Moving across the state or across the country? Relocation is always difficult, but when there are long distances involved, it seems like the process just gets that much harder. In most cases, you’ll have to choose between hiring professional movers or doing your whole move on your own. However, you shouldn’t have to go into that decision in the dark. There are benefits to doing your own move and there are advantages to going with the pros, so make sure you make an informed decision about what’s best for you and your family.

Tools

Moving companies have all of the necessary packing materials and tools on hand to make certain your move goes as smoothly as possible. From furniture pads to hand trucks to yards of bubble wrap, having the right materials can make it much easier to safely pack and transport your belongings. Many of these items can be purchased or rented if you choose to do your own relocation, but if you decide to hire a moving company for a complete long-distance move, these things will be included in the packing and moving service.

Loading

Whether it’s securing a tall piece of furniture adequately or stacking boxes in a stable manner, loading items onto a moving truck takes more than a strong back. Many homeowners do achieve a relatively secure load through trial and error, but the pros can do it much faster. With years of experience and training in how to tie-down furniture without causing damage, place boxes for maximum protection and space optimization, etc., expert movers will be able to load the truck both efficiently and effectively.

Transportation

Do you have experience driving a large truck? If not, you might want to think twice before you do your own move. The pros make it look easy, but there’s more to safely transporting your belongings than heading over to your local truck rental store. Long-distances movers employ trained truck drivers who know how to manage heavy, long trucks with ease. So instead of getting stuck behind the wheel of a huge moving truck you’re not comfortable driving, it might be better to call a long-distance mover to handle the task of hauling your household goods from your old home to your new residence.

Convenience

For many people, using long-distance movers boils down to a matter of convenience. Yes, it costs more to hire professionals, but it saves you time and hassle. When you’re moving a long way, it seems like you can never have enough time and that you always have too much stress, so leaving the packing, loading, transporting, and unloading of your household to someone else can leave you free to concentrate on other matters.

Trying to choose between using the professionals and managing your own move can be a tough choice, so make sure you go into the process with a complete awareness of the pros and cons of each. But remember, in some cases, you don’t actually have to chose. That’s because sometimes you can combine the services of professional moving companies with DIY relocation: for example, maybe you pack up all of your items, but the movers load and transport your boxes and furniture.

Not too long ago, I read on a social networking platform about a nonprofit candidate who would become the executive director of an organization where the founder would remain. I’ve written about this in the past, but this particular situation grabbed my interest because of what the board allowed to happen. I thought it was interesting, and a recipe for trouble.

Situation

The candidate to become the new executive would be succeeding the founding executive who would move into a part-time and paid position within the charity. There were a couple of the red flags that I saw in the post being made.

• The board told the candidate that he would have authority, but was not permitted to let the founder go if did not work. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound to me like authority if you are not permitted to fire someone if the fit isn’t right.
• The part-time paid role of the founder was yet to be determined. That seemed like a significant problem in the making because of the lack of clarity. I wondered, who would be creating the job description for the new role of the founder? Would the new executive have any authority over it, or would it merely be the responsibility with no power?
• The candidate was informed that although he would be able to delegate responsibilities to the founder, once the position was created, the board was not sure if the founder would execute. Well, there are a whole host of issues with that fact. So, it seemed the board was telling the candidate that while he was responsible for the proper management of the organization when it came to the position (paid) of the founder, all bets were off.
• Finally, the board informed the candidate that they expected him to be a leader and figure out how to work effectively with the founder. That is truly fascinating! In effect, the board creates a situation where the founder is paid to have a role within the organization–and not do the work, if he so chooses­­–but the responsibility all falls to the new executive to “make it work.”

If you were reading that post as I did, what would you have advised the candidate?

I will tell you what I would say.

RUN!

Go as fast as you can, as far as you can.

Same Old

I’ve written in the past about Founder’s Syndrome, which is when the power (implicit or explicit) revolves around the founder and his or her cult of personality and influence. As I’ve noted in the past, “The environment becomes dysfunctional with the board not fulfilling its governance responsibility and the staff not permitted to object or debate. Ideas and initiatives stagnate if the founder does not support them. Essentially, the founder becomes the ruler of his or her fiefdom, and the interest of the organization become secondary.”

