Moving to a new home can quickly become a nuisance. Between packing your (seemingly) endless amount of items you into not nearly enough boxes, wrapping your dishes five times over, and keeping track of the chaos that has become your house, it turns into a fairly stressful project. Fortunately, moving companies exist solely to take a bit of that load off of your shoulders. If you are new to the concept of hiring a moving company, the whole process could very easily become overwhelming for you. So, here are a few things you should always keep in mind when considering hiring a moving company.
When you plan on contracting a moving company, you should always do your research beforehand. The resources are out there; make sure you are getting everything you’ll be paying for. A worthwhile moving company has trained staff, registration under the US DOT (Department of Transportation), and offers mover’s insurance. If one of these is missing, scratch that company off of your list. Customer reviews are also a key to getting a good look at a potential mover. Some great sites with customer reviews to look at are Relocation, Moving Company Reviews, and Angie’s List, to name a few.
Once you’ve done some decent research and narrowed down your options, contact a few companies and request an in-home quote. Never accept a quote over the phone, as it is near impossible for it to be an accurate estimate for the cost of your move. Having an in-home quote allows movers to gauge the weight of your items, amount of staff they’ll need, and necessary truck size. All of these areas factor into your total cost; multiple quotes allows for the most accurate estimate.
After reviewing your quotes and weighing out your options, you should have one moving company in mind. Before you let them carry away all of your things, be sure to request a written agreement that defines the estimate, any relevant shipping information, and other details that are necessary for your move. A written agreement gives you security, in the sense that you won’t be overcharged once all your belongings have already been transferred.
As everything is loaded on the truck and ready to go, take it upon yourself to grab the movers’ phone number(s), in case you need to reach them during the move. If the company you’re using offers web tracking, make sure you know how to access that. Keeping contact with your movers becomes of great convenience in case any problems arise during the move.
After everything’s arrived at its new location, take a look at all of your belongings; make sure that there has been no serious damage to anything. Be sure to thank your movers, as well. Once everything’s been unloaded from the truck, review the written agreement you have with the company and tie up any loose ends, particularly in regards to payment. When everything is all taken care of, and the movers have cleared out, you’ve officially had a successful move.
