How much does it cost to hire movers?

You are about to move and you don’t know what to expect in terms of pricing? What is cheap and what is expensive. What is normal for professional movers. Finding and hiring real professional movers is not an easy task. Most of the moving companies provide free moving quotes but what does the final amount tells us.

In most cases you are in one of the two main pricing categories – Local Movers or Interstate Movers:

Local Movers Cost

Local movers charge by the hour. The estimate you should receive by the moving company should be based on an hourly cost and estimated hours to complete the move. Sometimes movers have additional fees and you should ask in advance about them to make sure the estimate you get is as close as the final movers cost. Usually mover charge 1 hour as a travel fee (the time the movers get to your location and back from the destination) with the regular hourly rate. Most professional movers rates are from $85/hour to $95/hour  depending on the date. Busy dates are more expensive (in the end of the month, especially in the Summer). These prices include 2 men and a truck. So a sample mini move of 3 hours will cost you approximately 3hours + 1 hour travel time = 4hours x $85 in the best case scenario comes to $340 total. Most movers will ask for a deposit when scheduling the move so they can reserve the date for you. Click here to have a free moving cost estimate by professional movers.

Interstate Movers Cost

How much does it cost to hire movers cross country?

The cost of the interstate moves, movers cross country and state to state moves are determined by the weight. Usually the moving company will determine your moving weight by asking for the complete furniture and boxes list on the phone (or by email) in order to prepare the moving quote for you. When providing your household items list try to be exactly accurate to have the closest possible moving estimate. Some movers charge light and bulky fees if you have too big items with relatively low weight. For example if you are moving from a 2 bedroom house (with a garage, basement, living room, kitchen, etc) in most cases your stuff will weigh about 5-6000 pounds. If you move it to about 1000 miles away it will cost you about $3500-$4000 for the complete move. If you receive a moving quote for a lot less than this amount, you are dealing with non professionals or they deliberately lower your costs just to book and you. If this is the case you should expect a raise once they have picked your stuff and before the delivery. Click here for a complete Interstate move estimate to know how much does it cost to hire movers cross country.

How much does it cost to hire movers

This question could have very different answers depending on your moving locations, type of move (local or interstate) and the moving company. For a complete moving estimate, call Xpress Movers at 800-778-4177.

Tips for moving heavy items

The key to a successful move when moving something heavy is to use your brain rather than your muscles. The first thing that you should do is to ensure that all heavy items can fit through openings and around corners of your home. If you think that some item is too big to fit through some door, then you should disassemble that particular item to avoid any scratches on your door.

Then think carefully how you can move the heavy items with the least strain. Once you decide on a strategy, call some friends to help you with the move. The most important thing is to be patient, don’t rush to finish in an hour, move your items carefully. That way you will be able to prevent injuries  both to you and your belongings. If necessary, find more helpers.

Here are some effective tips for moving heavy items:

Remember, pushing is a lot easier and more effective than pulling. So if some item is too heavy to be lifted, then you and your moving helpers should push that item, not pull it.

Don’t forget however that when pushing something across the floor you should put old newspapers or blankets under it. You don’t want to damage your floor.

Make things lighter by removing all of its contents. It’s just silly to move your bureau when there are numerous books in it.

To move a heavy item, like a refrigerator, you should get behind it, lean it towards you, and then you could walk it slowly from side to side.

Furniture

To move your couch or anything else with legs, you should lay it on its back or side and slide it as much as you can.

Heavy kitchen items, such as fridge freezers, dishwashers and washing machines, will slide much easier on the vinyl floor if you spray a little washing-up liquid on the floor first.

Stairs

To get some heavy items down the stair, you can use two boards as a ramp; slowly slide the object down the heavy items down

Or lay the object on a quilt or heavy blanket; control the descent with your shoulder as you back down, lifting the leading edge of the ’skid’ slightly with both hands.

Plasma or big LCD TV

Get enough blankets and/or furniture pads, which can be purchased from a moving company or truck rental agency, to cover and protect the television in its entirety. If you have the original box of your TV it’s best to use it for the move, if not, then cover your TV with furniture pad( I preffer them) and very carefully wrap it. Do not move your TV by yourself, some plasma TV’s are very large but not that heavy and you may think that you can be able to handle the moving job all by yourself, but trust me, it’s more difficult as you may think. Call a friend to help you, it would be much easier for you and safer for the TV.

