Name:  Ilan Levy

Title:  President/Owner

Years in the industry: Started in 1986

Years at Exodus: Formed Exodus Moving and Storage in 1996 in upstate NY

Place of Birth:  Rachvot, Israel

Fun Fact:  Served in the Israeli Army driving tanks – a great base for running a company as you must constantly solve problems and create order out of chaos

Strangest item you have ever moved:  8 million dollar telescope

Favorite part about working with Exodus: Enjoys working with people

Tip to share with people who are moving:  People don’t realize how stressful moving can be, particularly on an elderly person.  We can take care of the physical stresses, but finding a new community, new grocery store, and new schools will take a toll on your emotions. Realizing that and planning for it will make the transition easier.

Moving into your first place is exciting. Lots of new things to experience, being away from home or the dorms for the first time is important to organize, plan, budget and savor the experience. Here are a few things to consider.

How Much Can You Spend Each Month on Rent?

This first step is the most important. The brutal reality question is–can you afford to move to your first apartment? A lot of new renters may not know exactly what paying bills involves. It includes more than rent–you need to consider your electricity, parking, transportation, cable, water, trash, telephone, HOA (homeowners association). Also, you need to look at your personal costs. Entertainment, food, gas, etc. If you need to know how much that might be, then write down everything that you currently spend on each of these. For the things you haven’t spent yet, like utilities, check out the average cost of them in your state or call your local utilities companies to get an average estimate for the size of apartment you are looking to rent.

Additional Costs

Rental Deposit

Most apartments/houses for rent require both first months’ rent and last months’ rent when you sign the lease. So even before you move-in, you’ll already need double the amount you’ll be paying each month. Also, to be safe, you should always have at least three months worth of rent and living expenses in your savings account. This protects you should any emergency arise, such as unemployment, illness, etc…

Security Deposit

This varies from building to building. Some places will require anything from $500 to an additional months’ rent. Ask before you sign the lease. Also, make sure you’re clear on what is considered damage versus day-to-day wear and tear.

Pet Deposit

If you have any pets, a pet deposit is becoming more common. These monies are in place to pay for any damage or loss of revenue to the building owner due to animals on the property. Again, ask your landlord what they consider “damage or loss of revenue” to ensure you receive the full amount when you move out.

Settle In

There are so many things you’ll need in your first home. These things may seem small and trivial, but their costs can add up quickly. Go through each room and think about the things you need on a daily basis. For the kitchen make sure you include small appliances, pantry supplies, spices (these really add up), dishes, flatware, towels, soap, dish rack, food staples, pots and pans, containers, garbage can, etc…

No matter what the circumstances or situation moving can be tough and always seem to be at a bad time. There are a number of factors to consider when it comes to making a move and getting out of dodge. Before you hastily pack up some boxes and get into a new place, make sure that you are moving the best time for you and/or your family.

When we are talking about kids we are talking about a school schedule: their life. Kids do really well on schedules and given expectations and routines. Taking them straight out of their routine at school and then tossing them into a completely new schedule can be daunting and painful for a child. If this sounds like you, consider planning your move around the school calendar so that your kiddos can have the least amount of pain and transition with ease. Summertime is a great opportunity to move with kids, as for the most part there is good weather nationwide and they are out of school.

A time NOT to move would be on holidays. Christmas, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving or Ramadan is all holidays that include family. Use them to spend time with family, not to pick up your life and shift. Not to mention that resources and people are just not readily available these dates. Instead, why not move right after a holiday to make the holiday itself a time of goodbyes and farewells to family and friends. It is important to plan this special time for yourself and the people in your life that you care for most.
Another less ideal time to move would be wintertime. Besides the obvious: snow storms and blizzards, hail and wind, wintertime has a slew of other issues when moving. Factors like your items freezing/getting damaged because of the weather are a large risk when moving at this time. Also, when you consider what kind of freezing and thawing process may happen as a result of climate change from one location to the next, ultimately resulting in water damage.

No matter where you move or what you have to take with you, taking the time to consider the dates of your move could be the breaking point between a successful move and a disastrous attempt.

One of the major relationship milestones that couples inevitably face is taking the leap into co-habitation. In order to prepare for this landmark, there are a number of considerations to make when it comes to combining the many aspects of your separate lives.

Pack and Plan – Before the big move, make sure to pack appropriately. Go through the items you have and decide what you can part with and what you need to invest in. Most importantly, discuss the big items like furniture. Decide before you move in together whether or not you really need the second sofa. Be realistic about what you can and cannot leave behind. Take advantage of old furniture by turning it into a profit and selling it.

