How much does it cost to hire movers?

You are about to move to another home but you don’t really know what to expect in terms of pricing?

This can be really frustrating because when you are unsure about the cost to hire professional movers, you won’t be able to set up your moving budget accordingly.

Even worse, you don’t even know if the money you have saved up will be sufficient to cover the inevitable moving expenses.

There are just too many unanswered questions in your head that won’t let you focus on the myriad of moving tasks ahead of you.

How much does it cost to hire movers?

What is cheap and what is expensive?

You do need a good comparison base in order to know what your viable options are when seeking professional moving assistance. Moving companies provide free moving quotes, but what does the final amount tell you?

How much do movers charge?

Your house move falls into one of the two main pricing categories – Local Movers or Interstate Movers.

Read on to learn the estimated cost to hire movers so that you are better prepared for the financial aspect of your upcoming residential move.

Understand how the moving price is formed and you’ll be able to save big on your move.

How much does it cost to hire movers for a local move?

Local movers charge by the hour – this is the very first thing you need to remember when you’re moving locally.

But what does that mean for you and your budget? It means that the price estimate you receive from local moving companies should be based on an hourly cost and estimated hours to complete the move.

The average cost to hire movers for a local move is $60 per hour per mover but the precise hourly charge will depend on your exact location in the country, the season and day of the month you’re moving home, and the local moving company you’ve decided to use.

• 2 men and a truck. For hiring 2 men and a moving truck, you should expect to be charged from $90 per hour to $120 per hour. As mentioned above, the exact date of your move will have a considerable influence over the professional local movers’ rates. Move-out dates at the beginning and end of the month, especially during the summer, are more expensive.
• Studio apartment. How much does it cost to hire movers locally? Moving out of a studio apartment should take 2 movers about 4-5 hours to complete the job, which means it’ll cost you approximately $480 – $600 on average without extra services.
• 1-bedroom. When moving out of a 1-bedroom apartment, local movers should charge you about $480 – $600 on average for the work of 2 professional movers for the duration of 4-5 hours.
• 2-bedroom. When moving out of a 2-bedroom home, you should be ready to shell out more money. Let’s assume that 3 movers work for 5-6 hours to pack up and load your household items. Then, you should be ready to pay roughly $900 – $1,080 for the job, with no extra services included.
• 3-bedroom. When moving out of a 3-bedroom home and moving locally, you should expect to be charged around $1,680 – $2,160 for the work of 4 professional movers for 7-8 hours.

NOTE: Bear in mind that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, actual moving prices may be higher than the average moving costs mentioned above.

Sometimes local movers charge additional fees and you should ask in advance about those charges to make sure the estimate you get is as close to the final movers’ cost as possible. An example of such an extra charge is the travel fee – the time the movers require to get to your location and back to their base of operation. That fee is often charged as 1 additional hour of labor.

Most local movers will ask for a deposit when scheduling the move so that they can reserve the date for you. Contact your local moving company to learn more about their deposit policy.

Keep in mind that it’s important to know in advance how much local movers charge. Click here to get a free moving cost estimate by professional local movers.

How much does it cost to hire movers for a cross-country move?

Trying to calculate the long-distance moving cost on your own won’t really work.

As already mentioned above, the cost to hire movers in town and the cost to hire movers out of state will be rather different. And because of the numerous price factors that influence a house move across the country, it’s virtually impossible to calculate on your own the cost to hire movers for an interstate move.

Therefore, you will have to request cost estimates from various cross-country movers and get the company representatives to visit your home so that they can provide you with accurate moving quotes that will reflect the amount you will pay after your household items are delivered to the new home.

Nevertheless, for referential purposes, it can be useful to get familiar with the average moving costs of moving long distance. Do yourself a favor and ask reputable cross-country moving companies for in-house surveys, followed by the issuance of precise quotes.

So, how much does it cost to hire cross-country movers?

• Studio apartment. When moving out of a studio apartment, you should expect to pay an average of $1,500 – $3,200 with no extra services. In this case, the interstate moving cost is calculated for a move distance of 1,000 miles and an approximate weight of household goods of 1,800 lbs.
• 1-bedroom. When moving out of a 1-bedroom apartment, you should expect to be charged around $1,500 – $3,200 with no extra services. In this instance, the interstate moving cost is calculated for a move distance of 1,000 miles and an approximate weight of household goods of 2,200-3,200 lbs.
• 2-bedroom. When moving out of a 2-bedroom home, expect to be charged around $3,500 – $5,200 without any extra services. In this house moving case, the interstate moving cost is calculated for a move distance of 1,000 miles and an approximate weight of household goods of 5,000-6,000 lbs.
• 3-bedroom. When moving out of a 3-bedroom home, you should be ready to pay $6,300 – $7,800 without any extra moving services. In this case, the interstate moving cost is calculated for a move distance of 1,000 miles and an approximate weight of household goods of 9,000 lbs.

NOTE: Keep in mind that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, actual moving prices may be higher than the average moving costs mentioned above.

Use the moving cost estimator at the top of the page to get accurate price quotes from top-rated cross-country movers.

Should you happen to receive a moving quote for an amount that’s A LOT less than those average moving costs, you could be dealing with rogue movers who have deliberately lowered the costs just to secure your move. Beware of moving scams – click on the link below to learn how to protect your move by recognizing fraudulent techniques used by dishonest moving companies.

