The 5 Tips You Must Read Before Ordering a POD For Moving and Storage

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The 5 Tips You Must Read Before Ordering a POD For Moving and Storage
Getting ready to move? Considering ordering a POD? Here are some tips you should read before your order. I recently moved using PODS and overall it was a great experience. Because we were moving in with family before we closed on our new house we needed moving and storage. We also work full time and didn't want all the pressure or cost of hiring a moving company. With a POD you can pack and load at your own pace.

Tip 1: Plan in Advance
Pod storage is not an on-demand service. You should plan at least a week in advance for the POD order and schedule the pickup at least a week out. This is especially true during the busy Spring/Summer moving season. You can place the order for two a few days apart and as long as you cancel (they tell me) by 4pm the business day before you won't be charged a penalty. If you feel like you have enough space, cancel the second POD.

Tip 2: Don't underestimate the space you will need.
Although you can essentially stack all of your boxes to the top of the POD, you will have some things like delicate furniture or a snowblower or patio furniture that you can't stack which will leave the space above empty. The space estimator POD supplies is helpful but for us, we have a small 3 bedroom house with a large basement, attic, very large garage and a huge backyard which means lot's of outdoor furniture and kids toys. We were initially told one 16ft POD would do it but when I considered some of the outdoor space into the square footage calculator we needed a 16ft and a 12ft POD.
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Tip 3: Don't forget your supplies.
POD sells supplies but I bought my lock through them and boxes at home depot. Instead of going all cardboard we bought those rough plastic totes so we could stack them to the top of the POD. Cardboard will crush under pressure and add in the humidity and there's a chance some of the boxes will break. Also, don't forget a hand-truck or a dolly-- consider renting one or buying one used on craigslist. You should also consider wrapping your furniture-- mattresses, sofas and any other bedding. You will also need rope or something to secure your items as you fill in the POD. The walls of the POD have eye-hooks so you can tie stuff up or build a rope barrier. POD has some additional tips HERE: https://www.pods.com/loading.aspx

Tip 4: Order online and search for a coupon code.
The ordering process was very smooth. The form looks a little clunky but in general it's pretty straightforward. You can even sign your POD rental agreement online which you must do before the unit is delivered. They are very clear about pricing so there should be no surprises. Do a simple internet search for "POD Promo Codes" and it should return a few codes-- the best I've seen as been 10% deliver and first month of storage which saved me over $20. Don't be afraid to call customer service. When I found out that the soonest pickup date was after the closing date of my house (when we needed to be out) I called customer service and the spoke to the local POD facility who said they would do everything they could do accommodate me.

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Tip5: Meet the driver when they deliver your POD.
Although you do not have to be home when the POD is delivered, if you have limited space in your driveway or are considering ordering two PODS the driver will usually be more than happy to make some adjustments or drop the POD exactly where you want it. Our driver was excellent and showed me the basics of the POD and how to close the door just right so the tricky slider lock always aligns.
Bonus Tip: Moving is a great time to declutter. Consider making a few boxes and leaving them in the garage and as you pack load them up with items to donate. Schedule a pickup in advance through a company like Vietnam Veterans of America and they will grab all of your unwanted clothes and other household items.

Josh Jacobs

Josh Jacobs is a top local Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Realty based in Verona, NJ
Cell: 973-913-5055
Email: JoshJacobsNJ@gmail.com