The Ultimate Guide to Moving Overseas

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article | The Ultimate Guide to Moving Overseas

Moving is a daunting process, and changing states alone can leave you feeling disgruntled and nervous. But instead of moving across state lines, imagine relocating to another country. Going abroad can be scary. Regardless of where you’re relocating, there’s a lot you must do and manage. This means you need to pack, arrange for the necessary documents, and ensure you are ready to make the big move.

Many Americans move to Europe due to a number of factors, including free healthcare and more affordable housing. From picturesque villages to busy metropolitans, countries such as Spain, Germany, and France have housing options for every lifestyle and budget. Hence, accommodations are not an issue for students and working professionals alike.

Nevertheless, one can not deny the challenges that come with an international move. Read on to learn how to tackle an overseas move without losing your mind.

1. Contact a Long-Distance Moving Company

There is a difference between long-distance and short-distance moving companies. The former has the equipment, tools, labor, and resources to help you travel across international waters. Shipping overseas is immensely different from local moving and will cost you more. With the cost of living in cities like Fort Lauderdale being 16% higher than the national average, it is important to consider your budget before hiring a moving company. Take a moving from Fort Lauderdale to Europe cost estimate from different companies, but make sure you don’t compromise quality over affordability since an international mvoe requires ample experience in dealing with customs and other technicalities.

2. Prepare All Your Documents for Immigration

As you prepare to immigrate, you must confirm that you have all your paperwork ready. This includes your passport, entry visa, work, and residence permit. Without these documents, you cannot start your new life in a foreign country. It would also help if you got the moving company to provide you with documentation on your cargo; this will ensure that you can collect it immediately when it arrives at the port. Also, be sure you know the type of immigrant visa you have. If you’re about to start a business, ensure you have the papers permitting you to launch your enterprise.

3. Figure Out Healthcare

As you’re moving to a new country, you must investigate how insurance works. For instance, some European countries offer exceptional healthcare services that are free. So, if you happen to land there, you may not have to worry about getting the right health insurance. The universal emergency number in the European Union is 112, but some countries may use 911, like the US. Unlike the US, Pharmacists in Europe can prescribe medicines for simple health ailments like fever, cold, and stomach problems. They can also give you medication for cough, joint pain, and muscle pain if needed.

Most pharmacies here are also open 24/7 and can give you a quick evaluation of your condition. You should go for a European Health Insurance Card since this will cover most of your ailments. But getting a card alone is not enough; you must also sign up for an insurance plan. It would be best to get it from an American insurance company providing international coverage.

4. Look for Accommodation

Looking for a house in a new country can be exhausting. But don’t leave this task to the last minute; instead, the minute you decide you’re moving to a new country, start your house hunt. Real estate can be a tricky business. Most countries allow you to rent a house if you have the relevant visa to back you up. In Europe, as an American, you can go as far as buying property since the government is relaxed about regulations. Why not take advantage of this situation and get yourself a valuable property? When picking a house, research the neighborhood. You may want to focus on crime stats, the resale value of the homes here, and how much moving in will cost you.

Part of acquiring a property is looking up if you have parks, schools, and hospitals surrounding your home. Get an idea of where you will live and what famous landmarks cover the area, then make your payment. Fortunately, you can make your transactions online without worrying about physically showing up to make the purchase.

5. Search for Schools

If you have children, you must also focus on their education. Before leaving your home country, retrieve all the relevant documents for your child’s education. This includes their school leaving certificates, grade sheets, and reports on how well they perform in school. If your child is young, you can consider enrolling them into a school where foreign language is offered. Younger minds pick up languages immediately and will instantly adjust to their new school. Online education has made learning more accessible.

You can encourage your child to start their online classes so that they can get an idea of what the new class environment will be like. If you have an opportunity to visit overseas before moving your children, do that and visit their school. You will have a better idea of the type of school you’re enrolling your child into and use the opportunity to meet their teachers.

