Step 1. The die is cast
You learn that you’re moving house soon, and that can be a piece of great news, or maybe it’s nothing but bad news for you.
You’re either very surprised or maybe you’re not particularly surprised by the upcoming move.
You’re either feeling downhearted to leave your friends and home behind, or you’re jumping with joy to be finally moving to a new home in a better city.
You’re either somewhat pessimistic about your foreseeable future, or you’re filled with hope and you can’t wait to start your post-relocation adventure.
Either way, the die is cast and now it’s up to you to make your own luck.
Pros and Cons of Moving to a New City
Step 2. Time management
You discover the power of a Moving Checklist.
Time management is crucial for the success of your stress-prone moving project. Your excellent choice to master your pre-move months, weeks, days, hours, and minutes will take you on a stress-free moving journey to your destination home.
Yes, the only way to achieve the desired level of time management is to create a moving calendar that meets your specific needs. Interested in learning the very first task in your personalized and prioritized moving checklist?
Moving task #1: Find a reputable moving company
Moving Timeline: Your Week-By-Week Moving Checklist
Step 3. Type of professional services
You stop for a moment and think about what it is exactly that you need. What kind of professional services are you looking for?
Professional packing?
Crating?
Hoisting services?
As soon as you define your needs and specify your requirements, you will know what type of movers will be best for you.
How far in advance to hire movers? As soon as you’ve managed to choose a reputable moving company, you are advised to hire their professional services and select an advantageous and beneficial move date.
How Far in Advance to Book Movers
Step 4. Go the distance
Distance! You realize that the distance between the two homes will play a major role when the moving price is estimated.
Needless to say, the longer the distance is, the higher the transportation costs are, and therefore the bigger the final relocation bill will be.
Are you moving just across the street? Moving across town? Is it a local move? A cross-state move? Moving across the country? Or is it a coast-to-coast move?
Coast to Coast Moving: Challenges, Costs, Tips, and More
Step 5. Specialized items
Since you’re planning on hiring the best moving company for you, you take a good look around your home and take notice of the amount and nature of the household items and personal possessions you have decided to take with you.
Will you need special packing and handling services?
Specialized items such as antique furniture, artwork, pool tables, pianos, and safes are definitely not to be handled by people with little or no experience. That’s right – such expensive and valuable items require the professional touch of specialty movers.
5 Specialty Items That Are Almost Impossible to Move Without Movers
Step 6. What’s best for your family
What you want from your relocation and what you need for your move become clearer and clearer. You think of what’s best for your family as a unit, especially for your children as the house move can prove a true challenge for them.
Hiring professional and experienced movers will not only give you extra time to pay attention to the people you love the most, but it will also give you the needed peace of mind knowing that your home, your possessions, and your family will be perfectly safe.
The Epic Family Moving Checklist: Family Relocation Timeline
Step 7. Research is the way to go
You realize the one and only truth when choosing a moving company – research. A little research will go a long way toward ensuring that your prized possessions fall into the hands of top-rated movers who will make sure your residential move is handled the best possible way from start to finish.
Knowing what to expect when you hire a moving company is crucial as it will help you select your professional partner with realistic moving day expectations.
Step 8. Let the hunt begin
Let the hunt for the best moving company begin now!
But where to find movers?
You lose yourself in thought and learn that the elusive answer to how to hire a reputable moving company is all about getting recommendations from reliable sources. And what’s a more trustworthy source than your good friends?
You decide to contact friends, colleagues, and neighbors who have recently moved house and ask them if they can honestly recommend the services of the moving companies they used. A simple yet effective tactical move.
How to Get Recommendations for Movers
Step 9. Moving reviews and ratings
The importance of choosing the right movers is not to be underestimated.
In order to single out the top-rated moving companies, or to verify the recommendations you have received (if any), you decide to check the online reputation of your future relocation partner.
Customer moving reviews and performance ratings are easily accessible and will help you determine which movers are the right ones for you, and which are not.
One of the things to know before hiring a moving company is that good movers understand the significance of online reputation, so customer reviews should prove to be pretty useful in your search.
Check Movers Reviews and Ratings
Step 10. Movers’ websites
The official websites of moving companies can tell you a lot about their professionalism (years of experience, credentials, number of moving trucks, and highly-trained personnel), services (types of services offered), and even customer care (contact information, useful blog sections).
In addition to listing all that practical information, movers’ websites should contain details about their license to operate – the so-called USDOT number.
Step 11. Legal status
USDOT numbers are issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) as proof that a moving company has fulfilled its strict requirements before it’s been licensed to transport household goods to another part of the country.
