homeowners – TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®

August 21, 2017September 11, 2017 Movers Who Blog DIY Projects, Home Decor, Home Sweet Home, Our People, Tips and Tricks, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, Uncategorized

Congratulations to the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® “Home Hacks” social contest winners!

–by Erik Sargent

Summer time is the busiest season for moving, and that means there are people all over finding their way into new homes. What’s the best thing you can find when moving into a new home? Easy, DIY tips and money-saving advice!

Any amount of cash that can be saved with your home helps, and beginning in July, we set up a social contest promotion to help our audience save a few bucks and learn a thing or two in the process. We reached out to our readers and asked them to give us their best “Home Hack” ideas, and created a poll for followers to vote on the best creations.

We identified a “Home Hack” as anything you do around your home that helps to either save money or time in your living arrangement. This could be something you invented out of materials around the house, or everyday products that are used to create simple solutions to make life a little easier.

“Our audience looks to us as the experts in moving, but also for home advice,” said TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Media Relations Specialist Jessy Herman. “We thought we should take this opportunity to gather the best home tips our fans have to offer, and celebrate the prime home-improvement season with prizes that can go toward their own homes.”

We called upon the outstanding TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® audience, and they delivered! We received more than 100 contest entries, and had 7,600 contest views! The submission featured a wide-variety of “Home Hack” ideas, and we’re proud to announce the top three ideas that stood out above the rest.

1^st place – Hidden outlet/cord organizer under the bed (1,184 votes): Steve A. from Toledo, OH

2^nd place: Homemade cold packs using Ziploc bag, 1/3 rubbing alcohol, 2/3 water (986 votes): Tina D. from Pompano Beach, FL

3^rd place: DIY built-in doorway bookshelf (632 votes): Amy B. from Terrell, TX

The fine folks who entered this contest were given the chance to earn prizes, and we made sure to deliver. The first 10 entries to the contest – regardless of what place they finished in the voting process – were awarded $20 gift cards to Lowe’s. The top three “Home Hack” winners will receive:

1^st place: $1,500 to Lowe’s Home Improvement

2^nd place: $1,000 to Lowe’s Home Improvement

3^rd place: $500 to Lowe’s Home Improvement

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® would like to give a huge shout out to everyone who took the time to participate and share a little money-saving knowledge with our audience. The chance to interact with our customers and readers is something we take pride in, and we hope the winners of the contest put their prizes to good use!

Be sure to follow TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for future giveaways and contests. Visit our website to learn how we can help Move You Forward® with our outstanding moving services today.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the United States. Let us help move you forward! For more helpful tips and information on moving services subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook.

July 17, 2017July 31, 2017 Movers Who Blog DIY Projects, Home Decor, Home Sweet Home, Organizing, Our People, Tips and Tricks, Uncategorized

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® kicks off summer “Home Hacks” social contest promotion

-Written by Erik Sargent

Are you a “home hacks” guru? Do you specialize in DIY-projects around your home, and have time or money saving tips you think would be useful to others? Then TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®’s newest social media contest is for you!

Beginning on Monday, July 17, and running through Sunday, August 13, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® will run a national social media contest centered on the idea of the best “Home Hacks”. The winner of the contest will be announced via social media on Wednesday, August 16.

Just what exactly qualifies as a home hack? It’s anything you do around your home that helps to save either time or money while maintaining your living space. Anything from using aluminum foil in place of dryer sheets to easily removing permanent marker from the wall can be considered a home hack – simple solutions that make life a little easier in your home.

“Summer is the season of home improvement, so we want to see the best ‘home hacks’ being used to save time, money, and energy while maintaining their home,” said TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Media Relations Specialist Jessy Herman. “Through social media, we engage with people who have recently moved or plan on moving in the future, and we hope this type of contest can provide a way for our social community to share their tips and tricks, and maybe even discover new ideas!”

Participants are asked to tag their home hack project with the hashtag #TMTHomeHacks, which will ensure submissions are entered into our contest. We will provide a platform for our audience to vote and determine which home hack they think is the top idea, with voting being limited to one vote per Facebook user and IP address per day. We will enable a CAPTCHA each time someone votes, assuring people the voting process is fair and honest.

