Self Storage for Real Estate Agents

Never has a market been more competitive for real estate agents.  Houses are selling in Auckland like hot cakes at record prices but it would seem to win the right to sell, commissions are being dropped, incentives are being offered and you need a convincing package for your vendor to sign an exclusive.

Presentation, how can you present your offices at their best?

The whole deal is what it is all about, well kept presentation files, slick signage and access to home stagers or re-usable home decor to makeover a house at short notice for showings and open homes.  All of this can take up large amounts of space which unfortunately the majority of Auckland real estate offices don't have the space for.

Keeping your files safe and secure

Most real estate offices have boxes and boxes of files requiring safe, secure storage.   So with a lack of space where do real estate agents store? Usually in a reputable self storage facility. The costs are minimal, files are safe and you can still achieve a well organised space with easily accessible filing cabinets and alphabetised document boxes giving you the ability to keep your office clean and professional.  

Protect your investment, get rid of the clutter

Clutter is often the number one first impression guaranteed to turn potential clients off.  Keep all your signs, banners, brochures and promotional goodies in another part of your storage unit.  Signage takes up a huge amount of space and is easily damaged.  When you think of the cost involved in every open home with around 20-30 directional signs, lock boxes, brochures, banners and associated hardware it pays to keep as much as you can re-usable, clean and tidy.  

The extra edge

Often clients are looking for options to give them that extra edge.  Real Estate agents who can offer extra support to their clients by providing a safe secure storage unit to hold extra clutter while open homes are on can often mean the difference between a standard agent and one who is known for going the extra mile.  The additional commission when an uncluttered house sells for an inflated price more than pays for the space!

A real estate agent using self storage can also offer support to their clients looking to purchase a new home as well.  For many clients, during the transition period they will need to store their stuff and in this situation a real estate agent can refer a storage unit to the seller during that period, taking your estate service to the next level.  Having a great relationship with a self storage facility who offer cash back to realtors who bring business to them, can take the hassle out of real-estate work.  

Madonna, Paris Hilton, Michael Jackson - Celebrity Storage Units Exposed

They have multi-millon dollar sprawling lavish Mansions with copious room to store their stuff, but celebrities still use storage space to store precious items to be safe while they travel the world playing at concerts and acting on film sets.

Celebrity storage unit contents have been exposed over the years with auctions after death or non-payment of units.  Here are are few of the items exposed.

Madonna

The queen Pop entrusted her assistant Melissa Crew to hire a storage unit on her behalf and when Crew defaulted Madonna's unit was auctioned off for a paltry $150.   When the anonymous bidder got access he discovered a trove of personal photos, screenplays, photo negatives and a total of 17 diaries.  The items quickly went up for auction of eBay but Madonna's lawyers convinced eBay that she was the rightful owner and the items were returned.

Whitney Houston

When Whitney defaulted on her storage unit payments - $200,000 of unpaid rent over 2 years - 400 items in her storage unit went up for auction.   The items included one off evening dresses, bustiers and couture by Versace, Dolce & Gabbana and Armani.  In addition there was a custom made Schimmel grand piano, alone valued at nearly $300,000.

Paris Hilton

The contents of Paris Hiltons storage unit made one action bidder a very happy man!  The 6000-foot storage unit was sold at auction for $2,775 and its contents opened up a Pandora's box of steamy photos and videos (but not the famous sex tape) as well as bank statements and phone numbers which were then on-sold for $10 million to Bardia Persa.  Persa then used the contents to create ParisExposed.com which charged a fee for those wanting to access Paris Hiltons secrets.

Burt Reynolds

All Burt Reynold's movie memorabilia was stored including items from "Deliverance" and a horse carriage built by Dolly Parton.  There was so much stuff in his storage units that the winning bidders of the auction opened up a museum (now closed) in Florida.

Michael Jackson

The father of Michael Jackson, Joe Jackson had a storage unit with over 250 unreleased Michael Jackson recorded stored in it.  The recordings haven't gone public to date, but they were done at a time when there was no recording contract with a specific company.

Your own Princess Charlotte on the way? Tips to create space for a new addition to the family.

With another baby on the way, the excitement has started to give way to the reality of creating space for another little bundle of joy.  Luckily for us it's not the first time but with a big gap between kids we are having to think creatively about storage and space.

