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Useful Tips for Self-Staging Your House in Toronto

March 10, 2017 By Tibor

When potential buyers are viewing a house in Toronto for sale, they are usually “judging a book by its cover”. Consider your house an open book and encourage the buyers to make the offer that meets your expectations.

If a professional home stager is not included in your real estate contract, these tips could help you with self-staging your house in Toronto, ON for faster sale.

Curb Appeal – Clean, sweep and powerwash the front entrance of your house. Landscape the garden, remove weeds, cut grass and trim edges to give your home a clean look. A fresh mat outside and a pot of bright flowers will freshen up the entryway too.
Declutter – Pack all your personal belongings, such as: family pictures, collectible items, trinkets and all dust collectors. Minimize your furniture – fewer items in a room actually make the room look bigger. And don’t forget the closets!
Storage and Sell – If you’re not sure what to do with all your stuff, you can rent a storage space in Toronto for your boxes and large items. Many Toronto storage providers will rent on a month-to-month basis. Have a garage sale for all the unwanted items.
Paint and Touch Up – Patch-up cracks or holes in the walls, refresh the walls with a quick layer of paint. Think beige, taupe, white or pale blue, as rooms painted in light colours are calming on the eyes.
Brighten Up – Mirrors on the walls give the perception of a longer or wider room. Keep the temperature of your house at a comfortable level. Clean your windows to offer a clear view and a subtle hint of cleanliness. Open windows to air out any stuffiness.
Fresh scents – Fresh flowers on the dining room table or a single flower in a vase for the bathroom. Flowers give an elegant touch to any room. If you like to bake, feel free to indulge now. Everyone loves the smell of fresh baking. If baking’s not your thing, try this pro tip: boiling cinnamon in a pot gives a homemade pleasant smell.
Clean, clean, and clean – Once rooms are decluttered it will be easy to keep up with the cleaning. Make it your daily routine to dust, vacuum, and mop floors. Clear plates and cups, wipe down sinks, the fridge and cabinet doors. Entryways should be clutter free. Hang jackets, put bags and shoes away.

Remember that a first impression is important and memorable, and might be the only chance you get to impress a buyer.

Call Europa Movers Toronto (416) 604-9904 for a FREE Consultation in regards to our residential or commercial moving and storage services in Ontario and across Canada.

Packing Supplies For Your Residential Move in Toronto ON

August 5, 2016 By Tibor

So what exactly do you expect to get when you look for a residential moving service for moving in Toronto, ON or elsewhere in Canada?

Your shortlist is certain to include having a Toronto moving company that will turn up on time, a crew of professional Toronto movers that know what they’re doing, and a truck (or two) that will not break down and delay the whole process.

But another aspect that has become standard is the availability of quality packing materials. It’s understandable, especially when you consider packing your possessions safely depends greatly on the quality of the materials used, and that finding such materials independently can take a bit of searching and a significant investment of time.

Here’s a general guide to give you an idea as to what you’ll need.

What You Need

The list of items typically needed when moving homes is pretty straightforward. You need practical wrapping materials to protect items from scratches, vibrations and the impact from bumps and falls, boxes to put items in, and other items for packing, and sealing.

In general, Toronto residential moving service providers will have a set list of items, but experienced Toronto movers should be able to identify special materials when necessary, and what materials you can do without. This, of course, all depends on what the items being packed are.

The basic list runs something like this:

cardboard boxes
specialty boxes, like wardrobe boxes, mirror boxes, lamp boxes, dish boxes, flat screen TV boxes
packing peanuts
tissue paper or unprinted newspaper
bubble wrap
packing tape
moving blankets for furniture

Box sizes range from small to extra large, and are usually measured by cubic feet. Some frequently used special boxes are dish pack and wardrobe boxes, but mirror, picture and even mattress boxes are also available.

small box (1.5-2 cu. ft.) – for books, magazines, newspaper, DVDs, small general items like small sculptures, kitchen pantry
medium box (3-4 cu. ft.) – for clothes, linnen, slightly larger items, or for larger general items
large box (5-6 cu. ft) – for pillows, bulky items, larger item, lamps, toys
dish pack box (5.1 cu. ft.) – designed with double extra thick walls perfect for dishes, glasses, vases, lamps, breakables
wardrobe box (14 cu. ft.) – contains a cross rung so clothes can be hung just as in a wardrobe

How Much You Need

This is the grey area, with precise numbers hard to calculate. A lot depends on the amount you want to move, some of which may not be very common. For example, if you have a library of books, then you’ll need a larger number of small sized boxes.