How to Avoid Moving Scams

What are the price factors when moving across the country?

If you’re moving to another state, be it a neighboring one, then you’re about to complete an interstate household move. And, because of that, the first thing you should know is that the price of your cross-country move will be calculated rather differently than moving locally – it’s all about the price factors and how they will influence that final moving bill.

And more importantly – why should you care? Well, the good news is that once you’re familiar with how your interstate moving cost is formed through the interconnection of the various long-distance price factors, then you will be able to find and use good cost-saving techniques to your advantage.

• 

  Moving across the country is no joke, and neither is the price.

  Home size + shipment weight. Generally speaking, the larger your home is, the more items it will hold, and therefore – the heavier the shipment will become. In contrast to the local movers price /calculated on an hour basis/, the cost of all interstate moves /state-to state-moves/ are determined by the weight of the items to be shipped.

• Special items. The general cost to hire movers will suddenly go up if you own an upright piano, for example, and you decide to take it with you to the new home. The same is true for other types of specialty items as well – a pool table, a hot tub, a big metal safe, antique furniture, and so on. Make sure you show your moving company everything that you plan to move to the new house or apartment.
• Extra services. In order to have your price calculated with a higher degree of accuracy, you will need to inform beforehand your cross-country mover whether you will require any additional moving services – packing, unpacking, temporary storage, disassembly and reassembly of furniture, custom crating for extremely valuable items, and so on. Only then will your long-distance moving company be able to give you an accurate price estimate. And only then will you have the peace of mind that you won’t run into any bad surprises when it’s time to pay the moving company at the end of the move itself.
• Move distance. Of course, the actual distance between the two homes will affect the cross-country moving cost. However, that factor is not something you should really worry about because you don’t have any direct control over it.

Extra Moving Services Explained

How much does it cost to hire movers? The extra charges

As you can see from the example moving company costs above, this question can have very different answers depending on your move parameters such as location, type of move (local or interstate), and the professional moving company itself.

Here are some additional and often unexpected fees and charges that come into play when calculating the average cost to hire movers:

• 

  Expect to be charged extra if the professional movers are unable to use an elevator on moving day.

  Charges for handling bulky items – this category includes pianos, organs, canoes, and other items with either extraordinary dimensions that take a lot of space or very heavy items that weigh more than most items for the same volume. Some companies have a flat fee for moving pianos and organs. It is very important that the company knows about these items in advance as the movers may be unable to move them if they come unprepared on moving day.

• Long carry fee usually applies due to the impossibility to park near the door to your building or because the walking distance from your apartment to the moving truck is very long. Having too much distance will prolong the move significantly and movers may charge you more. If possible, try to reserve a parking spot or arrange a parking permit to reserve the best parking spot prior to the move.
• Cancellation fee might be charged if you cancel your move after having booked it already. Sometimes that could apply also when you want to change the moving date and the mover cannot accommodate you on that new date. This fee is usually equal to or less than the deposit amount you have with your mover to book the date.
• Storage fee usually applies when you request delayed delivery of your items. In such cases, moving companies will have to store your belongings for a specific period of time. Depending on the moving company, this fee could be a significant charge.

There are also some uncommon charges that you should be aware of. The best practice would be to ask your moving company about them and try to negotiate better terms in advance.

• Express delivery charge or Exact delivery date charge – this usually applies when you want a fast delivery with a state-to-state move or when you request an exact delivery date for your cross-country move.
• Disposal fee (environmental charge) usually applies when you request unpacking of your belongings and the moving company will have to dispose of the used moving boxes and additional packing materials left from the relocation.
• Extra stop charge usually occurs with local moves, when you pick up or drop off furniture from multiple locations. This will cause the movers to drive additional distances and spend more time.

This is why you are strongly advised to get estimates from multiple moving companies as every company has its own set of parameters when estimating the move cost. Also, negotiating a discount in advance is another option worth exploring.

How to bring down the moving price: Top 3 cost-saving methods

As you can see from the average moving costs mentioned above, moving house is an expensive affair.

The good news is that you can use proven cost-saving techniques to cut moving costs. In fact, not only can you do it, but you should definitely do everything in your power to reduce the final moving price – after all, why pay more when you can pay less?

As soon as you learn how much your movers will charge you, you should use these top 3 methods to save money on your move:

1. Pare down your possessions

Move ONLY the household items you do intend to use in the future (practical stuff) and the things that you love (sentimental stuff). By moving fewer items with you, you’ll pay less money in the end simply because the interstate moving cost is calculated on the basis of your shipment weight.

Don’t hesitate to get rid of all unwanted items by giving them away to friends, donating them to charitable organizations, selling them online or at a moving sale, or throwing them away for proper recycling.

Remember: the less stuff you’re hauling, the more money you’ll be able to save.

How to Get Rid of Stuff When Moving

2. Pack up your things by yourself

Pack up your things by yourself to save money.

Requesting the extra service of packing from your full-service moving company will cost you additional money – anywhere from around $300-$450 for packing a 1-bedroom apartment to $600-$750 for packing a 3-bedroom home. And those packing costs don’t usually include the price of the packing materials.

