Movers and Moving Companies

Let's face it- professional movers make all the difference in whether your move becomes a success or a nightmare. And when you spend between $1,000 to more than $25,000 on their services, you want to make certain you chose the right moving company. Here are just a few of our best tips on finding the perfect movers for your upcoming relocation:

1. Only hire the best- If you choose to hire professional movers, do your research and hire good ones. Poor quality movers really can be worse than none at all. Make sure you've done your part in checkling out the backgrounds of the people who will have access to all your worldly possessions. :-)

2. Referrals- Get referrals from friends, family and coworkers who have moved recently. If that doesn't help, put in a call to your local real estate office. Top realtors have helped hundreds move, so they're an outstanding resource.

3. Licensing- Only consider movers that are licensed, bonded and insured. Ask them to provide written documentation (ok, I guess all documentation is written, but you get the idea). If you start getting the run-around, move on.

4. Research- Investigate your potential movers through the U.S. Department of Transportation (http://www.ProtectYourMove.org) and the Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.org). While you can't expect any large moving company to never have a complaint, pay special attention to details on how complaints have been handled and how many have occurred in the past 6 months.

5. Estimates- Evaluate a minimum of 3 movers based on in-home estimates of goods to be moved. Estimates given over the internet or over the phone are extremely convenient- and not terribly useful. If you haven't had a human being taking actual stock of what you're moving, the estimate you receive is no more than an educated guess.

6. Price- Price isn't the only factor- extremely low bids indicate a desperate mover.

7. Estimates, Part 2- Ask for written "Binding Not-To-Exceed" estimates. These are the only types of estimates to protect you from a surprise amount being tacked onto your bill at the last moment- when all your belongings are "hostages" onboard the moving truck.

8. Avoid "rogue movers"- if you feel uncomfortable, trust your instincts! Never agree to move your possessions with anyone you don’t trust.

9. Ask for references. It still amazes me that people will trust everything they own to people they just met without finding out how other people have fared. I would ask for at least 3 references from people they moved in the past month. If they can't come up with names and contact information, I would ask why.

I hope these tips will get out off to the right start in finding your ideal movers.