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You thrill at the prospect of finding just the right Mid-Century Modern chair to fit in the corner of that sleek new flat you’ve just bought. Yet you don’t quite trust the people posting on eBay and Gumtree enough to go to their home to pick it up. The other thing is, how do you know it’s genuine and not a knockoff? Once you’ve determined it’s the real thing, how will you get the huge thing home without a scratch? Here’s how you can find treasures for less on eBay and Gumtree without risking your money or your life:

Ask for Proof of Genuineness

EBay and Gumtree sellers usually will be glad to provide extra photos to ensure a sale. Furniture and other heavy objects should have a label or a mark indicating its maker. Some labels even include the year. Ask the seller to take a photo of any identifying marks and send it to you. Some items, though, whose labels have fallen victim to the ravages of time, require a close-up examination to determine the item’s age and provenance. Materials and construction can reveal quite a bit about a piece of furniture’s history. Polyester, for instance, made its appearance toward the middle of the 20th century. If the seller claims the item is from the Victorian era, but you can tell that the upholstery is polyester, you know it’s either a fake or has been reupholstered. Look for drawers with dovetailed construction instead of cheap nails and tacks.

Never Go Alone

When you go to pick up your large item or to look it over, you don’t want to walk into a risky place or situation that could be dodgy at best. Take another person with you. If it’s a smaller item you’re buying, meet the seller in a public place. This way you can feel safer and more comfortable.

Don’t Risk Damage with Amateur Transportation

An unbelievable deal on an antique or collectable isn’t a bargain if you or your mates scratch it up while moving it into your home. You may not have realised it, but your professional removalist doesn’t have to have a truckload of furniture to move in order to book their services. A good service can help you move items safely, even if you have only a few items—or even one.

You’ll be surprised at the low cost compared to renting a truck and doing it yourself. Many of them will reduce their prices further if you help them, so they don’t need to send a team of two. Furthermore, a professional removalist will pad each of your antique treasures, packing them so they’ll never touch each other or the sides of the truck. Once the removalist arrives at your home, she or he will carry your precious items safely inside and unpack them, so you can begin to enjoy them that day.

If you’re in the market for antique or collectable furniture, don’t risk your purchase with an amateur removalist. Instead, call on the expertise of the antique removalists at Zoom Removals. Book your removal today.

Though your upcoming interstate removal seems like a herculean task, a simple checklist can make your life so much easier, according to our team of experienced interstate removalists.

Take Things One Step at a Time for an Easy Move

Cross off each item as you complete it, and you’ll breathe a sigh of relief with each task done. Here’s the only checklist you’ll need for your upcoming interstate removal:

• Book your removal date and time.
• Purchase extra insurance to cover the removal process.
• Call your utility companies—including cable or satellite providers, electrical service, garbage pickup, natural gas provider—to cancel your current service.
• Sign up for needed utility services at your new location.
• Get referrals from your current providers for medical and veterinary care providers near your new home.
• Order medical and veterinary records for your family and your pets to keep with you as you travel.
• Collect school records for your children or have them transferred to your kids’ new school
• Have all your prescriptions filled and carry them with you.
• Make sure you have all of the equipment necessary to travel with young children and pets: crates, food, and water for your pets; water bottles, diaper-changing supplies, and baby food for young children.
• Arrange a sitter for young children and pets on moving day.
• Transfer your banking accounts to ones in your new city. If you have a safe-deposit box, empty it, cancel the service, and carry it with you when you travel.
• Dispose of any flammable or hazardous materials before you leave.
• Moisten the soil around your indoor plants before you pack. Don’t overwater, or you’ll risk spilling water on other items.
• Back up all the files on your computers. Pack all your electronic equipment in sturdy cases to protect it.
• Drain all the fuel from your lawn care equipment.
• Drain your garden hoses.
• Have your vehicle serviced before you start. Make sure your vehicle insurance is up to date and with you.
• Pack several clear plastic containers with essential items you’ll need immediately when you arrive: basic cleaning products and equipment, a few days’ clothing, toiletries, dental care products, pet food, bottled drinking water, easy-prepare foods, bedding, and toilet paper
• Before the removalists take all your belongings, do a last-minute check throughout your home, looking in closets, drawers, cabinets, your garage, and your basement.
• Turn off all the appliances and lights and lock up your former home.