Therefore, one excellent way to cut moving costs is to make an effort to pack up whatever you can by yourself. Provided that you have enough time until Moving day, you should be able to safely wrap up and box most of your possessions.

Leave any specialty items to professional packers to minimize the risk of damage or personal injuries.

Packing Checklist: Packing Timeline For Moving

3. Negotiate a better deal with your movers

One unusual way to pay less for your move is to try to negotiate a lower price with your moving company.

The thing to remember here is that moving company prices are not set in stone and there’s nothing to lose and only to gain if you choose to put your negotiating skills to good use.

Ask your movers about any ongoing promotions, deals, or discounts that you can take advantage of. Also, claiming that a competitor of theirs has offered you a better deal may work in your favor and convince your moving company to revise their estimate in order to secure your job.

20 Simple and Easy Ways to Reduce Moving Costs

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Determining the size of your storage unit is an even more high-stakes decision than choosing the right truck size. While you only rent a truck for a one-way trip, you’ll probably be keeping your things in that storage unit for a few months and so any miscalculations will be compounded each month. Even if you’ve been able to find a cheap storage unit, rent one that’s too large and you’ll end up paying too much; with a unit that’s too small you won’t be able to fit all of your things.

But don’t worry: we can easily calculate the size of the storage unit you’ll need based upon the size of your truck—this saves you from having to reexamine your inventory when you move it into a new space, leaving the most complicated calculations to the moving company. “But wait,” you might say. “How can this be done? Trucks come in very different sizes than storage units, often only being described in terms of their length (12’, 16’, 22’, 26’) while storage units are described by length x width (5×10, 10×10, etc.). How do we reconcile the two?”

With just a little bit of math, my friend—and don’t worry, I’ll be the one manning the calculator. Here we go:

Calculating the size of the storage unit

The secret is to convert everything into volume; cubic feet will be our measure. To do so (if you dozed off in middle school) all you need to do is multiply length x width x height. “But hold on,” you might be thinking. “Trucks are described in terms of length, while storage units are described in terms of length and width. What about the other measures?” Here we’ll have to use a few averages. The average height of a moving truck is 7’, while its width usually comes in at 7’ as well. Storage units generally range between 8-12 feet tall, so we’ll be using the median height of 10’ in our calculations. Remember, these figures are only averages. While they’ll probably give you a good idea of actual sizes, you should always verify measures with the moving company or storage facility. You can then plug those numbers into the equation we’ll introduce below.

So let’s determine the average volume of a moving truck. A 12’ truck will be 7’ wide and 7’ tall, so that’s 12’ x 7’ x 7’= 588 cubic feet. A 22’ truck will also be 7’ tall and 7’ wide, which gives us 22’ x 7’ x 7’= 1078cf.

And what about storage units? 5 x 10 units are generally 10’ tall, so that gives us 5’ x 10’ x 10’= 500 cubic feet. A 10 x 10 unit would also generally be 10’ tall, giving us 10’ x 10’ x 10’= 100cf.

Using simple calculations such as these we can match the cubic feet of the moving truck to the cubic feet of the storage unit—just make sure that the unit isn’t smaller than the truck. We’ve done the work for you in our table below.

But there’s one more thing we need to consider. Packing a storage unit isn’t the same as packing a moving truck. A moving truck goes from one place to another, unloads, and then you’re done. A storage unit on the other hand is typically rented for a few months, and during that time it’s very likely that you’ll need to get in to access your belongings. You might want to take things out and put them back or to swap them for other things. The above calculations were based on the pretense that you’d be filling your storage unit to capacity, just as you would a moving truck. But doing so would also make it extremely inconvenient to reach your items—you might need to take everything out just to grab one thing. If you’re entirely certain that there are only a few items you’ll need to access you can simply organize your unit so that they’re at the front. But if you have a decent number of items you’ll need to be able to get to that might not be possible, so we recommend leaving a corridor to the back of your unit. Another good idea would be to not stack things all the way to the ceiling—shorter stacks will make things more accessible.

So let’s adjust our calculations. To shorten the stacks in the storage unit, we’ll bring the height down to 6 feet then calculate the volume again. Then we’ll calculate the volume of the corridor. Our corridors will be three feet wide and will save three feet at the back of the room for storage. So our corridor’s size will be 3’ x (depth – 3’) x 6. Since a 10×10 unit is 10’ deep, the equation will be 3’ x (10’- 3’) x 6, simplified to 3’ x 7’ x 6’= 126cf. Then we’ll subtract that 126cf from the total volume of our unit (10’ x 10’ x 6’= 600cf), giving us 600cf – 126cf= 474cf. So if we want our items in to be easily accessible in our 10×10 unit, we’ve really only got 474 cubic feet of actual storage space. Here’s our table for an easily-accessible unit (we skipped 5×5 and 5×10 storage units, as those should be easy enough to access without a corridor or short stacks).

Remember: these numbers are only for people who want easy access to all of their items in storage. You can always pack your items to use the full volume of the storage unit as demonstrated with the last table, or adjust the size of your corridor and the height of your stacks as you see fit. Indeed, if you organized your unit in this way you wouldn’t even be able to fit the contents of a 22’ or 24’ truck, as you can see in the table below.