6. Prepare Your Pet’s Paperwork

Moving your pet overseas requires you to make certain arrangements. Every country has specific laws on moving pets; you can only bring limited breeds, and they need an updated vaccine card. Before you move your pet, you must microchip them, ensure their vaccine records are updated, and have a detailed version of all the treatments they underwent.

Your vet can guide you best if your animal needs additional vaccinations before it can move abroad. You will also need to arrange their ticket and get a fit-to-fly certificate allowing them to travel internationally.

Final Thoughts

Moving can be an exciting yet terrifying experience. If you’re eager to relocate and start your life in another country, there’s much you need to accomplish first. Understand that moving to another country is an elaborate and expensive process. To do this, you must determine how far you’re traveling, how you will ship your luggage, and what documentation you need to prepare. Your work also includes looking for a house and school and arranging the necessary paperwork if you’re taking your pet. Once you have figured out all these factors, moving overseas will be easier than it sounds.

9 Ways to Increase Your Home’s Value

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article | 9 Ways To Increase Your Home's Value

A home is a valuable and often the most expensive investment for most people in their lifetimes. As an investment, you want to get the best return on it if or when you sell it. The good news is that most homes generally increase in value, provided they’re well-maintained.

While maintenance is an important aspect of home ownership, there are other, more effective ways to maximize the value of your home. By implementing these strategies, you can ensure you receive the best possible price when you list it on the market. This is crucial, as the proceeds from the sale can be used to purchase another home or invested in a specific project or business venture.

Most homeowners think that a home remodeling or renovation can help them boost their property’s value, and they are right. However, heedlessly renovating your entire home will burn a large hole in your pocket while not necessarily increasing your home’s value as much as you anticipated.

Thus, move forward with a proper plan in place. It’s important to understand that large and small renovation or remodeling projects can increase your home’s value if done correctly. For instance, installing an in-ground pool might cause its price to skyrocket. However, you can also expect a decent return on investment by upgrading your windows or getting a shower replacement for your bathroom. Especially if you’re trying to sell your home in the near future, these minor improvements can make a huge difference. And, no matter how small or large the project is, always consider energy efficiency. This can shave off huge chunks of your utility costs while also increasing your home’s resale value.

Let’s discover the most effective ways to boost your home’s value.

1. Add Usable Living Space

One of the most obvious ways to boost your home’s value is by increasing its livable space. After all, a home’s valuable living space is one of, if not the most important factor, when determining price. This statement is particularly true in areas where ample living space is valuable and rare, like New York City or Los Angeles.

However, please remember that adding usable living space is expensive and might require obtaining planning permission.

2. Lower Your Home’s Utility Bills

Utility bills can cost owners considerably in monthly expenses, particularly for larger and more opulent houses. Making your home more energy-efficient effectively lowers utility bills, making it more valuable on the market.

Your options are nearly endless. You can replace old windows with newer designs to lower your utility bills. In addition, purchasing energy-efficient appliances and adding more insulation can also make your home more energy-efficient. Simple installations such as a smart thermostat can also significantly lower bills.

3. Make It Look More Appealing

First impressions matter. Prospective homebuyers are less likely to pay the listed price for your home if its paint is falling off or the exterior looks outdated. Therefore, ensure your home looks visually appealing by painting it.

If your home is a relatively newer build, you might only need to paint a room or door. You can also do it yourself, saving on labor costs.

4. Doors Play a Role

In addition to making your home look more visually appealing with a fresh paint job, consider investing in your doors. An old, creaky front door will lower your home’s value, and replacing it is a good idea.

Similarly, research shows that investing in your garage doors is crucial because it can yield a 102 percent return on investment.

5. The Kitchen Is the Main Space

Many homebuyers and homeowners consider the kitchen the main space in their home. After all, a kitchen is one of the central features of a home. A home with a kitchen that maximizes space sells for a higher price.

Completely revamping and remodeling your kitchen might seem like the best way to approach this situation. However, research shows it’s not the most effective way because it requires considerable capital, and your home’s value won’t increase as much. According to research, complete kitchen remodeling costs $80,000 on average but only increases home value by $60,000. Thus, opting for minor remodeling might provide a better return on investment.

