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Your Complete Guide

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Moving is definitely not an easy task, but if you manage to hire movers that tick off all your requirements you can guarantee some of the stress and complications will be taken away. If knowing how to hire movers the right way is something you’re interested in, we recommend that you check out our guidelines below!

Determine Your Move Type

Being able to pinpoint your moving requirements is the first step towards hiring a mover that fits your needs. Because of this, it’s important that you determine what type of services you’ll be interested in. Most moving companies offer two types of moving services: full service moves and hybrid moves.

Hire Movers for a Full Service Move

A full service move is fitted for those who would rather not take part in any of the physical tasks required during a move. It’s important that you keep in mind that these are the most expensive type of moves. This type of move is particularly recommended for those moving long-distance. If you choose this type of service, you essentially to hire movers to carry out the following:

  • Load and unload of your belongings
  • Transport of your belongings to your new home
  • Packing and unpacking services (optional)
  • Disassembly and reassembly furniture services (optional)

Hire Movers for a Hybrid Move

If you don’t mind getting yourself involved in the physical tasks of your move, a hybrid move might be your best option. With this type of move, you only hire movers to transport your belongings from A to B. The loading and unloading of your belongings will be completely up to you. As you can imagine, this means that your moving costs will be lower relative to a full service move. Hybrid moves are usually recommended to those interested in moving locally.

Hire Movers: Your Complete Guide on How to Hire Movers

Set a Budget for Your Move

When it comes to selecting the right mover, it’s important that you already have in mind how much you’re willing to spend on your move. Of course, it’s important that you’re aware that the more services you require from a mover, the higher your budget should be.

As well, it’s important to understand that not only moving services can affect your expenses, but also the volume of your move and the distance between departure and destination points. So it’s likely that the quotes you receive from movers will be a bit higher than what you expected. Regardless, having a cap on how much you’re willing to pay will help you narrow down your mover options.

Get Personal Recommendations

Getting recommendations from someone you trust is always important, particularly for things that entail monetary investment like moving does. Asking your friends, family or coworkers for mover recommendations will allow you get insights from people who have actually experienced the services. Whether it’s moving companies to trust or to avoid, whatever information you can gather from them will be valuable!

Request Multiple Moving Quotes

A relevant thing that comes to mind when wondering how to hire movers is the amount of quotes to request. It is always recommended to request multiple quotes. This won’t only give you the opportunity to have more to choose from, but it will also allow you to save money when you hire movers. Moving quotes can differ up to 40% in price, so requesting multiple quotes will ensure that you’ll find the best deal in terms of pricing.

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Request In-Home Surveys

After receiving moving quotes, it’s extremely important that you request in-home surveys from each of the movers. This will allow you to not just improve the accuracy of your quotes by having a visual inspection, but also will give you the opportunity to ask the right questions. A moving company refusing to perform an in-home survey is a huge red flag you should look out for.

When it comes to asking questions, we recommend the following:

  • How long has the company been in business?
  • What is the company’s cancellation policy?
  • What type of moving insurance does your company offer?
  • How does the company handle complaint claims?
  • Are deposits required?
  • How are speciality items handled?
  • How is damage prevented?

Hire Movers: Your Complete Guide on How to Hire Movers

Research Each Mover on Your List

Even after getting some insights from the employee who came to perform an in-home survey, it’s important that you carry out your own research so you can get a better overview of what the mover has to offer.

Moving Services and Equipment

A good idea is to start off your research by going on the company’s website and checking out the services they offer as well as the equipment they have. These are things you can also ask during an in-home survey, but it’s always nice to double-check so you can back up what was told to you.

Particularly in terms of the equipment, it’s important that you find out if the mover has the specific means to transport speciality items. As well, looking into whether the company owns the moving equipment or merely rents it might be a smart idea. If the moving company owns the equipment, you can be guaranteed that they’d be able to accommodate any last minute changes that might arise. If this isn’t the case, you might run the risk of your move being delayed due to equipment rental unavailability.

Customer Reviews

Much like asking your friends and family for their experiences with particular movers, checking out customer reviews for the companies on your list is very beneficial. Customer reviews are extremely valuable sources of information. They will definitely give you an idea of how reputable and reliable a company’s moving services are.

We recommend checking out different review platforms to get a more comprehensive overview of a mover’s services. On Sirelo, we offer you the profiles of over 800 moving companies, which not only include general details of the mover but customer experiences and complaints as well.

Licenses and Certifications

One of the most important things to look out for when researching the movers you’re interested on hiring are the licenses and certifications they have. You should always be on the look out for:

  • U.S DOT number: License issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation to interstate movers.
  • AMSA membership: Movers who are part of the American Moving and Storage association and who possess the ProMover Certification awarded by this institution are considered to be reputable and reliable.
  • BBB accreditation: Accreditation by the Better Business Bureau indicates that the moving company is trustworthy.

How to Choose a Moving Company: Compare Quotes

We know that figuring out how to choose a moving company among the many in your list is no easy task. To start of comparing we recommend that, even though sticking to your budget is important, don’t base your decision solely on price. When comparing between different moving quotes, also examine the items below.

Services Included

When evaluating the services offered in each quote, we recommend checking if the following are included:

  • Packing supplies: Sometimes moving companies leave out packing supplies (boxes, tape, etc.) out of their quotes. It’s expected that you’ll either purchase them yourself or contact them to include these into your quote.
  • (Un)packing services: The mover might leave out the packaging of belongings from their moving quote as some people prefer to do this themselves.
  • (Dis)assembly services: Special equipment and skills are needed for the disassembly/reassembly of furniture. As some people prefer to do this themselves to save  some money, these services might be left out of the quote if it’s not communicated beforehand to company.
  • Move of special objects: Moving special or fragile items often is considered a special service, so it’s not included in quotes by default. You should always let the moving companies know if you’ll require this service.

Moving Insurance Conditions

It’s also extremely important that you give special attention to the insurance offered by each mover. Not every mover will provide the same coverage. Always check the amount and type of objects insured and what steps would be taken in case of damage or disappearance of your belongings

Review the Moving Contract

Like with any transaction, one of the most important steps when it hiring a mover is to carefully review the contract. It’s crucial that your contract includes every single detail of your move in writing. This includes everything related to:

  • The departure and destination addresses
  • The details of the moving company (phone number, physical address, etc.)
  • Your contact details
  • The cost of your move (including extra fees)
  • The pick up and delivery dates,
  • Every single item that will be transported
  • Moving insurance conditions
  • Cancellation policies

Hire Movers: Your Complete Guide on How to Hire Movers

Review the Movers You Hired

The final step on this how to hire movers guide is to leave a customer review for the moving company you hired after your relocation. As we mentioned before, customer reviews are valuable sources of information. They have the power to ultimately help someone choose between movers. So we highly recommend that you pitch in and help others who will be in your position in the future!

We hope that after reading this article you’re all set on how to hire movers. If this is the case, then we recommend checking out the pages below, which might help you later on in your move. Good luck! 🙂