Kindly tell the sales person, wow, and then talk about things that are important to you. Many facilities have spent an extraordinary amount of money in order to attract people to their facility.
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Preparing For Moving DayBy joel on September 19, 2011 | 18 Comments
There are many things that you can do in order to prepare yourself for your move day. It is very important that you write down all the things that you need to do in order to get you move successfully done. By taking your time and actually doing each step that you planned out, your day will be less stressful and you will be able to relax at the end of the day. Otherwise you will be scrambling all day thus adding more stress to your life.One thing to not do a week before your move is not to buy a lot of food. This way you are not wasting food because food is hard to keep good in a move. If you can fit it into your budget it might be a good thing for you to eat out the last couple of nights before you more. Otherwise choose something that you can eat each day that does not involved dirtying up dishes. You do not want to have to wash dishes on moving day. That is an unnecessary waste of time.Call and get a shut off date to all your utilities even your cable a week before the move so you do not forget. There is nothing like getting paying more money for your utilities than you need. It is important for you to conserve all the money you have for your move and for your next home. There is no need to waste money unnecessarily when you can call your utility companies a week before to shut them off.The last things you should do before you leave your old place are a walk through to make sure you have not forgotten anything. Take your time and carefully look everywhere in your apartment in every nook and cranny. Open up all your drawers and underneath your sinks. The more you find, the less you have to pay to replace. You typically know when you will be moving, so try to pack as many things up as you can before that day. If you can do this, you will spend less time on your walk through because you know you got everything.Moving day is only stressful because people do not plan for it. If you can take some time out of your day or week to sit down with your family to plan moving day, it will go by easily. Get a lot of help and follow the steps listed above and you will have time to relax at the end of the day.There are many things that you can do in order to prepare yourself for your move day. It is very important that you write down all the things that you need to do in order to get you move successfully done. By taking your time and actually doing each step that you planned out, your day will be less stressful and you will be able to relax at the end of the day. Otherwise you will be scrambling all day thus adding more stress to your life.
One thing to not do a week before your move is not to buy a lot of food. This way you are not wasting food because food is hard to keep good in a move. If you can fit it into your budget it might be a good thing for you to eat out the last couple of nights before you more. Otherwise choose something that you can eat each day that does not involved dirtying up dishes. You do not want to have to wash dishes on moving day. That is an unnecessary waste of time.
Call and get a shut off date to all your utilities even your cable a week before the move so you do not forget. There is nothing like getting paying more money for your utilities than you need. It is important for you to conserve all the money you have for your move and for your next home. There is no need to waste money unnecessarily when you can call your utility companies a week before to shut them off.
The last things you should do before you leave your old place are a walk through to make sure you have not forgotten anything. Take your time and carefully look everywhere in your apartment in every nook and cranny. Open up all your drawers and underneath your sinks. The more you find, the less you have to pay to replace. You typically know when you will be moving, so try to pack as many things up as you can before that day. If you can do this, you will spend less time on your walk through because you know you got everything.
Moving day is only stressful because people do not plan for it. If you can take some time out of your day or week to sit down with your family to plan moving day, it will go by easily. Get a lot of help and follow the steps listed above and you will have time to relax at the end of the day.
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Car Storage PossibilitiesBy joel on July 11, 2011 | 277 Comments
Car storage can be a very complicated process. You first have to look at location, security, and of course, price. Typically these are three things that people look at when they are looking for car storage. They do not want to go very far to get to their car, thus location is very important. Customers want to ensure that their car and investment is safe, which would mean they want to ensure security is important. Lastly customers want to know how much it will cost them in order to store at the self storage facility. The customer might call the facility manager to know how much it will cost to store their car, but they really want to know about the other two important aspects of car storage.
There are also several different kinds of parking spaces available. A customer can store their car inside a self storage unit, outside on the parking lot uncovered, or under a car port on the lot. Which option the customer goes with is totally up to the customer. The customer might not have a choice if self storage facility does not have more than one option to store their car. So before calling around, the customer must decide which car storage option is the best for them.
Outside parking is as simple as having a parking space outside, while inside spaces are more like a garage. The garage spaces are much more secure, but are also more expensive. Location plays a part, since you will most likely be using the vehicle at least some of the time. Storing outside for most places is a very inexpensive option, but if you are concerned about the safety and security of your car, you might want to consider inside storage. Some storage facilities have door alarms on the garage door which is an added level of security to for your car.
The vehicle must be in running condition in order to be stored at most facilities. If you are looking to use your self storage facility for a work space, you will have to contact your property manager because they will have to make that decision. Most of the time, the manager does not want someone potentially messing up their storage unit with fluid from the car. You can definitely ask, but most likely the answer will be no.
