How to Choose Movers that Are Right for You
When moving to a new home, hiring movers is often the best way to ensure a move is quick, efficient and less stressful. Think about it: movers do the packing, loading/unloading and transporting for you. Still, as Marcia Passos Duffy, a blogger for Bankrate.com, says, “While the right moving company can make for a smooth move, choosing the wrong mover can make your relocation a nightmare.” So how do you make sure you choose the right movers for you?
Movers that are licensed. When you’re moving from one state to another, your movers must be licensed with the federal government, which means they’ll be assigned a Department of Transportation number. You can check ProtectYourMove.gov to ensure your movers meet the necessary requirements. For local moves, every state has different licensing requirements. If you’re moving within your state, call your state moving association to check your movers’ licenses and other requirements.
Movers that give you a written, in-home estimate. In-home estimates are the best way for movers to give you a reliable quote, since they can see how much stuff you have and whether there will be any obstacles to your move (e.g., stairs, a hard-to-access location). Whenever you get an estimate from a moving company, make sure it is in writing. You cannot rely on verbal estimates.
Movers that have good reviews. A moving company may post testimonials on its site, and that’s a great starting place for your investigation. But you’ll want to do your own research. Check with the Better Business Bureau and other moving review websites to verify that the movers you’re considering have great practices overall.
Experience. Think about how much experience you want your movers to have. Sure, the new company might offer lower rates, but you have to consider what you might be giving up in professionalism and quality should you go with less experienced movers.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT MOVING COMPANY
Moving this year? Hiring a moving company starts with knowing what to look for and which questions to ask. After all, you’re trusting people you don’t know with your most precious items during one of the most stressful experiences of your life! It’s important to do your research so you’re sure to hire the best moving company for your needs
START EARLY
Moving day is stressful enough without scrambling to find a moving company at the eleventh hour. Start your research early so you have plenty of time to compare companies and estimates. As a rule of thumb, if a moving company is available at the last minute, it’s probably for a reason.
READ REVIEWS — LOTS OF THEM!
Online reviews and word-of-mouth are the best place to start when choosing a moving company. Ask friends and colleagues for recommendations, and read reviews on trusted sites like Yelp, Google and the Better Business Bureau. Reviews provide a reliable, unbiased look at a company’s level of service in action.
FIND EXPERTS IN WHATEVER YOU NEED TO MOVE
You don’t want just anyone transporting your precious baby grand. If you have speciality items — like pianos, gym equipment, or pool tables — find a moving company with experts who know how to handle them properly. Usually companies will list this information on their website, but reviews are also a great place to look
GET ESTIMATES
Once you’ve compiled your shortlist of moving companies, it’s time to get estimates. As a golden rule, if a moving company doesn’t give you an on-site estimate, you shouldn’t hire them! If possible, get at least three in-person estimates before committing. This way, you’ll have sufficient options to consider when making your final choice.
steps to choosing the right movers
You want your stuff in the right hands
Many consider moving to be one of life’s most stressful and least fun events, especially the actual process of getting all your stuff from point A to point B. Once you’ve made the big decision to pull up stakes and then figure out all those important details such as where you’ll work, where you’ll live and where the kids will go to school, choosing a mover may just be an afterthought.
Can I see your license?
A moving company’s licenses and other requirements will differ depending on whether you are moving within your state or to another, notes David Hauenstein, a vice president with the trade group the American Moving and Storage Association, or AMSA.
Go local or go national?
While a national moving company is best for an interstate move, stick with a local business for a move that’s across town or anywhere within your state, says Laurie Lamoureux, founder of Seamless Moves, a moving services company based in Bellevue, Wash.
Do some detective work
Make sure you check government and independent sources — not just the mover’s website — to verify licenses and references, says Hauenstein. While the mover may boldly claim on its website to have the right credentials, that may not be the case. “We find instances of movers using the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and AMSA logo, but they aren’t members,” he says.
Get an estimate, and get it in writing
You should get estimates from more than one moving company, says Lamoureux. And make sure those estimates include everything in your home you want moved.
How to Choose a Mover
Moving Doesn’t Have to Be Stressful
Yes, moving can be complicated, but, with a little research and planning, you can avoid moving scams and eliminate much of the stress associated with a long-distance move
Talk to Friends
A good moving company is going to have happy customers eager to share an opinion. Look to social media or ask friends if they have had positive experiences with any moving companies.
Find a Trusted Advisor
Talk to local real estate agents or home improvement contractors who work with movers every day. They can offer a professional perspective.
Dust off the Yellow Pages
It is important to recognize that not all moving company websites represent legitimate moving companies. Your local phone book can help you find established moving companies with actual physical addresses and real brick and mortar offices
Check Business Credentials
Once you’ve made a list of prospective movers, contact each company and get their full legal name and ‘doing business as’ (DBA) names, the number of years in business, DOT and MC license numbers. With credentials in hand, you can reference FMCSA resources like protectyourmove.gov or SaferSys.org to see if a mover is federally licensed.
How to Choose a Moving Company
Stress is the first of these dreadful words. However, not only will you have to wear noise-canceling headphones all the time to avoid hearing it, but you’ll also need to stay away from your computer as every other move-related article on the Internet now assures you just how stressful moving is.
Chaos is another word you’ll hope to not hear while you’re getting ready to move out. Nevertheless, unless you introduce a good level of organization and order with the help of a personal moving checklist, the concept of controlled chaos will probably find its way into your head.
Nightmare is a word you’d never want to hear in relation to your upcoming house move. Waking up from a senseless nightmarish dream is no fun at all, but going through a living nightmare during the already stress- and chaos-filled days of hectic pre-move preparation is something entirely different.
Still, if you’re not careful enough, you may end up choosing a bad moving company as your professional partner, and as a result – get yourself into a nightmare-like relocation experience. And since you definitely don’t want that to happen (trust us on this one), you will need to know not only how to choose a moving company, but also how to choose the right moving company for your move.