A good residential moving service should be able to handle any kind of move, whether the client is moving from a small apartment or a large family home. The number of bedrooms may vary, and extra spaces like a guest room and home office will change things.

As a guide, however, the average family home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, as well as a kitchen, living room and dining room. Using this as a model, a moving company should offer between 90 and 100 boxes, the vast majority of which would be made up of small, medium and large packing boxes. The per-room breakdown reads something like this:

Kitchen – 20 boxes: 4 small, 6 medium, 4 large, 6 dish pack (for bulky kitchen appliances)
Living Room – 14 boxes: 4 small, 4 medium, 4 large, 2 dish pack boxes
Dining Room – 6 boxes: 2 medium, 4 dish pack boxes
Bedroom – 14 boxes: 2 small, 5 medium, 5 large, 2 wardrobe boxes
Master Bedroom – 23 boxes: 3 small, 6 medium, 8 large, 6 wardrobe boxes
Bathroom – 4 boxes: 2 small, 2 large

When it comes to other packing materials, like packing paper, bubble wrap and tape, then there are also general amounts issued by a residential moving service in Toronto.

For example, 1 roll of tape is usually enough for every 10 boxes (so 9-10 tape), while 25 lbs of packing paper is usually enough for every 10 cubic feet of packing. That’s enough for 5 small, 2.5 medium, 1.5 large and 2 dish pack boxes. An average of about 1 ft of bubble wrap is needed per box too, so about 9 rolls of 12 feet-long sheets is necessary.

About Europa Moving & Storage Toronto

Europa Moving & Storage Toronto is a professional moving and storage company operating out of Toronto, ON, providing high quality local and long distance moving services throughout Toronto, GTA, Ontario and across Canada. Thanks to our country-wide network we are also able to service our clients’ long distance moving needs throughout Canada.

Call Europa Moving & Storage Toronto (416) 604-9904 for a FREE Consultation in regards to your residential or office moving needs to and from the GTA and Metro Toronto area.

Pitfalls of Asking Your Friends to Help You Move in Toronto

June 10, 2016 By Tibor

When asking your friends to help you move, your expectation of a successful move on a small budget can turn out to be quite a different story.

The contrast between asking your friends to help you move in Toronto, ON or elsewhere in Canada vs. hiring professional Toronto movers is like night and day. The success of a move is usually defined as getting all of your belongings from your previous residence into your new home in a one day time-frame, without damage to your belongings or either property.

Knowing how to pack a moving truck efficiently, how to quickly estimate load and unload times for planning, and being able to organize a workforce in the most efficient way possible takes years of training and is not nearly as easy as it seems.

If damaging your furniture or your home is a concern, you should never move yourself. Professional Toronto movers are trained experts in techniques specific to every piece of furniture they encounter (and every environment), and that level of expertise comes only after several years in the industry.

As far as budget is concerned, remember that moving yourself is far from cost-prohibitive. Your major expense will be renting a moving truck and any equipment necessary to aid in the move. While having your friends and family there to help is a great idea, they are also far from a “free” labour force. Aside from the implied obligation to provide food and refreshments during the process, most people will also feel compelled to entertain the people who helped out during the process and provide dinner (and possibly drinks) afterward.

Combine all of these factors with the financial cost related to repairing damages, and your labour force is not as cheap as you previously imagined.

The bottom line is that the last thing you want on a day that is already full of stress is an additional headache to deal with. Your time, money, and energy are all very valuable, and hiring professional Toronto movers often saves you all three.

About Europa Moving & Storage Toronto

Call Europa Moving & Storage Toronto (416) 604-9904 for a FREE Consultation in regards to your residential or office moving needs to and from the GTA and Metro Toronto area.

What to Include in Your Moving Checklist for Moving in Toronto

April 2, 2014 By Tibor

Moving to or from Toronto, ON or elsewhere in Canada, can appear pretty overwhelming at first, but if you sit down and map it out, breaking it into small manageable stages, it starts to appear less daunting. This plan is what is commonly known as a “moving checklist” and should list everything that needs to be done, each task’s level of priority and when each task needs to be completed by. The last thing we just mentioned (the deadline) is particularly important as it acts as a motivating factor and gets you to take action. Most people are procrastinators and will avoid doing something for as long as they possibly can (in this case, until a couple of days before the move), which can lead to a mad dash and poor preparation. It’s also important to be aware that there’s no one-size-fits-all moving checklist out there since every home move is different. This means that while you can use other moving checklists for inspiration, ultimately you’ll have to come up with your own. If you’re not sure of what sort of things you need to include in yours, we’re going to give you a helping hand based on our 30 years experience of being one of the best moving companies in Toronto and GTA.

