When you are planning a move, there are a lot of things to consider. Here are some tips to help make selecting and hiring a moving company a little easier, and hopefully a little less expensive.

1. Ask for recommendations. If you are working with a move manager, that person usually has an arsenal of companies that he/she can recommend, some that even offer a discount for people over the age of 65. If you are planning your move on your own, ask for recommendations from relatives, friends, realtors, and neighbors who may have recently moved themselves. Sometimes you can do a little research on the Internet about local companies, but remember that if you complete any questionnaires or share any information, especially that request your email or phone number before they process the information, you will be subjecting yourself to spam and/or an overabundance of responses by phone and email. Also, when contacting moving companies, be sure you contact them directly instead of through a broker who may not be licensed as a moving company.
2. Before setting appointments with any moving companies, you can do a little online screening on your own. Check each company’s website for details. Also check consumer advocacy sites such as com which has general information as well as list of any blacklisted companies.
3. Narrow down your list of local or long-distance movers to 3 or 4 that you want to set appointments for an in-home estimate. Avoid getting estimates over the phone – they are not always accurate. If you are moving to another state, you can ask if the company will give you a written binding estimate or a binding not-to-exceed estimate. Keep in mind that estimates for interstate moves are a little different from intrastate moves. Interstate moves are generally priced based on distance and weight of the items you are moving, while intrastate moves are based on the time it takes to complete the entire move. For intrastate moves, some states require the moving company to give customers a written and signed binding estimate. If you have a nonbinding estimate, expect the final cost to be more than the estimate.

(stay tuned for more tipis of hiring a mover!)