Time and Space – Moving in with a significant other can become smothering if you don’t make time for yourself. Make sure to make and keep plans with friends and schedule activities and outings to keep your own individual life active. The same goes for within the apartment, keep certain space to yourself. Even when sharing a small studio, having a closest or designated area for your personal belongings will help maintain a certain level of independence.

Finances – Are you going to combine bank accounts? Sit down and figure out who will pay for what.  Whose name will the utilities be in? Figuring out these details prior to the move will make the big move in day and subsequent transition easier.

Responsibilities – Like any roommate you may have had in the past, this one is no different in terms of taking care of duties around the house. This includes cleaning the bathroom, doing the dishes, and a wide assortment of less-than-desirable tasks. Make sure you rotate and take turns in terms of who handles what, so one person isn’t stuck resenting the other. Turn cleaning time into quality time by setting aside a couple of hours on the weekend to get things done together.

Keep Things Exciting – When living with someone, it can take a certain level of excitement and mystery out of the relationship. Make a consistent effort to expand dates beyond the couch, and even designate certain date nights that involve an exciting night out on the town. Try new things, visit new places, take a class together. This will help your relationship to continue to evolve as you are challenging yourself and continuing to learn new things about each other.

Moving boxes seem to be everywhere. In your storage closet, all around stores and retailers, they just seem to be accessible in all places. However before you move, when you are planning to get your things packed and ready to go, you can’t seem to find a box to save your life. What is this phenomenon all about? And the better question is: where do you find the boxes once you realize that you need them?

Below are a few ideas on where you can find moving boxes, along with some insights into them.

Store Boxes

Check your local grocery store, liquor store or even department store for boxes. Most companies will just leave their boxes outside for people like you, desperate for moving materials. So make sure to coordinate or call with an owner or manager of a store to make sure that you are coming at the right time. You don’t want to make a scene ripping the boxes out of other people’s hands. This is one of the most cost effective ways to find moving boxes.

Online Retailers

Most people believe that because there are moving boxes out in the world that have already been used and are sitting in some pile, which they shouldn’t be paying for a set of boxes. Well the response to that is that you are correct and not correct. If you buy new boxes, you are guaranteed to have the sturdiest box that a new box could have. However if you buy a slew of new boxes not only is this not cost effective but is also not environmentally friendly. Either way you choose there are pros and cons. And that brings us to our next category.

Used Moving Boxes

There is always the Craigslist ad for 100 free moving boxes for free, or for a couple of dollars. In fact this is an excellent way to get RID of the boxes that you are not using after your move and are settled into your home.  It is also a way to get a slew of boxes all together and also a great way to save money. Once you go and pick them up make sure that you sort through the bad boxes that look like they are going to rip and tear. It would be such a sad sight to see your personal belongings shattering on the ground. Make sure also that once you get home; build your boxes with strong moving tape to keep them reinforced.

It is hard to leave behind certain things when you are moving. But unfortunately it is necessary, whether you need to because of space issues or just because you would like to start anew.  One of those items that people must consider in their own homes is whether or not to bring their light fixtures.  Obviously fixtures such as lamps should go, but more complicated areas, such as fixtures that have been installed.

Like with anything that you are considering to chuck when you move, ask yourself the simple yet effective question series:

Do I love it? This is the first line of defense. If you answered no, then chuck it/donate it and move on. Its as simple as that. Someone else may enjoy them just fine. If yes, then answer question number 2 before making a decision.

Is it replaceable? If the answer is no, and you answered yes to question #1, then it sounds like taking them would be a fantastic answer. If the answer is yes, then know that you may be just fine buying a new fixture somewhere else.  Bottom line is that if its replaceable, isn’t too special in the first place.

Does it have sentimental value? This is the take it or leave it last line of defense. If no, then consider your past answers to the other questions  and make a collective decision. If yes, then go for it!

When removing a light fixture make sure that you have either a professional helping you as to avoid electrocution and also to avoid damage to your items. Also, make sure that you have consulted people like Real Estate Agents and land lords to assure that you are not leaving anyone high and dry with your take along items. Enjoy!

Moving, at the best of times, is difficult. So, when you add the extra emotional stress of a major life change, such as a divorce, death or economic crisis, a move can be a breaking point. Here are some tips to making your shift easier and less stressful.

Try Not to Make Rash Decisions

Before you throw out everything attached to a bad memory, step back and consider if it’s something you really can’t live with. If you can’t – you really can’t – get rid of it. Don’t make decisions out of spite. Usually, those decisions end up being regretted.

Ask for Help

Our pride can be such a hindrance sometimes, making us feel like we should be able to handle the situation on our own. Moving is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do – moving into a new life, is even tougher. So, if you need some tasks done, or you need help packing or sorting things (like the neighbor who kindly sorted my mother’s clothes) or you need a babysitter, ask your friends, family and neighbors.

