How did you flip your house? Tell PODS your story.

Although PODS offers service to more than 250 million people in 48U.S.states, we want to know how this innovative moving and storage solution has helped you.

Using PODS is the right way to store or move for homeowners, renters, business owners and realtors who are staging, decluttering or remodeling a home or office and need additional space short or long-term.

Here are a few tips to get started:

1. Staging and Decluttering. An essential process when placing a home on the market and may help to capture a higher selling price on the property. A PODS^® container can securely store belongings removed from the home until ready.

2. Downsizing. Need to downsize and don't have space in your new home? PODS^® solves this problem with safe and secure long-term storage solutions. Simply pack the PODS^® container and your precious belongings will be transported to a local climate controlled PODS Storage Center.

3. Building a Bridge. Many people find themselves in a period of transition, leaving one residence before another is ready for occupancy.  In these cases, PODS serves as a real estate bridge. Have a short escrow yet your new home has a longer one? This gap of time is where a PODS^® container comes in handy for Realtors and homeowners – storing belongings securely until the move date.

4. Local Moves

Realtors and homeowners count on PODS for quick, hassle-free local moves. No more worries about renting a truck and rushing on moving day because PODS allows you to pack and move at your own pace.

5. Long-Distance Moves. Packing an entire residence takes time. With PODS, there is no time limit, allowing containers to remain onsite as long as needed. PODS will transfer the container to your new home, anywhere in the country – on the day you need it!

To reserve a PODS^® container and schedule delivery to your door, call 1-800-776-PODS (7637) or visit the Web site at podslexington.com

–The Moving Diva

movingdiva@gmail.com

It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood With PODS® Containers

I have new neighbors. I know because the house down the block has been vacant for at least one year and this morning there was a big, white PODS^® container in the driveway with a half-dozen people unloading home furnishings and personal belongings from the back of it.

Although I haven't introduced myself with my famous fiesta chili beans as a welcome gift in hand, I feel like we already have a common bond – we both used PODS to move!

So really, how bad can they be?

Tell me your story. Do you take new neighbors a welcoming gift?

Email it to movingdiva@gmail.com.

PODS® vs. pods

Do you know how many uses, terms and meanings there are for the word pods in the dictionary? More precisely, how many results are returned when this search term is used with Google? About 30,400,000  thats 30.4 MILLION!

I cant possibly compare 30.4 million of these random pods with PODS^® the moving and storage company, but I was curious how many results would be returned with the search term PODS^® container. Turns out, about 40,600.

Do you plant a garden each year? Seed pods are among the most popular search terms (with nearly 4 million returns) and vanilla pod returning about 2 million.

Dont ask me why I thought of searching for space pods but it was a shocker to see about 174 million hits on this topic alone! 174 MILLION!

While I cant vouch for outer space, here on planet Earth, PODS® is the best moving and storage idea ever!™

As Mork from the television show Mork and Mindy used to say: Nanu nanu, people. Nanu nanu.

–The Moving Diva

What Not To Do With Your Luxury Sedan

Ok, is it just me, or is it a little strange to see a luxury sedan pulling a moving trailer filled to the brink, riding super low on the back axel springs.

It happened, and it took a moment for my brain to comprehend this ghastly sight. Then I took a picture, because, well I was there!

At the max, this was a 6-cylinder engine pulling this monstrosity of a trailer, changing lanes right smack in front of me. A tall oak television cabinet was balanced between two mattresses, lamps toppled back and forth outside the rails and there was an overstuffed chair for grandpa to take a nap in.

Yeah. I rolled my eyes. Did you think I wouldnt?

Two words: PODS^® container.

That is all.

Email your moving pet peeves to me at movingdiva@gmail.com.

PODS® Go Clickety-Clack Down the Tracks

My little nephew Ian loves trains. He wears his conductor hat around the house and in the yard blowing his wood train whistle, causing cats to scatter, making the dog to bark up more than a tree and driving my sister nuts.

As his loving aunt, its my job to encourage Ian to irritate his mom. Consider it payback for the many loud and obnoxious toys she has gifted my sons over the years. Ah, for the love of sisters.

Anyway, Ians 5^th year birthday is coming up next month and I want to add to his train set, which for a 5-year old is quite impressive. I know nothing about model train sets other than they are fun and can be quite an elaborate hobby, so I had to do a little searching online.

I found BLMA Models, a premier model train company with an extensive catalog. Imagine my surprise when I found a video and product line for scale model PODS^® containers!

Blow the whistle! This is no joke, people!

What is an aunt to do? I bought him four of the pint-sized PODS.

You can buy them too! Visit: http://www.blmamodels.com/cgi-bin/webstore/shop.cgi?ud=BAENDA8PBgUCBxQUEBEcHAICCQ4FCQAECQkTEQAA&storeid=1&searchtext=pods&cols=1&&c=detail.red.htm&t=main.red.htm&itemid=615

To have a life-size PODS^® container delivered to your very own garage or train stop, podslexington.com

Providing The Freedom to Move, PODS® Goes Where You Go

I fly often across several states and often pre-plan my trips to visit family. Like most frequent flyers, I much prefer booking a nonstop flight from Point A to Point B. There are literally thousands of airline flights to fit my schedule. It is staggering, but when I sift through all the listings and can book the flight I want at a price I can live with, I am satisfied.