6. Add More Amenities

Another way to increase your home’s value is by adding more amenities. For instance, an in-ground pool can raise your home’s market value. Go the extra mile by pairing it with an outdoor kitchen or bar; your home’s value might rise by double-digits. Choosing the right amenities for your area is crucial. For instance, an in-ground pool will yield a lower bump to your home’s value in a place where the weather is too cold for swimming half the year.

While in-ground pools and outdoor kitchens are more costly to install, you can also opt for cheaper amenities such as a luxury showerhead or a Jacuzzi.

7. Staging Is Crucial

You could ensure your home is professionally cleaned with a new coat of paint and all the amenities in the world. However, if it’s not staged appealingly, then customers will be less impressed with all the amenities, meaning they’ll pay less for it.

Research corroborates this statement. A Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) survey found that staged homes sell quicker than non-staged homes, spending nine fewer days on the market on average.

8. Get Professional Cleaning

If you’re selling your primary residence, ensure your home is clean and decluttered. Clutter can particularly make your home look less spacious, affecting home value. While you can declutter and clean your home yourself, investing in professional cleaning before staging it is a better idea.

9. Focus on the Curb

Curb appeal can have a considerable effect on your home’s value. A joint study by the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Alabama found that curb appeal accounts for up to seven percent of a home’s value. Therefore, ensure a professional has powerwashed your driveway, cleaned the windows, and mowed the lawn before selling. You can also enhance curb appeal by making landscaping upgrades, such as introducing shrubbery or plants.

Conclusion

As previously mentioned, a home is an investment. Whether you’re selling your primary or secondary residence, you’ll want to ensure you get a good return on investment. Thus, you’ll want to increase your home’s value before selling it. Utilizing professional cleaning, adding amenities, increasing living space, and properly staging it can help boost your home’s value on the market.

How Can You Appear Professional to Your Audiences?

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article | How Can You Appear Professional to Your Audiences?

The idea of appearing professional might seem strange when you’re already an active business interacting with customers and providing them with what they need. Surely, at this point, you’ve already proved that you’re professional enough? Well, you have new audiences to convince outside the one that you currently have access to — and if you’re not appearing at your absolute best, they might assume that your competitors are the more reliable brand for the job.

This isn’t the outcome that you want, so it’s worth understanding what you can do to appear at your professional best. Presentation is important, but that’s not the only place where it counts.

Quality Above All

The obvious answer might be to simply focus on the quality of your product or service. Ensuring that this is where your focus is might be a value that your audiences take note of, and a brand that strives to do high-quality work over making easy money is a brand to be trusted.

It might be that putting quality above all else is easier said than done, though. If you’ve ensured that your staff are as trained as they can be, and everything is done properly, what else can you do? Well, it might be that turning your attention to the quality of tools and equipment that you use can elevate your work, providing you with a rock-solid foundation to operate from. Fluid handling equipment needs to be something that you can trust, and unreliable tools are inevitably going to impact your work, and the same is true for construction materials that can lead to safety risks.

A Positive Image

In some ways, it might feel as though your public image is something that’s very difficult to control. After all, how can you control the conversations that your brand gets swept up in? The important thing is to recognize what you can control, so when these conversations do arise, you end up on the right side of them.

One example of this could be your relationship with your employees. It’s all well and good to promote a positive work environment, but if your employees are unhappy and it becomes known that this value is simply a façade, people are going to look at your brand differently. Ensuring that you develop a positive working atmosphere where productivity and comfort are both promoted can help you to avoid the possibility of a high staff turnover.

Response to Negative Situations

However, there will be times when you do find yourself in a negative situation and you’re forced to respond in some way. It might be that a customer has a complaint about some work that you’ve done for them, or perhaps there’s a bad PR situation that you find yourself needing to navigate. When it comes to this, it’s important that you’re measured, calm, and considered in your reply. Your social media pages are likely to come under a certain level of fire at these times, but shooting out a quick and informal reply will do you no favors. You need to take your time and think of a way to respond that will present you in the best light possible, while also being considerate of those who are making the complaint in the first place.

