Everybody is on a budget these days. Wise consumers shop products for price and quality. If you’re selling your home and getting ready to move you need to know how to get the best deal from the moving company. Most people only move a couple of times in their lifetime and don’t always need the service of a moving company. But, when you’ve got more “stuff” in your house than you and your friends can handle (or want to handle) it’s time to call on the services of the moving company.
First: Know what services you need or want. If you want to have a full service move with packing and moving the price will be higher. You can pack some, or all, of your items into boxes yourself and still have a moving company handle the heavy lifting. Packing is one of the easiest ways to cut back on your moving expenses. Ask your moving representative if they have any used boxes they could provide for a reduced charge. Just remember that packing is a lot of work and it’s got to be done by the time the movers arrive on move day … so you need to know that you can finish your own packing. Movers can always do ‘Partial Packs’ as well perhaps only packing breakable items you don’t feel comfortable packing.
Second: Get three estimates. It is always advisable to shop around for price and trust. Remember you get what you pay for! So trusting your moving company with your worldly possessions is vital. The moving company should send a representative to your home to do a visual walk-through. The in-home survey will give you an accurate estimate of how much weight is being moved and how much packing needs to be done. Compare all three estimates. Ideally, the three estimates should be very similar in weight and packing count.
Third: Ask about pricing practices that protect you as the consumer. Most people are not aware that moving companies can provide you “Guaranteed Prices” or “Not to Exceed Prices” as part of their standard cost quotes. You have every right to request these pricing structures and if your moving representative won’t do that - it’s time to get another mover’s estimate!
Guaranteed Pricing - sets a price that is firm. At the end of the move that is the dollar amount you will be paying.
Not to Exceed Pricing - sets a price that is the cap you will pay. If weight, packing, etc. cause the cost to be less you will pay less. You will never pay more than your Not to Exceed Cost. A smart consumer will usually opt for a Not to Exceed Price.
Moving can be an expensive process. Before you spend money on your own rental truck and do it yourself check with a moving company. You will be surprised at the pricing and service you can get if you’ve done your homework!
Written by: Geff Moyer http://geffmoyer.wordpress.com/
http://www.DowellTaggart.com