Be Good to Yourself

Starting a new life is emotionally and physically draining. Be good to yourself during this time. If you’re tired, sleep; if you’re wanting time alone, give it to yourself. Go get your hair styled or get a massage or take some time to watch a movie or two, even if you feel like there’s so much to do. By giving yourself what you need, you’re allowing yourself to heal.

Over the weekend, Team Exodus competed in the Metro Brokers Triathlon at Cherry Creek. We took part in a team relay and we are glad to say that we took first place with a time of 1 hour, 23 minutes and 44 seconds!

The event helped to support the Special Olympics and was a great event for the community.  We wanted to share a couple of pictures with all of you and the trophy will be displayed in our office momentarily.

The team consisted of Joel Coen (bike), his wife Melissa (run) and Culley Flynn (Swim), a good friend of Joel’s from college.

When you are moving there can be an absence of the comforts in your life when you are settled. The smell of home, furniture, television, favorite foods and of course your MUSIC. For some of us we have an iPod that is kept close to us at all times, being treated more like a child than is mentally healthy. For those of you without a .mp3 player on you to enjoy at all times, check out Pandora.

What is Pandora, I hear you asking?  Pandora is a new form of personalized internet radio that was designed to help you discover new music you’ll love, and enjoy music you already know. It is powered by the most comprehensive analysis of music ever undertaken, the Music Genome Project: a crazy project started over ten years ago to capture the complex musical DNA of songs using a large team of highly-trained musicians.

You may be thinking that there must be a catch here. How could this be true, free? Well believe it. The only catch is that you are not able to listen to songs on demand. Meaning you choose a station of your favorite artist and the playlist from thereon will be determined by your digital maestro. But don’t fret. if you don’t like the song that you are listening to, simply give it a thumbs down to let the program know that you do or do not like a specific song.

For instance, if you like Joni Mitchell, create a station with her name. Then, say Carly Simon comes on, and you really don’t have a taste for her voice. Simply click the thumbs down button and watch as your selection changes. Its simple.

However, free Pandora accounts will only play 40 hours of music for free per month, then the music will stop. Once you reach that 40-hour limit and the music stops, you will have the option to pay 99 cents for unlimited listening hours for the rest of that calendar month, but this is entirely your choice. You can choose to pay nothing and to come back on the first day of the next calendar month for another free 40 hours.

Pandora is streaming radio that is available online and in many cases on most smart phones, computers (with online access) and supported home theater equipment. If you are interested in checking whether you have Pandora available for your free download, go to http://www.pandora.com/on-the-go to make sure that you have the application before the big move. Once you have it in place, plug in your headphones and get groovin!

If you are considering relocating to the Pacific Northwest, look no further than the wonderful city of Seattle. Floating bridges, revolving restaurants and an underground city separate Seattle from most other cities in the country. In addition, Seattle is home to the longest continuously running farmer’s market in the country, the Pike Place Market. Whether you are watching the infamous “fish throwing” in Pike Place Market, driving over the world’s longest floating bridge or exploring the Seattle waterfront, you will find that Seattle’s rain does not put a damper on its beauty.

Transportation

Transportation in Seattle is great. Whether you are looking to take a ferry, a ferry taxi, a bus and more, you can expect that you can live in Seattle without a car easily.Not to mention that with the public transportation you can enjoy the beautiful scenes and sites of the city. If you have a car like any city this is a great one being that they have streets and highways like everywhere else .

Climate

If you like rain, you are going to like Seattle. If you like lots of rain, you are really going to like Seattle. If you love tons of rain, Seattle is the place for you! With some sunshine in the summer time, this city has mostly water as its climate.

Cost of Living

The cost of living in Seattle is 19% above the national average. You are paying a bit more for all of the coolness of the city, the amazing sites and the fantastic location of your new home.
Cool Spots

If you are a Grey’s Anatomy fan, you are most likely a fan of Seattle. So go and check out the Space needle just to get it out of the way. If you want to stick to the waterfront, check out the Seattle Waterfall Garden or Pike Place Market to do some seriously amazing shopping. If you’re feeling up to a little nature exhibit check out the Seattle Aquarium as well, it is truly a breathtaking sight for your eyes.

Reasons to Move

• No State Income Tax That’s right people, you heard it first here.
• Jobs The Industry is booming and lots of opportunities are sprouting everyday.
• Music Scene Seattle is the birthplace of many amazing bands and acts and still hold a place in the music world.
• Nature With some of the most beautiful sites in thee country, Seattle has a little bit for everyone to

Random fact about Seattle
Seattle was the first US city to play a Beatles song on the radio