June is National Safety Month and Liedkie Moving & Storage would like to provide some timely reminders for Albany movers  for practicing safety throughout their move. We are dedicating this month to sharing tips and resources for safe moving. This week we would like to draw your attention to safety matters having to do with the packing.

Your home is about to be turned inside out. All the contents are moving and shifting as you prepare for loading day. With everything out of place, your surroundings become less familiar to you increasing the chances of an accident.

Please look over the following list of safety considerations for the packing process of your move:

• Packing Boxes-If you are packing and moving boxes yourself, you should be able to comfortably lift the box according to your strength. Know your strength. For step by step lifting instructions, please check out this helpful slideshow on heavy lifting provided by the Mayo Clinic.
• Keep common passages clear-Hallways, doorways, steps, etc. should be kept clear of boxes, packing material and loose household items to avoid tripping and slipping in your home.
• Keep packing tools such as box cutters, knives, tape cutters and scissors out of reach of children and off the floor to protect your family and pets.
• Use heavy duty protective packing materials-To protect your belongings, be sure to use sturdy and strong boxes that will handle the weight of the contents. Also have padded wrapping materials such as bubble wrap to protect fragile items.

Of course, Liedkie Moving & Storage would be happy to provide Albany movers with our professional packing service. Give us a call and we will provide safe and secure packing. Also, you can read more packing tips on our site.

Let’s kick off National Safety Month with healthy and safe packing! We invite our Albany movers to check back later this month for more moving safety tips.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the third week in April is National Pet ID week. This prompted us here at Liedkie Moving & Storage to remind our Albany movers to have your pet identification updated immediately upon arrival. It is a good idea to prepare at least a collar tag before you get there so you can place the updated tag on your pet when you arrive in your new home.

For Albany movers traveling a long distance with your pet, it is also a good idea to get a temporary tag that you place alongside the regular tag on the collar with the location of the places you plan to stop and stay along the way. This is a good idea for regular traveling as well.

You can visit American Humane Society for tips on Identification Tags and Microchips. You will need to pick up your pets veterinary records shortly before you move. This would be a good time to bring up pet identification options with your veterinarian. Also, do not forget to research ahead to find a new veterinarian so that you are prepared with that contact upon arrival. You can call ahead, introduce yourself and ask questions about your pet moving to the new environment.

Moving can be a bit disorienting or stressful for your pet. They may respond to the move by running and hiding somewhere outside in the new unknown environment. Please protect your furry family friend with proper pet identification. Check back next week for tips for Albany movers on helping your pet have a stress-free move. At Liedkie Moving & Storage, we are all about your stress-free move. That goes for your pets too!

Here we are again. April 15 is right around the corner. Many have already filed their taxes but for those Albany movers who have not, Liedkie Moving & Storage wants to remind you to look closely at your moving expenses if your move took place in 2013. Please be sure to go to the IRS section for Moving Expenses to see if any of your moving expenses qualify for deductions.

There may be other home owner deductions for Albany movers to consider as well. If you are preparing to move, you may have completed home improvements to ready the home for sale. Some of these improvements may be tax deductible. Or perhaps you made major improvements in your home over the course of time you lived there. Whether you moved recently, or are moving soon or thinking about moving, you will want to be sure to save all necessary receipts for home improvements that may be deductible on your tax return. Go to this IRS section on Tax Information for Homeowners for more information about what a home owner can deduct. Also covered in this section are all specifics concerning mortgage interest credit, real estate taxes and mortgage insurance premiums. And of course, check with your tax professional before making any tax decisions.

Albany movers who just moved into a new home should consider preparing a file folder for storing records of any home improvements made to the new home now and in the future. The organization of these documents will save much time and money later when it comes time to selling.

Liedkie Moving & Storage wishes Albany movers a stress-free tax time!

National Volunteer Week is coming right up. This year it falls on April 6-13, 2014. Liedkie Moving & Storage is happy to take this timely opportunity to encourage our recent Albany movers to deepen their connection to their new communities through volunteering.

We have been in the Albany moving business since 1917. We know the importance of understanding the needs of the community that we live and work in. Reaching out to volunteer rewards us with pride for our community while strengthening our roots in the community.

We have offered articles in the past sharing ideas for feeling at home once you move to a new place. We would like to honor National Volunteer Week by encouraging our recent Albany movers to consider reaching out by lending a hand in their new community. Through volunteering you will make wonderful connections with new friends. You will learn more about your community and the needs there. There is probably no better way to feel at home in a new place then to begin to invest your time, energy and heart into that place.

You may already have a favorite organization that you volunteer for. If so, a great place to start would be to look into whether that organization has a branch or presence in your community. Religious affiliations are another way to find connections to volunteer opportunities. Also, local hospitals, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, animal shelters and schools might be places to start your search, but there are many organizations out there waiting to be found.

We found a fabulous resource on-line for connecting with volunteer opportunities. At http://www.volunteermatch.org/ you can search based on what you care about and the city you live in, and they will match you up with a non-profit organization that could use your help.

Just another simple and meaningful way for Albany movers to plant roots and feel at home in their new communities. Liedkie Moving & Storage wishes you happiness wherever you move.

It has finally arrived, if only by date, but winter is in fact fading away and most places in the country this year can say, “Good Riddance!” Major cities nearly everywhere dealt with more snow than usual and colder than average temperatures. And according to most long range forecasts, winter is not finished with the US just yet with below normal temperatures forecasted next week and the possibility for another major snow event for the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

One thing is clear, winter is losing, so face the bright future and begin thinking about your spring plans. Many Albany movers will be choosing to list their homes on the market to take advantage of the busiest upcoming home selling season. Are you ready? We are. At Liedkie Moving & Storage, we stand by our Albany movers ready to handle local, long distance and international movers.

Perhaps you are getting ready to list your house. Here is our short list of reminders for things to do outdoors now that the weather is breaking, to prepare your home for the market:

• Spring yard clean up-time to remove the dead debris of winter. Clean out your garden beds, add fresh mulch and some ornamental annuals to cheer everything up.
• House washing-renting or hiring a power washer to make your home sparkle and look its best
• Paint your front door with a fresh coat and maybe even the shutters and porch trim etc.
• Purchase a new doormat-any little touch to present a clear and welcoming space is helpful.
• Clean your outdoor light fixtures so that the glass shines and the light glows beautifully
• Look for any winter damage to trees and shrubs and remove what is unsightly
• Place a pot of flowers by your front door
• Clean up any outdoor furniture to make your patios and decks look their best
• Give lampposts a fresh coat of spray paint
• Consider any driveway repair or a fresh asphalt coat if needed.
• And….do not forget to do that final walk around your yard. Stand back on the street and look at the overall appearance of you home. What did you miss? Take a photo for a different perspective.

Of course your realtor will also give you all kinds of tips too and be most helpful in deciding what you need to do. There are so many little inexpensive things you can do to make your house look like the perfect home to a buyer. Good Luck Albany movers! And when it is time to get moving, Liedkie Moving & Storage is here to help!