So, while trying to find a good moving company to take care of your move, look for the USDOT numbers on their respective websites as evidence of their legal status.
How to Check a USDOT Number: Why Is a DOT Number Lookup So Important?
Step 12. State Movers Associations
In your quest to research and find the best movers, a good idea is to check if the companies you are currently reviewing are members of the corresponding State Movers Associations.
Such membership is additional proof of the professionalism and trustworthiness of quality movers and will eliminate any doubts you may have about the legitimacy of your future partner.
Step 13. BBB accreditation
Find a reliable moving company to keep strong headaches away!
Another step in the right direction, and another level of safety when choosing a professional mover is to check whether the companies you have shortlisted have been accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
The BBB sets and maintains high standards for trust between consumers and businesses, and serves as an unbiased source to help people on the move select a BBB-accredited moving company that will be as safe and reliable as possible.
Recommendations, reviews, and ratings should help you shortlist a handful of good professional movers but soon the real question will be, Okay, which one?
For better or worse, you will have to be the one to find the right answer to this puzzling question. In other words, it’s time to contact the professional movers you have singled out and see for yourself what you’re dealing with.
Rest assured that it won’t be long before you can judge for yourself their individual levels of professionalism and reliability.
Step 15. Accurate price estimation
Our guide to hiring reliable movers continues with one issue that must be troubling you right this moment – the price of your move. It’s imperative that you know in advance how much your forthcoming relocation will roughly cost you as that move price often proves to be the deciding factor.
You need accurate price estimation, and you need it now. Contact your pre-selected movers and request on-site moving price estimates. Don’t agree to moving estimates done over the phone as they can never be as precise as you need them to be.
How to Estimate Moving Costs: Calculate the True Cost of Your Move
Step 16. Types of moving estimates
The importance of accurate price estimates can’t be stressed enough. To find reliable movers, you need to be aware that there are two types of moving estimates – binding and non-binding quotes.
Once the home survey you have requested is over, the movers are required to provide you with an estimate of the transportation costs and the charges for any additional moving services that are required to complete the job.
Step 17. Home survey concerns
The home survey is the perfect opportunity for you to voice over any concerns you may have about the move, as well as to point out all possible problems and obstacles your movers may have on moving day such as tight corners, steep or excessive number of stairs, claustrophobic elevators, narrow hallways, and so on.
Step 18. Proper moving insurance
In-home visits by moving experts are as much about estimating the moving price as they are about assessing the risks on Moving day or noting down any items that require special packing or handling.
If you own very expensive or valuable items, then speak with the moving companies’ specialist about purchasing proper moving insurance. Adequate insurance will bring down your stress level by assuring you that you’re covered if something bad happens to any of your prized possessions during transport.
Moving Insurance and Valuation Coverage: Types of Moving Insurance
Step 19. Dispute settlement policy
Moving house can be a rather chaotic and unpredictable time where bad things can happen in the blink of an eye. This is why, you should seriously consider purchasing adequate protection for your prized possessions as advised in the previous step.
Contact your candidate movers and request more information about their dispute settlement policy. After all, you need to know your post-move options if you are forced to file a complaint against your chosen mover for damaged or lost items.
How to File a Complaint Against a Moving Company
Step 20. All the hard questions
Selecting a reputable mover is all about knowing what to ask them, and maybe just a bit about knowing how to ask them.
In any case, you should not be afraid to address some essential questions toward your future professional company because the answers alone will tell you a lot about whether they are the right movers for you or not.
Be brave enough to ask the pros all the hard questions, for that bravery should pay off in the end.
30 Fundamental Questions to Ask When Hiring a Moving Company
Step 21. Your rights and responsibilities
If you’re facing a state-to-state residential move, your cross-country movers are required to give a copy of a booklet entitled Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move. That booklet contains important information to keep your move safe and to minimize the number of possible move-related mistakes.
You can download a digital copy of the handbook in a .PDF format from the website of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
Step 22. Price reduction techniques
One thing is clear – the price will be one of the deciding factors, if not the factor, while you’re trying to select a reputable household goods carrier for your relocation. Of all the tips for hiring a professional mover so far, take the advice to ask the companies for good ways to move for less money.
You’ve got nothing to lose here – ask for discounts, special deals, and ongoing promotions you may qualify as a new customer, a return customer, a college student, etc. Their reaction will show how much your future relocation partner is willing to work with you.
How to Cut Moving Costs: 15 Ways to Save Big
Step 23. Moving estimates comparison
One of the most important steps when selecting a moving company for your move is to review carefully and compare thoroughly the received estimates. This is the moment of truth that will determine how smooth or how bumpy the chosen moving path ahead of you will be.