Brian Shreckengast is a writer at SelfStorageDeals.com, the price-focused search engine for finding cheap self-storage units. Learn more about storing and how to do it for cheap at the Self Storage Blog.

The post Moving Things From a Truck To Storage: Determine What Unit Size You’ll Need appeared first on The Moving Blog.

It doesn’t matter if you are moving locally within a state, moving interstate or moving across the country, with the right preparation to move, you will save time and troubles. You have found a reputable mover, booked the dates, now it is time for your preparation to move.

Get Ready to Move Guide

This week by week get ready to move guide will help you to get organized to move fast and easy. Easy-to-follow tips that will save you a lot of troubles during the whole moving process.

6-8 weeks before moving

The first step of your preparation to move is to decide what items to transport and what items to get rid of – organize garage sale or give them to charity. If you are packing yourself, get the proper packing supplies in advance based on what you will be taking with you to your new home. Be prepared with the ways to pack like for example how to pack books for moving. Next, make a sketch of your new home and plan where you will place your furniture. Search for schools, parks and other such places in the new neighborhood. Fill in a Change your Address Form from the IRS. And finally finalize all rental and real estate costs, taking all important documents and stuff  like valuable items or postcard collections with you.

4-5 weeks before move out

While getting ready to move out, inform the post office, your insurance company, bank and creditors, local government and federal agencies, schools, health providers, etc. that you are about to move out. Also, provide with your new address friends and family. Get everything arranged on time. The whole paperwork is quite annoying, but in order to get ready to move smoothly, you must do it prior moving out.

Make a moving checklist and get a smooth and exciting moving experience. Getting organized to move can be a pleasant experience is you prepare yourself in advance.

3-2 weeks before the move

At this point you have to make sure you have returned all borrowed items such as books. While getting organized to move, dispose of hazardous items, drain the oil from all machines, pack your belongings, disconnect and disassemble your computer or computers. Make sure to backup all the important information. Prior your move, inform all services – electricity, telephone and internet service provider.

1 week before moving

In your final week, make sure you have canceled all of your subscriptions. Check your house again to look if you haven’t forgotten or missed to arrange anything. All your belongings must be packed and secured properly. Moving day is quite busy, so pack everything in advance. If you need any help, contact your movers for assistance.  While getting organized to move, make sure that you will have time to clean up the mess in your house or apartment. In order to take your security deposit, in case you are a tenant, or to sell your house, you have to leave it spotless.

1 day before move

Getting ready to move process is at its end. Schedule your moving day. Beware that most of the failures happen during moving day. The relocating is almost finishing, but stay concentrated. Plan your moving day in advance.  Confirm the address and the pickup hour with your movers. Arrange the payment. Make sure you have the money to pay movers. Movers won’t unload your stuff, till they receive the full payment.

Pack your stuff properly in advance and enjoy a stress-free move, while you get organized for moving..

Moving day organization tips

Turn off all switches and lock all windows and doors. Accompany the driver at the time of your inventory and check the condition of your items as they are loaded. Make sure you leave your location cleaned. And double-check if you have forgotten something.

The moving in day

Arrive a day prior the movers to your new home. Make sure that all utilities are connected. Last, but not least, pay the foreman what you have agreed with the moving company. Start unpacking the daily-used items first. You will be quite exhausted, so take a break, moving has finished.

Getting ready to move is quite a job, but if you plan, organize and schedule, your moving will turn into a cool job. Plan your time in order to finish every step of the moving out organization on time. Use checklist. This way you will run on a schedule all the time. The key to a successful move is to plan everything in advance. And as always, hire only licensed and insured movers. When it comes to moving, safety comes first. If you want to add up to make your moving even better try to be more efficient when moving – label boxes, pack carefully and trust only reliable movers.

For more tips on how to get ready to move check the Protect your Move website.

If you have any other organization tips on how to get ready to move, share them with us.

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The more questions you ask your mover, the better chances for a smooth move you have.

Most people consider moving as a stressful event in their life. In most cases they don’t have enough time to organize their move. And naturally, when you are on a busy schedule you are more likely to miss something, or to make a mistake which can cost a fortune. When you are about to move and you are hiring a relocating company, there are some questions that you must ask your movers. Moving is quite frustrating activity, but knowing what questions to ask when hiring a moving company will save a lot of further troubles. Here is a list of very important questions to ask your movers.

Mover or Broker

One of the very key questions to ask when hiring movers is if they are a moving company or just moving brokers.

A moving broker is definitely not a mover. Brokers do not have the operational and logistic competences moving companies have. They do not provide their own moving trucks, movers, proper moving equipment, and in a most of the cases they don’t have much moving experience. Moving brokers are nothing more than sales teams that book your move and sell it to real moving companies.

When you book your move remember to ask the company whether they are an actual movers or just brokers. As a broker won’t take any responsibility about the whole move, be sure that you are using a professional moving company. Moreover, there are cases when brokers transfer you to third party mover before asking you for confirmation.

Ask your mover about US DOT number

You may be pressed by time, but you definitely don’t want to be dealing with a rogue moving company. It is very important to protect yourself from moving scams. This is why there is a set of questions to ask moving companies you should demand answers to. Every registered mover in the US Department of Transportation is obliged to follow certain rules and regulation concerning safety measures. Ask your relocating company to provide you with their US DOT number. You can run a moving company check online in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration website and find out if your potential mover is registered and licensed. You better choose carefully who is going to handle your belongings. This will help you avoid moving scams.

