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The last time my husband and I moved, we hired three guys who were recommended by a neighbor. They showed up in an unmarked truck covered in graffiti to move our pitiful collection of furniture. It was a little sketchy, but in the end our stuff arrived at our new house in pretty good condition. Things are a little different now with our second move. We have grown-up furniture and a lot more of it. So after several weeks of researching companies and gathering estimates, here are my tips on shopping for a moving company:

• As soon as your house hits the market, you’ll start getting promotional cards in the mail and phone calls. Look through them for interesting deals. Research some of the names and see how they fare on consumer review services like Angie’s List.

 

• Get recommendations from friends and family. Anyone who’s ever used a moving company will have strong opinions about whether it was good or not. Some of the best moving companies get business only through word of mouth, so you won’t hear about them through promotions or advertising.

 

• Get several in-home estimates. No company will be able to give you an accurate figure over the phone of how much it will cost to move your stuff. A salesperson from the moving company will walk through your home, making note of large furniture, breakable items like china and how much furniture needs to be broken down. Don’t forget to show them the attic, garage and basement. Moving companies kept telling me that my attic would be the most expensive part of the move because of how much stuff we have stored there.

 

• If you’re working with a local real estate agent, ask if they have any discounts or coupons with moving companies. My agent was able to get me a 10 percent discount with a large local moving company.

 

• Pack your own stuff, especially if your moving date is a few weeks down the road. Having a moving company pack your belongings will double the price of the move. Even tackling a few boxes every weekend is worth saving the money. I’ve even heard of people having packing parties where they get a few friends together for food and drinks and some packing.

 

• Most moving companies will offer a few options for insurance to cover items that are broken, damaged or lost. You pay a certain amount, usually $4 to $9 for every $1,000 of your items’ value. Movers aren’t perfect, so insurance is probably a good way to go. But check with your own insurance policies to see if you already have coverage for moving damages. If not, choose an insurance plan based on the type of items the company will be moving. If you have lots of sentimental antiques, more coverage may be the best way to go.

 

• Don’t plan your move for a holiday weekend like Memorial Day or Labor Day. The rates go up on three-day holiday weekends, especially those that fall at the end of the month.

 

• Once you get a few estimates, figure out who your favorite is and ask if they can tweak their estimate to compete with the others. All the moving companies I spoke to said they would consider bringing down the price to match estimates from similar businesses.

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