Save Even More Time with Pre-Packing

Though an interstate removal involves a lot of preparation, you’ll discover it’s not as daunting as you thought when you work your way through your checklist. To save even more time, take advantage of Zoom Removals’ pre-packing service. With our help, you’ll be able to spend more time with your family and friends as you prepare to say your goodbyes.

To book your interstate removal or our convenient pre-packing service, contact the moving experts at Zoom Removals today.

After the removalists arrive at your new Sydney area home and unpack all your belongings into the right rooms (you did label each of the free boxes with the correct room, right?), you’ll be all alone with your new home. Are you prepared for your first few days?

You will be if you follow this simple checklist for your first three days in your new home:

Have a Few “Care Packages” All Ready to Go

Set aside carry-on luggage for each family member with three days of clothing, accessories, and toiletries per person. With these items, pack bedding and towels for each person. Pack a clear plastic container with disposable plates an¬¬d silverware, paper towels, basic cleaning supplies, dish detergent, and dish towels. Include a coffee or tea pot, and a cooking pot in which you can make easy meals, as well as a serving spoon and fork, and a knife and cutting boards to cut vegetables and meats.

Designate another container for a basic tool kit, including a hammer, pliers, a screwdriver, some nails, some screws, and a measuring tape. Bring along enough bottled water to last everyone for three days, as well as coffee, tea, and soft drinks.

Buy some prepared meal kits—the kind that you only need to add veggies and meat to—to last for the first three days. Finally, fill an ice chest with the meat and veggies you’ll need for your first three days’ meals. Carry these with you, or make sure that the removalists unload them first.

Upon Arrival, Stow All the Necessities in the Proper Locations

After the moving truck has left, it’s time for you to go to work. It will make you feel more at home once you’ve put your first few days’ belongings in their place. Be sure to make your beds, too. It will amaze you how much more relaxed you’ll feel when your beds are made. Hang up clothing. Put your necessary cooking utensils into the kitchen cabinetry. Store the tools in the closet, ready to go to work the next day.

Reward Yourself with Your First Home-Cooked Meal

If you’ve packed food ahead of time, pull out your pot, your meat, vegetables, and your prepared meal kit. Chop the vegetables, cut the meat into bite-sized portions, and then follow the directions on the package. In less than an hour—in most cases—you’ll have a delicious meal that no takeaway food can come close to. No better way to celebrate your first day in your new home!

For even more moving tips, contact the team of moving experts at Zoom Removals. If you’re moving soon, book your moving date with the Sydney area’s most trusted removal company today.

Whether it’s for work or a life change, moving can wreak havoc on a kid’s life if his or her parents don’t prepare well for the move. Don’t wait to familiarise your children with their new environment until the removalists’ truck pulls up. Prepare ahead of time, and moving will become a grand adventure for your children, not a traumatic experience.

1.Prepare Them Well Ahead of Time

When you first learn you’ll have to move, tell your children about your upcoming relocation. No matter what your feelings about uprooting your family and moving house, keep positive.

In fact, involve them in as many decisions as you can about the move. From checking out new homes to choosing the removalists, make them feel like they have a say in the matter. Teach them what to look for in a home or in a removal company. Do this part right, and you’ll teach them life skills they can use when they look for a home as adults.

2.Familiarise Them with Their New Neighbourhood

If you can take them to see their new neighbourhood in person, that’s great. Let them meet their new teachers and familiarise themselves with the territory before they arrive. Encourage them to make new friends and stay in touch during the time you’re in transition. Choose your new caregivers and introduce your kids to them if you can. From paediatricians to dentists to child care facilities, the more they know beforehand, the better.

Even if you can’t take them physically to their new neighbourhood, show them photos and maps of the new community. Encourage them to find pen pals that they can connect with from afar, and then meet up once you’ve moved.

Once you’re there, get them involved in their favourite activities to help them acclimate to their new surroundings in the comfort of the things they love. Ballet, sports, and music lessons can help your kids connect with other like-minded children in their new neighbourhood.

3.Consider a Pre-Packing Service

Your children need your undivided attention when you move. After all, they’re uprooting from familiar surroundings to a whole new experience. With your removalists doing your packing for you, you’ll have more time to spend acclimating them to their new neighbourhood and making new friends.