Importance of Having an Updated Resume

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article | Importance of Having an Updated Resume

People, especially those who have a full-time job show the most lethargy in updating the document which is thought to be only useful when looking for a job, but that is not the case. Keeping the resume up-to-date with every performance evaluation, achievement, promotion, and other milestone helps you stay ahead of the curve. You won’t forget even the tiniest achievement and remember the big ones resulting in a confidence boost that would be needed when applying for a job the next time.

Availing the Opportunities Stress-Free

If a friend asks for your CV right now to send to your perfect dream job, is your latest achievement stated in there or do you have to leave every work you were presently doing and sit down and work on updating the CV? This is the reason why it is so important to keep an up-to-date resume. This is why people pay professional cv writing experts to create them a winning resume. When the time arises to send the resume, you won’t have to worry about updating it, it can be sent as soon as possible. Time may run out or the one asking for the resume may get tired of waiting and you will lose the opportunity of a lifetime or be forced to send the CV that may not properly show your true brilliance as it doesn’t incorporate the most recent achievements.

Job competition is intense and opportunities are rare which is why it is ever so strongly advised to be always on your toes and keep the resume up-to-date. It doesn’t take much time and you can’t forecast sudden opportunities i.e if your supervisor suddenly leaves the company for any reason or has been fired, that is the point where it could help you to have an updated resume in your hand and apply for the vacant position as soon as possible and there’s no knowing you could be the new supervisor.

Build Confidence

It works as a confidence builder because an updated CV has documented your achievements and remembers them even when you don’t. You know you have the capability of achieving more because now you have a clear path of where you are headed and you won’t let any opportunity passes you by, being fully aware of your potential. CV gives structure to your work life from start to finish from where you should head now to further advancement in your career, this is a great confidence boost for the CV holder. If a vacancy comes up in a big firm, you won’t be hesitant to apply as you know your qualifications, skills, achievements, and your potential. This can be a big step-up in your career ladder and your confidence will be essential to land an interview and even a job with them.

Attract Attention

Updated CV also attracts more headhunters, who may have looked it up on LinkedIn. The skill set you have just acquired can be required by a freelancer on their project resulting in them contacting you for collaboration. This can grow your network to be used in times of trouble. A CV should also be frequently updated in other job portals too because companies are actively looking for potential employees with the requirement of a specific skill set.

Ready for the Worst-Case Scenario

Market crashes, recession and more reasons can lead you to being fired. Maybe you didn’t fall exactly under the company policy or there was a breach of contract no matter what the reason people have been suddenly fired before and it can happen to anyone. The process to find a suitable job is already very difficult there’s no need to make it more stressful by not having an updated CV at hand, one that incorporates the latest achievements and most recently acquired skills. This is the time to only focus on sending as many resumes as possible and as quickly as possible to get a return call.

A friend who is willing to help and has a vacancy you can apply to may give you only minutes to send your updated resume. You either would have taken the advice to frequently update your resume or would be forced to hand over the CV that doesn’t encompass your full capabilities and skills. This mistake is proven to be detrimental to your job prospects in this already intensely competitive job market.

Documenting Milestones

A resume is commonly thought of as only being useful when you have a job to apply for but that is most certainly not the case it’s also used to document your work life’s milestones, may they be achievements, skills, or job experiences you have attained in your life to date. That’s why each milestone should be drafted as soon as they are executed as humans tend to devalue their skills and achievements when looking back at them. Recruiters may not have the same perspective they may give the same skill much more importance. Updating the resume after every performance evaluation is advised so every milestone can be captured without fail.

