When listing or renovating your home, you may need to move some of your belongings into storage. Aside from the homes of friends and family, you can also choose to use self-storage facilities, portable storage containers, and storage in transit (movers move stuff to their facility for you).

How do you know which option is right for you? Consider:

• Size and shape of space – If you have a lot of stuff, self-storage facilities come in many different sizes and shapes. For storing items like furniture, electronics, or musical instruments for long periods in extreme temperatures consider climate-controlled storage
• Location and access – If accessing your belongings easily and frequently is important, consider an on-site storage container. Or, if you just want ease of access, consider facilities with drive-up storage for easy loading and unloading, but also check how flexible they are in terms of gaining access to the facility.
• Cost – Get quotes from several companies. Typically, payments are month-to-month.
• Security – If you are keeping valuables in a facility, consider one with gates, cameras, and an on-site manager, and for storage containers, consider having a security camera for monitoring.

To avoid potential headaches, check company reviews before choosing your storage provider.