5 Signs You Found the Right Moving Company
Finding the right moving company is tough. You want a moving company that is responsive, responsible, and thorough. Below are five “green flags” to look for when trying to find the right moving company.
The moving company agrees to an in-home assessment, either in person or via video chat
If a company is going to give you an estimate, you want to make sure that the quote is as accurate as possible.
A representative from the moving company should take a look at all of your belongings, rather than a list you compiled online. Even a video chat review option is more ideal compared to a blind online estimate.
Some moving companies will ask you to send them a list of all of your belongings. Have you ever made a list of everything you own? What if you accidentally forget to include a room, a cabinet, or a closet. Your omission could easily add a couple more hours on to your move, costing you hundreds of dollars.
By having someone come into your home for a visual estimate, they can take into account how far items need to be carried, what type of moving supplies you may need, and how much time is required to disassemble furniture. Knowing this information ahead of time, and building it into your moving quote, will save you time and money.
The moving company sends you a detailed contract, including rate, fees, cancelation policies, and point of contact
After completing a proper evaluation of your belongings, the moving company should send you a very thorough estimate.
The quote should be detailed and include:
- How many movers are assisting with the move
- The hourly rate or flat rate
- The predicted time for the move from start to finish, including furniture wrapping and disassembly/reassembly
- What products are included in the move, like packaging tape, plastic wrap, moving blankets, and wardrobe boxes
- Whether double drive time is applicable
- A list of belongings NOT being moved, if any
- A reference number for your quote
- Contact information to confirm the quote, modify details, or ask questions
- Type of insurance coverage, in case of items getting damaged or lost. As well as options for additional coverage.
The moving company can be reached easily through phone or email and responds to you in a reasonable amount of time
You should be assigned a point person as soon the moving company responds to your initial inquiry for moving. That point person should be available to you via phone and email. Your questions, comments, and concerns should be addressed within a couple of business days.
If you do not hear from a moving company within 1-2 days business days, move onto a different company. Moving can be stressful and the last thing you want to worry about is failed attempts to contact the company when you need them the most.
The moving company offers to include tape, blankets, wardrobe boxes, and packing paper at no extra cost.
When the movers load up items that are difficult to pack, like your bed, couch, and dining furniture they will wrap them to protect them from damage, typically using, moving blankets, plastic wrap, and packaging tape. These products should be included in the cost of your moving quote.
Estimating ahead of time, the proper amount of moving blankets, plastic wrap, and packaging tape you will use
Keep in mind, if you are having the movers provide and pack boxes for moving, then you may have to pay for those items specifically. And when I say boxes, I mean they are taking items in your home and putting them in a box. For example, if you are having the moving company pack up your kitchen items from the cabinet, you may be charged for moving supplies to pack those boxes.
For most of our previous moves, I packed our own boxes to keep costs low. I like the idea of knowing what is going in every single box and keeping a detailed list of inventory. This helps me decide which boxes to unpack first at the new home. Even though, I packed our boxes, the moving companies still offered moving blankets, plastic wrap, packaging tape, and wardrobe boxes at no extra cost.
The moving company employs its own movers and does not use third party movers
You want to choose a moving company that takes pride in their work and assumes responsibility for their employees. When a moving company employees their own workers, there is a sense of loyalty and pride in the work being done. When a moving company hires out to a third party company, that laborer is just filling a spot. The third party mover does not necessarily take part in building a positive reputation for the company.
So, when you are interviewing a moving company, ask them who they employ for the move, their own workers or a third party laborer?
Remember, there are plenty of red flags to look for when finding the right moving company, but there are the five green flags, listed above that can confirm you have found a great moving company. Best of luck to you, on your search for the right moving company for you.
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great tips! I think being able to reach someone by phone is my # for sure!
I agree, Angela!
Thank you for this! We will be downsizing in a few years after my daughter graduates from graduate school & this will come in handy as I’ve never used a moving company before!
Congratulations, Suzan! Good luck with the downsizing, I am sure it will be a welcome change 🙂
All great points but for me the responsiveness would be the critical one. Need to know they are reliable and responsive.
I absolutely agree, Leigh Ann.
Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Robin.
Great guide!!!