“We are extremely excited to see what creative, yet simple ideas people can come up with,” Herman said. “With the voting system determining the outcome of the contest, we are thrilled to see how people come together to determine who the winners will be.”

The best home hacks will be awarded nicely, as we have some outstanding prizes to align with the entire theme of the contest:

-1^st Place: $1,500 to Lowe’s Home Improvement

-2^nd Place: $1,000 to Lowe’s Home Improvement

-3^rd Place: $500 to Lowe’s Home Improvement

The first 10 people to enter the contest – regardless of where they finish in the voting process – will be awarded $20 gift cards to Lowe’s as well. You can never have enough money going toward your home, and a gift card to Lowe’s is a great way to finish up any projects you are working on as the summer wraps up.

We hope to see everyone submit some of their own tips and tricks for saving money around the house, and we hope people can have fun with this idea while learning a thing or two! To learn more, stay tuned to our TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Facebook page for details.

August 8, 2016September 6, 2016 Movers Who Blog Moving, Preparing to Move

Ready to move? Here is how to find the best insurance rates for your new home

Finding the best insurance rates

Whether you’re buying or renting a house at your new location, insurance is one of the most expensive costs you’ll have to deal with upfront. However, if you know the “ins and outs” of shopping for coverage, you’ll be able to get a great plan at an even better price. So, don’t think you have to just settle for mediocre coverage or pay a high premium when you purchase or rent a new home. Instead, follow these simple tips to find the best insurance coverage at an affordable price.

1. Bundle your coverage

Like any other company, insurance agencies want your business, and they are willing to give you a little incentive to get it. Most agencies do this by rewarding you with a better rate when you bundle multiple policies with them. In many cases, pairing your home or renters insurance and auto insurance with the same company can actually save you as much as 30 percent. In addition to those policies, many companies are even beginning to offer life insurance policies that can be bundled with your coverage to help you save even more. Bundling your policies isn’t only beneficial from a financial standpoint, though. Bundled policies typically simplify the claims and communication process, as it is the same for all of your policies.

2. Raise your deductible

Boosting your deductible is another way to save on your insurance premium. The deductible is the amount of the damage that you have to pay out-of-pocket before insurance kicks in in the event of a claim. Many policies with higher premiums are based on a $500 or $1,000 deductible. However, homeowners or renters who can afford to pay a little more out-of-pocket when filing a claim or who are willing to gamble that they won’t run into any issues may choose a deductible as high as $10,000 to save as much as 35 percent.

3. Update security

Most homeowners are aware that installing fire alarms and carbon monoxide sensors can lower their monthly insurance costs, but they may not realize that installing an advanced alarm system or otherwise improving the security of their home has an even bigger benefit. Alarm systems that are connected to a central monitoring system can often cut your premium by up to 10 percent, which is worth looking into as a new homeowner. And some systems may even cut your costs by as much as 20 percent, depending on what is included. While installing an alarm system may not really be an option if you are renting, you can still often get discounts on your policy for upgrading the locks on the door, improving the fire monitoring system, and taking additional measures to update the security of your rental property.

4. Shop around

Another great way to save on your new insurance premium is taking the time to shop around. Many new homeowners and renters are tempted to go with the first coverage they find in a hurry, but it really is to your advantage to get rates from at least three different companies to compare policies and rates. Make sure you’re getting a comparable quote from each company and compare the dollars and cents of each option.

5. Maintain a good credit rating

As you were looking for and finalizing your new home purchase or lease, you wanted your credit rating as high as possible. But, you might not have known that could also be beneficial for your insurance premium. Be sure to maintain good credit by paying your bills on time and avoiding a large balance on any of your credit cards to achieve a lower insurance premium.

Insurance is an important consideration when it comes to buying or renting a new home. From one location to the next, your premium could change significantly, so it’s important to take some time before you move to find the best insurance coverage and rate you can. Use these simple tips to secure the best coverage and have peace of mind as you move.

Author
Michael Rogers is the Operations Director of USInsuranceAgents.com. With over 5 years of experience and knowledge in the insurance industry, Michael contributes his level of expertise as a leader and an agent to educate and secure coverage for thousands of clients.