For some parents, it feels like just yesterday when you weredropping your young adult off at college. You met the roommate,cleaned the dorm room from top to bottom, then played movers for a day as you hauledall their items into a tiny room for two. It was emotional. It wasa breath of relief. And it made your house rather empty. Then fouryears later, you found yourself in the same situation.

But the second time, you were the “roommate,” the old sparebedroom was their new “dorm,” and all their old – and new – stuffcame back with them. That was almost a year ago. You can no longercall your child a “recent college grad,” and all their personalstuff that was once just temporarily being stored in your home, hasstarted to settle along with your foundation. Perhaps, now is thebest time to look into long-term storage options.

Since the economic downturn in 2008, the job market for collegegrads has been less than inviting. Two years later, while thesituation has improved slightly, college graduates are stillresiding in Mom and Dad’s house, while looking for work. Welcomingyour child back with open arms was easy at first, and taking alltheir stuff back was doable because it was just temporary. Butafter a year with your son or daughter still at home, the house isbeginning to feel a bit cramped. This is where moving companies canbecome your best friend.

Moving companies,like Atlas Van Lines, offer more services than just packing andmoving items from one place to another. While your graduate can’tmove just yet, you can move their personal belongings out of yoursight with the use of professional storage.Typically, moving companies will offer two kinds of storageservices.

Warehouse storage is the most common when it comes to yourstorage needs. It’s essentially a spare room with a monthly ratethat you have access to whenever you need it. Most companies offerspaces in a variety of sizes. While many customers think only oflocal storage facilities in their community, more companies areoffering this service due to their expertise in the movingindustry. Moving companies like Atlas Van Lines offerstate-of-the-art storage systems in clean and safe facilities.

Portable storage is another service option that is being offeredby many moving and storage companies. With this service, a portablemoving container is delivered to your location, filled and thentaken to the company’s closest facility. Atlas Van Lines offersthis as part of its Smart Move service and also has movers that canpack the container for you. Before you opt for this service, it’sbest to ask your moving company where the containers are stored. Ifthe containers are stored in a climate-controlled facility, thiscould determine what items you choose to store in yourcontainer.

Determining the best service for your situation is dependent onthe length of time that you will need the storage space, and whatkind of access you want to the stored items. Storage facilitieswill require you to sign a contract for the length of time that thespace will be leased. Ironing out the details before the move willmake the process less stressful, more streamlined, and could saveyou money.

Courtesy of ARAcontent