I'm Moving! That's great, I think.

The time has come! For one reason or another, you need to relocate your home or office. Hopefully, this is great and exciting news for you. However……Often anxiety may have over taken you. But fear not, this blog will help you deal with the situation at hand and the many questions you probably have:

• Is it better to move yourself or hire a professional mover?
• How does one choose a moving company?
• How does one get the best estimate for their true relocation costs?

Let’s look @ each of these questions, individually.

Is it better to move yourself or hire a professional mover?

To me this is a NO BRAINER! Unless you are a college kid that picked your belongings out of the trash, under NO circumstance should you ever move yourself. First of all, try finding a friend who IS available to help you move. Guaranteed every one of your friends will have some commitment that they just can’t break, otherwise they would just love to help you. Secondly, financially it can be a disaster as well. By the time you pay for the rental truck, the mileage, the fuel, the insurance, the rental equipment, the pizza, the beer, etc. you probably spent as much as the professional moving company would have cost. But even if you did save a small amount of cash, you did so only after your wasted time, definite sore back (and muscles you never knew you had), possibly damaged homes and possessions, and maybe even a strained relationship or two. Think about it I am right, this is a NO BRAINER, hire a professional its truly worth the expense.

How does one choose a moving company?

Finding movers is easy. But choosing the right one requires a little more effort than just Googling “Movers” or calling the biggest ad in the phone book. The key and the most important thing to do is to QUALIFY the moving company.

The best way to find a professional mover is through a referral from a trusted friend or business colleague who has used the moving company recently and or has a long term relationship with the company. If a positive referral is not possible, (some of your friends and colleagues may have had only negative experiences, this will tell you who NOT to hire), then you must qualify the moving companies on your own.

Ask specific questions;

• How long has the company been in business? Look for companies that have been around for a substantial amount of time, 10+ years; longevity in business in a positive attribute.
• What is their physical address? Legitimate companies have at least one real address where they have an office, park their trucks, possibly have a storage warehouse and would be more than happy to allow you to visit.
• Do they own their own trucks? If not, eliminate them. Some quality companies do utilize rental trucks when extra busy or to handle overflow, but, NONE run exclusively with rental trucks.
• Are they licensed? They should be or disqualify them. Most states require movers to be licensed to work within the state and the federal government requires movers to be licensed to perform moves across state lines.
• Are they insured? If not, eliminate them. Any company you hire must be insured. They need worker’s compensation, automobile, general liability and cargo insurance in place at a bare minimum
• Can they provide references? Not canned ones from their friends, but real ones from recent customers who had relocation needs similar to yours.
• Are they members of any industry organizations? Most states will have moving organizations like The Massachusetts Moving Association, there are National Associations like The American Moving and Storage Association. Membership in these organizations is just one more positive attribute to factor in when qualifying your potential moving company.
• Are they members of any consumer advocate groups? Many professional moving companies are members of groups like the Better Business Bureau. This alone does not qualify the company but is yet another positive attribute and most likely an insight to the company.

Getting all the right answers to the above questions will allow you to be comfortable in knowing that the professional moving companies you are considering are truly qualified and eligible for your consideration.

How does one get the best estimate for their true relocation costs?

Over the phone and email estimates do serve a purpose. They allow you to see how a company calculates their charges and what a company’s rates are. But these are general estimates, usually based on industry averages for number of rooms, weight of shipment, etc. If you have qualified the mover, find their rates and cost calculations reasonable, then you can stop here if you want. You will NOT know what your final cost will be but you should still be happy with the services of a true professional company that you qualified.

For the MOST ACCURATE COST ESTIMATE, you should ask for an on-site COST ANALYSIS. Then follow these simple guidelines:

• Schedule your favorite three of the moving companies that you have already qualified.
• Do NOT schedule them at the same time and do NOT disclose the names of the other movers to the estimator.
  • You want the estimator to have his/her own ample time to answer your questions and evaluate your relocation needs AND to not have his estimate influenced by his/her competitor’s presence.
• Provide each estimator with the same exact description of your relocation needs and you will receive “apples to apples” estimates
• If you need to make changes, notify all 3 estimators of your changes AFTER the initial cost analysis.

What type of estimate do you want?

There are several options, and which is best varies by individual circumstance. After choosing the type of estimate you want, request the same type of estimate from all 3 estimators. Back to the “apples to apples” thing again.

The most common types of estimates are as follows:

• OPEN ENDED
  • Final cost is NOT KNOWN, cost is subject to fluctuate based on circumstance, such as actual time or actual weight. Most experienced estimators will be able to pin point your cost with their cost analysis, but leave it open ended when there are unknown variables, (information that you can not provide), involved
• NOT TO EXCEED
  • Final cost is NOT KNOWN, but there is a MAXIMUM COST set in writing. Cost can be lower than, but can not exceed, the written maximum cost provided.
• FLAT RATE
  • Final cost is a specific dollar amount that is known in advance and will not fluctuate. This type of estimate is also known as a GUARANTEED BINDING ESTIMATE.

Hopefully this blog will have reduced any anxieties you may have had concerning your relocation needs. I truly hope that your relocation is great and exciting news for you. Best of luck at your new home or office!