By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter
When it comes to experiencing stressful things in life, moving to a new house or apartment ranks up there with divorce or loss, because it disrupts daily routines, forces giant financial or logistical burdens, and tends to cause emotional distress, all at the same time. Many times it causes people stress through uncertainty, loss of something familiar, and time deadlines or pressures, resulting in a type of ‘relocation depression’ or extreme anxiety.
Josh Rider and his wife Christine have come up with a solution they think will work for many families. They have created a company called the Easy Move, and it is an answer to the question of “What are the hidden concerns that can be easily overlooked in a move?”
“When my wife and I went through our own home moves, which we’ve done a few times at this point, I realized there was just something missing,” Rider said. “And it is not just that there are movers available, and that’s all you need. Something was missing, and it was just someone to actually manage the whole process. No one was doing that here in Northern Kentucky, so I built it.”
Through his four moves with his wife and son, Colson, as well as the times that he helped family and friends and their moves, Rider realized there was a need for this service.
In January, he started to build it. Both he and his wife are from this area, Josh from Covington and Christine from Newport, and both attended NKU where he specialized in IT Infrastructure Engineering and IT Systems and she went to HR Management.
With this background, Rider started the business in April, and he already has several clients on board. He currently works out of his home in Alexandria, where he and his wife can coordinate childcare for his son, as it works out for either his job as CEO and founder of this company, or his wife in her job as an HR manager in Cincinnati.
Rider believes potential movers are caught off guard by some things, and he tries to address them in his initial consultations.
“First of all is the utility provider differences that vary by area,” he said. “Then, the upcoming Brent Spence project is going to change transportation venues, and we talk about the logistics of that. The third thing is the difference between closing day and moving day, and how it shouldn’t be the same day. The fourth thing is what mover’s insurance really covers, and the fifth thing is the smart home digital handoff that almost nobody thinks about until it is too late.”
People who are interested can go to his website or call 859-695-2722 to set up an interview or to find out more about what the company can offer.
“The first step is to call or go onto the website,” Rider said. “We have an intake form, which will hold all the basic information about the move, and that takes about 45 to 60 minutes. We will discuss different things about the move. That is the Blueprint timeline checklist. The second step is the Your Move Blueprint and that is available for $395.”
Those who would like a little more help can upgrade to the Guided Move Coordination package, which costs $1750. The most expensive package is the Managed Move Coordination Package, at $2995.
“It all depends on how much you would like us to take off your plate, how much you would need us to do,” Rider explained. “Our goal is to help families, and make the move less stressful for them.”
Rider is filling a need that he sees in the community.
“We guide the planning, timelines, and vendor coordination so you don’t have to figure everything out on your own,” he said. “If you’re juggling packing and timelines, utilities, vendors, and dozens of moving pieces all at once, it gets overwhelming fast. At some point, the to-do list stops getting shorter and just keeps growing. We can help with that.”