No matter if you move across the world or across the street, moving always brings a huge amount of stress and responsibility. It seems that regardless of how well you prepare and how much you think in advance, there is always something that you miss and that causes trouble in the process. That is why hiring professional movers became a must whatever kind of moving you plan to undertake.
Nowadays, there is a whole variety of local movers who all claim that they’re the ones who will take your relocation to the next level and save you from all the worrying and anxiety that moving brings. However, picking the right local movers is not an easy task and you will have to invest some time and energy into making a good decision. In most cases, picking the right local movers is the key to a successful moving. Now, you must be asking yourself, what makes specific local movers the right choice for you? How will you find suitable local movers among so many professional movers out there who offer their services to you? When you write “local movers near me” in your search bar, you’ll get overwhelmed with how many local movers there are only around you, not to mention the whole city or a state. That is why we made a list of seven things that you should always check and take into consideration when choosing your local movers. Be sure that you follow our guide and we guarantee that your relocation will be as smooth and successful as it could possibly be.
- Get referrals
It is a logical step number one. Whatever kind of service or product you need, it is always best to ask around and explore your options thoroughly before you make the choice. Start with your friends and family. With over a million movings over the year, we are sure that some of the people who are close to you also have some advice and recommendations to share. Of course, after asking around, writing “local movers near me” will give you plenty of options to consider. However, don’t be quick to decide if a moving company is a good fit for you just based on their website and things that they claim about themselves to be true. Explore and find the reviews and recommendations from their customers and make sure that the local movers you’re considering are reliable, trustworthy, and professional people who will truly provide you with flawless service. If some local movers’ offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. You don’t want to take any chances when it comes to one of the most significant events in your life and the experience of other people can save you a lot of time, money, and stress.
- Get estimates from different local movers
It is the golden rule that you always choose at least three of the local moving companies that you got recommendations for or found by yourself. All serious and professional local movers will offer you a moving estimate. These estimates are based on an in-home survey of your house or apartment, as well as the inventory of the items that you intend to move. When making an arrangement with your local movers about the estimate, it is always a better idea to ask for a physical estimate, because the ones that are arranged over the phone or via e-mail are not precise or accurate at all. Since moving is one of the most important events in your life, you want to make sure that you don’t settle for the first local movers that you get an estimate from. Make sure that you talk to a few moving companies and hear different ideas and opinions on your move and then decide about the professional movers that are a good fit for you.
- Make sure that your local movers are licensed and insured
Even though you’ll have a chance to see hundreds of local movers online, don’t let yourself be fooled that they are all reliable and trustworthy. Nowadays, it is very easy to become a victim of a scam with so many ways of promoting and advertising all kinds of services or products, which pop up in every corner of your social networks or search engine. That is why we always emphasize the importance of checking every piece of information and making sure that the people you choose to give your trust to are truly worth your money and time. You should never even consider making arrangements with the professional movers that are not licensed or insured. This is one of the first things you should check about local movers you’re about to choose. Seattle movers, as well as the other local movers, who can legally execute interstate movings, must be registered with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). One more thing that you should pay attention to is whether the local movers you’re about to choose to move your home have a complaint history. This is something that you can consult the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and Better Business Bureau (BBB) about. It might seem too complicated to do all these things, but be sure that it’s much simpler to take a little more time and explore your options well than to fix the damage that unprofessional movers can make or even worse, get scammed and robbed in the process.
- Ask your local movers important questions
When you finally choose a few of the local movers that you like, you should have everything that you want to know about prepared and you shouldn’t hesitate to ask all the things that are of your interest. Moving is one of the most significant events in a person’s life and you want to make sure that you’ve taken all the steps along the way to make it go as easy and simple as possible. What are the things that you should ask about?
- You should ask a few questions about the experience of your local movers, how long they’ve been in the business and what kind of movings they have the most experience with. Don’t hesitate to ask any specific questions that you have, since all the professional movers out there will be more than eager to put your mind at ease and provide you with every information you could possibly need.