That’s for now. Stay tuned for more helpful moving tips on TheMovingBlog.com

Mover Reviews

Where to read mover reviews online – not every mover reviews website is the same. Be alert for bogus and misleading reviews posted by employees of the reviewed moving company as this may result on choosing unreliable moving companies or even moving scam.

Here are some tips when searching for a reputable source.

1. See how many moving companies are reviewed. If there are only a few moving companies, this might not be the best place to search for a professional moving companies reviews.
2. Check out the number of posted reviews on a given company. If there are companies with hundreds of reviews.. there is something wrong with the credibility of the mover reviews website. Even at Google online reviews most companies have no more than 100 reviews.
3. Check out the language patterns of a given company reviews. Most of the moving reviews websites do not moderate the reviews written by an employee of the reviewed moving company. Moving reviews websites like that could be misleading.
4. Read on the mover reviews website if they have a detection system of bogus and misleading reviews.
5. Always question movers reviews as they may be manipulated. Check your moving company in several independent sources to make sure you do the right choice.

TheMovingBlog.com and CNET.com recommends MyMovingReviews.com as your movers reviews website.

Choosing Houston Mover

Five quick steps for choosing a Houston Moving Company

Step I

Are they professionals?

You can tell very quickly if the mover you are dealing with is professional or not. Just visit the web site of the moving company that you want to hire and you will be able to tell how much you can trust that mover. If a mover can’t spent a little for a good website, what can you expect from that mover in future, not much.

Step II

How long have your mover have been in business?

Companies who have bad reputation don’t last long in the moving business. So if a moving company has been doing moving services in Houston for a long period of time you can be sure that this moving company is providing quality moving services.

Step III

Is your mover licensed and insured?
Your mover has to be fully licensed and insured. You don’t want to deal with an unlicensed moving company. If the mover you hire is not licensed and insured, then you may end up with a broken TV that you need to pay from your own money. Checks also with your local Better Business Bureau office if they are any complaints against your mover.

Step IV

Can you mover provide to you free moving estimate and a written estimate?

We all know that vital part of choosing a moving company is the price that we will have to pay for the moving services we require. Because of that different moving companies often provide quotes that are not completely accurate. What you need to do is request a written moving estimate for the moving service you require covering the total amount of the move.

Step V

Does your mover have good moving reviews?
Check if you mover have a good moving reviews. A very good site for moving reviews is MyMovingReviews.com
At mymovingreviews you will be able to search and compare different Houston moving companies.

Follow those five simple stems and you will be able to pick your Houston Movers quick.

Tips for your stress free move

We all know that moving is a very stressful experience. That’s why we divided a couple of simple moving techniques and tips to make you move smoother and easier.

Before you begin the packing process, you should look around and decide what of your belongings you really need and use. It’s amazing how much unnecessary stuff we buy over the years, so there is absolutely no point to move something that you don’t need or use. Arrange a garage sale or give clothes you don’t wear to charity, that way everyone will benefit from the move and the price that you are going to pay for your move will be smaller.

Plan the moving day careful. Yes, a professional moving company will move your belonging in bad weather, but it will be much less stressful if you move in a sunny day. So watch the weather forecast to make your decision.

Choosing the perfect moving company

Here, at the TheMovingBlog.com we have numerous articles and tips about the painful decision of picking a moving company. So if you need additional information you will easily find it.
Here are just the vital steps that you should follow for your hunt of the perfect mover.

• Start reading moving reviews of moving companies. A great place for Moving Reviews is MyMovingReviews.com
  Pick a couple of moving companies with good moving reviews and reputation.
• Check if the moving company that you want to hire is FULLY licensed. Thrust me, you don’t want to deal with an unlicensed mover.
• Check if you mover is FULLY insured. That way you won’t end up paying for a broken TV.
• Check if you mover is BBB accredited. Call your local Better Business Bureau office and check if there are any complaints against your mover.
• Finally if you are sure that your movers is FULLY Licensed, Insured and there are not any scaring complaints against your mover with the BBB, then you could start ordering free moving estimates.
  But  remember, you don’t have to pick the lowest moving estimate you have revieved. If a moving estimate is considerably lower than the others you have received, then you should think twice before hiring that mover. An extremely low moving estimate often brings hidden charges during the move.

