Hiring a moving company

Basics of hiring a professional moving company

There are two major benefits to hiring professional movers – one, they save you time and energy. Not only you, but whoever else you were going to enlist to help you move. Secondly, you get professional, experienced individuals (hopefully) who move heavy, awkward pieces of furniture and objects on a daily basis. Your cousin is much more likely to drop your brand new television than the movers.

The downside to hiring movers is the cost. You should expect to pay at least a few hundred dollars to move across town and over a thousand dollars when moving across state or country.

Finding a moving company

Ask family, friends, and coworkers for recommendations or warnings. You can also find moving companies online or through the phone book, but always try to go with the business that comes personally recommended. Once you have a few suggestions, check out the Better Business Bureau to see if anybody has filed complaints against them.

Questions to ask

Once you have a few clean-record moving companies lined up, contact them and get answers to some basic questions. These include:

• What time will the movers arrive? Will they give me a notice?
• What methods can I pay?
• When do I pay?
• Will the movers dissemble items at my current place and reassemble them at the new one?
• Are there any extra charges for strairs?
• What does your insurance cover? Do you offer additional insurance?

These questions should narrow down the field even more. Ask each remaining company for an estimate and find out how long it’s good for. Be cautious of any companies that have estimates considerably below the others. And finally, make sure you have any estimate in writing before entering into an agreement with a moving company