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Storing Large EquipmentBy joel on July 10, 2011 | 984 Comments
Many times people just throw everything into their self storage unit. They do not try to plan how everything will fit in there correctly. The funny thing is that they pack their rental truck very neat and tight, but then get it to their self storage unit and it becomes chaos. There are some packing gurus out there, but the key is to take your time and make how you store your belongings make sense. Here are a few tips on storing large garage equipment.
Never store your garage equipment with home furnishings if you are able to prevent it. Most people try to get one large unit and try to fit everything inside of it. You can think about getting one space for your home furnishings and one for garage equipment. This way your home furnishings will not get damaged. Also this could help you when you come back looking for either something from inside the house or from the garage, you know which unit it will be in. Otherwise you will have to sort through everything to find what you are looking for.
Always stay organized, keeping smaller materials sealed. Some self storage facilities are very fickle about what is stored inside the storage unit. If you have paint or some other material that you are not sure about storing, ask the property manager. There is nothing like you beginning to put everything inside your unit and they tell you that you will not be able to store it. Of course if you do not ensure these materials are not sealed properly they could spill out on your other equipment. That would not be something pleasant to walk into one morning.
Large items should be stored in the back, while smaller things should go in the front. Typically you will be coming to your storage unit to use a small item. If you feel that you will use something larger more often, then reverse this idea. Put the smaller items toward the back you will not use, and put the things you will use near the front. This is pretty simple, but not everyone thinks about this before they put things into storage. How you load everything in the moving truck should be the reverse of how it will be stored in the storage unit. This way it will load property and fewer things, if any, will be damaged.
By following the advice above, you allow yourself extra room in case other things need to be stored later on. Most self storage units are about eight feet high so you can always store up as well. You have many combinations you can do inside the storage unit but do not just throw everything inside the storage unit. You can really damage something. When storing your garage equipment put it somewhere inside your storage unit that you can access it when needed and that it will not be in the way.
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Tackle Spring Cleaning with the Help of a Storage Uni...By jeff on March 14, 2011 | 1,285 Comments
Spring cleaning. Just two simple words but they were staring Jean in the face and she was armed with cleaning supplies and boxes and she was determined to get her house clean and organized once again. With two kids and a dog it was sometimes hard to keep up with the small cleaning tasks that you can neglect, but this week Jean was going room by room and every small nook and cranny was going to be dusted, cleaned, and organized.
Before spring cleaning could begin Jean needed a plan. She went to the store and stocked up on all of the cleaning supplies that she was going to need to tackle the cleaning, and she also looked into Pickering, Ontario self storage units nearby that could help her get those items out of her house that she wanted to keep but really had no storage space for. With the plans set in place Jean armed herself with storage boxes and put on her rubber gloves and got to work.
She started with the bedrooms because they were going to take the most work, and she figured while she was motivated to get spring cleaning done she would do the hard stuff first. Jean went through her and her husband’s closet and got rid of clothes that did not fit and maybe one or two of her husband’s shirts that she hated. Shoes that were worn out were thrown away and the shelves of clothes that were unfolded were refolded. Jean even managed to clean out under the bed and with one room down she went on to tackle her children’s rooms. Clothes that were too small and toys that were no longer played with were all boxed up and were stacked up to go into Pickering self storage. Her children were six and four and while they liked to play more than they helped clean they were each responsible to help her in her cleaning.
After the bedrooms were done Jean was unsure where to head next on her spring cleaning mission but she decided to tackle the bathrooms next. There was nothing from the bathrooms that needed to be moved into a Pickering self storage unit but once the toilet was scrubbed and the shower cleaned and the floors thoroughly cleaned it looked much better. Jean had even gone through the bathroom cabinets and gotten rid of old sun tanning lotions, and junk that had found its way under the bathroom sink.
Next it was on to the living room and the home office space. The living room Jean did on her own, but when it came to the home office space Jean had to have her husbands help since it was his office space and she did not want to get rid of anything that was needed. The living room was fairly simple to spring clean, but the home office seemed to take forever to her. Each paper had to be looked at and it started slowly since she could not help much without consulting her husband. However, when it was done there was way more work space for her husband and three boxes full of papers and files that her husband had boxed up were headed to their Pickering self storage unit and two more rooms were clean and clutter free.
At the end of spring cleaning Jean was tired, but as she looked around her clean and organized house she knew that it had all been worth it.
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Wisdom for Folks Using Storage to Help with a MoveBy jeff on February 16, 2011 | 1,219 Comments
People new to moving around the country often serve as cautionary tales for the rest of the planet. These folks leave much to chance and often don’t realize how much effort and angst they could save themselves if they would first stop in at a self storage place, such as Willowbrook Self Storage in Willowbrook, Alberta, Canada, and talk to the friendly professional managers about their move.
