Tips & Advice

The Ten Biggest Mistakes You Can Make When Moving

Millions of Americans move every year, 37.5 million people moved from one house to another last year, with 4.3 million of them moving between states (according to U.S. Census data). Moving is considered to be one of the biggest stressors people face (yes, right up there with death and divorce), and most people make their moves harder by not doing the correct planning, research and preparation. Most mistakes can be put in one of ten categories.

Not Mapping Out The Parameters Of The Move Before Getting Quotes

Oftentimes, people go online to get a quote while not having have all of the information they need for an accurate quote, then they end up surprised by the actual price at the end of the move. How many stairs do you have in your home or to your apartment? Count them before you call the mover. Some movers will charge you for more than 7, while some more charge you for more than 21. Find out if a semi-truck can get into your community or your street. Long-distance movers use semi-trucks, which are 53-foot trailers connected to a truck. In some cases, they can use 26-foot trucks. Can these trucks park in front of your house? Where can the truck park for your move? Can it get into your driveway and back up within a few feet of your house? Most movers will include a 75-foot walk from the truck to the house. Let them know if it's going to be longer than that. If not your labor charges may be much higher than you may have budgeted for. Go over the items you want to move before you get your quote. Are you taking that washer and dryer? Are you selling the sofa? To the best of your ability, get the details before you call the moving company or before you go online for a quote.

Booking The Mover Who Gives You The Lowest Quote

Everyone wants to receive excellent value for their money, but picking a mover by taking the lowest quote will be a huge mistake. Many movers may lowball you, or quote you a low price, then proceed to nickel and dime you at the end by adding hundreds, if not thousands, to the cost of the move. As is the case with most things you buy, you often get what you pay for. Many young people make the mistake of thinking their household goods aren't worth much money. They often own hand-me-downs or inexpensive furniture, and a very scarce amount at that. So when they pick a mover, they may ask themselves "Why would I want to pay more for a move than my items are worth?" The problem with that kind of thinking is that at the end of relocating, the move can cost way more with an unscrupulous moving company. What should you watch for? Avoid movers who are quoting you over the phone and not sending you a written quote. The written quote should have their DOT number and their MC number at the top. You should check the licensing numbers out on the DOT website. The quote should clearly state "Binding" or "Binding Not-to-exceed" at the top. If it says "Estimate" or "Quote," there are certainly other charges they are not telling you about

Picking A Mover Who Charges You In Cubic Feet

When packing a truck yourself, you ideally want to buy the space, because it allows you to control how the truck is packed. Generally, when you having a storage container or a truck delivered that you will pack yourself, you are buying linear feet in the truck. A truck is usually 8 feet wide and 9 feet high. A self-storage container may be 5 feet wide, 7 feet long and 6 feet high. However, when you are buying moving services you should ALWAYS contract with a mover who is quoting in pounds because that is a verifiable quantity. A mover who is quoting you in cubic feet can load the truck loosely, leaving you to pay much more than you bargained for. Moving experts state that when loading the truck yourself, it's best to contract with a company that sells linear feet in the truck. This allows you to take complete control of how the loading is performed. By hiring a moving company that performs the loading for you, they will charge you in pounds. Loading it yourself allows you to verify the amount, leaving you non-dependent on how loosely they load the truck.

Not Giving Your Mover All Your Information

Any reputable, experienced mover will obtain a complete list of your household goods being moved, and price you accordingly. For instance, if you tell them 30 items and they give you a total of 3500 lbs., that will be the weight you are quoted and charged for. If they are quoting you by a vague description of "a typical one-bedroom that would weigh 2500 lbs," you are setting yourself up for a disaster on moving day. First of all, there is no such thing as a typical one-bedroom apartment. The household goods from a one-bedroom set can be 2500 pounds, and I've seen some instances where the goods weigh over 6500 lbs. The same is true for any size house or apartment. You should throw out any quotes that are ballpark figures like that. Any reputable and dependable mover will want to go over the items on your inventory list with you by phone or in person. Thinking to yourself "this little item doesn't weigh much so I don't need to tell them" is a minor mistake that can cost you majorly. A dozen items that "don't weigh much" can add up to higher costs than you might not have bargained for. Some movers will negate your contract if you change the list by even one item.

Getting Too Many Quotes

When you go online for a quote, you may have 6 to 30 people calling you to give you quotes. Some people make the mistake of taking a quote from all of them, which leads to mass confusion. On average, three to five quotes is sufficient since it allows you to see a pattern of pricing.