Some of the Core Tasks that a Moving Checklist should include

As the expression goes “fail to prepare and prepare to fail.” You have to take your home move seriously otherwise the results could be disastrous. Some of the tasks that should definitely be on your moving checklist include the following:

Comprehensive Sort Through of Your Possessions

You aren’t going to be taking everything you own with you when you move. The vast majority of people build up a collection of, well, there’s no other way to describe it but “junk.” During the time that you’ve lived at your property, you’ve probably been guilty of a fair amount of hoarding and now is the perfect time to weed these items out and downsize. This has the added benefit of potentially lowering quotes from moving companies significantly. Go through absolutely everything you own and either put items in one pile for packing or another for “buy/sell/trade/dispose of.” Imagine your new home and ditch anything that you don’t think will “fit in.”

Contact Several Toronto Moving Companies

One item that should always feature on a moving checklist is “hiring a moving company in Toronto.” This is essential and depending on when you are moving (winter is considered to be pretty “dead” for Toronto movers), you will need to contact movers well in advance of your moving date as the good ones get booked up very quickly. Be as accurate as possible when providing them with details of your move over the phone (i.e. how much “stuff” you need to have moved) if you want to get an accurate estimate. There’s also a number of questions you should ask, such as how long they’ve been in business, whether they are fully licensed and insured and what types of equipment they will use to complete your move. Good movers now how stressful moving can be and will do everything possible to ensure you enjoy a smooth transition.

Purchase Packing Materials & Pack

You need to start packing well in advance as it’s more practical to take the “little by little” approach, rather than trying to get it all done in a single weekend. However, before you start packing, you’ll need to purchase a range of packing supplies (speak to your Toronto moving company as they may be able to “hook you up” with some discounted packing materials). We’d recommend you purchase sturdy cardboard moving boxes, bubble wrap, packing pellets and plenty of tape! We would also recommend buying permanent markers in several different colours to help you label each box after you’ve packed it, that way you’ll know where everything is when you “land” at your new place.

Notify All Important Parties of Your Imminent Move

Unless you actually tell people that you’re moving, how are they supposed to know? And if they don’t know, this means that they will continue sending mail to your old address, which will fall into the hands of the new owners or the landlord. This is not something that you want! Start by telling friends and family before contacting all financial institutions that you have dealings with, your employer, any magazines and newspapers that you are subscribed to, insurance companies and utility companies. Another task you should add to your moving checklist is to visit your local post office and set up a mail redirect service. This will ensure that mail from anyone you don’t remember to tell will be forwarded to your new address.

Confirm Arrangements for Your Moving Day

It’s common to book a moving company several weeks or even months in advance, meaning there can be a significant period of “non-contact” between your initial call and your moving day. It’s advisable to include a “confirmation call” on your moving checklist, just to double check that all arrangements are correct. Most Toronto moving companies will use this as an opportunity to explain exactly what’s going to happen on the day, so you sleep easy in the days leading up to your move.

Empty the Freezer Gradually and then Defrost

This is one thing many homeowners in Toronto, Etobicoke and Mississauga forget to include in their moving checklist and it often ends up costing them dearly. It’s usually not practical to take frozen food with you when you move home, which often results in throwing hundreds of dollars of food away. Rather than letting it get to this, a few weeks before your move you should ease off on grocery shopping and start cooking the food you have in your freezer instead! A separate task that should feature on your moving checklist is completely emptying, cleaning and defrosting your freezer (otherwise moving it could get very messy!). You need to do this at least 24 hours before the day of your move.

If you are moving home in the near future and are not sure what you should include on your moving checklist, give the pros at Europa Moving & Storage Toronto a call. We would be happy to provide you with any advice that you need and have over 30 years of industry experience.

About Europa Movers Toronto

Europa Movers Toronto is a professional moving and storage company operating out of Toronto, ON, providing high quality local and long distance moving services throughout Toronto, GTA, Ontario and across Canada. Thanks to our country-wide network we are also able to service our clients’ long distance moving needs throughout Canada.

Call Europa Movers Toronto (416) 604-9904 for a FREE Consultation in regards to your residential or office moving needs to and from the GTA and Metro Toronto area.

Professional Movers: Serving Toronto, Oakville, Etobicoke and Mississauga

April 2, 2014 By Tibor

Why Choose Professional Toronto Movers Over a DIY Move?

