How to Keep Your Car Safe and Secure

Your car is one of your most valuable assets, and you want to protect it from theft, vandalism, and damage. But how can you ensure your car’s safety and security, especially when you park it in public places or leave it unattended for long periods of time? Here are some tips and best practices to keep your car safe and secure.

• Lock your doors and windows. This may seem obvious, but many car thefts and break-ins happen because the owners forget to lock their doors or leave their windows slightly open. Always lock your doors and windows when you park your car, even if you are only leaving it for a few minutes. This will deter opportunistic thieves and make it harder for them to access your car.

• Use an alarm system or a steering wheel lock. Another way to prevent car theft is to use an alarm system or a steering wheel lock. An alarm system will alert you and others if someone tries to tamper with your car, while a steering wheel lock will make it impossible for the thief to drive away with your car. These devices can also act as visual deterrents, making your car less attractive to potential thieves.

• Park in well-lit and secure areas. Where you park your car can also affect its safety and security. Avoid parking in dark, isolated, or unfamiliar areas, where your car may be more vulnerable to theft or vandalism. Instead, park in well-lit and secure areas, such as parking garages, lots, or structures that have surveillance cameras, security guards, or access control systems. These features will make it more difficult for criminals to target your car and more likely for them to be caught if they do.

• Don’t leave valuables in plain sight. One of the most common reasons why cars are broken into is because the owners leave valuables in plain sight, such as laptops, phones, wallets, purses, or bags. These items can tempt thieves to smash your windows and grab them. To avoid this, don’t leave any valuables in plain sight when you park your car. Either take them with you, hide them in the trunk or glove compartment, or cover them with a blanket or a jacket.

• Use a smart parking app like ParqEx. Finally, one of the best ways to keep your car safe and secure is to use a smart parking app like ParqEx. ParqEx is a platform that connects drivers with private parking spaces that are safer, cheaper, and more convenient than public parking options. With ParqEx, you can find and book parking spaces in advance or on-demand, using your smartphone or computer. You can also access exclusive parking spaces that are only available on ParqEx, such as residential garages, driveways, or lots. These spaces are often more secure than public parking spaces, as they are located in private properties that have less traffic and more protection. ParqEx also offers features like Access+, which allows you to open garage doors or gates with your phone, and GuestParq, which allows you to share access to your parking space with your guests or visitors. By using ParqEx, you can save time, money, and hassle while ensuring your car’s safety and security.

Keeping your car safe and secure is important for your peace of mind and your wallet. By following these tips and using ParqEx, you can protect your car from theft, vandalism, and damage while enjoying the convenience and comfort of private parking.

The post Protect Your Car (from People Who Can’t Park) appeared first on ParqEx.

The holiday season is a time to celebrate with family and friends, but it can also be a time of frustration and anxiety when it comes to traveling. Whether you are flying, driving, or taking public transportation, you may encounter long lines, crowded spaces, delays, and unexpected costs. Here are some tips to help you travel smoothly and enjoy your holiday trip.

• Plan ahead. The earlier you book your flights, hotels, and car rentals, the more likely you are to get the best deals and avoid last-minute price hikes. You can also use apps like ParqEx to find and reserve parking spaces in advance, saving you time and money. ParqEx is a peer-to-peer parking platform that connects drivers with owners of private parking spots. You can search for available spots near your destination, compare prices and features, and book securely with your credit card. You can also rent out your own parking spot when you are away and earn extra income.

• Pack smart. Avoid overpacking and check the baggage policies of your airline before you leave. You may be able to save money by carrying on your luggage or by shipping some items ahead of time. Make sure you have all the essentials, such as your passport, ID, tickets, medications, chargers, and toiletries. You can also use packing cubes or compression bags to organize your clothes and save space.