Assuming Facts About The Moving Services

Don't assume anything when you move. Ask the mover what you are paying for. Does he include blanket-wrapping and padding the furniture? Does he blanket wrap and pad your televisions and mirrors, or will he box them for you and charge you accordingly? What form of payment does he accept at delivery? If you paid by credit card for the deposit, don't assume that he will take a credit card at delivery. Most movers only accept money orders, certified funds or cash. Ask questions. How many stairs does he include? Does he charge extra for an elevator? Moving experts will tell you that many lowball quotes are subtle. In some instances, they may come across a moving quote that states that there are moving blankets included. The quote will also clearly state that the company charges extra for boxes, tape and packing materials. However, the company will neglect to tell inform you that you will be charged you for that tape being used to hold the blankets onto the furniture. Most of the larger reputable companies will clearly state in their services that they won't have any hidden charges. The customer needs to ask questions, but to ensure that they're on the same page, the estimator will also state the services up front and will include it in the order and contract. It's also important to remember that the hidden charges are just that — hidden. The consumer who doesn't buy moving services very often may not be able to read that quote and know the charges that aren't being spoken. A reputable moving company will train its estimators to make sure that they are educating the consumers as much as they are informing the customers about the actual cost of their move.

Thinking That The Mover Will Move You On Your Schedule

Some shippers start out the process assuming that a mover can pick them up at 10 a.m. on the day before their lease is up and can deliver them the next day, or that they can specify a certain day for delivery. Long-distance moving doesn't work that way. Long-distance shippers use trucks that can hold 25,000 lbs. of household goods. Obviously, they will be more profitable if they can fill their trucks for a long move. By law, they can only drive 500 miles a day, which means your move will take at least that long to arrive in your new home. For instance, if your move is 1500 miles, you know it will take at least 3 days to get there. However, if your load is only 3000 lbs (the size of a small one-bedroom apt.), you know that the moving company is going to be picking up or delivering to other customers in your town or the areas between your old town and your new town. Essentially, the delivery window for your move ranges from a few days to 2-3 weeks. This is called a delivery window. When you tell a mover that you must be delivered on a certain day, it's unrealistic. Some movers may tell you what you want to hear, but know that isn't realistic in the moving business. The only way you can be sure that you can have the items at your destination on a certain date is to move yourself. If that isn't possible, let the movers know your wishes and then listen to what they tell you about their pickup and delivery windows. You can certainly make requests, but weather, traffic and other issues that truckers deal with will affect your window.

Thinking That Your Load Will Be The Only One On The Truck

Unless you have a very large home that could take up a large semi-truck (approximately 25,000 pounds), it would be very unusual for you to be the only load on that truck. A professional mover will load your items on the truck and rope them off to keep your items separate from the next shipment. But be prepared to share the truck with other families.

Not Booking In Advance

Moving can involve a lot of logistical decisions, but finding a mover needs to be one of the first things on your list. Many shippers make the mistake of thinking they need to have the exact date and all the details such as the address of their new home before they book a mover. In times of high demand, such as early May to early September, the end of the month, and around holidays, it is particularly important to contract with a mover early to guarantee space on a truck. One estimator for a national carrier told me that she has seen people get their quotes and then call back a week before the move in order to book the move and find out that there is no longer space on the truck.

Not Preparing Your Items For Shipment Properly

When you move from one home to another in the same area, a mover can wrap your pictures and mirrors with a blanket and it's highly likely to get there in one piece. Maybe you've moved yourself with a U-Haul truck and you practically threw items such as tools on the truck and it all arrived in one piece. Don't make this mistake if you are hiring a long-distance mover. Everything that can be boxed needs to be boxed. Pack everything that needs to go in boxes. This includes:

• Mirrors (mirror box)
• Pictures (mirror box)
• Glass shelves from entertainment centers (mirror box)
• Glass tops from tables (mirror box)
• Silk trees (wardrobe box)
• Televisions, particularly plasmas and flat screens (mirror box)
• Toys (large box or wardrobe box)
• Clothes (wardrobe box or large box)
• Clothes from dressers (large box)
• Items in file drawers (book cartons or medium box)
• Items in desk drawers (medium carton)
• Lamps and shades (large or extra large boxes)
• Accessories from floor lamps such as bulbs and shades (medium to large box)
• Computers, printers, monitors, and microwaves (large cartons)
• Stereo components (medium or large cartons)
• DVD players (medium cartons)
• Books (book cartons only)
• Odd shaped small items
• Tools

Your moving crew wants to pack their truck in an efficient, compact manner so that nothing will shift or fall. They don't want your belongings to shift in the truck, since this would incur damages. In a long-distance move that may take several days over potentially rough roads, it's doubly important that your items are packed in the truck efficiently.

If you are questioning if an item should be packed in a box, look at it and ask yourself

Can this item have something put on top of it and not be damaged?

If the answer is "No," then it needs to be packed in a box. This includes tools, flat-screen televisions, computers, stereo equipment, lamps, and cleaning implements.