Pack and save yourself stress

Photo / Thinkstock

If you want the best possible price your home needs to be decluttered.

In the old days we crammed boxes into the garage, or delivered them to a storage unit.

In 21st century storage, containers come to you. With a portable storage box, no longer do you need mates, burly blokes or professional delivery people who are invariably late and don't always look after your stuff that well.

Providers such as Mobistore, Greenbox and Smartbox deliver the storage box to your home to be filled at your leisure then take it away. When you're ready for your cherished belongings to come back, they're delivered, for you to unload.

Home stager Anthea Baker, of Homebase, recommends sellers use mobile storage services to clear homes of knick-knacks and unnecessary stuff. You want buyers to imagine themselves living in your home.

One advantage of mobile storage is the goods don't have to be packed into a trailer or van, unloaded and unpacked at the storage facility then loaded, packed and unpacked again.

Smartbox's storage is quite literally a trailer box. Greenbox and Mobistore deliver pallet-style waterproof storage boxes, which are deposited on your driveway by a specially converted forklift trailer.

Most customers are preparing to sell their homes when they call, says Marjorie Reid of Mobistore.

One 8cu m box at a time can be delivered, and replaced when it's full. This takes the pressure off packing everything at once. What's more, homeowners can pack non-essentials first and essentials last, with the latter being returned first.

The full crates are taken to Mobistore's secure storage base in Albany and returned when required. Prices are $149 a month per unit down to $129 for three or more units.

Musician Phil Madsen couldn't believe how efficient the Mobistore service was when he needed to pack up his St Heliers Bay home in a hurry. Less than 24 hours after realising he needed storage fast, the box was delivered down his long, awkward driveway.

The delivery driver even helped Madsen pack the goods. It turned out the musician needed to store his belongings longer than expected, which wasn't a problem.

Smartbox trailers are increasingly common sights in Auckland. Costs start at $225 for a month.

Self-storage units, to which you deliver your own goods are still popular. Units at National Mini Storage Penrose, for example, range from $63 a month for 2.4cu m to $757 for a 12m container.

Anyone who wants to use mobile storage companies should check whether there is transit insurance. Most contents insurance policies don't cover goods in storage, so it's a good idea to pay for a policy extension or stand-alone insurance.

Storage facilities and mobile storage operators may sell insurance direct. National Mini Storage, for example, charges $2 a month per $1000 of goods stored, to cover loss from common risks such as fire, earthquake and flood, but not theft.