What I want to tell you here, however, is that the situation as described above is a recipe for trouble, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Confusion

When the founder remains within the organization, it makes the job of the successor infinitely more difficult because he or she is navigating a political landmine, and that’s not fair to the organization. In the scenario of the founder and executive now becoming a part-time employee, the chances of alliances by some board members and staff who are still loyal to the founder increase exponentially. And, all that creates is confusion, and candidly, a problem for the organization that is not conducive to good governance and the operation of the nonprofit.

If you’re a board member at a nonprofit and the time has come to move to a new leader, do the organization a favor, don’t allow the founder to remain on staff. Consider giving the founder an emeritus role on the board, but don’t create a situation that will sap the collective energy of the organization because of political toxicity that could develop. And, if you’re a founder, if I can do it, you can do it. When the times comes that you need to step aside, do it. It doesn’t mean that you can’t create something else or figure out other ways to do what you love. Take your energy and what you’ve learned and channel it positively.

Do you really want a bargain when purchasing a home? Then the FHA renovation loan is the way to purchase, save money and get instant equity in your home.

This exciting renovation loan program allows a borrower to move a house from one location to another, have a new foundation poured and have the old house attached to the new foundation.

Some years ago, one of my clients was looking for a home, she was getting frustrated because she was not able to find a house within her budget that was the size that would accommodate her family.

At the same time she was looking for a house to buy, a developer in Roswell Georgia had purchased some land to build a sub division. There were houses on the land that needed to be demolished or moved so that he could complete his project. The houses were in good conditions so rather than demolishing them he decided to give them away, the recipient would be responsible for the cost of moving the houses. He donated the houses to a church, this was a smart move for the developer because it was a tax write off for him.

My client was an active member of the Church and she requested and received one of the houses; it was her responsibility to pay for the move. The new problem that she faced was not having somewhere to move the house right away. There where time frames that had to be met, because the developer had to get the houses moved so that he could start his build.

She started her search for land and was having the same problems she had when she was looking for a house, she was unable to find land within her budget that was large enough for the house. In a very rare instance HUD had a plot of land for sale inside the city limits of Atlanta. She would have to bid on the land and there was no guarantee that she would win the bid. She did win the bid and now it was a matter of her getting the house moved from Roswell Georgia to Atlanta Georgia a distance of about 15 miles.

The house movers had been contacted about the move, but they wanted their $9000.00 upfront and my client did not have that kind of cash. The beauty of the FHA renovation loan program is that the cost of the move can be financed into the loan, it was a matter of getting the House Mover to agree to wait for the loan to close in order to get his money. After speaking to the mover and explaining how the renovation loan program worked he agreed to wait until the closing, he also agreed not to take a deposit from my client because the loan program is FHA insured.

The cost of pouring the new foundation, attaching the old house and repairs after the house was attached came to $22,000.00. A 20% contingency fee was added into the loan just in case there were any problems that occurred during the move. There were no problems so that 20% was applied to reduce the principal balance.

Once the house was attached, the appraiser was called to project a value once the house was completed. The value he forecasted was $62,000.00, that was a lot of instant equity for my client.

It takes having a vision when purchasing a property using the FHA renovation loan program and my client certainly had a vision.

Do you remember the nursery rhyme: First come love, then comes marriage, has become the underlying spirit of all. Being committed in front of the law doesn’t change the level of the commitment towards your loved one. At present world, many people just chant ‘I do’ and prefer to move in together without a legal commitment. At many times money problems and unnecessary chaos results in destroying the romantic conception.

So, before moving in together there are many things you should keep in mind. To move in with your beloved, just don’t be in a hurry, waiting for a few months and thinking about the situations that you will have to face later on won’t hurt. Prior to the decision of moving in together you need to make sure that both of you are totally committed to each other and respect each other’s decision. You are sure to head towards trouble and nothing else, if one of you think of moving in together as a step forward to marriage and the other does not.

