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Being A Landlord
1. Find the right tenants. New landlords must select solvent, solidly employed renters capable of sending their checks in on time and must not exclude anyone protected by federal Fair Housing laws -- racial minorities, the disabled, single mothers...
Home Loans – Identity Theft Protection Could Hurt Home Sales
Identity theft has been a hot topic in the news during the last few years. Just a month or so ago, forty million credit card numbers were compromised due to a computer attack on a credit card processor. Consumers are rightly concerned, as it can...
Light Up Your Garden And Brighten Your Life
Extending Your Living Space
The garden is fast being considered to be an extension to your living space and homeowners are putting as much effort into creating a harmonious environment outside as they are inside. A beautiful garden is also...
Prerequisites While "Qualifying For a Home Loan"
When preparing to lend a mortgage the first thing many lenders do is to make sure about your financial condition. It enables lenders to grant loans that would otherwise be considered too risky. Lenders look at a variety of factors,...
Solar Residential Outdoor Lighting Is Becoming The Product Of Choice For Millions Of Consumers
Residential outdoor lighting is a billion dollar a year industry in the United States. It is getting so popular, there is now a corporation that franchises individual businesses dealing only in exterior landscape lighting design, supply, and...
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Store Seasonal Items in your own Self Storage Unit
For the small business owner, particularly for businesses which
require access to tools and heavy equipment, self storage can be
a real boon.
If you're a landscaper, carpenter, plumber, or electrician, you
need easy access to the tools of your trade. You've probably
sacrificed to scrape together the money to buy all the equipment
you need to start your own business. But once you buy it, where
are you going to put it? Maybe you live in a tiny apartment with
no storage space. Or you may rent a house with inadequate space,
or with a landlord who doesn't really want you storing all your
equipment on the premises.
Self storage, close to your home or your primary work area, is a
great solution. It will allow you to keep your home for your
personal life (a fact your spouse or significant other will
certainly appreciate) while providing an organized space for
your professional tools and equipment.
First, you need to estimate how much rental space you'll need.
Figure out how much space each piece of equipment takes up and
then sketch out a possible organizational arrangement, using it
to estimate floor space. If you have the room, actually lay out
your tools and equipment in the front yard, and measure how much
area it covers. (Be sure to leave room to move around in between
the various pieces of equipment.)
Call around to the various self storage facilities in the area,
and find out what the square footage is of their storage units
and, particularly if you've got equipment that takes up a lot of
vertical space, its height. Check the cost per month, and ask if
there's a required minimum rental period. Do you have to pay a
security deposit of some kind? first and last months' rent? Does
the storage facility insure the contents of your unit, or do you
need to buy insurance yourself? Maybe the facility offers
insurance for a fee; ask.
If you have equipment or supplies that need
a certain
environment, ask the storage facility staff what the conditions
are. Is it dry? Is it heated? Is there lighting provided in the
unit, or do you need to bring a flashlight when you visit it?
Is there an electrical outlet available? Is there room, either
in the unit or in front of the unit, for you to perform basic
maintenance or preparation tasks on your equipment as needed,
and is that sort of thing allowed? (Obviously you do not want to
operate a piece of equipment with an internal combustion engine
inside the storage unit.)
Once you've rented your self storage unit, put a lot of thought
into how you want to organize it. Make a floor plan which allows
you ease of movement; set up storage shelves if appropriate; see
if you can attach pegboard to the walls if you need to store
small tools where they're visible. If you plan to store old
business records, don't just shove them into a cardboard box and
bury them in a corner; store them in filing cabinets or sturdy
file boxes, clearly labeled and organized. If you use boxes,
store them on shelving that allows easy access. Do your
research, plan well, and ask plenty of questions as you decide
on a self storage unit. With the proper preparation, for a
relatively small outlay of cash, you can provide a well
organized, functional storage and work space which will give
your fledgling company a real boost.
About the author:
Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern
New Hampshire and frequently contributes to Tips and
Topics. She has published numerous articles in local and
regional publications on a wide range of topics, including
business, education, the arts, and local events. Her feature
articles include an interview with independent documentary
filmmaker Ken Burns and a featur
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