thumbtack.comMOVERS AND PACKERS
Moving is not just one event, but a series of decisions and events over a period of time, and it can get stressful if you let it. The logistical and financial decisions can pile on top of each other all while you’re also handling your home sale, find a new apartment, working, and handling all of life’s other obligations.
The Following are the Important factors to consider :
Move Type
There are three main types of moves you can choose from: full service, self-service, and truck-rental A full service move leaves nearly all of the work to the moving company. They’ll bring their truck to your current home, and they will pack up and load your belongings (if you want to pack any fragile items yourself, they’ll often let you do so). A self-service move will bring a driver and truck to your home while you do the packing and loading. Once that’s complete they’ll hit the road with your belongings to your new home.
A truck rental is arranged with either one of our partner companies or a local truck rental company of your choice. You pick up the truck from the rental agency, load it up, drive it to your new home, and then return it to a specified lot nearby. Note that truck rentals will often have some extra charges added if you are moving to a new city versus just in-town.
Destination
Every move is classified in one of three ways: a local move, long distance move, or an international move. A local move is any move that is completed within the same state lines as your old home. Even if you’ve traveled to another city in the opposite corner of your current state, that’s still a local move. On the other hand, a long distance move is any move that crosses state lines, even if that means you’re only moving an hour away across the state border.
On top of the added distance, long distance moves tend to be more expensive and logistically challenging because of the extra licensing and insurance regulations movers must fulfill. You can probably guess that an international move will be the most challenging of the three kinds of moves. Not only will your movers need even more special licensing, you’ll also deal with the logistics and regulations of getting your belongings across international borders and even overseas, depending on the new country you’ll be moving to.
Size of Your Home
You’ll be able to determine the size of truck and the amount of labor needed during a move by the size of your home. We recommend to all customers renting a truck to reserve one that is at least 10 percent bigger than what you estimate in order to accommodate extra belongings or furniture and boxes that don’t neatly fill space. Most companies rent out trucks starting at 10′ in size for a studio or one bedroom apartment and additional sizes at 14′, 17′, 24′, and all the way up to 26′ for homes larger than four bedrooms or with extra furniture. In addition to a truck rental, it may be necessary to purchase boxes for your move if you don’t have enough already around your home. When packing, we recommend using a variety of box sizes. This will allow you to pack fragile items more compactly to minimize the risk of damage.
The following are the tips for the homeowners in their quest to get accurate in-home estimates from their movers of choice.
Once you’ve narrowed your selection of movers to consider, call and schedule the appointments.
a) Try to do all of them on the same day, spaced 2 hours apart.
An estimate normally takes about an hour. Moving is a big event, and taking this time out of your normal schedule to interview movers is time well spent. Getting them done on the same day keeps all discussions fresh in your mind. Use the time between appointments to make notes.
b) If possible, have your spouse take part in the process.
If not possible, have the same spouse interview all the movers. Too often, each has different opinions on what is to be moved. I’ve actually gone back for a second walk through with the spouse now present and the inventory looks nothing like the first. Actually, I have a rule when doing a walk through with couples if one of them wants it, it’s already on the list.
c) Be clear and consistent during the walk through.
Include attics, garages, basements and include any unseen items that will there on load day. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told that nothing is being moved from the basement, and when I insist on seeing it, there are items that would have been overlooked. “Oh yeah, that freezer’s coming, and so is the workbench.” It is also many movers’ policy to require the estimator to make a list of items not being moved, on a room by room basis.
Please avoid the word “going” when showing us the items to be moved. This term can mean going away (not being moved), or going to the new house (to be moved). It’s actually pretty common for a client to use this word through the survey and mean both! Consider “taking” and “leaving”, or simply “yes” and “no”. Be sure to ask for your copy of the inventory from each company, and check it for accuracy.
d) Be sure to ask any and all questions that you may have.
Remember that this is not just price harvesting, but an interview with a company that you may be trusting to move all of your life’s possessions. While most reputable movers have similar pricing, it’s the little things that might help you to decide which one is right one for you.
e) Discuss your anticipated dates for loading and unloading
Often, price and dates go together. If you’re looking for the best price, be prepared to be flexible with dates. If you’re looking for guaranteed dates on a small load, be prepared to pay a little more for that quick turnaround.
f) Ask for a packing and unpacking estimate.
Even if you are planning to do your own packing, you’ll get a list of the number and size of the cartons you’ll need from each estimator. You might view the cost as a good value, and ask the movers to do it. Or, you might view it as expensive, and you’ll know how much you’re saving by packing yourself. Tip: If you decide to let the movers pack, use your spare time to purge the things you don’t want at your new home. Less weight = less shipping cost. Also, the movers will pack everything they see. Fewer boxes = less packing cost. I’m sure the other pros here have some tips of their own to offer as well, but I promised myself I’d post this in an effort to help those good consumers who are taking the right steps to securing a reputable mover to handle their next move.