Collecting moving supplies

Buying good moving supplies is the next vital step of moving after you have chosen the perfect mover for you. Contact your moving company and ask them to provide to you packing supplies. You will need boxes in deferent sizes, markers to label the boxes, unprinted news prints and off course bubble-wrap for all fragile items.

Start packing early

The last tip for your successful move is to start packing early. Make a moving checklist and start packing at least two or three weeks before the move. That way the chance of forgetting something is very small.

If you are moving to Boston or out of Boston, then you should check out BostonMoversUSA.com, a FULLY licensed and Insured Boston Movers that is BBB Accredited.

Boston Movers USA is offering all Boston moving services that you might need for your stress free move: Local Moving Boston, Commercial Moving Boston, Students Movers Boston and high quality moving supplies.

Choosing Boston Local Moving Company

Whether you’re moving locally in Boston to a new home, or moving long distance, moving is always a complicated task. First you need to pack all of your belongings using the right packing tools and then you need to clean all the mass that you made during the packing. That’s why, moving is usually quoted as being one of the most stressful experiences that we have to deal with during our lives.

People often think that long distance move is the most difficult type of moving, but sometimes that’s not the case. Often when you move locally in Boston you need to move more items compared to a long distance move. That happens because when we move long distance or state to state, we donate or sell a lot of our unnecessary items, but when we move locally we think that we can take everything with us.
Yes, there are multiple tasks that you need to do when moving long distance, for example pre-register your car and change your driver license. But moving locally in Boston can be even more hard and stressful than your state to state move.

That’s why we are going to divide some helpful tips and ideas that will help you with the choice of a good Boston Local Movers.

Of course the toughest part when moving locally in Boston is to pick your Boston Local Mover. As we know, choosing a good Local Boston Mover is difficult. With so many moving companies located in Boston, it’s normal to get confused and stressed with your choice. In additional to that difficult choice, we have all heard horror stories from friends or relatives about Boston Moving Companies that are going to scam you and take a lot of you money without offering a good moving service. It’s vital to sort the good Local Movers in Boston from the bad. Sounds difficult but actually it’s not. Firstly you need to do a little research about the available Local Movers in Boston. But remember; always check if the moving company that you want to hire is Fully Licensed and Insured. You don’t want to deal with un-licensed Boston Moving Company. If your moving company is not experienced enough, it can seriously damage your belongings, not to mention that if your mover is not insured, it’s possible to end up with a broken TV and no money to compensate that.

After you have picked a couple of moving companies in Boston you need to read some moving reviews. A very good site for moving reviews is MyMovingReviews.com. At MyMovingReviews you can find a lot of useful moving reviews and information about Boston Local Movers. After you have read some moving reviews it’s time to get moving estimates from three or four Boston Local Moving Companies. But don’t choose the lowest moving estimate that you have received. If the moving estimate that you have received from a mover is noticeably lower priced then the other moving estimates, then you should think twice about choosing that mover. If you want to get first class moving services, then you need to pay for them. It’s simple as that. Even if you are looking for a cheap moving service, picking the lowest estimate from a mover is not the right option. As we said, if the estimate is very low, then you should be very careful with that moving company. Probably there are going to be additional charges during the move to compensate the lower moving estimate. Check also with your Local Better Business Bureau in Boston to see if there are any complaints against your Boston Local Mover.

Follow those simple tips and you will be able to find a good Boston Moving Company easily.

The most obvious solution when moving expensive electronics is to hire a professional moving company that is fully licensed, insured and have a good moving reputation. Unfortunately that’s not always possible, so you will need to do the packing all by yourself. That’s why we have divided a couple of packing tips that will help you with the packing of your precious electronics. Don’t worry it’s not as hard as you may think.

1. The first thing that you should do, is to check if you have any packing or moving instructions in your manual that comes with the device provided by the product manufacturer. If there are any packing or moving tips that are recommended or suggested by the manufacturer, then you should follow them. The product manufacturer knows the most about what it takes to protect the product from any damage when moved.

2. If you have enough storage space in your home, save the original boxes and packing materials of your electronics. They are specially made to protect your electric device, plus if you have the original box and packing materials that comes with your device, you will avoid the exhausting search for the proper packing materials.

