Moving into a new home is not only physically stressful but also emotionally draining especially if you’ve children, pet and a ton of household items. You need everything to work as planned and the only way to achieve your objective is by hiring a professional removalist company.

However, event though most professional companies are reputable, you need to follow the right steps to avoid being scammed or exploited. This article will help you find the right mover when planning to move into a new home.

With numerous companies offering moving services, it is easy for you to fall prey when choosing a moving company. You need to be very cautious when making a decision. The first step to hiring the right moving company is thorough searching and then narrowing down your choices.

You need to search through different platforms while listing down the companies interested in and then you start omitting them one by one. Here are three options on how you can start your search:

1. Through internet search

Internet searches are very resourceful. It is possible to search by your location, specialization, cost ranges among other factors. It is convenient and fast to most people especially if you’ve limited time. You can search through social media accounts and websites.

Here, you can get local movers, their quotes and even compare the type of services they are offering to see if they suit what you are looking for. However, no matter how convincing you might get with the interaction, you need to consider other factors before hiring the moving company.

2. Verbal recommendations

Getting verbal recommendations especially from people whom you can trust e.g. neighbors, friends, co-workers and family members who have moved recently could be another source of information. Most people will recommend you to reputable moving companies although you will have to take your time and determine whether you will hire them.

3. Customer reviews

While still searching, getting reviews and testimonials from previous clients is also vital in your decision making. It will help you have a rough idea of what to expect from the moving company, whether to go ahead and hire it or do away with it.

With all the research, you will need to get at least three three in your area that you can hire. From the three, you will have to assess the pros and cons of hiring each and end up with just one mover. You will have to consider other factors such as experience, licensing and insurance cover to remain with the three moving companies. Check the credentials of each company and check if they have a positive reputation online.

In addition, their estimated moving cost should also be a factor when making a decision. When considering the cost of moving, the most expensive mover does not always guarantee quality services and vice versa. Therefore, don’t make your final decision basing on the cost of moving.

Common moving services

You can get the following services from professional movers:

Packing services

Some companies offer packing services to homeowners. This is crucial if you’ve never moved before and you don’t know how to go about it.

Professional movers are skilled and experienced to economize on available space while still prioritizing the safety of your goods to avoid any damages. However, packing services are additional services and hence you will have to pay an extra fee.

Boxes

If you cannot be able to purchase packing boxes maybe due to limited time or you don’t know where to get them, you can buy them from your moving company.

Packing supplies

To pack your goods safely, you need packing supplies e.g. packing tape, paper, ropes or moving blankets. You can get these supplies from your moving company with ease

Stair carries

If you were living or planning to move into an apartment or a condo which has stairs, you will have to pay an extra fee for stair carries where the movers will help you carry your household items up and down the stairs.

Since the cost may vary with companies, you need to have a written agreement with the moving company to avoid disagreements over the pay.

Long carries

Long carries applies when you’ve to make a long walk from the front door of your home to the moving truck when loading or unloading your items.

This is common when the truck is too big to enter into the premises or when you cannot obtain a permit for the moving truck to be packed inside the premises. You will have to pay an extra fee for the labor during long carries.

TV crates

There are specialty TV crates which you can buy for the safety of your TV. Since these TV crates may be hard to find, you can have them delivered by the moving company while packing your items.

Auto transport services

If you own several automobiles, you may also require auto transport services to handle your vehicle(s). Since not every moving company offers this service, you will have to inquire beforehand.

In fact, if you get a removals company offering auto transport services, you may even consider it moving your household items to negotiate a better deal and have peace of mind as your items will be moved by a single company. You just need to choose the right moving company.

After getting everything you need, it’s time to get estimates from the moving companies. Being knowledgeable about moving estimate process is very crucial because you will be able to ask questions and negotiate to get an affordable estimate. Ideally, you will get 3 types of estimates: binding, non-binding and binding not to exceed estimates.

Non- binding estimates are the most common types of estimates given by moving companies. However, binding not to exceed estimates are the most ideal type of estimates to customers because they limit the moving company from charging you more than what the original estimate had stated.

You are therefore protected as a homeowner even though there are variables which may take place during transit.

Never agree on a phone estimate because it can change at any time. In person estimates are the best because the estimator will come into your home and assess all your belongings prior to moving. These estimates are not prone to changing as the estimator has made a personal assessment.

When you get estimates over phone, you may forget to include other household items or describe them wrongly and when packing or loading the estimate change abruptly due to labor needed or even time.

When getting the estimate, ask any questions you may have, get clarifications and have everything in writing. Visit our homepage for more information.