Category Archives: Moving

Choosing a Moving Company

Choosing a moving company can be difficult, and like anything else you often get what you pay for. Choosing a moving company sole based the least expensive price can get you into trouble. There are a lot of horror stories when it comes to moving companies and those are often a result of billing and unexpected charges.  Below are a few key questions to ask a moving company before hiring them

  • What is your hourly rate? Again this will vary from company to company and from city to city, remember the cheapest hourly rate is not always the least expensive in the end.
  • Do you have a minimum hourly charge? Almost every company will have a minimum hourly change. Note, that a minimum hourly charge can be a good indicator of the experience and professionalism of a company.  Most moving companies with a minimum hourly charge understand that legally they have to pay their employees a minimum of 3 hours, which means they have been established long enough to hire a legitimate workforce and not simply friends and family.  Again note that a good minimum number of hours should range between 2 to 4 hours. Any less indicates that family and friends are probably being hired and anymore would indicate unfair pricing.
  • When does the billing Start and End? Some companies start the billing when they leave there office  until they return. This is not always troublesome but can be if they do not give a clear indicator of the extra time they are going to charge for driving. If they set a specific number dedicated to drive time and simply add it at the end at least the customer knows how long the drive time is. However, if they simply state that it could vary, this may be cause for some concern as you could be left paying a large bill you didn’t intend to pay.
  • Are there any extra charges for different circumstances? Sometimes companies will charge more for different types of moves. whether it is an extra charge for an out of town move, or an extra charge for a walk-up.  In some extreme cases companies will have a starting cost in addition to the hourly rate. Although, some of these charges maybe unavoidable it is simply good to know what you are getting into.

5 Key Ways to Prepare for Movers

After you have chosen a moving company to move your belongings there are a number of things that can be done in order to increase the success of the move. Given, most moving companies will provide and cope with these steps on their own, however simply knowing these steps may expedite and eas the process.

5) Where is it Going

Knowing where your items are going in the new house will allow the moving company to move much more quickly upon arrival, and will save you, the customer time when it comes to unpacking your items.  The prime issue occurs when customers downgrade into smaller homes. This creates confusion and items are then misplaced and it becomes very burdensome for the customer to re-arrange everything once the movers have left.

4) Clear Drive Way

This is a very simple step that the customers must do in advance. Clearing a path or driveway for the movers truck to be parked. Normally this only involves moving a car or basketball net. However, in some cases there are overhanging branches that should be removed in advance, this will allow the moving company to park their truck as close to the house door as possible, ultimately limiting the walking distance from the truck to the home and saving time.

3) Box Locations

Making sure boxes are easily accessible is something that can easily be done when customers are packing there boxes. Simply by placing a packed box at the front of the room when completed will allow the movers to easily access these boxes upon arrival. This step is important because moving companies generally load boxes first so as to have a clear path to larger items.  To take this step to the next level customers may even choose to have all of the boxes in one room closes to the exiting door of the home.

2) Disassembly

Another way to prepare for a moving company is to make sure that your furniture is disassembled. Note that almost every moving company will disassemble most furniture however, to increase the speed of the move simply disassembling a washer and dryer, bedrails, mirrors from dressers and tables prior to the movers arriving will save a substantial amount of time.

1) Wrapping of Items

Every moving company you hire should wrap your items. However, wrapping household furniture can easily be done by the owner of the home and will again save time in the long run.  Naturally one would want to wrap items they are worried about getting scratched. In addition a good rule of thumb is to wrap loose drawers  or anything that can come open or shift upon relocation .

Cost Saving  Secrets

Knowing how to choose a moving company is only part of the battle. Below are a few ways to save money which are not always considered.

1) If you are planning to move your belongings into a storage unit here are a few tips to save you time and money.

  • To begin choose a storage unit which is on a ground floor and preferably outside. This step is sometimes difficult as climate controlled storage units are in doors. In the event that you require a climate controlled unit, at least make sure that it is close to the loading zone so as to save time walking back and forth through large facilities.
  • Make sure when you are taking your items to a storage unit that you either pack your own belongings or you have ample blankets and wrap for the movers to use . The reason for this is because most moving companies pack items with their blankets but, if they know that it is going into a storage unit they will not. This is simply due to the fact that they cannot leave there blankets in the unit as they require them back at the end of the move. If you do not provide your own blankets for movers to use then items will get scratched and you will have to rent a larger storage unit to accommodate for their inability to stack your items.

2) look for alternative methods of loading and unloading your home.

  • This tip mostly works for apartment buildings where units are on the first floor.  Rather than bring everything around the building it is easier to simply go over the balcony rail or through a window.
  • Sometimes in homes going through a side door is quicker than a front door. Or going around the back rather than through the house to avoid twists and turns.

3) when labeling boxes, label the side of the box that way when they are stacked on top of each other they can still be read and moved to the right destination.

Thank you to Shafic from The Movers (SS&D) for providing this article. Click here to check out his moving company.