The greatest factor that may create a lot of turmoil is the money factor. Before you shift in together you should make it clear about all the equal contribution you and your partner are going to make. Many times, relationships turns out to be sore because of money related conflicts. You are moving on to another stage of your life as you move in together. There is not a single living being who won’t love to be with his or her loved one, within all the ups and downs of the life. The general maintenance that is required by both the partners within the shared living space often creates many uneven situations. In the midst of all the uneven situations you should never forget the important reason for what you have moved on together, that’s the love you and your partner share should never be forgotten. Try to remember in every step that it is love for which you committed to each other. Sometimes only to say ‘I love you’ is not enough to know the intensity of love that you feel for your lover. In place of that you can convey your love and concern in many other ways. To work out with the relationship, give time to each other, go for a dinner date for a change, you can leave note for each other, go for shopping etc. and make your loved one feel that you do care about his of her feelings.

Marriage has a definite set of obligations and rights, but unmarried cohabitation doesn’t have so. And that’s the most important difference between the two and it often results in unpleasant surprises. If the above factors are taken care of, no such situation can ever damage your relationship with your mate. It is not necessary to write it down in a piece of paper and prove that you are committed if you truly by heart love your partner. In the long run, your relationship may encounter many ups and downs, but that’s the fact of life and you have to embrace it the way it comes your way. As long as you have your dear ones, you can tackle whatever the circumstances might be.

There are many times a person may need to move a refrigerator in his or her lifetime. Often, a person may be moving to a new home and simply can not part with a Whirlpool fridge freezer or Bosch fridge. These are two high quality brands of refrigerators that no person wants to lose out on, simply because he or she could not move them to a new home.

To begin the process of safely moving a refrigerator, a person should first gather the necessary supplies. A person will need a large moving dolly of some sort, as well as cleaning supplies. In addition, a person should have rope, moving blankets, and tape on hand to go forward with the moving process.

Moving a refrigerator will likely take about twelve hours of one’s time. After one has gathered the necessary supplies, he or she should make sure to empty the entire fridge of its contents. A person should also remove any magnets or calendars that may be attached to the fridge.

Next, a person will need to unplug the refrigerator and allow the freezer part to defrost. One does not want his or her Smeg fridge freezer to break during the moving process, simply because he or she forgot to allow it time to defrost. After allowing the freezer to defrost, a person should remember to clean it out the next day.

It is a wise idea to tape all of the shelves and doors of a fridge shut. This way, the shelves will not fly out in case the fridge moves around in a moving truck.

Now that the fridge is prepared to be moved, a person should use the dolly to transport it to a moving truck. Two people should be used for moving the fridge onto a dolly and then moving the dolly to a moving truck. This will prevent any person from being injured due to a back strain. A person will then pull a fridge up the ramp of a moving truck.

After moving the fridge to its new destination, a person should position it into its new space. A person should give a fridge about three hours to settle before plugging it in. By allowing the fridge these few hours, any liquids in the fridge will be able to settle. This is critical for the cooling mechanism of any fridge.

After this time has passed, then a person may plug it in and should leave the fridge alone for 3 days. Three days is required for any fridge to reach an optimum temperature. Also, a person should always read the manual that goes along with a fridge, to determine the safest ways to reinstall it in a home.

When the place that you will be moving in is all set up, then its high time that you should be looking for the right relocation company that will help you out with your move. It is not something of a hard task, in fact, its one that is quite easy as long as you have the list of what you wanted in a relocation company.

In looking for moving relocation services you may need to look for a few. And from these few selection you have, you can shortlist them and from there pick the one that fits your requirements.

Relocation services companies are known to help people move from one location to another, be it within the same state, outside of it or overseas. They are the ones responsible in making the whole process for clients and as hassle free as possible. Some of them can even tailor fit a service for the clients to ensure that they will be comfortable through out the whole transfer of location. Another thing that makes moving out from one’s old place an easier one, is that these movers help in terms of home research or city orientation should the client ask their help about such. In addition to that, they can also lend a helping hand should one needs any immigration assistance.