Moving estimate quotes

Ask your mover about a moving estimate quote. This is another very important questions to ask movers. Most movers provide their customers with free moving quotes through e-mail messages.  There are two types of moving estimates – binding and non-binding estimates.

• Binding Moving Estimate – Binding estimate is an agreement that you make in advance with your mover, which guarantees the final moving cost based on the quantities and services shown on the estimate.

• Non-Binding Moving Estimate – Under the non-binding estimate you are charged based on what your mover assumes the cost will be, depending on the estimated weight of the shipment and the additional services requested. A non-binding estimate is not binding to the moving company. The final charges will be based upon the actual weighting of your shipment and the moving services provided.

Insurance Related Questions to Ask Movers

One of the most important questions to ask moving companies is if you can see the packing materials costs in advance. Usually packing is about 20% to 30% of the final moving costs.

Require from your mover to give you detailed information on the insurance options. Under Federal law, interstate movers are obliged offer you two different liability options referred to as valuation coverage:  Full Value Protection and Released Value Protection. The Full Value protection suggests that your mover is liable for the replacement value of lost or damaged goods in your entire shipment. Under the Released Value protection your mover assumes liability for no more than 60 cents per pound per item. Before making a decision make sure that you fully understand the insurance options which your mover offers you. If you are performing a long distance move make sure that the insurance is valid in both moving locations.

Payment Questions to Ask When Hiring Movers

Payment related questions to ask are essential as in most cases average moving costs differ a lot. Usually, moving companies accept most major credit cards, money orders, bank checks or payment through the PayPal system. Most times there is an initial moving deposit when hiring movers and when your goods are delivered, before movers start unloading your belongings, you pay the rest.  Keep in mind that the initial moving deposit should not increase 15% from the total estimated amount.

Ask About the Dispute Settlement Program

Last, but not least, ask your movers about their dispute settlement program. You better know what to expect from your movers in case problems occur during your move. A reliable moving company should provide you with such contractual arrangement prior moving.

Before signing a contract with your mover be sure you fully understand all the clauses. Do not sign if you have any doubts or other moving relates concerns. Ask questions to your movers about every step of the moving process. If you don’t understand something, ask the moving company to explain it to you. After all we all want to enjoy a smooth moving experience. Find a professional mover that will answer all of your questions and will handle your belongings with great care.

These are the most important questions to ask long distance movers as well as local relocation companies. Make sure you do your research in advance. Let us know what you think the comments below.

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But how to be sure. There are so many moving companies claiming to be “fully licensed and insured”. Some of them even have some license numbers listed on their web pages. All of this doesn’t mean anything until you check that for yourself and do a moving companies license lookup.

What is a Movers License Number

All moving companies that operate in the USA should be licensed with the United States Department of Transportation. There are different requirements for a moving company to become licensed depending on the state of operation. All licensed moving companies are provided with an unique movers license number called US DOT number. Movers license numbers are being renewed on a yearly basis that is why checking the validity of the number is very important. If a moving company does not comply with the laws or if they do regular accidents, their licenses are being revoked. Read more about the DOT numbers here.

Movers License Verification

Verify DOT Number

All moving trucks sould have the company moving license written on the front doors of the truck or the tracktor.

Everyone can perform a moving company license look-up in the US Department of Transportation database for free and verify a DOT number fast and easy. Checking the moving company license information will also pull out some more information about the company record like: US Inspection results for the last 24 months, reported crashes safety ratings, etc.

Click here to verify a mover from the database.

Complete Moving Company License Information

To see the company DOT record about the company size, there is another place you can check your moving company at. There, you can search your preferred moving company by DOT number, by name or by MC number. There you can pull up information as: company type, fleet size, number of trucks and trailers. You can also extract the moving company insurance information if you need to contact their insurance company.

Detailed DOT information site.

The DOT Requirements

This element consists of eight combed blocks and it is used to record the United States Department of Transportation number (USDOT#). All motor carriers operating a Commercial Motor Vehicle in interstate or foreign commerce must be assigned & display a USDOT Number before interstate operations begin. This includes all interstate private, exempt, for hire and passenger motor carriers.
At least one of these numbers: ICC, PUC, or USDOT; is required in order to identify a commercial vehicle.

Licensed Movers Reviews

Even if your moving company is with a positive moving company license verification, you should still research your service provider further. Having a valid license is just one step of approving a company to entrust your precious belongings with. Reading licensed movers reviews is another thing you should consider. Being aware what other people have shared about their moving experience with the company is very important. Keep in mind that some review websites like My Moving Reviews provide license information for companies along with customer reviews.

No matter if you are about to move locally or long distance, hiring licensed movers is essential for your successful move.

Do you know another way to research your movers before hiring? Let us know in the comments below.

The post How to Check Movers License Number – Verification Lookup appeared first on The Moving Blog.

The key to a successful move when moving something heavy is to use your brain rather than your muscles. The first thing that you should do is to ensure that all heavy items can fit through openings and around corners of your home. If you think that some item is too big to fit through some door, then you should disassemble that particular item to avoid any scratches on your door or the floor (especially if it is a hardwood floor).

