The process of moving house can prove to be a tough period filled with puzzling situations and seemingly unsolvable dilemmas.
Usually, it’s the lack of a good plan that can make things even more complicated than they need to be in the first place. The uncertainty of what to do next, combined with move-related inexperience, are usually the major reasons for people to feel really stressed out and possibly to make costly mistakes down the road.
If you happen to be moving soon, underestimation can be your greatest enemy – thinking that you can manage the move on your own until you finally realize that that particular task is way over your head.
Ultimately, you may also realize that you’ve wasted valuable time reassuring yourself that you’ve got the situation under control. And now, for a change, it’ll cost you twice the efforts to make up for the lost hours, days, or possibly even weeks.
You need to find the best movers near you, and you need to find them right now. The success of your move is now dependent on how fast you manage to secure a top-rated and affordable moving company to help you transport all your household items to another home.
Do you really need to hire the best local movers near you?
If you’re hesitant whether you need to hire professional moving services near you, then the following brief checklist will help you decide what’s best for you, your family, and your prized possessions.
Are you moving to another city in the same state? If yes, then pay attention to the move distance – when it exceeds 100 miles, you will most likely need professional movers.
Are you moving to another state? If yes, then you’d be better off hiring an interstate moving company with years of experience and a solid reputation.
Are you moving coast to coast? If yes, then you will definitely need to contact an experienced coast-to-coast mover.
Do you own expensive and valuable household items such as antique furniture? If yes, then nobody will take better care of your high-value items than a team of well-trained packers and movers.
Is your home full of specialty items such as a piano or a pool table? If yes, then, instead of endangering your health and damaging your property with a risky self-move, you should be asking yourself, Are there specialty piano movers near me? And what about pool table movers near me?
Does it seem unlikely that your friends will help you move? If yes, then it seems like you’re out of good options because no residential move is meant to be a one-man affair.
Is this the very first time you’re moving house? If yes, then you’d better do the sensible thing and have professional movers near you do what they do best. It’s good to know that insufficient moving experience on your part could ruin your chances of having a smooth and stress-free relocation during a transitional period where elevated levels of stress are definitely not welcome.
Hire Movers or Move by Yourself?
How to find the best movers near you
One thing is certain – there are great furniture movers near your location but before you can take advantage of their excellent services, you will have to find who those professionals are.
Some moving companies are good, others are much better, and then come the top-rated moving companies that continuously do an outstanding job for their valued customers.
Regrettably, there are also some not-so-great movers in the mix – moving companies that often use dishonest methods to secure moving jobs and can go as far as cheating their potential clients. The worst of them, also known as rogue movers, could definitely turn a household move into a nightmare.
Step 1. Get recommendations you can trust
Without a doubt, one of the best ways to secure top-rated moving companies near you is to get recommendations about great movers from people you can actually trust.
Don’t hesitate to ask friends, neighbors, and colleagues if any of them has used a good moving company lately. The reason this method of finding the best movers in your area works well is that your friends won’t gain anything from lying to you or deceiving you in any way.
In fact, you will soon find out that when it comes to professional moving services, your pals can be brutally honest and will urge you to stay away from a bad mover they’ve used or recommend strongly a moving company they’ve worked with recently.
But how do you get the movers’ recommendations you so desperately need? It’s simple: use your preferred social network and ask your friends there is they can honestly recommend a good mover to you.
Bear in mind that this initial step of gathering valuable information will present you with more house moving options and can actually help you locate the best local movers near you who will work just fine for you.
Step 2. Have your moving price estimated
Going with recommended movers is always the easiest way to secure top-rated moving services. However, if none of your pals can come up with a good moving company in the area, then you’re going to have to find one yourself.
The first step is to get cost estimates from various top-rated movers near you. This is a crucial stage because you do need to know how much local movers in your area will charge you for the upcoming house move. But how exactly are you supposed to get in touch with such reputable moving companies?
It’s easier than you think – simply use our Moving Cost Calculator to get the best-rated movers near you to contact you for moving cost estimation. That’s right – you need to have accurate price estimates in front of you so that the house moving picture can get a bit clearer.
Step 3. Request home surveys from movers
Before you can compare the estimates you have received from the top-rated moving companies near you, you need to have those quotes in your hands first, right?
To get accurate quotes that will best reflect what you pay in the end, request that the moving experts visit your home in person in order to assess the situation and quote you an accurate price. Under normal circumstances, you shouldn’t agree to online estimates or estimates done over the phone because their accuracy is highly questionable.