Naturally, your first reaction will be to look at the price alone but that is the wrong tactic to choose a reliable moving company. Don’t forget to also take a long, hard look at the additional services offered and their rates.
How to Compare Moving Companies: Movers Comparison Chart
Step 24. Say NO! to moving fraud
Beware of moving scams!
Mind the fact that a moving estimate that is considerably lower than the rest could be a sign of dishonest movers (aka rogue movers) trying to hook you up through a low-ball estimate. Be extra careful in such cases and don’t let yourself get fooled by the temptation to pay less, for you might end up paying much more.
When selecting a mover, it’s imperative that you learn how to spot the red flags of moving fraud.
Step 25. Moving deposits
Most professional moving companies require deposits for reserving a moving date because it is a good way to show commitment from both parties. Deposit policies differ from mover to mover, so you need to know whether your deposit will be refundable or non-refundable, if any.
The amount of the moving deposit is a percentage of the total relocation price and will depend on the scale of the entire house move. As a rule of thumb, a moving company deposit is between 10-15% of the total price.
Step 26. Trust your intuition
Having reached Step 26 of hiring quality movers, you should already know the name of the best moving company for you.
However, if you still can’t seem to decide between two or maybe even three professional movers, then it’s best if you simply trust your intuition.
What is your sixth sense telling you?
Top 10 Emotions When Moving House: Search Your Feelings
Step 27. Decision time
For better or worse, it’s time to select your professional mover and trust them with your prized possessions. If you have followed closely this guide to hiring the best moving company, then you have (almost) nothing to worry about.
As soon as you know the name of your professional moving company, you’re advised to contact it immediately and book your moving date.
Step 28. Moving date considerations
You may not realize it right away, but the exact date you schedule your move on will play an important part in how your house move plays out.
In fact, there is a score of important things to consider when deciding on a moving date. And yet, your main interest and primary focus will probably be how to use your move-out date to lower the relocation price /follow the link below to learn that too/.
Important Things to Consider When Deciding On a Moving Date
Upon reserving your moving date, you should be given the basic move-related documents to sign and keep – the moving contract (aka Bill of Lading) and the Inventory Sheet of the household items you have for transportation.
Request your moving documentation in advance so that you have a chance to go through it, request clear answers if you fail to understand a clause from the contract, and be sure to keep all the documents and receipts safe – preferably in a special moving binder.
Step 30. Moving day!
Congratulations! Knowing how to choose the right moving company is no joke, and yet, you have done just that with flying colors.
Check with your movers roughly a week before Moving day to see if things are going according to plan. On Moving day, do your best to avoid serious moving day mistakes, welcome your movers into your home, and show the kind of respect and understanding that are characteristic of a good host.
What to Do on Moving Day: Moving Day Checklist
Step 31. We wish you the best of luck!
With all the good advice on choosing a moving company here, you should be mentally ready to face and overcome your move-related challenges.
Don’t lose your sense of humor. [#HumorMe]
Know what to do right after moving into your new home. [#MagicNumber21]
Know how to reward yourself after the move. [#IDeserveIt]
And most importantly, don’t become a victim of relocation depression. [#NoToDepression]
Step 31.5. Expert tips for hiring reputable movers
Did you pick the right mover with the help of genuine moving reviews? If yes, then you must realize how important and helpful those moving companies reviews can be.
Won’t you just rate the mover you just used, and thus help millions of future home movers? Thank you.
– Joshua Green
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I’m moving and need to find a moving company to help me. Thanks for the advice about getting moving insurance so that your valuables are protected. Another thing to do is to find a moving company that is certified.
Thanks for this information. This is my first time moving an entire house. I knew I would have to do some research but I had no idea of this level of detail.
I agree that time management is crucial for a stress-free move. You also said that it’s a good idea to make a moving calendar. I think it’s important to choose a moving company that also has a physical address and is in great standing with the BBB.
I agree that time management is crucial to the success of your stress-prone moving project. My sister will be moving to another city because of her husband’s job. My dad suggested having movers to help them and shared this article with them. It says that the only way to achieve the desired level of time-management is to create a moving calendar that meets your specific needs.
I totally agree with you in that it is important to take into account your needs when looking for a good moving company. It is important to remember that doing some research and comparing several companies can help you get the quality move you need. We are planning on moving to a new house and need to find a good moving company that knows how to move fine art like the one I have.
