FAQ

When it comes to moving yourself or hiring a professional, unless you live in an apartment or 2 BR House, I suggest the latter of the two options. As a mover I can honestly say if I had to move myself, I would hire someone to do it.

Who really wants to carry a bunch of dressers down from the second floor or in some cases even the 3rd floor?

Who wants to carry that 250 pound treadmill or fridge from their basement up to the truck.

After that’s finished then you have to drive the truck and do it all over again on the other side. The money you save by doing it yourself isn’t worth the headaches and muscle aches that comes along with it. Its so much easier to sit back and relax and watch someone else do it.

Using a friend’s vehicle is dangerous and can lead to issues along the way. You can rent a moving van or truck, but then you have to load the items after you pack them, then drive to the new location and unpack. Renting a vehicle has a variety of costs associated with it including a deposit, rental fee, and gas. You may have to rent the vehicle over the course of a few days. You also will need to acquire assistance to get the job done.

Rent a trailer. If you plan on driving your car to your new location and your car has a hitch then I recommend renting a 6 x 11 cargo Uhaul trailer to take with you. These trailers can hold up to 1000 pounds and since moving companies charge you by the weight for long distance moves, 1000 pounds equates to hundreds of dollars saved. The trailer costs only 29.95 plus taxes a day. If you don’t have a hitch then packing your car with boxes could still shave a couple hundred dollars off your move.

The PUC (Pennsylvania Utility Commission) regulates all commercial and personal property being transported by motor carriers in Pennsylvania. A company operating in Pennsylvania that transports such property, is required to have a PUC certificate/license. Any company that does not have this PUC # is operating illegal and is subject to criminal charges. Also, a $10,000 fine and confiscation of the vehicle is also a consequence. Imagine your belongings confiscated because you hired an illegal moving company. The PUC ensures companies hold adequate insurance, hire responsible drivers, and are compliant to their regulations, which in turn, provides a safe moving experience for consumers.

On the other hand, just because a moving company has a PUC #, this shouldn’t be your sole determinant when looking to hire a moving company. It’s important you do research on potential moving companies you’re looking to hire. After all, this company will be the one handling your family heirlooms and expensive pieces of furniture. These guidelines below, will help ensure you hire a reputable moving company.

You simply need to arrange to have them come when you need them, and they may even do some packing.

Searching: Movers, Local moving companies

Using keywords. Like most people in this world, you turn to Google when searching for specific services. Using keywords such as Movers, Local moving companies, and Moving companies near me, is a great start to finding a licensed moving company. Make sure the company has a website that clearly displays their PUC #.

Look for a moving company located within 10-20 miles of your house.

Look for smaller, “Mom & Pop” moving companies. Smaller, licensed moving companies tend to use employees that have moving experience and little over head to ensure a more intimate moving experience. Larger companies tend to take on a lot of jobs every day and use day-laborers who have little to no experience.

If you live in a big house, have a lot of items, and are moving across state, you want to make sure the moving company you’re hiring can handle this type of job with the right type of truck and equipment. Also, if you’re a larger company and are moving a lot of offices, you want to make sure the moving company has an abundance of moving equipment and guys to get the job done efficiently.

After reviewing these guidelines, and you think you found the right moving company, it’s most important to go with your gut feeling. Don’t overthink this process. If you feel like the moving company is a good fit for your needs, then don’t hesitate to book with them.

Look for a 4-star rating or higher

Check out what customers have said about their experience with the moving company. Aside from Goggle, check other sources for reviews and/or complaints such as BBB, Yelp, and Facebook.

Check out real photos posted by the company

A reputable moving company should post photos of their work to help give customers an idea the kind of work and effort they put into handling your furniture.

From 13 years experience as a mover, I can attest to you packing is the most tedious part of moving. Depending on the size of the house, a typical 4 BR house can take 4 packers, 12 hours to pack up all of your belongings into boxes. That equates to typically 120 boxes. Only 12 hours to pack up 120 boxes! Sounds great, right? It does sound great, but full service packing comes at a pretty penny.

Moving companies do not charge packing by the hour. Instead, they have fixed prices for each size box. The fixed prices include the cost of the box, labor and packing material. Prices range from $10 (small book box) all the way to $50 for a large box (T.V. box). 120 boxes could cost you thousands of dollars. If you’re not on a budget or your company is paying for the move, then by all means pay for the full service packing.

If you’re not on a budget or your company is paying for the move, then by all means pay for the full service packing; however if you are on a budget then I recommend these few tips.