If you have an upcoming move, let Zoom Removal’s team of expert removalists do the hard work for you. Book your move—and your pre-packing service—with Zoom today!

With the right removalist, you never have to worry about the condition of your belongings when you move interstate. Quality removalists will take good care of your treasures across the country as they would if you were only moving house to the next suburb. After you’ve found the right removalist, the real challenges are yet to come. Yet with a few never-fail tips, your interstate move will go as smooth as if you had just moved crosstown.

Learn the Statutes in Your New State

In Australia, statutes and laws vary by state, sometimes considerably. Learn the statutes that govern various services, traffic patterns, pets, and other matters that impact your life. Look at property regulations. What building additions or repairs may be allowable in your current home state without securing a permit may require a permit in your new state. Make sure you know how to transfer your driver’s licence and vehicle registration—and how long you have to change over.

Change Your Address

Not only do you need to change your address with Australia Post, but you’ll need to change it with everyone with whom you do business. Health care funds, credit card companies, the Tax Office, the electoral roll, and any magazines or other periodical publications you subscribe to all need to have your new address in hand before you move.

Secure Needed Services Before You Move

If you plan to switch telecommunications, Internet service, or energy providers, you need to make sure they’re turned on before you arrive. Learn when your community collects garbage and where your new government offices are. If you have children, enrol them in their new school so you don’t have to scramble to familiarise them with their new facility at the last minute. Make sure you transfer their records. Find doctors, dentists, veterinarian supermarkets, and even takeaway food providers near your new home before you arrive to make sure you have prepared for every eventuality.

Even if you’re moving as far as from Sydney to Melbourne, you can feel confident that you’re ready to roll out the door for your new adventure when you book your interstate removal with Zoom Removals. To discover more about how you can save money, time, and hassle with your interstate move, contact Zoom Removals today.

You’ve decided to move house. But first, you need to sell the home you live in now. Instead of waiting until you do sell to move all your belongings out, you should consider storing some of them with your removalist while you put your home on the market. Here are three reasons why that might be your most prudent move:

1. Less Clutter, More Visual Space Means Higher Offers for Your Home

Ditch the clutter for more dollars: No one likes to buy a home that they’ll have to downsize their own belongings for. Yet if your home is stuffed full of your furniture, dishes, and clothes, potential buyers will think that your home lacks enough storage space. They’ll move on—and buy another home that’s clutter free. You’ll eventually have to drop your price, even though you know your home is worth more.

Engage buyers’ imaginations with more visual space: Buyers want to imagine themselves in your home. Draw their attention to your home’s more attractive features by removing the furnishings that stand in their way. Too many personal items won’t give them room to imagine their own pieces in the rooms.

2. Less to Clean Means You Can Clean More

When you’re on the hunt for a new home, it’s like having an extra part-time job. It’s hard work. You may not have enough time to clean your home, even though your agent wants to show it the next day. If you ask your home removalist to store some of the items that seem to draw dust bunnies like a magnet, you’ll save time, yet have a sparkling-clean home to show potential buyers.

3. You’ll Be Halfway Packed Before You Move

When you pack and store part of your belongings way before you have to move, you won’t have as much to pack after you find your dream home. With part of the hard work behind you, you’ll feel more relaxed and less likely to procrastinate on packing the rest.

If you’re selling your home, you owe it to yourself to find out how much time and money you can save by storing some of your belongings while you await the right buyer. It may surprise you just how inexpensive it is to store your stuff with your removalist. And—if that removalist is Zoom Removals—you can get one month’s storage for free when you prepay for six months in advance. Just think—you’ll get a head start on your own removal and make your home more attractive to buyers when you take advantage of the secure, economical storage facility at Zoom Removals.

To find out just how inexpensive storing some of your belongings while you sell can be, contact the storage and removal specialists at Zoom Removals today.

MovYou may be no Fazil Say the pianist but you do love your piano music. And it really bums you out when it’s out of tune.

That’s why you’re stressing out about your upcoming move. Will the removalists take good care of your “baby?” Will you need to get it tuned again once they get it into your new home?