As countless people have probably told you, moving home in Toronto, ON or elsewhere in Canada, is no easy task. There always seems to be so much to do and so little time to do it in. Even if you start preparing for your move weeks in advance, your moving date almost always ends up creeping up on you, resulting in a last minute rush. Even so, many people feel they have to handle all aspects of the move themselves as they haven’t got the money to be “throwing it away” on professional Toronto moving services. However, many of the people that have this mindset have never actually looked into the possibility of using such a service and if they did, they would most probably be pleasantly surprised. When you take your time and the cost of hiring all of the required equipment to carry out the move yourself, the difference between a quote from professional Toronto movers and the cost to do it yourself isn’t usually that great. Europa Moving and Storage Toronto is a leading moving company that operates in Toronto, Oakville, Etobicoke and Mississauga, and has a proven track record spanning three decades. Professional Toronto movers are so much more than competitive on price though; they are able to offer a whole range of advantages.

The Benefits of Using Professional Toronto Movers to Help You Relocate

Nowadays Toronto movers can help you with each stage of the moving process, from completing all the necessary preparation to actually moving all your belonging from your old place to your new place, to helping you unpack in your new home. The vast majority of people typically take on the preparation and unpacking phases themselves (if you need any advice on making a moving checklist, please don’t hesitate to ask), but require help when it comes to the move itself. Using professional Toronto movers is a wise investment and you can expect to experience the following benefits:

Speed Comes from Knowledge – Professional Toronto moving companies will always get you moved in less time than you could do it in yourself simply because they know what they are doing. They dedicate their lives to this task and have most probably done it thousands of time before. Much of what needs doing is second nature to professional movers, meaning everything is done without having to really think about it, resulting in a huge saving in time. Don’t drag your move out over 3 or 4 days and add additional stress to your life; call our professional Toronto movers and get it done in a single afternoon.
Relax Instead of Stress – When taking care of everything yourself a home move can be unbelievably tiring and stressful, and you’ll probably find it difficult to relax until you’re all set up in the new place. The problem is that by that time you’ll be so tired that you won’t actually be able to enjoy it. Moving home should be exciting, but a DIY move usually turns out to be something you will dread rather than look forward to. Moving home isn’t just emotionally draining either; heavy boxes and furniture can put considerable strain on your body too! Why not let Europa Moving and Storage Toronto take care of everything for you so you can get on with your life as normal?
The Proper Equipment is Always Used – When trying to carry out a DIY move it can be tempting to try and lower costs by working with the equipment you do own rather than purchasing what you don’t own. Many times this means using equipment that is not fit for purpose, which significantly increases the chances of your items breaking or getting damaged while in transit. The vehicle is the main issue; not many homeowners own a large truck and squashing your items into a smaller vehicle is never a good idea. Professional Toronto movers like Europa Moving and Storage Toronto, however, have all of the equipment necessary to complete your move safely and quickly including purpose build moving trucks, quilted moving dollies and the tools required to disassemble (and then reassemble) pieces of furniture. Protect your items and use professional movers!
Accidental Damage? We’ve Got You Covered – Professional Toronto movers are legally obliged to accept responsibility for the items that they transport, and unless you sign a waiver (you might be thinking “why”, but doing so can often lower your moving cost), the company will have to repair, replace or make a cash settlement with you should anything get accidentally damaged. If you carry the move out yourself, you simply won’t have this cover and should you break something it will be up to you to replace it.

If you’re moving to or out of Toronto, Oakville, Etobicoke or Mississauga in the near future and you’re looking for a reliable team of Toronto movers to assist you, give Europa Moving and Storage Toronto a call. We have been operating for 30 years and offer some of the most competitive moving quotes around. You can reach us on 416-604-9904.

About Europa Movers Toronto

Call Europa Movers Toronto (416) 604-9904 for a FREE Consultation in regards to your residential or office moving needs to and from the GTA and Metro Toronto area.

Long Distance Moving: Serving Toronto, Etobicoke and Mississauga

April 2, 2014 By Tibor

Pack to Protect For Long Distance Moving in Canada

Packing is just one of the tasks that will be on a moving checklist among many others, such as finding a suitable Toronto moving company (not all of them offer long distance moving services!), notifying all relevant parties of your relocation and deciding which possessions are not going to make the trip with you. However, while it might just be one task on a list containing dozens, it is certainly one of the more important ones and something you absolutely must “get right” if your move is to be a success. This is especially true of long distance moving, since your belongings will be in transit for a much longer period of time, increasing the chances that damage could occur (especially if there’s plenty of bumpy stretches of road along the way). With three decades of experience providing long distance moving services to clients in Toronto, Oakville, Etobicoke and Mississauga as well as numerous other locations, we know how items need to be packed to offer maximum protection and are going to share some of our top tips with you during this article.