Then think carefully how you can move the heavy items with the least strain. Once you decide on a strategy, call some friends to help you with the move. The most important thing is to be patient, don’t rush to finish in an hour, move your items carefully. That way you will be able to prevent injuries  both to you and your belongings. If necessary, find more helpers.

Packing Heavy Items before Moving

When you are moving heavy items you should always try to make your items lighter by removing all of its contents. It’s just silly to move your bureau when there are numerous books in it. Make sure you remove all the inside shelves if you are moving a heavy entertainment center or a big dresser. That way you will make it liter and you will prevent damages that might occur once you rotate the furniture around to fit the doors. Be careful with the heavy items like fridges, oven, cupboards, etc. when packing a kitchen – there a lot of them in this room so you may need to pay special attention to it.

Packing heavy items before moving is essential especially if you are moving wooden furniture. That way you will preserve the furniture from scratching and also you will prevent damages and stains to the walls. Use furniture pads or blankets and tape them around the piece of furniture. Make sure the blankets are carefully taped so the furniture piece is easy to grab and move.

Some Effective Tips for Moving Heavy Items

Remember, pushing is a lot easier and more effective than pulling. So if some item is too heavy to be lifted, then you and your moving helpers should push that item, not pull it. Don’t forget however that when pushing something across the floor you should put old newspapers or blankets under it. You don’t want to damage your floor. To move a heavy item, like a refrigerator, you should get behind it, lean it towards you, and then you could walk it slowly from side to side.

Moving Heavy Furniture

To move your couch or anything else with legs, you should lay it on its back or side and slide it as much as you can. Sometimes you should remove the legs if possible to make it fit the doors. Some heavy furniture like large armorers and really big couches may have to go through the windows if the don’t fit the doors. Make sure you have plenty of rope for situations like that.

Heavy kitchen items, such as fridge freezers, dishwashers and washing machines, will slide much easier on the vinyl floor if you spray a little washing-up liquid on the floor first.

Moving Heavy Items Through the Stairs

To get some heavy items down the stairs, you can use two boards as a ramp. Make sure there are at least two friends to help you if you decide to so that. Another option is to lay the object on a quilt or heavy blanket; control the descent with your shoulder as you back down, lifting the leading edge of the ‘skid’ slightly with both hands.

Moving Plasma or Big LCD TVs

Get enough blankets and/or furniture pads, which can be purchased from a moving company or truck rental agency, to cover and protect the TV set entirety. If you have the original box of your TV, it is best to use it for the move, if not, cover your TV with furniture pad and wrap the TV very carefully. Do not move your TV by yourself. Some plasma TV’s are very large but not that heavy and you may think that you can be able to handle the moving job all by yourself. Call a friend to help you, it would be much easier for you and safer for the TV.

That’s it for now. Stay tuned for more helpful moving tips on TheMovingBlog.com

The post Tips for Moving Heavy Furniture Items appeared first on The Moving Blog.

How to make a moving checklist

Organization is the key for a smooth move. That’s why you need to know how to make a moving checklist and start getting the details of your move.

This is the time to decide which of your belonging you are going to transport to your new home and which you are going to sell or donate. Contact your local charity organization or pick a date at least week before the moving. You can also organize a garage sale to get rid of some of the stuff you won’t be needing anymore.

Why do you need a moving checklist?

Creating a moving checklist is very important because moving is always complicated. Creating a moving checklist to follow during the move will greatly reduce your stress level and sometimes your moving costs.

What you need is to prepare a list of friends, relatives, businesses, utilities who should be notified of your upcoming move.

Here is how to create a moving checklist and what to include in it.:

Notifying utility companies

• Electric
• Gas
• Water
• Telephone / Internet
• Trash
• Cable/Satellite
• Fuel

Changing Professional Services prior your move

• Doctors
• Dentists
• Accountant
• Lawyer / Broker
• Insurance agency

Switching Personal Accounts

• Pharmacy
• Dry Cleaner
• Lawn service
• Bank/Finance Companies
• Credit Card Companies
• Laundry Service
• Auto Finance Company

Subscriptions to Publications

You might want to cancel all local subscriptions and change the delivery address of the ones you want to receive.

• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Newsletters
• Professional Journals

Government Offices

• Department of motor vehicles.
• Social Security Administration.
• State/Federal Tax Bureaus.
• City/County Tax Assessor.

We suggest you to keep your moving checklist with you at all times. Having the moving check list to refer to whenever necessary can be very handy. It will reduce the stress and will help you to finish sooner with your move.  Being organized is essential when moving.

The post How to Make a Moving Checklist appeared first on The Moving Blog.

Professional Cleaning Services

After the movers load all of your stuff on the moving van, usually what is left is a mess and has to be cleaned in order to take your security deposit, in case you are a tenant, or to sell your house. As usual, a clean and tidied house costs more than a dirty one, so if you want to get more money and make your house easier to sell, you have to leave your house or apartment spotless. Of course, it’s quite a tedious and annoying housework, but it has to be done. So, while organizing your moving, take into consideration the cleaning job. It may seem you as an easy task, but it is at least a time consuming  one.