It is not just with transferring residences that these relocation companies can be of aid. In business, they can help organization transfer from one location to another no matter how far it is. Some business seek to relocate for a better venture. They can also act as liaison officers to various government agencies in for a fast and more convenient means of getting visas and the needed licenses for your business to operate in the place it will be relocating to. In any case the you will bring your current manpower to the new place, they will also assist you with that unless you find it better and more cost effective to hire new ones in the new place.

The whole relocation process is not much of a headcahe actually should you be able to hire a reputable company to help you with the whole thing. bear in mind as well that in going through this, the company the fee that the company will collect from you for their service should be within the allotted budget you have or if its lesser than that would be a bonus.

Whether you have just begun dating, or are ending a serious relationship, or even a marriage, a heartbreak can be difficult to deal with if you do not know what to do. You may experience different levels of heartbreak at different phases of your lives, but no matter where you are on the scale, dealing with it effectively, and moving on can not only save you a lot of misery, but also make you a more mature person. The three steps to effectively move on after a heartbreak are: distraction, observation, and introspection. Each step is a stairway to build a better you and get readier for the world out there.

Distraction

If you have just broken up today, you might not be in a mood to talk, hang out, read, or do any of the things you liked to do. You probably just want to curl up under a blanket and brood all day. While it is perfectly alright to shed a few tears and expel the negative energy from the body and the mind, there has to be a check to ensure you do not go overboard in feeling negative, and consequently shut yourself up, resulting in heavy depression. The solution is to find a distraction. You may find the simple things such as cooking dinner, going grocery shopping, etc., help you take your mind off you ex. Daily chores can be the best form of distraction, do them.

Observation

A few days after your heartbreak, when you feel more like yourself, and have used your distractions to get back on your feet, start observing everything around you. For example, when you take a walk, observe the other people in the park as to how they behave, talk, walk, smile, or frown. Studying different characters may help you understand the true nature of human beings, and the broadness of the world. You start to realize through your observations that no one is perfect, and people change, which is only natural.

Introspection

Observation is key to understanding what else or who else is out there. The true readiness to face the world, however, comes when you begin to understand yourself. It always takes two people to end a relationship, and while it is okay to blame your ex, once you sit and think about your past relationship with a cool head, you might be able to identify some aspects where you went wrong, too. Note down those mistakes and think how you could have done those things differently. It may not revive your past relationship, but it will definitely help you handle your next relationship better.

Finally, breathe and look around. Take things slow. It takes time to heal from the pain of heartbreak, so do not rush. Give yourself the time and space you deserve and walk out into the world with your head held high.

Sometimes, no matter how badly you want your husband or your marriage, he makes it very clear that he doesn’t believe that you are going to get either one. Sometimes, no matter how hard you personally fight for your marriage, your spouse or partner isn’t fighting alongside of you. No matter how much we would like to change things, the fact of the matter is that it takes two people to remain in a marriage. Both people have to agree. So when your spouse or partner is telling you that it’s time to move on, it can feel as though you have no other choice but to comply. But the biggest question can be: how do you do it? How do you completely change your mindset, your lifestyle, and your hopes moving forward? It can feel as if you are being asked to give up what you’ve worked so hard for.

Someone might say, “my husband and I have been separated for about seven months. I can not say that I am surprised that my husband is telling me that it is time to move on. He hasn’t given me a lot of hope throughout this process. We have had very short spurts of time where things seemed to be a little better, but this wouldn’t last for very long. As soon as he would move a little closer to me, something always seemed to happen to pull him further away. So last night, I asked him if we were ever going to get back together. He did not flat out say no, but he told me that he thought that it was time for me to think about moving on. He is living with his sister’s family. He helps her care for her kids after school in exchange for somewhere to live. He seems perfectly content with this so far. I am not content. I am very unhappy by myself. All this time, I have been looking at this as something that was temporary. I told myself that if I could just get passed this short timespan, then better days would be ahead once my husband came to his senses. But it appears that he’s not going to come to his senses. And I don’t know how to start living my life without him. I am certainly not going to file for divorce and he hasn’t mentioned it either. But it seems as though I’m now expected to completely change my life. How do I just wake up tomorrow and do this? How do I wake up tomorrow and live a life that doesn’t include him?”

