HOW TO REDUCE YOUR MOVING EXPENSES

People looking to hire movers do not know how to economically and efficiently do it. Some are willing to pay 'just about anything' to get the process over with. This is not only costly but unnecessary. That is why I want to show you what you need to know before moving, and where you can find professional, reputable movers at a price that is fair for what is being transported.

1. Which Service Fits Your Needs?

There are three types of moving services:

•  Hourly Rate Movers

•  Flat Rate Movers

•  Self-service movers, who provides moving labor only (Do-It-Yourself moving service)

You can read more about each type of moving service and how to choose the right one here. Below I want to help you to straighten things together and find an efficient way to move.

2. Establish a Timeframe for Your Move

How many hours will the job take? Will the move take more time than you originally thought? Consider the setting and quantity of your items. Are they heavy or require assistance? Are they fragile and best left in your hands? You can calculate the average distance your movers will need to travel to load and unload the truck, and how many trips they have to make during the process.

3. Prepare Items Beforehand

Pack small and medium items in boxes or containers. Organize boxes inaccessible areas. Mark boxes clearly and create a destination list, i.e, kitchen. You can reduce your moving time if we know where everything goes! If some of your glass or furniture items need to be covered with blankets or shrink/bubble wrap, make sure to mention it. If you will take apart furniture that needs to be disassembled, it will reduce moving time and save you money too!

4. Consider a Self-Moving Service

Self-moving service is reasonable if the move will take longer than 8 hours, or in the case of a long distance move. If you need to move a big house, it's cheaper to rent a truck at a truck rental company, and hire labor. On the downside, there is little, if any, regulation for do-it-yourself moving companies. They do not include insurance coverage for your belongings during transportation, though you may purchase it yourself. A company's truck must be authorized by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Agency - FMSCA, with the company name, MC and DOT license numbers , in order to carry insurance.
If you are concerned that your local move will take less than 8 hours,  flat rate moving service  or  hourly rate full service movers  will probably be the most inexpensive way to move. Flat rate full service movers calculate the cost from the volume of items and location.

These sites are great resources for find a reputable do-it-yourself moving service.

www.movinghelp.com , www.hireahelper.com and www.moverscorp.com

There, you'll find a great list of companies to browse through. Make sure that you visit the company website, and check their licenses and reviews.

My favorite site would have to be is www.uship.com. It's basically an eBay for moving and shipping. Carriers bid on your shipment and customers get local movers. You can even find movers that specialize (horses, cars, boats, etc). They take a 16.5% fee from the bid, but it's still a good place to find a cheap mover. It's also safe because the website holds on to your payment until you give the mover their payment code. Like at eBay, once the bid is over, you have to stick with it.

Another good website, where you can submit your request for an hourly rate or flat rate moving service quotes is www.thumbtack.com. The mover pays $7-$10 to send you a quote, but you don't pay anything (which makes it different from www.uship.com ). If you accept movers deal, you decide how to pay the mover: before or after your move is done, pay with cash or credit card, etc.

To make sure that it is a legal full service moving company, check the company’s MC-Number

You can look up the MC-Number that the company reported through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Agency FMCSA website. The easiest way to do this is to Google a search phrase such as MC-834534 and follow the link to the FMCSA website. You can check to see if the company is authorized as a household goods carrier or if its only a general freight carrier. If its authorized as household goods carrier, its a professional moving company, and FMCSA checks companies moving insurance expiration with the insurance agency.

Author: Mikhail Zavorokhin .
Authors web-site .