5 Tips for a Successful Relocation
A guest post from Jeff Gish of Spokane, WA
Most people don’t move often enough to become a savvy shopper when it comes time to select a moving company. So here are 5 tips to help your upcoming relocation be a successful one.
1. Plan Ahead
Planning ahead and contacting moving companies early will benefit you in the end. You will have time to make the companies compete against each other for your business. This will almost always yield a better price for the same service. Waiting until the last minute could mean that your choice-moving-company (the one offering the best price and service combination) has a full schedule too.
2. Use a Major Van Line Agent
If a moving company has gone through the trouble of becoming an agent for a national van line, they probably have their ducks in a row. Van lines are choosy when selecting representatives for their brand. You increase your odds of having a good move if you go with one of these major carriers.
3. Check with the BBB
Is your mover a member of the BBB? If they are, they have agreed to resolve disputes following the morals and ethics put forth by the BBB. If they are not a member, that may not be a deal-breaker. But the BBB keeps a file on ALL businesses in your locality. If your moving company has a checkered past, you’ll find out about it on their site. It is a good place to start your search or double-check you choice. BBB Website
4. Investigate the Carrier’s Safety Record
The Department of Transportation keeps statistics on the safety record of every registered carrier. This is public information. Stats are kept on things like accidents, inspection results, driver shut-downs, and more. This is a good indicator of the care that the carrier will take with your possessions. You’ll see that no carrier is perfect with all of their drivers and equipment. But it is evident that some are better than others. Do the comparison at the Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER) site. It’s a clever name too.
5. Move in the Off-season
Okay, I admit that this is not always an option. But if you have a choice on when you can move, don’t do it in the summer. With my moving companies, 60% of our business is done between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The moving industry is incredibly seasonal. The Summer is when houses sell, the kids are out of school and it seems that everyone is more mobile at that time. This means that moving company calendars fill up quickly during this period. The law of supply and demand means that you will likely pay more for your move during this time too. So if you can, plan to move during the off-peak times.
I hope that these tips help you in planning your next relocation. Smarter consumers usually fare better than their counterparts in selecting the right moving company and getting the best deal.
Jeff Gish owns and operates two moving companies in WashingtonState. He maintains a blog for each of the companies in Spokaneand Seattle. Here are some links to those blogs: Spokane Moving Company –and- Seattle Moving Company