I don’t think that you have to wake up tomorrow and completely change your lifestyle or your outlook. I was faced with a similar situation. I very much wanted to reconcile in my own marriage, but my husband basically told me that it was a lost cause. I hung on for a very long time, but I started to realize that it was actually detrimental to me to put myself on hold and to not live my life. Still, I wasn’t ready to give up on my marriage, so I didn’t. But what I did do was I stopped putting myself on hold. In my mind and in my heart, I did still want to still save my marriage one day. But, I was no longer going to allow myself to just wallow in my sadness.

So I started out by telling myself that I wasn’t going to go straight home from work every day. I started hanging out with coworkers or going out with friends. I volunteered. I took classes. I aimed to keep myself as busy as possible doing constructive things – preferably things that helped other people, or at least myself. I had to force myself at first, but changing my focus and my isolated existence really did help my outlook over time.

I was in contact with my husband during this time, and while I never came out and said “I took your advice and am moving on,” it was probably obvious that I was no longer spending my time waiting for him to call me or to see me. I think that, at least for a while, he doubted my newfound independence or thought that it was all a ruse. But after it lasted for a decent amount of time, he figured out that it was genuine and he actually began to reach out to me.

I never pretended that I wasn’t interested in him or our marriage. He knew full well that I was. I never dated other people or pretended to want to. But I suppose that it became fairly obvious that I’d placed a new priority on myself and on keeping busy. By no means was I happier doing this than being married, but I was happier doing this than lamenting the state of my marriage. It did make the time go by faster and it made me more outgoing and more upbeat. I believe that my husband most definitely noticed this because he became less afraid or reluctant to interact with me. Actually, my “moving on” really helped my marriage, although that was not my intention at the time.

Phoenix, the capital of Arizona is located in the Salt River Valley in the southern central area of the state and is surrounded by mountains on all four sides. More than 20 surrounding communities cover 514 square miles situated in the lush Sonoran desert, considered to be the most beautiful desert in the world. The climate is warm, with low humidity and average temperature of 72.6 degrees and sunshine approximately 325 days per year. For this reason Phoenix is popularly known as the Valley of the Sun.

Over the last decade Phoenix has experienced a 24% population increase making it the 5th largest city in the country. With 4.3 million people and counting, Phoenix is ranked the second fastest growing metro area in the country. Approximately 50,000 people choose to relocate to the Valley of the Sun each year. Much of Phoenix’s popularity for those moving into the area can be attributed to a strong job force, quality schools, friendly business environment, reasonable cost of living, affordable housing thereby offering something for everyone from growing families with children, young singles as well as retirees.

10 million visitor annually, making tourism a major contributor to the city’s economy. Phoenix is home to many high profile luxury resorts such as the Arizona Biltmore Resort, Arizona Grand Resort and the recently remodeled Camelback Inn. Visitors are offered an endless variety of activities and attractions from sightseeing to arts and culture and festivals that keep them coming back year after year. Phoenix is also a popular spot for business conventions. The Phoenix Civic Plaza and Convention Center has been the city’s premier meeting venue for over 3 decades.

Phoenix offers an exciting diversity of old west history, culture and activities for every age. It is home to major professional sports teams including Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix Suns and Arizona Cardinals. Outdoor lovers can enjoy miles of hiking and biking trails offering breathtaking scenery. Valley Metro recently developed a 20 mile light-rail transit system that navigates throughout phoenix, Tempe and Mesa. There are dining options for every palate, a shopper’s paradise of malls and charming boutiques, Vegas style casinos and resorts and top ranked entertainment of all types. Healthcare is second to none with over 100 top healthcare facilities to serve both residents and visitors.

