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Moving and storage dilemma, seeking advice on logistics of storing abundance of possessions, advice on buying warehouse for storage or renting storage garage
buying a warehouse is a bit extreme, imo, but i have to tell you that my husband had and still has the same amt of computer stuff, plus tons of books...and we had to make it magically disappear to redo his office before putting our old house on the market. We put all but two or three pcs in a temperature controlled public storage unit for a total of 2 mos. While not a fan of public storage, this place was new and very clean and we knew exactly when we'd be removing our stuff from there (so knew it wouldn't get too expensive) and that helped. Can't imagine showing the place w/so much stuff. Are you totally opposed to the idea?
We have moved three times in the last six years. That doesn't include two apartments we rented and a stay at my mother's house after she passed on, clearing her and my father's packrat stuff. And lots of nice stuff too, I might add.
We plan on a last cross-country move to northern New England, but meanwhile we are going through the stuff in our 30 x 40 shop we built to put STUFF in because the house is full. We have shredded at least 50 bags of old military and other documents that we have moved all 'round the country with us. Not again.
We are planning an estate sale later this summer to pare down the stuff in the shop. WE ARE NOT MOVING ALL THIS CRAP AGAIN! Much of it is nice, but how much do we need?
We are getting rid of magazines. We have at least 50 boxes of books to move or distribute to worthy causes. I have a closet full of shirts I wore to work but which I don't wear now. That will go to goodwill or possibly a garage sale.
As for moving, I'd love to rent the van part of a moving van, then put it on a railcar or cargo ship and hopefully send it cheaper than a diesel truck can haul it for. Can this be done?
Fortunately we have the time to go through this stuff. I am moving over to the minimalist philosophy in cars and possessions. This stuff someitmes drives me crazy, even the nice stuff.
At some point it ceases being a treasure and it becomes a burden.
It must go.
Wanna - I personally wouldn't buy a warehouse, but that's me - I'd be afraid I wouldn't be able to sell it when I wanted to I would go with renting a storage unit, but what do I know <g>.......is there any way the unit could be used as a tax deduction for your husband's business? Then maybe it wouldn't "hurt" him as much to rent instead of buy? I know, I'm stretching it here......
Yes, that's part of why I'm not thrilled with the idea of buying a warehouse, either! maybe a condo? He's being very resistant to the idea of renting, because he feels that renting is just throwing money away. No, I'm afraid it could never be work related for him - he's a fed. I'm the one with my own business, and I can't come up with any way to make it relate to massage therapy (besides, I'll retire at the latest when I move up). <sigh> good thought though. thanks.
Lisa, it's not that I'm opposed to the idea, just really really nervous about buying something like that, and having the stuff so far away and unattended. I tend to think more in line of renting a container or a u-store-it. Idunno, maybe a condo or a small house? Maybe that might be more sale-able? Valerie, Andy.. any creative thoughts???
I could see putting things in a storage unit while we redo the house (it's still going to be a fixer-upper, but being all the same color of paint would help, and washing the carpet and...), but since we're really not handy I foresee things taking a while to do. That's why I had always figured we'd move into a rental the last year and take our time sorting/moving stuff and selling the house. But I don't want to have to then move to another rental while the new place is built!
yes, we will be sorting stuff, throwing things out and the like, but it's not going to make that much difference because we still will have a LOT of STUFF. And sure, we may not be using it now, but then we don't have time. We WILL have time later and to throw out supplies now and buy them later is simply financially wasteful.
Dwatted, I think what you're talking about is basically renting a container, filling it and having it sent on. Imagine the trailer part of a tractor trailer - that's a container! You can see them sometimes stacked up in rows sitting in 'storage'. They can easily be attached to a cab and driven, or depending put on a train and moved. It's just a bigger pod.
Wanna - Have you guys put down on paper what it would cost you to rent a space for however many years vs what it would cost to buy a warehouse, condo or house including closing costs, property taxes, condo fees, etc. not to mention the money to actually buy a building? Would you be carrying a mortgage on the warehouse/condo/house or would you buy it outright?
I would think, even though your husband feels renting a storage thingie is a waste of money, it would probably be cheaper to do that than any of the other options, especially if you also factor in heating for whatever you were to buy - even a warehouse would need some kind of heat, no?
Once your new home is in progress, is there an extended stay facility in the area where he could stay in order to "supervise" if he wanted to be more hands-on?
I'll be the first to admit I'm not the greatest when thinking in terms of real estate and how much could be made down the line on buying a warehouse/condo/small house and then selling it later (or even breaking even when I wanted to sell). In your situation, I'd be thinking of what the monthly bills would be costing me for all the various options and wouldn't be counting buying something that may or may not sell quickly when I wanted to unload it...but that's just me
Hi Dare, yeah those are my fears too! I suppose we should try to put figures on paper.. we just don't know what they are! Not a clue about small warehouse-y sorta space. I think he's thinking about that because maybe we wouldn't need to put on any heat (why would books and stuff care?).
hmmmmmmmm.... just for yucks I pulled up NNEREN for NI. There's a townhouse down at the bottom of our hill (well across the street at the bottom) beside Warwick Mill that's a 3 bdrm townhouse going for under $100k. It's a little smaller than the house we live in now (but we wouldn't be setting things out particularly. propane gas heat, taxes $2k.. you know.. maybe??? if we got a little really cheap furniture we'd have a place to stay other than my folks and he could live there during construction.
