Are you planning to relocate soon? If so, you have probably already started making plans for the big day. As you should, since relocation is a complicated task and needs a lot of preparation and organization. However, unless you’re moving out of your college dorm room, you are going to need the help of professional moving services. And if you haven’t moved before, how will you know what to look for in a moving company? We have prepared a guide to help you compare moving companies first, so you can finally make your pick. Don’t worry, this knowledge will help you avoid mistakes while choosing your partner for safe and affordable relocation. All you have to do is approach the subject seriously and do your homework. Afterword, everything will fall into its place. Which is great, since you have a lot more moving-related work in front of you, right?
Before you start to compare moving companies
You need to follow the order of things. Before you start to compare moving companies, you should make sure to know what are you looking for. You don’t want to mix apples and oranges, right? For example, you shouldn’t compare two, three or more moving companies if they don’t offer what you need. Let’s say you are relocating to the opposite part of the United States. If you are moving from New Jersey to Los Angeles, for example, you should be comparing only companies that do the interstate moving. Because you won’t have much use of the professionals who do only local moving, no matter how much you like them.
So, the first thing to do is to sit down and establish your needs. The best thing to do that is to make a checklist, which you are going to follow vigorously. That way you will assure not to miss out on something important. And after you figure out what you need, you will know what a moving company has to offer in order for you to even start considering it. That way, you will automatically shorten the list of potential movers. Which will make you one step closer to your goal of choosing the right moving company for you.
What to compare in moving companies?
After you have established your needs, you will be able to look for a specific company. So, now that you know what you need and want, and what you certainly don’t need, you will cross off some companies. The ones that are left will be suitable for comparison. But, where to start with that? Assuming that two, three or more companies offer exactly what you need, now what?
We will take local moving as an example since that is something that most moving companies definitely offer. Should you just call any company? Or the first one that you saw an advertisement for? Of course not. You should carefully choose between them to find the right pick for your needs. But if they offer al the same, how will you know? Well, this is the time to compare moving companies, so you could see the similarities and differences. And after you finish that, you will have no problem deciding which one is the best for you. These are the things to compare:
- services they are offering,
- prices or moving estimates,
- the quality of services.
Write down all this information about a few companies that you like. And you will see for yourself which one has the most pluses so that one you should choose.
Services they are offering
We have already talked about the basic services that companies offer. But you shouldn’t stop there if your needs go deeper. So, maybe it’s not enough that the company does the interstate moving. Perhaps you need packing services as well. So, obviously, if the company doesn’t do that, you will cross it off your checklist.
Sometimes there is more than one additional service that you need. Some people require special services, which many moving companies don’t have in their offer. For example, not everyone can relocate your piano or art pieces safely. You need a company that specializes in delicate items like that. When you compare moving companies, you will know exactly who can do what and if it fits your needs.
Prices or moving estimates
You have probably heard by now that you should never choose the moving company without getting at least three moving estimates. That’s right. You need as much information as possible to compare moving companies. You need to know what is a standard for prices, in order to be able to avoid fraudulent companies. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. Maybe you are dealing with the dishonest company and maybe there will be many additional costs so you will eventually overpay the service.
Also, even though you can get free moving estimate almost from every company, that is not enough. Good moving companies will not give you definite estimates over the phone or email. What you need is an in-person estimate. That way, when the moving workers see and make a list of everything you own and want to relocate, they will be able to give you a realistic price. This is also a good opportunity to ask them everything else you need to know. Whether the moving company has its own insurance or obtain it via a third party is also good to know, because it can affect the costs. Maybe using the storage space for a night goes into the estimated price, and perhaps that’s an additional cost. You won’t know until you ask.
The quality of services
How do you buy a new product? Firstly, you probably go online and find out everything about it on the company’s website. However, most likely you will not make a decision before checking the reviews of the product and the company. It is the same when you have to compare moving companies. You need to hear about other people’s experiences in order to believe the things they say on their website.
Of course, when you decide to move, you should make sure to speak to your friends, family, and coworkers, so that they can share their experiences. You can get a lot of useful information about the moving companies and the moving process alone. But, don’t let that stop you from finding reviews online and via social networks. Don’t trust too good ones or too bad ones, but separate the realistic reviews. So, when you compare moving companies, you will know exactly what to expect. And when you put that on the checklist along with other important things, it will be easy to see which company will be the right choice for your relocation.