The moving company representatives will be able to take a closer look at all the things you want to move to the new home. Also, they will look for any possible moving day obstacles and difficulties such as tight corners, narrow corridors, small doorways, or multiple flights of stairs.
Once the home survey is over, you should have your binding estimates with all the details you need to make an informed decision.
Step 4. Compare movers’ reputation
In most cases, you will end up with 2-3 moving cost estimates supplied to you by the best-rated movers near you. Now your priority task is to pick the offer that’s best for you and your family in terms of price and conditions. How do you do it?
Compare the movers who have visited your home in person and have issued you with binding cost estimates. Check out what genuine customer reviews have to say about the best movers in your area. Access trustworthy websites such as MyMovingReviews.com and Yelp.com to read consumer reviews and compare the overall ratings of local or interstate movers.
Online reputation is built up by satisfied or dissatisfied customers so it should, in most cases, be a good indicator of what you are to expect if you choose one specific mover over another one.
Read on to learn other must-do ways to compare movers so that you pick the best moving company for you.
5 Foolproof Ways to Compare Moving Companies
How to analyze and compare movers near you
You have successfully connected with the best furniture movers in your area but now comes the bit trickier part – which of the few moving companies to select as your partner.
You should always try to pay as little as possible for your move so that the low-cost bids supplied to you by the cheapest movers near you will inevitably look more attractive. However, be warned that you shouldn’t base your choice on the price alone as there are other factors that might hurt your budget unexpectedly.
Your mission is to analyze and compare the moving quotes you have now in your hands.
Step 1. Check their legal status
If you don’t have any special recommendations or references concerning any of the movers you are now reviewing, then it’s time to learn more about them by doing a little research.
Visit the official page of the regulatory body of all interstate moving companies (U.S. Department of Transportation) and check the movers’ legal status there. They must be properly licensed to operate by the Department of Transportation (their USDOT number is the proof for that) and must be adequately insured as well.
Step 2. Read customer reviews
As mentioned above, taking the time to read customer reviews about the movers you’re thinking about hiring will give you a general idea of what their online reputation is.
In addition to checking trustworthy moving reviews websites such as MyMovingReviews and Yelp, you are advised to also take a look at the movers’ BBB ratings. Good ratings from the Better Business Bureau will give you extra peace of mind that you are leaving your possessions in abled hands.
Step 3. Compare the quotes
Provided that the residential moving companies near you have passed the background check with flying colors, it’s time for you to concentrate on the actual written estimates you got.
The things to be cautious about are exactly what moving services you will receive and what their respective rates will be. For example, packing is the extra service that will make a huge difference in the end, including the potential price of the required packing materials. Do take your time to compare the quotes and refrain from making hasty decisions based purely on intuition.
Again, don’t just look at the bottom price alone but take into account every aspect of the relocation offer. In other words, see what exactly you are getting in exchange for your hard-earned money. Are there any add-on services included, and if yes, what are they?
Protect Your Move: Smart Ways To Avoid Moving Scams
Step 4. Follow the crystal clear approach
The final step before you say YES to an offer made by a house mover near you is to double-check if you understand everything that is laid out in the binding estimates.
If you happen to come across something that you’re not sure you comprehend, then don’t hesitate to contact the corresponding company and ask for clarification. It can be anything – from a vague clause to fine print that is too fine to read. How could you entrust all your valuable items to a moving company if you don’t even understand completely their relocation offer?
Once you’re 100% sure that you have managed to find the best moving company near you (thanks to the moving tips above, of course), it’s time to hire their services. This is actually the sweetest moment of your house move because you just know how much work, effort, and headaches the pros will save you during the relocation process. And besides, it feels great to know you’ve done your homework right and things will be just fine.
Additional Moving Services: What You Must Know
Step 5. Book the movers ASAP
Choosing the best-rated movers near you should guarantee you a problem-free move from start to finish. If you opt to pay for the professional packing service offered by a full-service mover as well, then you won’t need to lift a finger at all as the pros will take care of everything for you.
One thing you may not realize, however, is that the moment you pick a great moving company near you, you should book their services right away for a number of reasons:
The sooner you book a top-rated mover, the higher your chances are of securing their quality services. This is especially true during the height of the moving season (May-September);
Your movers may give you a discount from the price for early booking which is always a welcoming bonus, particularly when you’re moving on a tight budget;
The sooner you book top-rated professional moving services, the sooner you will be able to check that essential task as marked, thus concentrating on other equally important pre-move tasks.
Good luck with your move!
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