Many times people who are moving (or helping with a move) overlook the obvious. They need a storage unit, but they are resisting it because they think of self storage as something permanent rather than as a stopgap solution. This way of thinking may deprive them of a real asset.
Some 40 percent of storage units are rented due to a move. This can be a smart solution in a number of common scenarios. Sometimes the decision to rent is made by the person moving. Other times a helper makes the decision. In other cases, there is an outside issue that puts pressure on the moving schedule.
1. Staging a Home Before a Move
Often a real estate agent will suggest storage. This is due to the need to stage a home to get the best price. In other cases, it’s just a realization that there’s too much stuff, and reducing the family’s footprint will make the home appear much bigger.
While some might be reluctant to use self storage, the truth is that most of us lack outdoor storage where extra furniture and boxes could be stored. We don’t have an empty shed, if we have one at all. We certainly can’t pack it into the garage if we are showing the home to prospective buyers.
2. Downsizing to a Smaller Home Quickly
Sometimes a move isn’t really what you want. It’s what is needed. It seems that almost overnight the family must downsize from a home to an apartment. Or, they are moving from a big home to a small home. In these cases, there is a temptation to get rid of everything. Instead, people can rent a storage space and gain time to make good decisions about what they want to keep and what they need to sell or give away.
3. A Change in Closing Dates
Anyone who has been involved with buying or selling a house knows how critical it is to get the closing dates in the right order. Yet it isn’t always possible. You may need to sign over your home to the new buyer before you are able to close on your next house . When this happens, storage is a good option. You can live with relatives or in a hotel with just a few suitcases. Everything else is in a storage unit until you seal the deal on your new residence. If you decide to rent a storage pod instead of a secure unit, make sure it has access mats so it doesn’t ruin your lawn.
4. Consolidation of two households
The Brady Bunch isn’t the only story of two families who become one. That story is replayed across the country over and over. If that’s you and your new spouse, the need to consolidate two households can lead to an overwhelming challenge. Instead, if you choose to store some items while you decide what’s most important, this can reduce the stress on children who are worried that their favorite furniture or belongings are being sacrificed in the move.
5. Summer Storage for College Student
Often a college student has a room full of belongings. Every May they pack all of it up and need to put it somewhere until August rolls around again. This can be a big burden to their parents’ household. Instead of living in crowded conditions, it may be much easier to rent a storage unit. Even better, you can do that where they go to school. Then they can move home with just their summer clothes and personal gear. Instead of planning and paying for their move, you are just renting them a storage space for a few months.
6. Helping an Elderly Relative
With our aging population, many of us are helping elderly relatives. It may be an elderly parent, aunt, uncle or grandparent. Suddenly that elderly relative needs to go into a permanent assisted living situation, or they suddenly need to live with you. While the need to move the relative is urgent, there may not be time or energy to go through their belongings. Instead, the family rents storage, and decisions are made later once their relative is happy and settled.
7. Temporary Moves
When a person is deployed by the military, it is often a waste of money to maintain a home address. Similar to the military, there are many professions these days where a person may be sent far away to work. A traveling nurse may take a six-month job across the country. An insurance adjuster may be sent to a hurricane disaster area to work for three months. A scientist gets a grant to do research in a remote area.
In these examples, it may be prudent to put everything in storage except what is needed for the time away. It is much easier to travel with suitcases than to move everything for such a short period of time. Likewise, it is more economical to pay for a storage unit than to pay rent on an apartment or house that you are not using.
8. Uncertain Opportunities
When offered a job far from home, many people are uncertain if they want to commit to such a radical change. In these cases, the person rents a storage unit back home and takes a temporary residence in their new city. This gives them time to decide if they like the job enough to stay in the new town. If they don’t like the job or are miserable so far from home, they can give their notice, and they won’t be paying for a big move twice.
Everyone deserves a break from stress when they are moving. Maybe a storage unit is the way for you to get one.