Phoenix has long been recognized for its strong job growth, especially in the areas of aerospace, bioscience and high-tech. Even after the recent economic slowdown, the Phoenix job market continues to grow at a steady rate, thus making it highly attractive for those looking to relocate for this reason. Phoenix houses a notable list of top Fortune 500 employers from education, government, healthcare, technology and manufacturing sectors. Some employers of note include Intel, US Airways, Honeywell Aerospace, Raytheon and Bank of America.

Schools are always an important consideration when choosing to relocate. Phoenix offers quality education and its commitment is evident in student’s performing above national averages in reading and math on standardized tests according to the Arizona Department of Education. With the recent upsurge in population each school district has been successful in expanding to accommodate this growth. There are currently 58 school districts with 400 public schools. In addition, 200 unique charter and private schools offering specialized course work serves over 600,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Higher education offers students exceptional opportunities to excel in over 79 colleges, trade schools and universities such as internationally renowned Arizona State University, University of Phoenix and Grand Canyon University to name a few. The huge Maricopa Community Colleges network offers 11 colleges located on various campuses. It is nationally known for its programs in gerontology, dental hygiene, fire science, mathematics art and graphic design.

It is without question that Phoenix is a great place to live. From the urban city charm of numerous historic districts, contemporary loft living and lush condo developments sprinkled throughout a vibrant downtown to a variety of quiet suburban neighborhoods, there is a lifestyle option for anyone looking to relocate to Phoenix. The overall median home price in Phoenix has experienced steady growth thanks to the nation’s strong economic recovery. The good news is that despite steady growth, prices still remain very affordable. As of June 2013 the median price of a single family home in Maricopa County (Phoenix Metro) was $211,000. Based on a finance rate of 4.5% and 10% down, your base mortgage payment would be approximately $1,100 plus property taxes and homeowners insurance. Wherever you choose to live in the beautiful Valley of the Sun, you’ll find the perfect neighborhood to suite your unique lifestyle.

Many divorced parents with custody of children are considering moving out of Michigan in order to accept new employment. Many times these parents are required to move out of the state in order to find acceptable employment to support their families. This issue becomes complicated when it involves minor children and the parents share joint legal or physical custody. I recently discussed this issue with a friend whose ex-wife was planning to move from Rochester Hills, Michigan to Ohio.

In cases where the divorced parents share joint legal custody, which is true in almost all cases, any party moving more than 100 miles or out of Michigan, even if less than 100 miles, must obtain court approval before they are allowed to move. This includes the non-custodial parent, so that even if one is not have primary physical custody they must still obtain court approval before they move if they share joint legal custody.

The party that wishes to move, must basically show by a preponderance of the evidence, which in layman’s terms means, a little more likely than not, that they have met statutory requirements. This issue becomes even more complicated if the parents share joint physical custody of the child or the court decides that there is an established custodial environment with both parents.

If the parents share joint physical custody of a child, then after the court determines that a parent may move by a preponderance of evidence, the court must then make a decision regarding the change of custody. If the court finds that from the view of the children the move would change the custodial environment, then the court must make a decision regarding a change of custody.

The idea of a custodial environment means that even if the parents do not actually share physical custody the following problems regarding a change of custody may apply if over an appreciable period of time the child looks to both parents for love, affection, guidance and other similar types of parental support.

If the court finds that there is an established custodial environment with both parents as described above, the court will revisit the custody issue and the parent that wants to move must prove that it is in the child’s best interests to change custody by a clear and convincing evidence standard, which is significantly more stringent than the preponderance of evidence standard indicated above.

The best interests of the child is really a list of 11 different factors and a catch all phrase of any other factors that the court deems relevant. This may be very difficult for a parent to prove and if the parent does not, then despite the finding that the above factors have been met allowing the move, the court will change custody of the child to the parent that is not moving. This is true even where the child spent more time at the home of the parent that proposes the move so long as the court finds there is an established custodial environment with both parents. This may not seem fair to a parent that is moving because they cannot find employment, however, the focus is on the children, not the parent that is facing the hardship.

None of the above applies if the parents do not share joint legal custody. Unfortunately this means that if one is going through a divorce and there is a good reason to believe that they will have to move for employment or other reasons, it would be prudent to fight for sole legal custody for the parent that is contemplating such a move.