Clear Roadmap

When you have updated your resume with your most recent qualification, skills and the achievement you were most proud of you can see your starting point where your work experience section only had one title and now there are many. This gives an opportunity to not only analyze how far you have come but also where you are headed If you are pleased with that direction, you will be able to easily find out how to further advance your career, and if you are not happy with where you’re going, your skills and achievements may show you another path you can take or degrees and skills you can acquire for a potential career change.

CV can also show the aspects where improvements are necessary, developing a new skill or focusing on one aspect may lead to advancement in the career. You will also be able to identify the gaps in your resume and prepare solid evidence of yourself being productive if you are inquired about it in your next interview.

Top 5 Benefits of Using Color-Changing Mugs in Your Office

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article | Top 5 Benefits of Using Color-Changing Mugs in Your Office

Mugs come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials. Whether you’re looking for a glass, ceramic or plastic composite, there’s sure to be one that suits your needs.

Designing color-changing mugs is different from designing other products. It is essential to keep in mind that drop shadows/glows and low-opacity elements do not print well on mugs.

Save Money

Color changing mugs work with a process called thermochromism. The dye covering each mug’s surface turns opaque when cold but becomes transparent once you pour hot liquid. Thermochromic dyes use leuco dyes to do this, which are also the same dyes used in mood rings.

A fun and unique gift for any occasion, magic mugs reveal hidden photos until hot liquid is added. Whether it’s an awe-inducing family portrait or a hysterical meme, these beautiful mugs will be enjoyed long after the surprise.

The solid black, heat-activated coating turns transparent to unveil your choice of photo. Choose a wraparound design featuring one photo or create a collage of multiple images to tell your story. Personalize with text to add a special message, sentiment, or snarky joke that will remain entertaining after the reveal.

Reduce Waste

One of the best ways to reduce waste in your office is by replacing several single-use items with reusable alternatives. For example, stocking your office with reusable coffee mugs, reusable water bottles, and washable silverware can help reduce the number of disposable cups and bags used.

These mugs work by using thermochromic dyes, which react to changes in temperature. The dye turns from black to white when a hot liquid is added. You may also have seen this technology in mood rings, which change color based on your skin temperature.

Setting clear, measurable goals and tracking progress can ensure your team is on track to reach its waste reduction goals. This includes encouraging reusable utensils, setting double-sided print defaults, and providing more mug/bottle washing stations.

Add a Personal Touch

Nothing is more special than sipping your morning coffee from a personalized mug featuring your favorite photos, a meaningful message, or an inside joke. Whether you give one of these unique mugs to yourself or a friend, they will surely be a hit.

These mugs are black when cold and white when filled with hot liquid, revealing a custom-printed design or photo. You can also choose to add a name or monogram if you want to make it even more personal.

Mugs are a functional gift for anyone on your list, from family and friends to coworkers and teachers. Design a variety of custom mugs featuring different images and text to create a unique setting for any occasion.

Make a Statement

Whether grabbing coffee alone or sharing with a coworker, having your favorite mug can make all the difference. No one likes coming in to find their favorite mug is missing!

A color-changing mug is a great way to show your team and coworkers how much you care about them. Using heat-sensitive paint, your mugs can display anything from photos to inspirational messages and slogans.

The color-changing feature utilizes thermochromism, similar to the technology used in mood rings that change colors based on your skin temperature. The color changes when a hot liquid is added to the mug and returns to black as soon as it cools down. This mug is a perfect gift for any occasion.

Create a Unique Environment

Thermochromic dyes change colors based on temperature. This fascinating phenomenon is what makes the magic of color-changing mugs possible.

Whether you’re looking for the perfect gift for a loved one or want to add something special to your office environment, there are endless options for color-changing mugs. Make a pregnant sister’s day with a high-quality ultrasound photo, or give the self-proclaimed “dog mom” in your life a mug filled with her fur babies.

These unique mugs start black, then display your design when hot liquid is added. Customize with your message, image, or photos to create a unique gift that’ll be used repeatedly. Choose from sizes, handles, heat bands, lids, print types, and colors. Mugs are available in glass, ceramic, and stainless steel.