[5.5] FIVE AND A HALF important things to know when hiring local movers

By definition, a local move is one that occurs within the state of origin – that is, it never crosses another state line. Also, a local move is one that stays within a radius of around 50 miles – that is, there are no more than 50 miles between the two locations.

If you’re about to move locally, then you may find yourself unsure about how to go about hiring a local moving company. You may even feel a bit confused about what to expect from local movers too – especially if you’re using a moving company for the first time.

Knowledge is power, and when you’re moving house, that knowledge becomes the guarantee for a successful move.

So, before you go ahead and hire professionals for your short-distance move, you must make sure that you are well familiar with the following FIVE and A HALF important things to consider before hiring local movers.

#1. YOU might be able to organize a self-move

Any moving expert would advise you NOT to organize and perform a cross-country move (interstate moving) without professional assistance.

However, in the event of a short-distance local move, the option of renting a moving van and begging some friends to help you out with packing and heavy furniture lifting becomes a real possibility.

Thinking about moving without hiring local movers? Take a quick look below to gauge your chances of success.

• Is this your first time organizing a self-move? If yes, then consider finding a good local mover.
• Do you have good friends willing to help you out on Moving day? If no, then you’d better consider hiring moving labor.
• Are you moving expensive, valuable or delicate household items that require special packing and moving needs? If yes, then find and hire affordable local movers.
• Have you driven a large moving van before? If no, then simply read on.

See also: Should you hire movers or move by yourself?

#2. YOU can find good local movers via recommendations

It can be difficult to know how to start looking for a good local mover. Still, the easiest way to initiate the movers hunting process is to just ask friends, neighbors, and co-workers if they can recommend you an affordable and reliable local moving company.

The best thing about getting recommendations for local movers from people you know is that you can actually trust them because they won’t have anything to gain from lying to you. One thing is certain – your friends will have either hated or loved their experience with the moving professionals.

So, reach out to your circle of friends – either personally or via your preferred social media network. All in all, there’s a good chance that someone you know has recently used the services of a local mover or knows somebody who has.

#3. YOU will be charged by the hour

When planning to use the services of a local moving company, you need to know not only the cost of your move (see below) but also how that price is calculated in the first place. This is an important piece of information simply because it’ll make you see what you yourself can do to reduce the final moving cost.

Arguably the most important thing to know when hiring local movers is that you will be charged on an hourly basis. What that means for you is that the TIME factor will play a crucial part in determining how much money you pay for the local moving services.

So, your obvious mission will be to minimize the time your local movers spend on your move. To do that, make a real effort to 1) reduce drastically the number of items you’re moving to the new home and 2) complete all the tasks you can manage by yourself – like packing most of your own items, for example.

That way, no precious time will be lost and you’ll only pay professionals to do what you can’t manage on your own.

Related info: How much do local movers cost?

#4. YOU need to know the cost of your move in advance

You already know that local moving companies charge by the hour. That’s useful to keep in mind but it’s not enough – you need to know exactly how much your move will cost in advance.

Stay away from local moving companies that are too eager to give you cost estimates over the phone or via e-mail. It’s important to note that moving quotes issued without an on-site survey of your home and the household items you’ve got for transportation can never be as accurate as you want them to be.

As soon as you get in touch with several trustworthy local moving companies, request in-home estimates from the pros – physical inspections inside your home where you’ll get the chance to ask the local movers representatives important questions such as additional services and any extra fees and charges.

After the on-site inspection, you will receive precise cost estimates in writing that will be based on the amount of time your local movers will work on your move.

Must-read info: How to get an accurate moving estimate

#5. YOU must stay protected against bad local movers

Making a hasty decision could prove disastrous for your chances for a stress-free move, so it’s important to weigh up your viable options before you pull the relocation trigger.

You must understand that there are good local movers and there are bad local movers. And since you surely don’t want to do is leave your prized lifetime possessions into the wrong hands, one thing you should know before you hire local movers is that thorough research and comparison of those local moving companies will go a long way in guaranteeing a safe and problem-free move for you.

Research your local movers by:

• Comparing the cost estimates you’ve received. As a rule of thumb, you should steer clear from offers that are so much lower than the rest of the quotes. Low-ball estimates are often a sign of moving fraud. Get familiar with the red flags of moving fraud so that you’ll be able to spot bad movers in time and spare yourself any troubles during the local move.
• Checking local movers’ online reputation in the form of customer reviews and ratings (MyMovingReviews, Yelp). In most cases, it’s a good idea to stay away from local moving companies with overwhelmingly negative reviews and low overall ratings.
• Making sure the short distance moving companies you’re reviewing are proud and trusted members of the American Trucking Association (ATA) and the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

Important: Fill in our free quote form to get in touch with pre-screened, licensed, insured and reputable local moving companies near you.

#5.5. YOU may want to prepare some tipping money

The reason why tipping local movers gets only half a point on the importance scale is that you shouldn’t feel obliged in any way to tip your local movers if they’ve done a poor job.

Sure, if you’re really happy with the way the pros have handled the entire local move and if they’ve treated you professionally and respectfully from the start, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t reward their efforts with some extra cash.

On the other hand, if the professional movers have acted UNprofessionally, treated you rudely and showed little or no respect toward your belongings, then tipping those local movers should definitely be out of the question.

Click here to learn how much to tip local movers.