What I appreciated the most was when you said that hiring movers will not only provide a person with the time to focus on their family, it will also give them a sense of assurance knowing that their possessions, home, and family were safe. I guess that’s a good enough reason for me to consider hiring professional moving service for our house move. I recently found a job in LA, so my wife and I have decided to find a new house there and move. We’re moving by spring. Thanks.
I like how you suggest that we compare both prices and services of the moving companies we are considering. My husband and I have a new house across town, and we are wondering how to find the best business to help us with the moving process. We will definitely have to compare the prices and services between different businesses so that we can find the best all-around company.
I like how you say that you would want to consider how professional a moving service is. It would be good to consider this because it would show that they are experienced. My brother needs a moving service, so he’ll have to consider if they are experienced.
I’ve been looking for some movers, and I think that being able to get some tips would be good. I’m glad you talked about being able to pick a moving date, which I think would be smart. I’m going to have to look for a few different movers and see what we can find!
You make a great point when you say that you would want to research ratings and qualifications when choosing a mover. It would be smart to consider this because it would help ensure their expertise. My husband and I want to move across the country to be closer to his mom, so we’ll have to find a highly qualified moving service to help us out.
Thanks for the tip about finding out how far you are going when choosing a moving company. It would be smart to find someone who is comfortable moving that distance if you need them to be. My husband and I are looking to move across the country for his work, so we’ll have to find someone who is experienced with long distance relocation to help us out.
I agree that a good mover will help you manage your time better. Finding a professional to do the moving for you would really make it less stressful for you as well. My husband and I are looking for a moving service, so we’ll have to check their time management skills first.
Thank you for pointing out that a professional mover can help introduce a level of organization. My husband and I are moving and I really need some help getting everything done. I’ll have to look into finding the best movers in my area.
You make a great point that when searching for a moving company you should find out if they have good reviews from their previous customers because this would give me peace of mind that they provide quality services. My family is moving in a few weeks and we have three young children so we want to find a professional mover who can make the process smoother and less stressful for us. I will make sure that we choose a company with moving insurance because this way if any of our items are damaged during the move we will be reimbursed for them.
I love that you mentioned the importance of trusting your intuition. This is something that people are constantly lacking in themselves which is the confidence to pick the right company. My sister would love knowing this since she is moving soon and needs a residential long distance moving service to do it.
I liked what you said about reviews being easily accessible and that can help you to determine which moving company would be best. We’re thinking about hiring some movers to help us with our next move. We’ll be sure to check out some of these reviews so that we can narrow down our options.
I agree that you want to make sure to find a professional mover. This would help you ensure that they are going to do good work. My husband and I are looking for a moving service, so we’ll have to make sure they are professional.
I like how you said that your first task when it comes to choosing a moving service is to find one that is reputable. I think that this would be an indication that the company has your best interests at heart because if they’ve done good work in the community in the past, they’re more likely to do their best work during your move as well. My husband and I are looking to move in a few weeks, and we’re worried about losing or breaking our belongings on the way. We’ll have to find a reputable residential moving service in our area that we can trust to take good care of our valuables so they arrive safely in our new home.
Before choosing any moving companies in Toronto you should do some hard work like research as it is the best way to find the good company in which you can trust easily and flawlessly and you should check the reviews of the particular moving company which you have to choose and check its review on the internet.
I appreciate your tips for choosing a moving company. We’re moving this year, so I know we’ll need some help. I’ll take your advice and choose the right type of moving service. I hadn’t thought about that.
I like how you mentioned that one should consider hiring professional moving services, as they can help decrease stress. One of my friends really needs to move out of her parents’ house, as her parents are really abusive. Of course, I’ll help her move, but these tips could help her as well.
You make a good point when you suggest determining how far you are moving before choosing a service. It would make sense to find someone who regularly deals with the type of moves that you need. My husband and I are looking for a moving service, so we’ll have to consider how far we’re going first.
I really appreciate your tip to focus on the organization of your packaging so you can avoid chaos in your move. My wife and I have been thinking of getting a new house that is closer to her parents, and we want to make sure that we are organized during the move. I will be sure to tell my wife that we should try and find a moving company to help us focus on our organization!
Thanks for the tip about finding out who the best mover for you is. It would make sense to find someone who is qualified and experienced as well. My husband and I are looking for a moving service, so we’ll have to check their qualifications first.
Thanks for the tip to look up moving reviews and ratings when choosing a company. My sister will be moving this summer, so I’m helping her find a moving company. We’ll have to start looking now so we can find and book a company with really good reviews.