• Be flexible. Traveling during the holidays can be unpredictable, so be prepared for changes and delays. Check the weather forecast and traffic conditions before you depart and adjust your itinerary accordingly. You can also use apps like Google Flights or Hopper to track flight prices and get alerts for the best time to buy or change your tickets. If you have some wiggle room in your schedule, you may be able to take advantage of cheaper fares or less crowded flights.

• Stay healthy. Traveling can take a toll on your physical and mental health, so make sure you take care of yourself. Drink plenty of water, eat well, get enough sleep, and exercise regularly. You can also bring some snacks, vitamins, hand sanitizer, and masks to keep yourself energized and protected from germs. If you are traveling to a different time zone, try to adjust your sleep schedule before you leave and avoid caffeine and alcohol during your flight.

• Have fun. The most important thing is to enjoy your holiday trip and make the most of your time with your loved ones. Don’t let the stress of traveling ruin your mood or your memories. You can use apps like TripAdvisor or Yelp to find the best attractions, restaurants, and activities in your destination. You can also use ParqEx to share your parking spot with other travelers and make some new friends along the way.

Traveling during the holidays doesn’t have to be a headache if you follow these tips. With some planning, packing, flexibility, health, and fun, you can have a stress-free and memorable holiday trip.

The post Travel these Holidays Without the Headache appeared first on ParqEx.

Apartment or Business Owners

Anywhere there’s unused parking spaces in congested metropolitan areas, there’s opportunity to use ParqEx to make money from renting them. Parking spot owners can choose: who they want to rent to, prices, and rules; ParqEx’s cloud platform facilitates payments, communication, and management of transactions – between the renter and parking space owner.

For instance, say an apartment complex owner wants to rent out 5 parking spaces, which aren’t being used anyway, in order to make potentially $250/month from each space. That’s $1,250/month for merely utilizing unused parking spaces at the apartment complex. These spaces could be reserved and marked off, so residents and visitors don’t park there.

Business owners of stores, professional services, strip malls, recreational attractions, etc. – could rent out any extra parking spaces as well. This could be in the form of the owner of a strip mall renting out 50 spaces and hiring 24/hr security on-site. Maybe the spaces are rented only during the day or at certain times, either way: business owners have an easy way to supplement their income, by renting out their vacant spaces using the ParqEx app.

Entrepreneurs and Opportunists

What about developing a business idea based on the ParqEx app? This could be in the form of an entrepreneur investing in areas with rent-able parking in mind. For instance, a home owner near a large attraction develops a parking center on their 1 acre lot. This is an indoor parking garage with temperature control and luxuries like: a coffee machine, waiting table, phone, vending machine, ATM, etc.

This indoor parking center may cost $150,000 to build, yet with the luxuries and proximity to the “big attraction”, renters are willing to pay a premium price. If the garage was full all month at $20/day pricing, this would be $6,000/month — not including any periphery profits derived from this venture, such as: vending machine, ATM, coffee machine, affiliate B2B partnership ( Sharing Economy Services), etc.

The home owner is now making $72,000/year gross with their $150,000 parking center addition. Within a few years the parking center building is paid off, so the business is almost completely profit from then on (plus any residual value of the building later).

The parking center business is also almost completely automated, so remote management is possible with cloud and mobile computing. Owners could go on vacation and still be renting spaces out, or they could put their business on hold for a time.

Parking Garages and Lots

The parking business is big business in large metropolitan cities in the U.S. and the world. Traffic congestion and limited parking availability make vacant parking spaces a valuable thing. In these areas of the city, there are parking garages and lots with space availability, yet their high prices cause many renters to avoid this option. What if these parking businesses had special rates for non-peak hours, or some other discounted method to attract customers using the ParqEx app?

Established parking businesses have an untapped marketing tool with the ParqEx app, which can help them fill up their parking spaces more often, instead of not renting vacant parking spaces during non-peak hours. Renters would also appreciate being able to pay online through the ParqEx app, which they’re comfortable with already.