Some of these movers start by packing anything and everything in several one size fits all boxes. This leads to ineffective packing. If breakables are inadequately packed or piled on top of each other in boxes that are too large for the items being placed within them, or if bubble wrap or other cushioning material is used too sparingly, items can arrive at their destination broken or damaged. If movers who are ill prepared do not understand the value of moving blankets, which are important in protecting large furniture items from scratches or creating a buffer between possessions and the interior wall of a moving van, they will skip the blankets and arrive at their new home with scratched and scuffed headboards, dining tables, favorite chairs, dressers and night stands. It pushes a stressful move all the way over into the irreconcilable differences category.
And then there is mover who doesn’t see the need in purchasing a mattress bag. The mattress arrives in such a poor state that it is usually only good for the landfill after that. Nobody wants to add the cost of mattress replacement on top of the already expensive moving effort.
So how can we avoid being any of these cautionary tales? Stop in at Willowbrook Self Storage. Start by talking to the managers there, to get a feel for what size boxes fit what sort of possessions. Get many different sizes, and plenty of bubble wrap. Do not skimp on bubble wrap. Get plenty of packing tape and be sure to have black markers on hand to label each box after it is packed. Forgetting this step leads to confusion and delays in unloading and unpacking, and should be avoided at all costs. Be sure to get a mattress bag for each mattress and each box spring, to keep these items from getting filthy and damaged during the move.
Once the supplies are secured, speak to the helpful folks at Willowbrook Self Storage about a storage unit. Perhaps a climate controlled one, or a larger one with space for that extra bedroom suit that isn’t being used. After that, the pieces fall into place. Secure a moving van or moving company, schedule dates, times and locations. Keep a record of what is happening when, a note containing quoted prices, with the names of company representatives next to the quotes. And finally, communicate with everyone involved in the move so that each individual is on the same page. Then, and only then, can the mover relax, secure in the knowledge that his move is well planned, with all the bases covered, and there is no chance of being a dreaded cautionary tale.
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Providing the Best Storage Product for Your CustomersBy jeff on January 28, 2011 | 1,234 Comments
Washington Park storage companies in Saskatchewan, Canada are thinking of marketing right now as we press on with our four P’s of marketing. We have promotion, product, price and place. We have talked about promotion and place in past articles, and now will move on to product and price. Product seems to be obvious, but there is more to it than meets the eye. Yes, a product is the thing you buy most of the time, but it is more than that. Why do you buy a certain car over another one? They are all cars with very similar options on them and things they must have to run. Cars need engines, doors, seats, and all those things. Seats can be different in cars, leather, or cloth. Leather will cost more but last longer. Leather is easy to clean and stains less than cloth seats. Leather seats will bring you more value than cloth if you decide to sell your car one day. Seats are basically the same product, but as we can see now, the same product can be very different. This is the same with storage too. It is a space people put their things in and they are all alike, like seats in a car. They are not all alike. Storage spaces can have concrete floors but some could be very dirty and stained and uncared for. Walls are different in storage spaces. Some are brick or aluminum or concrete. Brick walls are hard to break in from the other side, so your stuff may be safer than aluminum walls where bad guys can break into one storage space than just go through all the walls and break into many storage spaces. These are more unsafe than bricks walls correct?
Washington Park storage facilities in Saskatchewan, Canada should think about their product. Are their walls brick or concrete or aluminum? Product is important to understand and how to change the perception in the consumer’s mind during the sales process. Product can also be what you sell in your office. Do you sell locks? Do you sell boxes? These could add many dollars to your bottom line if your managers are good sales people too. This is adding to your product mix. Product mix is what it sounds like; mixing up the products you sell. Product can also be what the storage building looks like. Is it old and dirty? Is it new? Is there junk all over your property or is it clean? Is there landscape that looks good to the eye, or is it just plain and unappealing? This is all product too in the storage industry. The potential customer is buying all of this.
Washington Park storage companies in Saskatchewan, Canada should hire good sales people to run their storage places. It has been proven that the sales people are part of what the customer buys. “We like this guy and trust him or her. We will purchase the product because of him or her.” Most of the time people buy products because they like and trust the sales people they deal with. Car sales people that are likable, considered honest, happy, and friendly, might do better than the grouchy ones, the burned out ones and the ones who are just tired of sales.
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Finding the Right Airdrie Storage FacilityBy jeff on December 1, 2010 | 982 Comments
Finding the Right Airdrie Storage Facility for you can be a quick and easy solution or it could be a long and taxing process. Not everyone knows what to look for and what they are requiring out of their storage facility. For those people who have stored before, they have the upper hand because they know what to expect from their Airdrie storage facility and what not to put up with. Understanding what you need before you start to look can save you lots of time and energy. There are a couple of different methods that you can use in order to find the local facility that is right for you. You can look online for storage facilities, ask a friend, look in the yellow pages, and even drive around. All these options have been known to work and people will swear by one over another. It is up to you to determine which option is better for you and your situation.