It occurred to me on a recent flight that PODS^® also allows its customers to transport all their stuff from one place to another, booking a storage container when they need it and at a great price, too.

Here is how its done: You order a PODS^® container. It is delivered when you want. You pack it up at your leisure, lock it and call PODS for retrieval. Then, sit back and enjoy your peanuts and pretzels as your belongings are transported to your final destination (new home, new college ornew city).

PODS, like my nonstop flight, is direct shot from Point A to Point B, and this is something customers can get onboard with and appreciate.

More peanuts, please.

The Moving Diva

With PODS® You Dont Need a Truck to Move!

Imagine my surprise to discover that someone on Planet Earth actually has no idea what PODS^® is, or what they do (insert my rolling eyes here).

A friend was at a chamber breakfast last week and won a gift certificate for 6 months of free storage at a local PODS storage center. When she called and asked me if I knew what PODS was I almost fell off my chair. She said there was no way she could use the prize because she didn’t have a truck to take everything to the storage center.

Ok folks, here we go

ME: Delores! You do not have to drive anywhere! They bring a PODS^® storage container to your house when you schedule and deliver to your driveway if thats where you want it placed. You can keep it for a few days or a few weeks and load whatever you want inside. Then PODS will pick it up and transport it back to their really big garage and keep it for 6 months.

DELORES: Oh, really. I did not know that, I thought we had to use a truck like the other storage places. So the PODS people will come to my house and I dont have to drive it anywhere?

ME: No! It is awesome! So, are you going to keep your prize?

DELORES: Oh, yes! My husband will be so happy about this!

ME: Yay for PODS!

The Moving Diva

Let PODS® Spice Up Your Next Move

Ingredients for baking a cake usually call for a tablespoon of vanilla extract. So I was thinking… about moving (Hello? I am a Diva on the Move!)

Look, when you’re preparing to move and there are boxes stacked all around your once tidy abode, it’s like you ripped open a bag of flour and it sprinkled everywhere. Moving is kind of like that bag of flour – a mess everywhere you look!

But what if I told you there is a secret recipe to avoiding the maze of moving boxes stacked against every nook and cranny in your home or garage? It comes in a nice package, is affordable, vanilla white in color and gives your move an extra kick. Need more clues? OK, it is one of the best moving and storage ideas, ever!^™

Did you guess? It’s a PODS^® container. Vanilla on the outside, chock full of space on the inside with more than enough space to hold all of your moving boxes, furniture, personal goods and all of the Paula Deen bake ware you can handle.

There are three sizes of PODS^® containers to fit the contents of your home. The largest, 12×16-feet, will transport an average 3-bedroom home. Learn more at podslexington.com

 The Moving Diva

movingdiva@gmail.com

Store It Right The First Time With PODS®

Packing belongings for short or long-term storage sounds easy, but in reality it is a chore with lots of footwork and planning, sometimes months before you start packing. Such was the case with my good friends Marcy and Peter. Marcy wanted to organize boxes according to room but Peter wanted to fill the boxes as fast as possible and get the job over with.

Naturally, I had a few helpful tips to share with them.

• Call PODS^® first. No one else in the moving and storage business offers a climate, humidity and temperature-controlled environment to protect your belongings. Only you have access to your PODS^® container. You lock it, you keep the key.

• Slightly prop open doors of refrigerators or freezers to allow for air circulation. Drain all the hoses on your washing machine and make sure that the tub and water pump is empty.

• Don’t store gas, oils, or any other flammable liquids inside the PODS^® container. Always empty gas tanks and leave gas caps loose to prevent vapor build up.

• Pack paper objects such as books and magazines in plastic bags or plastic coverings to prevent moisture and deterioration.  A plastic bag placed inside the box first will also work. Seal it tight before taping the box closed.

• Place mattresses and box springs in special plastic mattress bags available at any hardware store to prevent moisture and dust collection.

• Always remove batteries from remotes and toys as battery acid can corrode and damage.

For more tips and a checklist, visit http://www.pods.com/Packing-Supplies/Packing-Checklist.aspx

When times are tough, PODS® is here to help

When times are tough, PODS^® is here to help. As families face tough decisions to downsize or to relocate, PODS has been there to ease the transition to a new home.

PODS can help make relocation easier by storing your belongings for however long you need. PODS^® containers can be delivered to homes quickly then transported back to a local storage center or to a new residence.

My friend Desiree has a similar story:

When the job market changed, we had to make the tough call to relocate from Northern California to Southern California where both my husband and I could find employment. We had to down size from a four-bedroom house to a two-bedroom apartment for a period of time and needed help with our transition.

We found that by using PODS^® containers to move was the best solution for our family. We were able to unpack the necessities until we could find a home to settle into. The rest of our belongings were safely stored in the PODS container in the warehouse until we found just the right home.

PODS^® secure containers are constructed of a steel frame and are available in three sizes: approximately 7-by-7-by-8 feet, 12-by-8-by-8 feet and 16-by-8-by-8 feet. The 12-foot and 16-foot containers have been tested to withstand winds of more than 110-mph when partially loaded.

For more information or to schedule service, visit PODS.com or call 800-776-7637

The Moving Diva