Moving is more than stressful. Whether you are moving just around the corner or out of state, alone or with your entire family, it is going to be tough. You will need to do a lot of packing, transferring and organizing. However, the biggest question, and sometimes struggle, is whether to hire a professional moving company or to have a DIY kind of a move. Many people try to organize everything by themselves because that is a cheaper option. But, that option is time and energy-consuming, and not to mention, extremely stressful. Do yourself a favor, and hire professionals. They will do everything for you while you focus on more important things.  So, without further ado, here are some things you can do in order to find an affordable and reliable moving company.

Start Researching Ahead of Time

In order to find an affordable and reliable moving company, you must start researching ahead of time. That means, at least one or three months before the actual moving date. In this way, you will be able to explore your options and choose the best moving company out there. Also, when you book movers in advance, you might be able to get a discount for early booking and save some money. And while you are researching, you can also look for some promotions offered by different companies and choose one that suits your needs the most. It is of key importance not to look for companies just a couple of days before the move! The last-minute booking can really break your bank and you will not be able to negotiate at all. Do that only if you are moving in a hurry. So, to draw a conclusion, as soon as you set your moving date, start looking for a moving company.

Ask For Recommendations

Choosing an affordable and reliable moving company is not an easy task. But it is not impossible. Besides the fact that you have to start looking for it on time, you also need to get recommendations. So call all your friends, family members, colleagues, neighbors, or anybody you know who moved recently. Ask them about their experiences with different moving companies. This is the most important step when finding an affordable and reliable moving company. If you get recommendations from the people you trust, you will be able to skip all the following steps and use that extra time to deal with the more important stuff. However, if you are not lucky enough, that is if none of the people you know can give you recommendations, then, prepare for the next step.

If a friend of yours moved recently, make sure to ask him or her all the good and bad sides of their move.

Go Online

As previously mentioned, if you can not get recommendations from the people you know, you must do your research online. This will take some time. So, it would be best if you start online research at least one or two months ahead of time. First, you need to research all the companies in your area or city. Start by checking their websites. If a certain company does not have a website, the chances are that something is wrong with it and that they are fraudulent. And if a company does have a website, make sure to read everything, especially their comments section. Look at all the comments, good and bad. If a company does have a few bad comments, see what went wrong. Do not leave immediately! Moving is complicated and accidents do happen. It is more important to see how movers dealt with that accident than why it happened. After you are done with the website, it is a good idea to check different forums and their social media. That is the best way to find an affordable and reliable moving company.

Doing a background check is of key importance when looking for an affordable and reliable moving company.

Request an In-Home Estimate

After some online researching, it would be best to have two or three companies form which you will request an in-home survey and a free moving quote. So, what are you waiting for, give them a call! Most companies will offer you an online or over-the-phone estimate. Never settle for those as they are never correct. The best way to find out about the additional costs and the final price is by having an in-home estimate. That way, a professional mover will know exactly how much stuff you are planning to pack and whether there will be any additional costs. Additional costs like heavy lifting, packing and unpacking, moving complicated items like pianos or hot tubs, or even the fact that you do not have an elevator can really increase the price of your move. So, ask them to come, and prepare a lot of questions.

A mover who comes to your house will give you the exact price, and you will avoid having unpleasant surprises on a moving day.

Compare the Bids

And, when all in-home estimates are finished, and you have your final prices on the paper, it is time to compare the bids. Most of the time, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is! So, if something seems suspicious, and if you think that the price is too low or too high, stay away from that company. It is probably a fraudulent one. In order to choose an affordable and reliable moving company, you must choose one at a reasonable price, not too high nor too low. Also, when comparing the bids, do not look only at the final price, but look at what is included in the price. Some companies do not include additional price and that is why the cost seems low and you get an unpleasant surprise on a moving day. To conclude, look at all the bids thoroughly! Ask many questions!  In the end, you will be able to find an affordable and reliable moving company that will suit your needs and budget.