This time we are providing you with helpful tips about cleaning after you move out. As we already agreed cleaning takes a lot of time, so make sure you have plenty of it.

Cleaning after movers by yourself

Here is a list of steps that will ease your cleaning job in case you decide to clear up the mess by yourself.

1. After movers load all of your belongings, throw away all the rubbish. There will be leftovers of packing materials for example, or other stuff that has to be cleared. Get rid of all that rubbish before start cleaning.
   
2. Buy the proper cleaning detergents. These days the market offer many different cleaning agents – from the all-purpose (abrasive and non-abrasive) cleaning products to the bleach and the disinfectants. Buy only high quality products, otherwise you are risking to spend your money without achieving the desired results. Of course, money matters, but don’t go for the cheapest, ask for recommendations friends, colleagues, or even the sales representative.
3. Start with wardrobes, drawers, kitchen appliance etc. After you have equipped yourself with the right cleaning products, start with the furniture (if you have left any). Clear up every household item with the suitable cleaning product. For example, kitchen appliances requires cleaning agents that remove greasy stains and dirt, while bathtubs and sinks need cleaning products that cope with mold and chalk.  All items have to be left spotless. Do not forget to vacuum the carpets and wash the curtains and the drapes. These are usually forgotten. Clean everything room by room. Do not just clean randomly from to room. This way you will waste much time.
4. Next, clean all the floors, walls, windows and doors. Again, use the proper detergents. Leave everything stainless, safe trouble with your householder. Polish everything to the very best. Bear in mind that if you have any wood floors, you have to use wood-friendly cleaning product. Otherwise, severe damages may occur.
5. Take care for the outdoor area. If you have yard or small garden, leave it in good condition. Throw away the garbage. You may consider to sweep away any leaves or other junk.

 Choosing Professional Cleaning Services

If you don’t have enough time to do the cleaning by yourself, you may consider hiring a professional cleaning company. Using professional cleaning services has its pros and cons. You have to pay a cleaning company after you have already spend pretty money on booking your movers, but you will save a lot of time. Cleaning companies offer cleaning services such as domestic cleaning and office cleaning services,  and even specific services to meet some particular requirements – like the after builders cleaning services. A professional cleaning company will clear up the mess in no time. Everything will be stainless and polished perfectly.

How to find a reliable cleaning company

Choosing a reliable cleaning company that you can trust is quite a job. Here are some tips that will make it easier for you to find a professional cleaning company.

• Make a list of 5-6 different cleaning companies. Search in Google, or ask friends and colleagues to recommend you.

• It’s a good idea to run a check at the BBB (Better Business Bureau) website. Since BBB has quite high standards to accredit businesses, find out if your potential cleaning company has a good reputation.

• Also, search for cleaning related forums and blogs. Read some customer reviews for these companies and select 2-3 companies. The more reviews you read, the better chances for hiring a good cleaning company you have.

• Call the cleaning companies and ask for a cleaning quote. Compare the quotes and make your choice. Be careful and do go for the cheapest one. You may be dealing with unprofessional and rogue cleaning company, or there might be hidden charges. So, be reasonable when choosing cleaning services.

• Arrange the payment in advance. Make it all clear. Ask the particular company about rates. Some moving companies prefer to be paid by hour, and others offer per-room rates.

Choosing professional cleaning services might save you a lot of time and troubles. As cleaning for these companies is an everyday job, they can handle the job faster and better. Remember, by all means book a licensed and insured cleaning company.

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Learn move you precious paintings.

If you are preparing for a moving and you have some valuables to transport, you should make a decision whether you are packing yourself, or you are hiring a professional moving company. Packing up yourself may save you money, but when it comes to valuables you are more likely to end up loosing much more. If your valuables are not packed properly, severe damages may occur. To help you with this decision, we offer you a few important moving tips that you need to follow for a successful move:

Get antiques and artwork appraised

Before you begin to pack or move you valuable items, you should get every item appraised. You can visit the American Society of Appraisers website and find a qualified appraiser near you.

Buy the proper packing supplies

Using the right packing supplies is a very important step of the relocation process. If you feel you can’t manage doing by yourself, call you mover and ask for packing supplies. Professional moving companies know the proper way of packing supplies and the latest packing techniques. You’d better invest some more money on protective packing stuff as an extra safety measure.

Wrap each of your valuable items individually

Remember, you don’t move ordinary belongings to put many of them in one place. You need to pack each of your precious items individually, using the proper packing materials. It’s a good idea to use bubble wrap, cushion foam, furniture pads. Movers use them to prevent scratches and any other damages. You have to pack every single valuable item separately according to its own unique requirements.

Framed artwork should be placed in boxes

After you had carefully packed all your artwork, you should place your paintings in special picture boxes. There is a great range of boxes on the market, but if you can’t find the size you need ask you mover to provide you with these moving boxes. Experienced movers will find the solution in no time.

Mirrors and glass need special attention

Mirrors and glass are quite fragile. The can be easily scratched and even broken. Put a packing tape across the front of the mirror in the shape of an “X” to keep the pieces in place in case the it breaks. Wrap you glass with bubble wrap or non-printed newspapers and fill the loose spaces in the boxes with packing peanuts. These valuable items need special care as they are fragile.