Creating the space

The spare room is being gutted and our oldest is making the big move downstairs, it may be that like us you will need to turn the guest bedroom into a playroom or a home office or storage space into a nursery.  We have gone vertical to create extra storage space in the bedrooms after losing some space and put the rest (especially the bulky items) into storage units.  The space under beds is often ignored, but there is often great opportunity to use plastic boxes with lids or decorative baskets to store often used items in.

Starting small and thinking big

If it is your first baby or you haven't had a little one in the house for a while the list of what new babies may need can seem overwhelming.  The reality is newborn babies need very little other than a warm cosy place to sleep, a lot of kisses and cuddles, more clothes than you anticipate you will need (for those days when you just cannot keep up with the washing) and clean nappies.  

The internet is tempting with all the items you could purchase so start with a few, you can always purchase more once your baby is born.  

If you have been given more baby gifts than you know what to do with, consider using them in a decorative but functional way.  

This picture from interior designer Claudia ZinZan shows this in a really beautiful way

Create Zones

If one thing in life is certain it is that babies and toddlers may be small, but the mess they are capable of creating is not!

Ensure all the places you will change your baby, burp your baby and feed your baby are wipeable.  If you have the room, create a minimal adults only space where you can escape the chaos that only appears with little ones in the house.

Early on create an art-space to save your precious walls.  For my daughters 6th birthday I painted a huge purple butterfly on her bedroom wall with blackboard paint.  If I had only known earlier how many walls it would save from her ballpoint pens (carefully hidden by me but always found), I would have done it from the day she was old enough to hold a piece of chalk.  

Prepare to create space in your heart

More than anything else the biggest space created is the one in your heart, be prepared for more love, laughs, tears than you ever thought humanely possible and enjoy!

Seven tips to surviving a move with kids

As I was reading stuff.co.nz, there was an article about moving stress which had quoted some statistics as moving being relatively low on the stress scale.  As any of us know who have moved, it can be a hugely stressful affair, often made more stressful and logistically demanding when you add in the complications of some little angels posing as helpers.

If you have children and are thinking of moving here are our top seven tips to surviving a move with kids.

1.  Say goodbye to the house

For younger children especially, moving may be a stressful anxious time.  Let them go out with a bang, throw a goodbye party to the house sharing memories and visiting significant spots.  

2.  Give them work to do!

Bored helpers are similar to tornadoes when you are in packing mode.  Put them to work leading up to moving day so that they feel like they are a part of the move and to keep them busy.  Dependent on their age, they can help pack and label their own boxes, my daughter loves to draw pictures on any kind of box making her's instantly recognisable.  

3.  Let them pack their own bag 

I always let my kids bag take responsibility for packing their own suitcase with all the things they might need for the first night in their new house.  I write them a list to help them remember the things I want them to pack (e.g. toothbrush, change of underwear, the boring Mum things), but the rest is up to them. By letting them pack their own bag, they pick their favourite things which help them feel safe and secure in their new environment.  

4.  Negotiate a deal

I have found sticker charts with a list of jobs work well to keep them moving through the work are fantastic with the rewards coming in some of the tips below.  There has always been an extra reward if they are well behaved and helpful during the actual move, and when all else fails, I call in my Mum!

5.  Compile Activities do to during the actual move

It may seem obvious, but on of the best ways to keep kids entertained is to have plenty of things on hand for them to pass the time.  After forgetting to do this a couple of times and having my cellphone battery run down with my charger gone walkabout due to my disorganisation I now carry a minimum of the below.

• Activity pack with plenty of paper, scissors, glue, stickers and felt-tip pens. Stationery shops often have some great one ready made on special which can save you time.
• Travel Lego boxes, my biggest saving grace.  Take an old tupperware container or lunchbox, glue a baseplate in the lid and get the kids to choose their own lego pieces to create masterpieces on the move.
• Boggle, this is one of the greatest inventions for compact games on the move that keeps their competitive little minds engaged for hours.
• Books or the kindle (remember to charge it).  I have also found audio books great when they are getting tired and running low on energy.
• Not an activity but ..... plenty of food and water!

 

6.  Make a restaurant stop

With your kitchen packed up, a million and one things to do, packing nutritious meals other than snacks on the way is always the last thing on your list.  Kids love a stop at a family friendly restaurant (its a great reward for good behaviour) or even a picnic of fish and chips on the beach or in the park.

7.  Accept offers of help

When friends and family offer to help with the kids, bring you wine, dinner and breakfast or help unpack boxes, accept it with open arms.