- Ask around about the moving crew that is about to come to your doorstep and handle your belongings and valuables. It’s everything but easy to let someone into your life and trust him with everything you have, so you should definitely make sure that the local movers who will come to your house are trustworthy and professional people that will handle all your possessions in a most careful way.
- Make sure that you have all the information about the way your local movers work. That means that you should ask whether or not they have their own vehicles, equipment, tools, and everything necessary to handle your relocation as you expect them to.
- Most importantly, learn about the way they prevent damage to your belongings as well as the procedure that follows if any damage happens along the way. You want to make sure that your things are taken care of professionally and carefully.
These are some of the things that we find important and that you should definitely ask your local movers about. However, feel free to think of anything that you would like to know, no matter how irrelevant it might seem, and don’t forget to ask your local movers about it as well. Seattle movers always emphasize the importance of communication between professional movers and their customers and how much good relationships can contribute to your moving success.
- Look for the red flags
There are some things that can clearly show a difference between professional local movers and the ones who are on a mission to scam you and do the job poorly. Besides the reviews and experience of other people who have used their services, there are few more red flags that should ring a bell when it comes to hiring certain local movers. Pay attention to the estimate that you get from your local movers and be aware that professional movers will rarely ask for a deposit in advance. Also, while you talk to your movers and they do the estimate, you’ll be able to notice their attitude and manners. If they approach the situation with knowledge, are able to answer the questions, and have the ways to handle different kinds of challenges that they’re about to face, they are the movers that you should consider hiring. However, if they show up late, aren’t sure of things that you ask them about and lack self-confidence, those are definitely the local movers you should stay away from. One more thing that should be considered a red flag is whether your professional movers own their own vehicles and equipment. All serious moving companies will have everything they need to execute every part of your relocation by themselves.
- Be sure about the kind of services that you need
There are many kinds of services that your local movers can provide you with. Seattle movers, as well as many other local movers, offer you a wide range of services to choose from and you should know what you want to get from your moving and what exactly you need the help of local movers with. Apartment moving, house moving, packing and moving, labor-only moving, or packing-only are just some of the services that you can expect to get from your professional movers. However, not all the local moving companies will have all the services included and you should always talk to the local movers you’re about to hire about your expectations and their suggestions. Never assume that just because you’ve found reliable and trustworthy movers, they’ll also be able to finish some tasks for you that they don’t usually do, because that can bring more damage than good to your relocation.
- Consider your budget
Last, but not least, don’t settle easily if you can’t find the local movers that suit your budget well. Moving is expensive and every local moving company will need to invest a lot of time, energy, and resources to make your moving go flawlessly, therefore, the price of it is inevitably high. However, it’s not true that you can’t find good local movers on a budget. There are many professional movers who aren’t as well-known but still offer high-quality services and get the job done well. Have your budget in mind, but also be careful about potential scams and frauds. If you find the local movers who are on a budget and check everything that we mentioned you should care about, you won’t have any problems with choosing the right local movers for you.
These are our top pieces of advice when it comes to picking the right movers. We tried not to overwhelm you with information, but still give you some meaningful advice. We hope that you’ve considered this in a timely manner and you have plenty of time to follow these steps and pick the best for you. Make sure that you’ve done everything from this list and we guarantee that your relocation will be a piece of cake. Always have in mind that choosing the right local movers is the crucial step that makes a difference between the perfect relocation and a troublesome one.
Movers Redmond are one of the Seattle movers who are fully committed to our customers, have plenty of services to provide you with and take our responsibilities very seriously. We care about your well-being and your peace of mind and do everything in order to meet your expectations and make your relocation flawless. We are the local movers who are always happy to hear from you and who enjoy sharing our knowledge and experience with our customers. Don’t hesitate to call us and find out everything you still aren’t sure about. We are always eager to hear from you.