Thank you!!
Thank you for this. We did our last move (across town) by ourselves. Never again!
Aw, Karla… we have done the same and realized it wasn’t worth the time and stress.
I’ve never used a moving company before but I’ve always wanted to! Next time I move, (hopefully I can use a company!!) I’ll have to reference this post to know what to look for. Thanks so much!!!
Thank you, Charlene! If you can swing it, I recommend it… much less stressful – physically and mentally.
This is really sound advice! We had a not-so-pleasant experience with a moving company many years ago, and quite a few things got broken. We also packed many things ourselves in order to save money. Glad we did since those things didn’t break!
Oh no, Ramae. Broken items are the worst!! Especially if they are irreplaceable…
I’ve never used a moving company before, so I wouldn’t even know where to start. Great info!
Thank you, Stacey!
We just finished moving to a smaller apartment because it was a LOT cheaper than what our old apartment was renewing as, but our move wore me out! Blessings towards my fiance and my best friend for the extensive help, but once we decide to move again, I hope to have the finances to hire this type of help!
Yay for being done with the move, Kyndall. It really takes a lot out of you, doesn’t it.
I don’t have plans to move but if I did this is very helpful. I pinned it for later 🙂
Thanks, Laura!
Great advice for someone who is moving. It’s the details like this that cause the most stress.
I agree, Junell…so easy to look past these details. Yet so easy to stay on top of them if you know what they are.
Great tips – some extended family moved across the country and can assure you they didn’t follow these tips and had issues.
Oh no, I hope they were able to recover from the bad experience.
Great suggestions to find the right moving company. Moving ranks in the top five stressors. The wrong moving company can certainly add to the stress.
You are so right, Cindy…the amount of stress you deal with when working with an incompetent moving company is terrible.
When we moved states, we looked into moving companies and even a uhaul. It was just easier and more affordable for us to declutter and buy a trailer to move it in. I wish I had seen these tips sooner.
I totally agree, Pauline. For instance, I always opt to pack our own boxes, even if the service was covered…it’s just easier for me to do it myself and then I can keep a really good inventory.
Great tips here! ?? Couldn’t agree
more, we moved 5 times and finding a mover is a daunting task that one should not take lightly.
Thank you, Jane. I agree finding a mover is daunting, no matter how many times you have moved.
Wow all this information is so helpful, thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Carolina.
Great points for finding a mover! We love the house we’re in currently but not so in love with Florida any longer ready for cold weather and mountains so this will be handy for us, thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Thank you, Angela. I hope you find your dream location…it really does make the right house a perfect home.
Great tips to share!!! Summer seems to be a time for lots of moving going on. I’m not planning a move in the near future, but great info to know and share!
Thank you, Annette!
We’ve moved 12 times in 22 years of marriage ~ many times through companies contracted with the military. The last two we were able interview and find on our own . We did our best, but still had issues. I’m hoping and praying we are done with moving!
Oh my, T.M. 12 times in 22 years… now that is a true test of marriage 🙂
Oh great tips! I have heard that moving companies can be nightmares to deal with!
Thank you, Shanna. If you don’t do your due diligence, then yes it can be a nightmare.
Since I’ve been married we’ve moved 2 times. We swear the next time we move (if we ever do) we’re hiring a moving company! Thanks for the tips!
You’re welcome Amanda!
We have never used a moving company while moving, but after our last moving experience, I think we will probably use one next time! I really liked these tips and will keep them in mind next time we move!
Sometimes doing it yourself is the easiest (and most economic) way to go!
I love what you said about being assigned a point person in order to answer questions and take care of concerns. Working with a moving company is critical in order to save some time during a big move. My neighbors are moving soon, so I’ll suggest they find a moving company with outstanding client reviews.
Thank you, Sam. It is comforting to know you have only one person to contact and you aren’t playing phone tag with a number of different people.
You made a good point that if a furniture moving company will be able to give you an estimate you should make sure it is accurate. I’ve been getting ready to move and it’s tough to move everything on your own. I would love to get an estimate from a mover and know exactly what I’m going to be spending on a service.
Yes, an accurate estimate is so helpful. It’s good to be on the lookout for hidden costs and fees.