With an Experienced Removalist, Your Piano Is in Safe Hands

First of all, relax. Hire a removalist with a great track record moving pianos, and your treasured instrument will be in as good shape when it arrives as it was when the house movers loaded it into their truck.

Secondly, you’re right to be so picky when it comes to your piano. With thousands of parts, including two hundred strings, there are a lot of variables. Added to that uncertainty is your knowledge that even a little difference in one string’s tension can change the tuning.

Pianos Are Built to Last, But Just in Case, Purchase Insurance to Cover Your Removal

But, like all pianos, yours is a tough cookie. Built to hold up under tons of string tension and generations of use, moving—even across the country—shouldn’t hurt your piano or knock it out of tune. It’s always a good idea, though, to buy insurance for your belongings—just in case.

Changes in Environment and Flooring Cause Most Tuning Challenges

What you do need to remember, though, according to the piano experts at Bruce Music, is that a change in the temperature or the humidity can affect your piano’s sound. Because a piano’s soundboard is wood, it expands and contracts with both temperature and humidity. That, in turn, can tighten or loosen the tension in the strings, causing the piano to go out of tune.

One other thing to remember. If the floor in your new home is uneven, your piano might go out of tune temporarily until you can even out its footprint. In older homes, you might need to put a shim underneath one of its legs to adjust it to an even height. Use a carpenter’s leveling tool to make sure that your piano is resting evenly on the floor.

Wait a Few Weeks Before Calling the Piano Tuner to Your New Home

When you arrive at your new home, resist the temptation to call the piano tuner right away. Wait a couple of weeks until it has had time to adjust to the temperature and humidity in your new home. If you find that the temperature difference has produced a change in tuning, then call in the piano tuner.

For more moving tips—with a piano or without—contact the team of expert removalists at Zoom Removals today.

So your boss told you that the company is packing up and moving. If you want to keep your job, she said, you’ll have to move, too. Trouble is, you haven’t planned for a move, and your kids need braces. And you need to save up for their education. And your next holiday. How in the world can you stretch your already tight budget to find the money to pay the removalists?
Relax. At Zoom Removalists Sydney, we’ve been moving people on a budget for years, so we have more than a few moving tricks up our sleeve. Here are three ways to pinch pennies on your upcoming removal.

1. Sell, Sell, Sell. Donate, Donate, Donate.

You know you have stuff you’ll never use again. Instead of paying the removalists a bunch of money to move that stuff in a monster of a truck, sell what you can through Gumtree or eBay. That way, you’ll not only reduce your load, but you’ll also be able to use the extra cash to hire a top-quality removalist—one you can trust to handle your belongings with the same care you would—only with the expertise to do it right.
Donating the belongings that you can’t sell doesn’t just give you warm fuzzy feelings. It will do that, of course. But it can also greatly reduce the number of belongings your removalists will have to stack in their truck, which will, in turn, reduce the price you’ll have to pay.

2. Hire Professional Removalists to Pack Your Stuff. Stay at Work. Cook at Home.

At first glance, this might look odd. Why should you pay money for something you can very well do yourself? The reasons are simple. The time you have to take off work to pack can eat up a lot of hours. Your boss isn’t going to pay you for that missed time, is he? Keep earning and let the professionals do the packing. They can pack a lot faster than you can—and one more thing: professional removalists aren’t likely to break any of your treasured belongings or pack them incorrectly, causing damaged goods and costly replacements.
Consider, too, that you won’t have to eat out when you hire professional packers. When you pack yourself, you don’t have time to cook. Over the time it takes most non-removalists to pack, that can be days spent at expensive restaurants and take-away eateries. That can add up over time. Instead, eat in and save money while expert removalists do the work.

3. Find Quick Meal Ideas for Your First Weeks in Your New Home.

Finally, when you arrive at your new home, you need to have done your homework beforehand. Find the supermarket with the lowest prices and plan about three weeks’ worth of quick meals that will nourish your family, but won’t cost nearly as much as the usual take-away food most new arrivals have to buy as they unpack their belongings and settle into the new community.
If you’re planning to move in the near future, give Zoom Removals a call to learn more about how you can save money—by moving wisely. Call them today on 1300 721 826 or email them at info@zoomremovals.joshuabeckerman.com

Most articles about moving house concentrate on what you need to do at your old home—tips on packing your things, choosing the right Sydney removalists, and even how to trim down your belongings so you won’t have to pay so much to move them. Yet what many new homeowners really need is a guide to getting through those first few days in the new place. Here’s how to survive those first few days:

Pack overnight bags for each member of the household—even the pets.