The discounted spaces, found through the ParqEx app, attract an entirely different market than the parking business’s usual customers. This new market is full of quality customers, screened and approved, that are more thrifty and mobile-minded than the usual parking business patrons.

Summary

Maybe investing $150,000 for a parking center to be built on a person’s residential property is too much for some, yet for others this could be a good retirement plan. Maybe high school teenagers don’t usually grow up thinking: I want to rent parking spaces for a living, yet with innovative cloud based services like ParqEx, this might become more normal. Indeed, the examples shown above do indicate profitable B2B income opportunities.

ParqEx has specifically catered our service toward B2B customers who want to supplement their income by filling up their vacant parking spaces. Our B2B initiative helps owners rent out their underused parking spots, and helps drivers park where they couldn’t before. This is an automated process in day-to-day workflow, and ParqEx provides the support and service needed to streamline and integrate this venture, without business owners even lifting a finger. If interested in learning more please contact us today.

The post B2B Income Opportunities Using the ParqEx App appeared first on ParqEx.

“With so many fantastic startups launching in our community, it was especially thrilling to announce ParqEx as Chicago’s Best Technology Startup,” said Tech in Motion organizer David Belsky, Regional Director of Jobspring Partners and Workbridge Associates Chicago. “The competition was intense, with more than 11,000 votes coming in. We plan to keep honoring top Chicago-area leaders like ParqEx as a part of our annual Timmy Awards.”

ParqEx is accessible via smartphone and the web and provides drivers with immediate access to an exclusive parking inventory. The ParqEx Access+ garage door opener services is the first of its kind and offers access to parking located behind doors and gates. With Access+, residents and approved visitors can open garage doors and gates from their smart phones, making more parking available to the community. ParqEx continues to grow

“The ParqEx team is honored to receive this award and is looking forward to helping more and more people not only find affordable parking, but help parking spot owners make some extra money,” ParqEx CEO, Vivek Mehra said, “Our company will solve the parking crisis that impacts many communities by making parking easier, affordable and more readily available.”

The Timmy Awards are presented throughout the year in cities across North America, including Boston, San Francisco and Toronto. Previous winners have included innovators such as Jet.com, LearnVest, Venmo, Trip Advisor, Gilt, Constant Contact, Casper and Instacart. The next Timmy Awards ceremonies are the Silicon Valley’s Inaugural Timmy Awards in September and Orange County & San Diego’s 2nd Annual Timmy Awards in October. Please visit techinmotionevents.com/awards for more information.

About ParqEx

Founded in 2014 by Vivek Mehra, ParqEx is a community-based platform that allows parking spot owners to rent their parking spots on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Download the app on the App Store or Google Play, or call (855) PARQEX-1 for more information.

About Tech in Motion Events

Tech in Motion is an international events series that brings local tech community professionals together to connect, learn, and innovate. What started as a collaborative project between IT recruiting firms Jobspring Partners and Workbridge Associates in 2011, grew into an organization of over 65,000 members across 11 chapters in North America including Boston, Dallas, New York, Philadelphia, DC, Chicago, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, LA, Orange County and Toronto. Please visit www.techinmotionevents.com for more information about our notable speakers, sponsors and events.

The post ParqEx Named Best Tech Startup in Chicago appeared first on ParqEx.

We see your morning commute as being a window of opportunity — even if you love your commute, you may find something here to help make your mornings even smoother. Here are 5 commuting tips to make your mornings easier.