Make sure to label all the boxes

Most people often forget to label their boxes because it doesn’t seem so essential, but actually it can save you a lot of troubles. Write descriptive labels on your boxes and do mark the FRAGILE ones.

Load you items carefully

Finally, be extremely careful when loading/unloading your valuables. Although you have packed your items with protective packing materials, if you are not enough attentive during arranging things in the truck, something can broke.

If you have any doubts about moving valuables yourself, you better find professional movers that have profound experience in moving valuables. Such moving companies have the specific instruments for handling the particular valuable items.

The post How to Move Valuable Items Guide appeared first on The Moving Blog.

Choose the right packing materials

Choosing the right packing supplies is essential step for a successful move.  You need to make sure you have enough moving boxes and moving supplies in order to pack your belongings properly. Your household items should arrive at your new home without a scratch, so do not underestimate the packing process.  It is a quite time consuming and annoying job, but you have to do it precisely. Starting with your packing supplies moving list you need to make sure you have all your belonging secured, especially if you are moving long distance.

First of all, you have to decide if you are packing yourself, or you are using a moving company to do it for you. Every option has its pros and cons. You can start your search for professional movers here.

Where to Buy Moving Supplies

There are many options. Start by checking Craigslist for used moving supplies. There are many people that give away their moving boxes for free. This way you will save money and keep the environment clean by reusing. Another option to get free or cheap moving supplies is to visit the local supermarket and ask for boxes.

See the local Home Deopot and the nearest uHaul store for moving boxes and other moving supplies for your move. You can also buy moving boxes directly from your movers on the moving day. Most reputable moving companies will sell you different sizes of moving supplies directly from the truck. Keep in mind that the price will usually be higher than expected.

Do not forget to prepare a moving supplies list of how many and what size boxes you need. Also calculate the approximate number of tapes you will need to seal these boxes as well as packing paper and shrink wrap needed to secure everything.

Packing Furniture by Yourself

Packing is an area when you can cut your moving costs a lot. Before start packing yourself, ask your mover about the insurance options. Your belongings should be insured. Some long distance moving companies do not validate insurance if you pack your household items yourself. You need to know that in advance so you can plan your moving costs. Usually the packing job can cost more than the move itself.

Once you have decided that you are packing your stuff yourself, here is a list of the most used moving supplies:

• Moving boxes

Most of your belongings are usually packed in boxes. You can find a great variety of sizes – small, medium and large. Bear in mind that the boxes shouldn’t be much heavy, otherwise you may injure yourself. Use wardrobe boxes for all your formal clothing, or clothes you don’t want to get wrinkled.

• Sealing Tape

In order to seal your boxes you will need a lot of tape. Find an appropriate sealing tape and seal the boxes very carefully. If you are moving long distance, be sure that everything is sealed well. You better use more tape as an extra measure.

• Protective packing supplies

There is a range of protective packing supplies on the market. Make sure that you have enough protecting supplies  such as furniture pads, bubble wrapping, foam cushions, covers and bags. All this will help you to secure your fragile household items.

• Permanent Box Marker

Box marker may not seem you as an essential packing supply, but it is very important. Labeling all your  boxes will make the unpacking process much more stress free. You don’t have to  remember where you have put every single item. Write descriptive labels and save time and troubles.

Hiring a professional mover to pack your stuff

If you have a lot of expensive and valuable items such as electronics and antiques, then you better hire an experienced mover. Find a moving company which will be able to handle such items, especially if you are preparing for a long distance move. Beware that valuables like antiques need a  custom-sized crates or even climate-controlled storage units in cases of  extreme weather drop. Moreover, a professional moving company can offer you the latest packing supplies and techniques for a smooth moving.

I hope you like our moving supplies tips and I’ve successfully answered your question “What moving supplies do I need?”. We wish you happy packing.

The post What Moving & Packing Supplies do We Need for Moving? appeared first on The Moving Blog.

Moving Reviews

Beware of Fake Moving Reviews

Many moving companies are writing movers reviews for their own moving company so that customers can read the fake moving ratings and hire the movers. Don’t get fooled by unprofessional movers. To avoid fake moving reviews you need to research a little bit more.
 I am offering you a checklist with some useful tips you can bear in mind when reading movers reviews:

• Check out the dates of the movers reviews. If there are several movers reviews posted on the same day by “different” people, they are more likely to be written by an employee of that very same moving company.

• Visit and read different movers reviews websites. Checking the movers ratings on at least 2 different movers reviews websites is a must. Sometimes the company employees forget some of the movers ratings websites and you can read some real customers moving ratings there.

• Advertising language. Some of the movers reviews are written as an advertisement. Read through more mover reviews to see if you can find a pattern.

•  From 5 to 0 stars. If you see both many excellent moving ratings and many poor movers reviews be aware that the excellent moving reviews may be written by a rogue company trying to attract more customers, and the poor moving ratings may be written by a disloyal competitor. Check out for 1,2,3 and 4 stars reviews. Usually the 4 stars movers reviews are written by real customers.

By reading movers reviews you can learn a lot about the moving company, the way they do their job and the quality of service. The Moving Blog advice is to research a little before letting a moving company handle your precious possessions.

The post Fake Movers Reviews and Movers Ratings? Check twice! appeared first on The Moving Blog.