We're Moving! (part 4) "Lock and Load"

The last episode mentioned "The Locker".
The phrase fills me with fear and trepidation.  I've lost count of the number of clients who have rented a locker "just for the move".  Years later ... still there, still full, still costing you money every month.

If this is you, go back to part 3 and listen to George Carlin again.  No, wait, I'll make it even easier ... here's the link again:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac

The best plan is to get rid of what you're getting rid of well before you list and before you get the temptress of a locker.  But you won't. We didn't.  Time sneaks up.

Lockers.  Our first obvious rule was to be nearby.  You can get better deals at Uncle Bo's Country Storage and Sheep Farm.  But it'll cost you the difference in gas alone.  And time is money.  The exchange rate on "time" rises dramatically as listing day approaches.

Oddly enough, prices vary significantly among storage companies even within the same area and even after allowing for variables.

Variables?...it's a freaking closet! We mentioned location.  Some are multilevel so you need to know about the loading dock, where the elevator is, what sort equipment you can use, etc.  Heated or unheated.  Security.  Hours of access.

Another complication is "the deal".  They all have a deal, sometimes several.  A lot tend to be like the convert-your-credit-card scam.  You know .... Huge print: "diddly squat interest rate" ... Little teeny tiny tiny print: "for the first 3 months" ... not printed at all: "then we screw you good".  You need to figure out the real cost for a realistic time frame.  Despite heeding my warning above and my claim in the last episode, I'll bet you should assume you'll have the thing  a few months longer than you think.

Our winner.  Advantage Self Storage's Toronto location on Warden Ave.  Tracey was nice (most of the time, unless she thought you weren't paying attention), really knew her stuff, was very competitive and the place is five minutes from the house.

only just begun...

Our new home??

We ended up with a 10x10 foot locker, despite my pitch for a pair of 5x5's.  I can justify a longer hold on one small locker for our work files and seasonal things if we end up in a storage-challenged condo.  But price and availability convinced me.  We can switch later if need be.

By the way, if you need a locker -- or some stuff to put in it -- give us a call.  As Advantage tenants, we get a realtor discount for clients.  We have discount cards.

Before I go, I'm going to yell at you about one more thing.  GET A SYSTEM AND LABEL THE BOXES CAREFULLY.
There are spiffy computer apps out there to help with this, but I found them all problematic or clunky.  We just started a list on our iPhones, numbered the boxes, and came up with a system for marking them for access ... some stuff we need easy and regular access to, some we hope to never look at until we empty the thing for good.

Where the hell did the dog's ashes go?