1. Start Your Morning the Night Before. Both men and women take the same amount of time to get ready in the mornings — about 52% clock in between 10 and 30 minutes; with another 20-25% saying it takes more than 30. Think of all the things you could be doing otherwise — morning yoga, a run, reading your favorite web comics, or sleeping (our favorite option). While there are certainly some things you can’t do the night before like shave, put on makeup, or shower (we know — some of you refuse to do it the night before), there are things you can do — like pack your lunch, lay out clothes, and get your briefcase or purse ready to go.
2. Treat Yourself to a Tasty Beverage. Part of what makes our morning commutes crummy is that they’re boring. We get in the car, we drive the same route, we park, we go to work. Done. Spice up your mornings with some delicious beverages that can make your drive a little tastier! You can prep healthy and filling smoothies the night before by freezing ingredients in a blender; make a mini coffee bar with your favorite syrups or add-ons, or try scrounging for some new tea flavors to try on your commute.
3. Guarantee Your Parking with ParqEx. If you’re lucky enough to have your name in big corporate letters on a metal sign, please skip to point 4. All others, read on! We know what a headache it can be to have to haggle for parking once you arrive at your destination — even worse are the mornings when you’re running late and can’t seem to find a single place to park. Cut down on all the hassle by finding and reserving the best spot using ParqEx, and never give your boss that lame parking excuse again.
4. Level Up Your Entertainment. The news tends to be depressing, talk radio is typically mind-numbing, and there’s a good chance you’ll be hearing those Top 40 songs for the rest of the day in either the breakroom or from your cube mates. Why not get yourself some better audio entertainment for your ride? Podcasts, books on tape, and even webinars are all fantastic ways to inject a little education into your morning — here are some that are far from boring, and are genuinely fun to listen to.
5. Get a Sidekick. It may seem like a 90s sitcom trope, but carpooling can actually be pretty great. You can typically save a lot on both car maintenance and gas — and you may even land yourself some new friends. Carpooling can be a great way to practice your professional social interaction too, letting you get a leg-up in the way you talk with your coworkers — and when was the last time you saw “Communication skills not needed” on a job listing?

We’d love to hear from you! Contact us if you’d like to learn more about how you can earn money through your parking spot, and how the sharing economy is making waves for people like you.

The post 5 Commuting Tips to Make Your Mornings Easier appeared first on ParqEx.

According to YardiMatrix, the average monthly rent in Chicago is $1,628. Rents grew nationwide, on a year-over-year basis, by 6.5% in the last year, so there’s no relief in sight.

If you are feeling the financial pinch of high rent, you’re going to have to get creative.

Take on a roommate or three? Well, maybe. You have thought about it, but then you take a look around your place and start imagining: pizza stains on the wall, strange wall-banging in the night, and a doesn’t-know-when-to-quit-talking stranger who hogs your favorite chair.

Maybe not.

Here’s a concept:

Rent out your garage or parking space.

People are out there right now who need a place to park in your neighborhood. If you live in a popular area such as Bucktown, Near Northside, Lincoln Park, Wicker Park/West Town or The Loop, they are especially desperate for a spot.

If your space is vacant—for an hour, a week, a month or long term—it’s a hot commodity. Maybe it’s time you turned that commodity into cash, creatively.

MEET PARQEX, THE PEER TO PEER PARKING APP

ParqEx is the peer to peer parking app that allows people who need parking to find people who have parking. We provide a user-friendly online marketplace that matches registered members who own parking spots (Owners) with members who want to use them.

Download the app to your android or smartphone device and you are instantly connected to hundreds of people who are searching for a parking spot.

TELL ME ABOUT THE MONEY

You set the price for your parking space. Prices vary by time, demand, location and other factors. You can use the app to see what other people are charging for similar spots to get an idea of the going rate.

You earn 80% of the rent money your parking spot earns. At the end of every month, the income is deposited into your account, or if you want to receive a check in the mail, allow an extra 15 days.

SAFETY

Not sure you want to rent your space to just anybody? The good news is that you don’t have to. At ParqEx we check and approve accounts, but in the end, you decide. Rent your space or not, it’s up to you.

We recently added an in-app chat feature (proof that we listen—this came as a result of app user feedback), that allows you to communicate with a prospect before committing, and after, to pin down all the details. This kind of personal connection sets ParqEx apart from the competition.

PRIVACY

Your privacy is protected… we promise! Your information is safe and secure with us. Only the people you approve will receive your personal data. But don’t take our word for it, check out our Privacy Policy.