After the long trip and hours of unpacking, you’ll be ready for a snooze. But where are your pyjamas? Where’s Fluffy’s cat food? Oh no, the supermarket’s closed—and you don’t remember where you packed the pets’ food and bowls! Panic ensues.

Rewind. Start at your old home. Pack every household member an overnight bag. Include nightwear, a change of clothing, medications, a change of underwear, cosmetics, and even a bottle of water. Maybe even a snack or two. All that moving gets one hungry. For the pets, include their bowls, enough food for a couple of days (more if it’s during a holiday), and some drinking water in case the water isn’t yet on in your new home.

With preparation, you needn’t panic once you get to your new home. Everything you need will be in your overnight bags.

Keep the items you’ll need first with you if possible—the rest in clear boxes.

If at all possible, take along the other things you’ll need the first few days—school books, your first week’s worth of clothes, dishes, pans, medical and veterinary records, and any work-related items with you. If you can’t take them with you, pack them in a clear plastic box labelled “First Week,” and instruct your removalists to put it in the rear of the truck so they’ll unload it first. Ask the removal company to put those items in a designated place in your new home, so you can find them right away.

Plan for your first few meals at your new home.

It’s not only the pets you have to worry about feeding. Your household, too, will be hungry after a long day on the road and unpacking boxes. Know when you’ll arrive. Don’t plan to cook your first few meals. Before you move, have a list of restaurants and fast-food restaurants near your new home, or have ready-to-eat meals stored in a cooler, so you can concentrate on unpacking, arranging, and getting back to normal life. Be sure to include some disposable dinnerware, paper towels, and disposable wipes in your “first week” boxes so if there’s no water yet, you’ll be able to clean up without a hitch.

Just a little advance planning before you leave for your new home can save you hours of grief once you arrive. That way, all you’ll need to do when you get to your new place is to celebrate a successful move!

For more tips on stress-free removals, contact the relocation experts at Zoom Removals today.

Moving house doesn’t have to be the giant headache your mates warned you about. If you organise your belongings before the Sydney removalists arrive, relocating can be easy-breezy. Here’s how:

Organise Your Belongings by Category

In an earlier post, we talked at length about the need for you to declutter before you move. Before you start tossing your excess things, though, you need to take a look at what you have—by category. For instance, start with your clothing. If you move from room to room, you might not remember those other black satin pumps that have been sitting in your seasonal apparel box for two years now—you know, the ones that fit like a glove—and you’ll end up not tossing the ones in your closet, simply because you need a pair of satin pumps in your wardrobe. If you organise by category, though, you’ll have all your wardrobe in one place and can see at a glance which ones are duplicates. Do the same with books, holiday decorations, and dishes, and you’ll be able to declutter more efficiently.

Organise Your Removal

Don’t put off selecting a day for your move until the last minute. If you do, you’ll run the risk of hiring the remaining removal companies that aren’t booked for a reason—they have a terrible reputation. Instead, as soon as you know you’ll be relocating, do your homework on your local house removalists. Ask for recommendations, read online reviews, ask if they offer insurance, and ask for proof that they’re approved by the Australian Furniture Removers Association (AFRA). At the same time, look at your calendar and select the best date for your schedule. That way, when you find the right removal company, you can reserve the date you chose and won’t have to worry about having to hire a fly-by-night removalist.

Organise Your Life at Your New Home

Unless you’re just moving across town, you’ll need to find new doctors, new shopping centres, and a new veterinarian, if you have pets. You’ll need to find a new sitter for your children, check out the local schools, and look at transportation routes to find the quickest way to work. You may even want to find some places where you can pick up a quick bite on your first few days in your new home, so you won’t have to cook. Before you move, do your research on what your new neighbourhood has to offer. Line up medical professionals and transfer your records there well before your move. Make sure you won’t have to scramble at the last minute to find what you need.

With these three tips, you’ll find that moving can be an adventure, not a hassle! To discover more about how you can organise before you move, contact our expert team of Sydney removalists today.