Choosing the best Atlanta moving company takes time and research and putting in the footwork before committing to a mover is essential for ensuring that your move goes as smoothly as possible. Here, you’ll learn how to choose an Atlanta local mover in eight steps.
1. Decide on Your Needs and Budget
Generally, moving companies offer a variety of packages that provide varying degrees of assistance. Some movers give you the option of having only certain rooms, like your kitchen or living room, packed up for you. Others simply load the boxes that you’ve packed yourself onto the moving truck, transport them to your new home and unload them. Or you can choose movers who pack up your entire home, transport your belongings, and unload and unpack them.
Obviously, the greater degree of service you want, the more you’ll pay. Evaluating your time frame, your needs and your budget is essential in finding a mover who will ensure a stress-free move.
2. Gather Recommendations
Ask friends, coworkers and local real estate agents for their recommendations (and just as importantly, who they don’t recommend) for an Atlanta local moving company. If no one has any relevant experience with a local mover, check out Georgia’s list of licensed movers. When you contact movers, ask them for a list of at least three customers who have moved within the past three months. Contact those customers and ask them what their experience was with that mover and whether they would use them again.
3. Do a Quick Background Check
Once you have a short list of movers, go online and do quick background checks. Visit the Better Business Bureau and look for common complaints, noting whether or how those complaints were resolved. Consumer advocacy sites, like MovingScams.com, provide a blacklist of companies that have an extensive history of customer complaints, along with general tips and helpful information. This is also the time to ensure that all of your contenders have proper insurance. Visit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration website and enter the companies’ names for their licensing and insurance information.
4. Schedule In-Home Estimates
To find the best Atlanta moving company, schedule in-home estimates with at least three different moving companies. Don’t rely on online moving calculators; every moving job is different, and unless the mover knows exactly what your move will entail, you won’t be able to get an accurate estimate.
5. Show the Estimators Everything
Until estimators have looked in every attic and storage room, walked through your garage and basement, and made note of bulky items or belongings that require special care, they can’t provide you with an accurate price quote. In fact, if the head of the moving crew arrives on moving day and believes you have significantly more stuff than the estimate reflects, he can challenge the original estimate and either require that you pay the new, higher amount or decline your move altogether. The estimator should also be made aware of the conditions of your new home, whether there is an elevator or flights of stairs to navigate, or if there is a significant distance between your home and where the moving truck will park.
6. Compare the Estimates
There are three types of estimates:
- Nonbinding estimates: Your final cost may be significantly higher or lower than the quote.
- Binding estimates: Regardless of what the move actually ends up costing, you’ll pay the quoted price.
- Binding not to exceed estimates: Your final price will only be adjusted if it is lower than the quoted price.
Once you have at least three estimates, you will be able to accurately compare them. Ideally, they will all be fairly close in price; if one is significantly lower, particularly if it’s a nonbinding estimate, you can be sure that you either won’t receive the service you’re expecting or that you’ll be slapped with some unexpected fees when it’s time to unload your belongings. Your estimates should include how many labor hours you’ll be paying, fuel surcharges, and in some cases, the weight of your belongings.
7. How to Choose an Atlanta Local Mover That Fits Your Needs
Once you’ve compared the estimates and services provided, you’ll be able to select the company that will fit your needs and budget. At this time, you can schedule your move date and the details of your move. Make sure you get a signed order for service and a detailed list of what will be moved.
8. On Moving Day, Get a Copy of the Inventory List
Make sure that you get a copy of the inventory list that the movers have, provide them with specific directions for how to get to your new home and where they should park the moving truck, and exchange contact information for easy communication throughout the move.
Atlanta is a beautiful city with a wide array of amenities and something to offer to individuals and families of all walks of life. By knowing how to choose an Atlanta local mover, you can ensure that your transition to your new home is simple and stress-free.