3. If the original packing is not available or if it is damaged, then you need to buy some professional packing materials. Start with these essentials: sturdy cartons, newsprint for wrapping things up, tape, scissors and felt tip markers to number and label each box. Ask your moving company to provide to you packing materials.

4. When you disassemble electronics, such as computers, stereos and other devices that have numerous cords, place small colored stickers on the end of each cord and the same color sticker where the cord connects to the device. This will save you a lot of time reading installation instructions. Also if you don’t connect your devices properly you can damage it. Even if you have a warranty for the devices it’s certain that you don’t need any additional stress of finding and dealing with the device manufacturer to cover your warranty.

5.  To protect your electronics, you need to cover them with moving pads or light blankets, also seal the moving boxes with packing tape to keep the dust out. To secure your electronics further you can use bubble wrap, paper padding or Styrofoam peanuts.

6.  Don’t forget to back up all software that comes with you electronics. Computes require specific software to run properly.

Finally, complete a full list of all electronic components and computer equipment (with serial numbers) prior to moving them. Submit that list to your homeowner’s insurance company.

What to do when moving.

Here at the Moving Blog, we have numerous articles about the things that we should do when moving. Now almost everyone knows the regular moving tips: Always research the mover, read moving reviews of your mover, always hire a mover that is fully licensed and insured etc. But we often forget to do a couple of simple things that will make our move a lot more stress free. To help with your future move, we are going to define a couple of important moving tips we need to do, but we often forget to.

• Prepare a backpack.

Put the things that you will use during the move in a backpack. It’s not enough just to put them in your luggage. There are important things that you need to access fast when you are in a hurry.  A first aid kit, all necessary documents, two bottles of water and a change of clothing should be put together in one place in your backpack, not separated in a couple of different cases.

• Gather all of your records together.
  Your medical, dental, yours and your children’s school records are very important. You need to make sure that you got all of them at one place. Some schools accept only original documents, so copies will not do. Try to find all of your original records and gather them at one place. God forbid that something would happen to you before you find a new family doctor. But if you have your medical records on hand can alleviate this problem.
• Old phone books:
  Don’t forget to take all of your phone books with you.
• Cleaners: remember to pick up your dry cleaning. Also if you have left something for repair you need to pick it up before the move.
• Garage door
  it’s a very common thing that we forget when moving.  Get the garage door opener key or card out of your car.
• Banking problems

If you are moving out of town or out of state, you need to set up a bank account ahead of time. Some banks put a hold on out of town checks and that it’s always a problem when you need to pay bills at your new home. Also some merchants won’t accept you’re out of town checks.

How to make a moving checklist

Organization is the key for a smooth move. That’s why you need to make a moving checklist and start getting the details of your move.

This is the time to decide which of your belonging you are going to transport to your new home and which you will going to sell or donate. Contact your local charity organization or pick a date at least week before the moving.

Why do you need a moving checklist?

Creating a moving checklist is very important because moving is always complicated. Creating a moving checklist to follow during the moving will greatly reduce your stress level.

What you need is to prepare a list of friends, relatives, business, firms, utilities who should be notified of your move.

The following list will be helpful:

Utilities

• Electric
• Gas
• Water
• Telephone / Internet
• Trash
• Cable/Satellite
• Fuel

Professional Services

• Doctor
• Dentist
• Accountant
• Lawyer / Broker
• Insurance agency

Personal Accounts

• Pharmacy
• Dry Cleaner
• Lawn service
• Bank/Finance Companies
• Credit Card Companies
• Laundry Service
• Auto Finance Company

Publications

• Newspaper
• Magazine
• Newsletter
• Professional Journals

Government Offices

• Department of motor vehicles
• Social Security Administration
• State/Federal Tax Bureaus
• City/County Tax Assessor

We suggest you to keep your moving check list with you at all times. Having the moving check list to refer to whenever necessary can be very handy thing that will reduce your stress and will help you to finish sooner with your move.

Last Minute Moving

Moving locally or across town is difficult and complicated enough, but when you need to do it quickly, things could get really overwhelmed. The solution to the problem is to choose professional and reliable last minute movers. That’s why we are here to help with your pick of last minute movers, because moving is always a challenge, no matter how prepared you are.

Even though most last minute companies are local, there are some moving companies that could organize a quick long distance move. Choose the right last minute mover and you will be able to move and settle in within a very short period of time.

