No matter how many times you’ve moved before (or for that matter, how many times you might still move in future), there is no debate that a local move is a lot easier to do than a cross-country one! Attention to detail and careful consideration for logistics involved in successfully pulling off a long-distance journey is crucial to doing it correctly.
This is one of the many reasons why it is a good idea to use a company whose function it is to deal with long-distance moves. There is no substitute for expertise and experience when it comes to dealing with the move, and doing it yourself can be very stressful.
How to pick the right cross-country moving company
You can tell a lot about a company by their website. Experience counts for a lot, but so does attention to detail. a sloppy website that has not been spell-checked can say a lot about the way people do business.
The company’s footprint can also be useful to know. While small companies often offer greater attention to detail, a larger company with more offices around the country can mean a better-supported infrastructure, a larger truck fleet, and more resources.
Look at online reviews and know what you’re getting
These are excellent resources, as they are real opinions from real people, and are an accurate reflection of service received from the company. Look out for Google reviews, rather than social media reviews, as these tend to be more objective.
You would be well advised to find out whether your moving company does all their own work, or whether they make use of subcontractors. If any part of the moving process is outsourced, there could be complicated legal issues if anything is damaged in the move. Make sure you know who will be handling your things at all times before committing to a company. Another risk with subcontractors is that their skills might not be on par with those of the hiring company. If a subcontracting situation is negotiated upfront, make sure that you know who will be responsible for what part of your move, to prevent issues from arising later.
Check your budget
Most reputable movers will offer you an estimate of what the process will cost, and will also alert you to the possibility of any additional charges being incurred. Make sure that you are aware of the type of estimate you sign for – some are binding, and some are non-binding.
Your estimate will be done by the weight of your move, so try to be as accurate as possible upfront, to avoid incurring extra expenses. The entire cost of the move will also be based on weight, so the sooner you are able to provide an approximate weight, the sooner your moving company will be able to furnish you with a moving quote of what you might expect to pay. Remember that both the weight of your load and the distance your goods will be travelling, will all impact your final cost.