Thanks for pointing out that there are both binding and nonbinding quotes, so the importance of understanding the difference can’t be stressed enough. My husband and I have a baby on the way and want to move to a larger home. Your tips should be really helpful as we start looking for movers.
Thank for these tips on how to find a good moving service. It would make sense to find somewhere that will help you manage your time better. My husband and I are looking for a moving service, so we’ll have to check their qualifications first.
Thanks for these tips on how to find a good moving service. I agree that you want to consider what kind of work they have done in the past in order to know they will do good work with you. My husband and I are looking for a moving service, so we’ll have to check their past work first.
My family is moving soon, and your article had great tips for choosing a service that could help us disassemble and move furniture to the new house. I liked how you said to visit the website of a potential hire and to check if they’re experienced, credited, and trained. Thanks; we’ll keep this in mind when hiring a furniture moving service.
Thank you for explaining that on websites I can find their professionalism, services, and customer care. My wife and I are moving in a month or two and we don’t live near family or friends, which will make it more difficult to move. We’ll have to use these tips to find a good residential mover.
Thanks for these tips on how to find a good moving service. It would make sense to consider if they are good at time management, as you suggest. My husband and I are looking for an office moving service, so we’ll have to check their qualifications first.
Thanks for these tips on how to find a good moving service. I agree that you want to check their qualifications first. My husband and I are looking for someone to help us move, so we’ll have to check their qualifications first.
Thanks for these tips on how to find a good mover. It would make sense to check how they manage their time. My husband and I are looking for a moving service, so we’ll have to check their qualifications first.
I like the tip that you gave to choose a moving service that has positive reviews. My wife and I have been talking about finding a moving service to help us if we decide to move this summer, and it would be important for us to know that we could find one who we could trust in. If we choose to find a moving service, I will be sure to look for one who has positive reviews.
I like the tip that you gave to choose a moving service that has the proper accreditation. My wife and I have been talking about moving this fall. If we do, I will be sure to check the accreditation of a moving service before we hire them.
Thank you for explaining how to choose a moving company. We are needing help moving soon. We will keep this information in mind as we search for a moving company.
My brother and his family are going to move to a new home and they want to make sure that everything is in order. It was explained here that he should hire a reliable mover that will help them move their things efficiently. Moreover, it’s recommended to hire professionals when in need of quality residential moving services.
Thank you for your tip to ask about purchasing proper moving insurance. I have been considering moving across state lines but I have a lot of valuable items in my home. I will make sure to keep this tip in mind for when I do move.
I like the tip that you gave to choose a moving service that is properly insured. My wife and I might decide to move to a home that will be closer to her parents because they need extra help with taking care of themselves, and it would be important for us to know that we could trust in who we would choose to help us move. If we decide to find a moving service, I will be sure to look for one that is properly insured.
I liked that you mentioned time management is an important part of your moving process. My brother is thinking about moving to another city due to his work, and we are looking for advice. I will recommend him to manage his time to make sure his moving goes according to plan.
My brother is moving into a new area and wants to make sure that he can get all of his stuff moved in safely. He has a lot of older more fragile objects and wants to make sure that they there safely and it could be nice for him to get them moved by a professional. I’ll be sure to tell him that he should ask friends and family if they know any good services or companies.
A friend of mine is getting ready to move, and we were curious about how you would choose the right company to help him move. I really like that you say to look at their time management. It would be nice to know that you will have help getting everything out.
I loved the tip to choose a mover with the proper insurance. We want to move out of state this winter. I will be sure to look for a mover who is insured.
My husband and I are going to move to our newly built house and we’re still looking for a mover. I’ll keep in mind to check our items and determine whether special packing and handling services are necessary. I hope I’ll be able to find a reliable and moving company immediately.
Thanks for mentioning that a critical component to the already stressful moving processing is time management. My wife and I are thinking of hiring moving specialists because we’re contemplating relocating to a city that has more job growth for our careers. It seems like a good idea to consider hiring reputable professionals that can help transport our belongings so that the relocation process isn’t that stressful.
You made a good point when you said I should hire a moving company with proper moving insurance, especially if I am moving expensive or valuable items. I plan to hire a moving company to transport antique furniture from our ancestral home, so this is a good tip for me. I’ll definitely look for a moving company with proper moving insurance to give me peace of mind. Thanks.
My daughter has been looking for services that might be able to assist her as she prepares to move into her new residences. It’s good that you pointed out how easily accessible customer moving reviews and performance ratings are. You can then decide if they are appropriate for your moving requirements. Knowing the mover’s history before employing them does make sense. I’ll be sure to let my daughter know about this so she may keep it in mind when searching for moving assistance.