The best place to begin is to do a research about moving companies who can provide last minute moving services. Not all movers could handle same day move or last minute moving.
Pick at least four or five last minute moving companies and get moving estimates from them. But as we always say, picking the lowest moving estimate is not always the best choice.  If you received a moving estimate that is noticeably lower than any other you get from other movers, then that should be a red light for you. Always check if your mover is FULLY licensed and insured. You don’t want to deal with unlicensed moving company.  Go to the local BBB (Better Business Bureau) and check for information about the moving company you want to hire. If there are any complaints against your mover you will be able to find out how the moving company responded to them.

The Best Last Minute Movers

Usually move planning takes a couple of weeks, but when you have a small amount of time, you need a last minute moving company that would take care of everything. The solution is to read moving reviews of the mover you want to use.  Check for moving reviews to see how quickly your mover will able to handle your move. When reading moving reviews you will be able to find out how good is your same day mover before you sign up for a move. There are great sites where you can find useful information that will help you with picking a mover, like MyMovingReviews.com for example.

In the end don’t forget that you are hiring last minute movers to do a service for your benefit.  Even though you are under pressure to move quickly, feel free to call your mover and ask for references. The more good references you get the better.

Car Moving with Long Distance Movers

Tips that will help you to choose the best way to move your car

Choosing Long Distance Movers

Moving your car to your new home can be very stressful especially if you’re moving a long distance.
If you have more than one car, then things could get even more complicated.  Even though sometimes shipping you car with a professional long distance mover can cost more that if you did the moving by yourself; moving your car with a long distance mover could save you a lot of time and energy.

That’s why you need reliable long distance movers to move your car.

Moving your car long distance or selling it right away?

The first thing that you should know is that Long distance moving can be quite expensive, so if your car is relatively cheap, then you should consider selling it. Moving your car to another state will require changing your driving license and the number plates of your car, so buying a car is not a bad decision.  Also, emissions and safety standards can vary in different states.  So if you have any doubt that your car will pass all the tests, you should seriously consider selling it and buying another one in your new state that will meet all local requirements. You can contact the state motor vehicle and ask them:

• What emission and safety test will have to pass your car?
• How much is the testing cost.
• If you buy a used car, how much the testing will cost and what tests are required.

Of course moving requires a decent amount of money, so spending money on buying a new car is not always the best solution. That’s why we are going to define some useful tips that could help you to choose a long distance mover to move your car.

Research of long distance moving company

Research is a vital key of moving whenever you are moving locally or long distance. Read moving reviews of your moving companies before you make up your mind and choose one. Contact the Better Business Bureau to see that if your long distance moving FULLY licensed and always check that if your mover is FULLY insured. Find you if they are any complaints or reports against your mover and read again some moving reviews of your future movers. There are great web sites that you could find useful information and moving reviews. For example MyMovingReviews.com offers really helpful information that will make choosing long distance mover a lot easier. However if you read only positive moving reviews you should be a bit skeptical, it’s very rare that a moving company will not have any unhappy customers; The key of reading moving reviews is not to find a moving company with only good moving reviews, the key is to ensure that even if there are bad reviews of you mover, in the end the customers were satisfied with the results.

How is your car going to be moved?

Almost every long distance moving company will give you just a moving estimate of when they can pick your car and when they can deliver it to a designated location.  Most long distance moving companies will store your car if the pick-up date is not suitable for you, of course you will have to pay extra for the time that your car was in a storage facility.

Don’t forget to ask about the insurance that your long distance moving company will offer to you if your car is damaged during the move. Your car must be insured against any damage or theft that may occur during the moving process.
Before the moving company drives off with your car they will have to perform an inspection. So be sure that the report that they are going to provide you with, describes accurately your car present condition. That way even if you car is damaged during the move, you will be well compensated by your moving and insurance company. Actually your insurance company will rely on that report to calculate how much they have to compensate you.

Remember that most moving companies will not take responsibility for any lost items left in your car. So be sure to remove all personal items valuable to you.

A Long distance moving company will be able to provide you with accurately moving estimate only after they know the following things:

• Moving Distance
• Model and Make
• Condition
• Weight
• Size
• Insurance coverage

In the end, pick a long distance moving company that is most likely to transport your car safely and secure at reasonable price.