Ok, I think I've lost my mind! he's scaring me. any opinions on MLS#: 2706413 ?
Hi Dare, yeah those are my fears too! I suppose we should try to put figures on paper.. we just don't know what they are! Not a clue about small warehouse-y sorta space. I think he's thinking about that because maybe we wouldn't need to put on any heat (why would books and stuff care?).
hmmmmmmmm.... just for yucks I pulled up NNEREN for NI. There's a townhouse down at the bottom of our hill (well across the street at the bottom) beside Warwick Mill that's a 3 bdrm townhouse going for under $100k. It's a little smaller than the house we live in now (but we wouldn't be setting things out particularly. propane gas heat, taxes $2k.. you know.. maybe??? if we got a little really cheap furniture we'd have a place to stay other than my folks and he could live there during construction.
Ok, I think I've lost my mind! he's scaring me. any opinions on MLS#: 2706413 ?
If the warehouse had water in it, you would need heat so the pipes didn't freeze....I guess it would depend on the warehouse and if it had a bathroom, etc.? I dunno....I'm not good at this! <g>
With the townhouse, you'd be paying for heat, taxes, if something needed fixing, you'd have to pay for that, etc. for 6 years with no income from it, but other than that, would you be able to rent it once your house was finished, if you didn't sell it right away? Again, I don't know anything about townhouses and if there would be anything that would prevent you from renting it out if you had to.
Buying a small house or condo for storage might work, since as you mentioned, you'd be able to use it when you're actually there. You would be responsible for condo fees, taxes, etc. As far as heat, you may be able to have the place winterized so that no freeze damage would occur. Cost is a couple hundred bucks to winterize/dewinterize. Make sure that the condo doesn't need to be owner-occupied (but I bet there are alot of snowbirds in the area...)
Put all your facts and figures into a spreadsheet, and see which works out best... building a storage garage on your piece of land might disrupt the current use status, but may be less $$ in the long run... Could you bring this to your architect and ask him to design a possible area that can be used in conjunction with your future plans?
You mentioned in one post having a bunch of spare computers.. something to save space might be to break them down, store each part in it's own anti-static bag, and store them in bins. You could probably fit the parts (mother boards, video cards, etc) for a dozen computers in one bin!
Lisa, it's not that I'm opposed to the idea, just really really nervous about buying something like that, and having the stuff so far away and unattended. I tend to think more in line of renting a container or a u-store-it. Idunno, maybe a condo or a small house? Maybe that might be more sale-able? Valerie, Andy.. any creative thoughts???
I could see putting things in a storage unit while we redo the house (it's still going to be a fixer-upper, but being all the same color of paint would help, and washing the carpet and...), but since we're really not handy I foresee things taking a while to do. That's why I had always figured we'd move into a rental the last year and take our time sorting/moving stuff and selling the house. But I don't want to have to then move to another rental while the new place is built!
yes, we will be sorting stuff, throwing things out and the like, but it's not going to make that much difference because we still will have a LOT of STUFF. And sure, we may not be using it now, but then we don't have time. We WILL have time later and to throw out supplies now and buy them later is simply financially wasteful.
Dwatted, I think what you're talking about is basically renting a container, filling it and having it sent on. Imagine the trailer part of a tractor trailer - that's a container! You can see them sometimes stacked up in rows sitting in 'storage'. They can easily be attached to a cab and driven, or depending put on a train and moved. It's just a bigger pod.
We own a storage container business in SE VT and right now we are charging $69/mo to rent a 20' container, plus delivery & recovery fees upfront. The D&R fees depend on where we deliver the container. We don't move them with contents in them, they're not pods, they're former ocean containers that bring goods from overseas. We don't sell 20' containers, but we do sell 40' containers. At this point, with the price of steel, you'll pay as much to buy a 20' container as you will for a 40' container according to our supplier.
Ok, at the moment (and of course things are always subject to change), there is a townhouse for sale less than 1/4 mile from our lot. I talked to an agent in town hoping to get in for a walk-through, but I hink the listing agent was on vacation for the week since she couldn't be gotten hold of at any of her phone numbers and he still hasn't heard from her!
He says the townhouse is 'shortlisted' - not sure if that's good or bad, but that's why the price is reduced, the sellers are walking away from the sale with nothing and the bank is the only party involved in money; so it depends on what the bank wants to accept. He did not say 'foreclosure'.
Yes, having a storage townhouse with no one in residence could be a pain in the butt and possibly be a problem with the condo association, but... my nephew is interested in house sitting come next spring. He's going to be transferring to Keene State, so New Ipswich is .. commutable. not great, but people do it. And he'd only be 1/2 hour away in case he needs to run home for anything. He'd handle paying utilities and we'd pay the mortgage (which we'd have to anyway). This would give us a place to stay when we bring things up, and a place DH can stay during construction. And we can sell it when we're done.
We'll just have to see how it shakes out. First we want to see the inside and of course it has to pass inspection!
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I would go with renting a storage unit, but what do I know <g>.......is there any way the unit could be used as a tax deduction for your husband's business? Then maybe it wouldn't "hurt" him as much to rent instead of buy? I know, I'm stretching it here......
maybe a condo? 
He's being very resistant to the idea of renting, because he feels that renting is just throwing money away. No, I'm afraid it could never be work related for him - he's a fed. I'm the one with my own business, and I can't come up with any way to make it relate to massage therapy (besides, I'll retire at the latest when I move up). <sigh> good thought though. thanks.