CONVENIENCE

What if you listed your space as available, but decide to stay home and sink into your couch and Netflix?

Or what if your friends show up at your door with that road-trip look in their eyes and you get the feeling that your parking space might be vacant for, well, quite a while?

Not a problem—with ParqEx you can add or subtract your space from the list instantly.

In addition, we’re all about parking and only about parking at ParqEx. Unlike Craig’s List or the classifieds, you won’t have to share space with Go Pros and baby strollers.

LET’S TALK

ParqEx lives in Chicago too—at 111 West Illinois Street.

If you want more info, contact us and we’ll talk about how you’re going to turn your blank space into cash.

And while you’re making creative cash by renting out your parking space, try Elizabeth Atkinson’s 10 Things to Do for a Dollar in Chicago.

We’ll see you at Lillie’s Q.

The post Consider This: Your Vacant Parking Spot in Chicago Could Help Pay the Rent appeared first on ParqEx.

The sharing economy includes services like Airbnb, Uber, and Lyft, and is turning many traditional industries on their heads. In New York City, the value of taxi medallions are dropping rapidly and taxi owners are protesting Uber’s growing market. The impact Uber and its competitor, Lyft, have are so big that the city is launching a rival app called Arro that functions similar to popular ride sharing apps only it’s strictly for NYC taxi cabs.

Taxi alternatives aren’t the only businesses disrupting traditional industries with the sharing economy. Airbnb is another key player in the “gig economy.” Airbnb is a rapidly growing service that turns spare bedrooms into hotel rooms. The service is so popular it just received $1.5 billion in funding to pursue growth in China.

What is driving the growth behind the sharing economy? Despite being around for several years now, websites like TaskRabbit and Elance haven’t seen nearly the growth that services like Uber and Airbnb are experiencing now. One explanation for why these services are so popular is their ability to rent out items that would otherwise go unused. It’s a passive way to make extra money.

Businesses in the sharing economy space seem to be catering to the college-aged crowd. Who other than a millennial would be willing to jump in a car with a stranger and stay overnight in another stranger’s spare room? Using the sharing economy is becoming part of everyday life for college students.

Another way college students are capitalizing on the sharing economy is with parking spaces. In Chicago, where some parking spots have a monthly rate similar to that of a small studio apartment, Parqex is making a big splash.

For owners, the app allows people with spare parking spaces the opportunity to make money with their unused spaces. The renting process is fairly quick and simple. Users enter the address of the available spot, upload a picture or two of the space, choose availability times, and then set the rate. Parqex’s system is flexible enough to allow people who commute away from the city during the day to rent out their spots to students who coming in to the city.

For renters, commuting to the colleges and universities can be a hassle but finding a parking spot just got easier. After you download the app, enter the address of your school to find which parking spots are available nearby. The app is also flexible for people looking to rent. Rather than committing to a parking spot for a month at a time, Parqex lets you rent the spot only for the time you need. It’s similar to paying for metered parking spot only now you know the spot will be there.

Sharing parking spaces is a logical move for the sharing economy. Now, not only can Uber driving millennials rent out their spare room, they can also rent out their parking spot while they’re working.

One of the more interesting aspects of the sharing economy is how everyday people who drive for Uber and rent out with Airbnb find new ways to keep customer interested in their services. Uber drivers are known to offer bottled water, maybe a snack, and always the aux cord to their passengers. Some drivers even install fun lighting systems for the nighttime crowd. On Airbnb, people renting out their spare room will go to extra lengths to make sure the stay is comfortable. Airbnb rooms are often redecorated and furnished with wall art and mini fridges to attract visitors. Some Airbnb locations even offer free breakfast.

When this attitude and spunk reaches the parking space sharing economy, can we expect fancy parking spot lighting and windshield washer fluid top-offs? Who’s to say.

For more information about how Parqex works, contact us today.

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