1) I highly recommend purchasing some packing from the moving company. Remember you’re only paying per box, not hourly, and you choose what you want them to pack. You definitely want to have the kitchen, dining room, and any delicate glass laying around professionally packed. Any boxes that the moving company packs, they are the ones responsible for lost or broken items occurred during the move. Any boxes that you packed yourself, the moving company is not liable for anything that got broke in the box, even if it was their fault. So any glass or delicate items I suggest paying for the service, especially stemware and china.

Packing should be done with great care because it can make the process difficult if you aren’t mindful of how you place and organize your items in boxes and bins. These tips should help point you in the right direction and keep you from creating a difficult task.

These few easy tips alone will save you hundreds of dollars off your next professional move. If you’re really on a budget or you have enough free time to pack all your stuff by yourself, I recommend watching a packing tutorial.

1. PAPER PAPER and MORE PAPER. I can’t stress how important it is to use paper. You would be surprised the amount of people that pack glass in their boxes with no paper and wonder how their items got broken. Also watching a tutorial will help you understand how to pack your glass efficiently to prevent any damage during transit.
2. Use Quality Boxes: Moving boxes are specially designed to be durable and come in a variety of sizes. When packing your items, you want to use boxes designed for this purpose. You can purchase these types of boxes from your local moving company or retail outlet. If you are packing kitchen items, you want to make sure you keep the weight limit within reason by not using large boxes. If you have light items suck as plastic, you can use a large box, but pans, dishes, and silverware should be packed in small to medium boxes. Always label your boxes when you are finished packing and indicate if anything inside is fragile.
3. Securing Your Boxes And Bins: Always secure your boxes with tape that is designed for moving. Heavy duty tape placed appropriately will help prevent the box from opening at the bottom and dumping out the contents. Wrap the tape all around the box for extra security, especially if you are packing delicate items such as dishes. If you are using bins, you will want to work with the type that have a lid that closes or clamps securely.
4. Do not pay to have your clothes packed. Most moving companies will pack all your clothes from the dressers and closet in boxes. 99% of these clothes can be thrown in a trash-bag . Hanging clothes should also be thrown inside a trash bag. In fact, all clothes except fine linens and suits should be thrown in a trash-bag. This trick alone will save you hundreds of dollars because wardrobe boxes cost up to $35 and you can estimate 3-5 wardrobe boxes used per closet in the house
5. Pack all lamp shades. Most moving companies will use 1 box per lampshade. These boxes normally cost $15. So if you have 15 lampshades throughout the house, you can expect to pay $225 to have them professionally packed. Most of the time you can fit 2 lampshades per box and buy those boxes needed from places such as Walmart, Home Depot, Amazon ,Ebay or Uhaul for as little as $3. You’re looking at $25 to pack them yourself compared to $225.
6. Pack your books & files. Book boxes are the easiest boxes to pack. It takes a minute or two to dump books in a box and they are the cheapest to buy. $2. A moving company is going to charge you $10. Is the 2 mins it takes to pack yourself, really worth the $8 difference?
7. Pack your Pantry. Packing the pantry is also one of the easier tasks to do. You can literally throw the items in a box and not worry about anything breaking (unless its glass of course). A professionally packed pantry could cost you $250$-300 compared to the $25 it will cost you.

If you have sofas and other soft furniture, you may not necessarily be thinking about protecting it, but you should. Couches and other items can be damaged and stained during the moving process if you don’t take precautions. Wrap your sofa in heavy duty plastic and secure it firmly with tape to avoid cuts, scrapes, and stains. Wooden furniture can be dented on the corners and legs. You can also use the roll foam you protect furniture by covering edges and legs, and then secure it with tape. If the furniture is bumped or jostled during transportation it will fare much better.

On-site estimate

A company representative should come out to do an on-site estimate, especially on larger moves. Customers should be weary of companies that just want to do over-the-phone estimates.

Make sure to obtain a written quote before hiring a company. A quote should be provided by the company explaining in detail, the different charges and the expected price for the job. Most importantly, the written quote should include Full Value Insurance somewhere. Again, this is hard to do without an on-site walk-through.

Security deposit

Don’t pay a large security deposit. Most moving companies require a security deposit. This ensures that if you back out last minute, then the resources used to prepare for job will not go to waste. Reputable companies will not ask for more than 10% security deposit. You should only pay the full amount upon delivery of your goods.