* Tip No. 1: As soon as your house hits the market, you'll start getting promotional cards in the mail and phone calls. Look through them for interesting deals. Research some of the names and see how they fare on consumer review services.
* Tip No. 2: Get recommendations from friends and family. Anyone who's ever used a moving company will have strong opinions about whether it was good or not. Some of the best moving companies just get business through word of mouth, so you won't hear about them through promotions or advertising. Cartoon_Moving_Truck
* Tip No. 3: Get several in-home estimates. No company will be able to tell you over the phone an accurate figure of how much it will cost to move your stuff. A salesperson from the moving company will walk through your home, making note of large furniture, breakable items like china and how much furniture needs to be broken down for moving purposes. Don't forget to show them the attic, garage and basement where many items get stored. Moving companies kept telling me that my attic would be the most expensive piece of the move because of how much stuff we had stored there.
* Tip No. 4: If you're working with a local Realtor, ask if she has any discounts or coupons with moving companies. My Realtor was able to get me a 10 percent discount with a large local moving company
* Tip No. 5: Pack your own stuff, especially if your moving date is a few weeks down the road. Having a moving company pack your items will double the price of the move. Even tackling a few boxes every weekend is worth saving the money. I've even heard of people having packing parties where they get a few friends together for food and drinks and some packing.
* Tip No. 6: Most moving companies will offer a few options for insurance to cover items that are broken, damaged or lost. You pay a certain amount, usually $4 to $9 for every $1,000 of your items' value.
* Movers aren't perfect, so insurance is probably a good way to go. But check with your own insurance policies to see if you already have coverage for moving damages. If not, choose an insurance plan based on the type of items the company will be moving. If you have lots of sentimental antiques, more coverage may be the best way to go.
* Tip No. 7: Don't plan your move for a holiday weekend like Memorial Day or Labor Day. The rates go up on three-day holiday weekends, especially those that fall at the end of the month.
* Tip No. 8: Once you get a few estimates, figure out your favorite and ask if it can tweak its estimate to compete with the others. All the moving companies I spoke to said they would consider bringing down the price to match estimates from similar firms.
If you have any questions on any of the tips above or would like to find out more about Starving Students and how we measure up with these tips, go ahead and give us a call at (888) 931-MOVE today.
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