Taking the time to look at different internet storage sites can save you a lot of time and energy. This is of course the store you are looking up has a website you can browse and get the information you are looking for. If they do not, you can either choose to not use their services or you can opt for one of the other methods of looking. On the websites you will typically find the different sizes, prices, location and also anything the company feels they need to tell you about. This could be very key in your search. You can narrow down the different Airdrie storage facilities that are in your local area or search outside your local area to find other storage facilities in Alberta. With the new technology of today, you are not confined to search for storage facilities on the internet from your computer. You can use your mobile phone to find out all the information you need on that storage facility.
Asking your friends and family is a great option when looking for Airdrie storage solutions. If they have rented in the area you are looking for then you might be in luck. They will share their experiences with you and give you some great recommendations. If you do not know anyone that has used storage in your local area, then you could be back to the drawing board.
Flipping pages through the yellow pages could be the solution you are looking because you can usually find a list of different storage facilities that you can just call. The only thing slowing you down here is that the facility you call might not answer the phone. That could really put a damper on your search. The facility that you feel you really need to hear from might not be available to give you the information that you desire. Also if you are just calling to see the different prices that are available, you might be shorting yourself on the best solution for your belongings.
Many people say that driving around is the most time consuming and that you might not come across the different facilities in the area. Depending on where you drive around to, the majorities of the facilities in the area might not be in your path. The great thing about this option is that you can just drop into the facility and see what they have to offer for your own eyes. If they do look good to you then you will not have to waste your time calling around.
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Save Time At Montreal Storage FacilitiesBy admin on May 26, 2010 | 1,168 Comments
Commuting to Montreal everyday was getting to be a hassle for Mike. It took him almost an hour to get to work each morning and an hour and a half to get home each day if traffic was not too bad. He had been commuting for the past six years and he was just tired of the drive. He loved his job so he did not want to try to find something closer to home, so he decided to find a home closer to work.
It took him months to find a house that he liked but eventually he found one that had almost everything that he wanted, and it was only twenty minutes away from where he worked and was still in a quiet neighborhood. Once the house was under contract in his name he informed his landlord that he was going to be moving out of his apartment.
As it got closer and closer to the end of the month Mike realized that the house was not going to be ready for him to move in yet, but he had to be out of his apartment at the end of the month. So he had to think of something to do. In the end he decided that he was going to stay with his friend for the two weeks that it was expected to take to get into his house. He decided to keep all of his stuff in a Montreal storage unit while he was staying with his friend.
Everyday on his way to work he would take in a load to go to the Montreal storage unit. On the last day of the month he only had a few boxes and his bed left to take to the Montreal storage unit. It was the best thing that he could think of while he was waiting for his house to be ready.
It actually ended up taking three weeks for the paper work to all go through, and Mike was so excited to be able to move into his house. Since everything was already close in the Montreal storage unit it did not take long to move everything over. It took him a little while to get everything unpacked and put just where he wanted it, but in the end he was extremely happy with is new house. That Monday on his way to work he loved how it took him twenty minute to get there and to get back. Mike now had an extra hour to his day and he loved it.
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Rent Laval Storage UnitsBy admin on May 25, 2010 | 1,240 Comments
It is very true that many people are actually scared to pull the trigger and agree to pay for something. They do not always want to give their money toward something they do not always feel they need. Well the fact of the matter is that they would not be contacting this Laval storage facility if they did not need storage. So they have to wrap their mind around how much they are going to have to pay upfront and monthly. Sometimes the initial shock of how much it is going to cost the customer can scare them away, but they will usually realize that that is the going rate for the area. Other customers will think the price is just right for them. It all comes down to how the manager presents the options to the customer and tries to overcome any excuses they have to rent.
Many people will give every excuse under the sun to the manager at the Laval storage facility because they simply need to be pushed in the right direction. Sometimes at no fault of the manager, the customer just does not like what they are hearing. So this is where the manager has to put their sales cap or reasoning hat on in order to overcome their concerns. It will not always be easy for the manager, but if they take their time and listen to the customer, they can usually find a way to have everything make sense to the customer. Then the customer simply just will sign on the dotted line.
Customers will give Laval storage managers all kinds of concerns such as they need to talk it over with their spouse, they are not ready to rent, they are going to call around, they got a cheaper price, and the list continues. The art to overcoming these objections is just to breathe, logically think of what you have to say and phrase it in a way that will make sense to the caller. Most of the time it will be you selling your facility and the fact that it is close to them, how limited you are on space and you would hate for them to lose out on your great rates, or that you can take better care of them than any other Laval storage facility in the area. Think of these objections as excuses. When it comes to storing, there are not any excuses. The customer just needs to be convinced that your facility has what they are looking for.