Packing Tips that You Absolutely Must Implement When Moving Long Distance

Many people take a really “relaxed” approach to packing when long distance moving to or from Toronto, ON or elsewhere in Canada, completing this task in as little time as possible and using packing materials that are not up to the job. In order to avoid the disappointment of opening your moving boxes after a long journey and finding many of your precious belongings smashed into smithereens, take note of the following tips.

Use the Right Tools For the Job – It doesn’t matter how skilled the employees of the long distance moving service that you use are, if you don’t do a good job at packing your belongings, the chances that something will get damaged are very high. Proper packing for a long distance move starts with having the right tools for the job. This means using packing boxes and materials that are tailored to the items that you are packing, i.e. if you are moving mirrors or pictures, you will need large, flat boxes. However, if you are packing your set of priceless champagne flutes then you will need a different type of box; smaller boxes that contain specially designed partitions are ideal. Then there is a whole range of different solutions for clothes. You get the idea. Don’t just pack everything in the same old generic boxes; be more specific.
Don’t Forget to Pack Breakables Individually Too! – It doesn’t just stop at using the proper boxes though. For breakable items (it’s not necessary to do this for things likes books or clothes) it’s always wise to apply a layer (or two) of protection before they are even placed into the box. Bubble wrap is ideal for items that feature glass as it adds a cushion across the item’s whole surface area, but packing paper can work very well too.
Fill In Those Spaces – It’s very unusual that all of the items you place in a box will fit together perfectly like in a game of Tetris. There will usually be gaps between items and these gaps can create problems, especially when the items are being transported considerable distances, which is the case with long distance moving. This is because as the moving truck goes over bumps or goes round a sharp bend, these gaps allow the items to move in the box, which can sometimes be enough to damage them. This can be prevented by using packing pellets. These are small pieces of foam that “plug” these gaps and make sure nothing is allowed to move throughout the duration of the trip.
Heavier Boxes at the Bottom – Heavier items should be packed in smaller boxes and lighter items should go into bigger boxes, since that will make the task of loading the truck so much easier for the long distance moving team that you hire and reduce the chance that boxes could be dropped. It’s also vitally important, if you choose to do the move yourself, that the heavier boxes are placed on the bottom of the truck.
Label Boxes Containing Fragile Items – You should ideally clearly label each of the boxes you pack. Listing the contents of the box or simply indicating which room it’s for can make things a lot easier when it comes to unloading. It’s also a good idea to label any boxes that contain breakables with a clear “FRAGILE” sign so your Toronto movers know to take extra care with that specific box.

While it has nothing to do with the actual packing of your belongings, one of the best ways in which you can protect them is to take your time in selecting a good Toronto moving company. This will ensure that Toronto movers you do hire are properly trained and know how to properly handle, load and unload your items, in addition to having all the required equipment available. Europa Moving & Storage employs some of the most experienced Toronto movers around and offers a range of moving services to homeowners in Toronto, Oakville, Etobicoke and Mississauga, including both local and long distance moving.

About Europa Movers Toronto

Call Europa Movers Toronto (416) 604-9904 for a FREE Consultation in regards to your residential or office moving needs to and from the GTA and Metro Toronto area.

Choosing the Right Toronto Movers – What to Look For

January 7, 2014 By Tibor

Looking for the right Toronto Moving company for your move can be a long and stressful task. By searching on Google, you will probably browse through pages and pages of reputable Toronto moving companies that look like they would be up for the task. So how do you choose the right Toronto moving company? Hopefully this guideline can help you decide which moving company in Toronto will be the best fit for your move.

Accreditations – Checking websites like the BBB (Better Business Bureau), CAM (Canadian Association of Movers), and others like these lend a helping hand in distinguishing which Toronto moving companies are recognized to conduct their services with integrity.
Review Websites – Finding out what other clients have written about their experiences working with these companies will give you a better idea of what kind of service you will receive. Websites like Homestars.com and Yelp.ca will provide unbiased third party reviews to help you make an informed decision.
In Home Moving Estimate/Over the Phone Moving Estimate – Interacting with a moving company in Toronto is one of the best ways to get a feel for a business. Filtering them using the criteria above, meeting one on one or speaking over the phone, will provide a deeper insight to how they conduct their business. At this point you’ve already done ample research on Toronto moving company you are looking to book with and are looking for the final factor which would be the human interaction.

About Europa Movers Toronto

Call Europa Movers Toronto (416) 604-9904 for a FREE Consultation in regards to your residential or office moving needs to and from the GTA and Metro Toronto area.