How to Hire the Right Moving Company — Here's What You Should Consider and How Much It Will Cost You

Moving homes can bring about a lot of stress, so the last thing you'll want to do is add more stress to that by going with the wrong moving company.

The people who help you move house can often make or break the experience. A swift transition from point A to point B is achievable if you choose a company that knows how to do the job correctly. I experienced this myself, despite having few prior moving tips, and felt extremely lucky to have had an easy experience.

To increase your odds of a trouble-free move, I spoke to moving companies and organizing professionals — who help people sort their freshly moved homes — and asked them how someone should go about choosing a moving company. Here's what they had to say.

How to hire the right moving company

There are a few things I wish I had known before moving homes, being prepared and also having the right movers on the journey (which I got quite lucky with). The main way to ensure you're hiring the right moving company is to think about two key things: what kind of move are you doing (long distance, short distance, have you got a lot of stuff, etc.), and to take time to look into the reviews different moving companies have online.

Millie Naor of Bella Organizers says, "It's important early on to decide on the level of service you need, as well as the moving distance. Some moving companies specialize in local relocations, while others are equipped to handle cross-country moves."

Millie shares the three most common moving services and what they will provide you:

• Full-service movers: packing, moving, and unpacking
• Partial-service movers: assistance with select packing and moving
• Moving-only services: transport without packing. If you need a full-service move, consider hiring premium movers, especially if you have high-value or delicate items.

There's truly no better way to inform yourself about what a company may be like than to read up about it online, especially about other people's experiences.

Matt Graber, owner and operator of Cool Hand Movers based in NYC, says, "Start by googling moving companies to find local companies and scan their google reviews. If a moving company has a 4.5 or higher average, they are taking care of enough of their customers at a level of high satisfaction, and for customers that don't get a good service, they are at least offering resolutions that prevent angry reviews from customers. If a company is below 4 stars, swipe left! Something isn't working at that company."

It's important to remain cautious, though, if the reviews of a company all seem very generic and too good to be true as they could be fake reviews — which is the last thing you'll need during stressful moves as a renter or homeowner. So take your time to have a thorough read before making any choices!

Matt Graber

Cool Hand Movers is a family-owned, local moving company with over ten years of experience moving New Yorkers. Owned and operated by husband-and-wife team, Matt & Ashley Graber, this NYC small business takes pride in providing quality experiences to our clients, our team members and our community.

What to consider before hiring a moving company

After scanning reviews online and making a list of companies that will offer the kind of moving services you're looking for, you can begin to sift through your choices more thoroughly to find your perfect matches. I say "matches" as it's good to have a few companies in mind that you see as a fit for your move in order to avoid potential disappointment or delay if the one you love is unavailable.

To help you sift through moving companies further, the experts I talked to recommended considering the following factors:

1. Check the company is licensed: Matt says, "Are they licensed to operate? For example, do they include their DOT number in their website? Do they say they are licensed and insured?". A reliable, reputable company will have this information clearly on display. If the company is licensed, you can also claim back in the event of damages to your furniture. Debra Baida, owner of Liberated Spaces, says, "In the unfortunate event a floor or wall is damaged or something gets broken in the course of a move, filing a claim with the moving company will cost far less than having to remedy the fix or replacement out of your own pocket."

2. Whether the company has all other relevant certs and paperwork: Millie explains, "Many elevator-equipped buildings require movers to provide a certificate of insurance (COI) before beginning the move. Check with your building management to determine if elevator reservations are required and inquire about any insurance documentation with the movers."

3. Check on their website to see if it's user-friendly: Matt says, " What is the experience like on their website, does it function or are there error pages and bugs? That can be revealing." If the moving company's website seems thrown together and shows no prior reviews, they aren't offering a lot to show they are somewhere you can rely on.

Debra Baida

I opened my professional organizing business in 2007 after two decades working as a photo editor in New York and San Francisco. In many ways the transition made a lot of sense. Collaborating with photographers and art directors to edit images for the purpose of publishing impactful stories, translated quite naturally into collaborating with clients who are ready to edit and reclaim their spaces while they create their life stories. 

4. Does the moving company align with your values?: For instance, if you're passionate about organizing, perhaps opting for a moving company with organizing professionals on the team to consult would be more up your street.

5. Does the moving company's schedule work with yours?: If you love a moving company but they're all booked up, there isn't much you can do without compromising your planned move-in date. For this reason, booking a mover as soon as possible is recommended to avoid disappointment. It's also important to consider the seasons: for instance, do you want to move house during winter?

6. Does the moving company's estimate work with your budget?: Millie says, "Be mindful of moving estimates. If your quote isn’t a guaranteed flat rate, expect some fluctuation—usually around 10%, either higher or lower. It's smart to budget accordingly for potential extra costs."

Ben Soreff, professional organizer and partner at House to Home Organizing, adds, "When it comes to large moves the price factors in fuel and weight costs plus the number of people needed, so be aware that the price you're paying comes from many places. The most important issue to pay attention to when dealing with a moving company is that often, when the manager comes out to give you an estimate, you may never see that person again, especially on moving day. So gather as much information as you can about your estimate, what it's including, and don't take the estimate as the definite final price."

Ben Soreff

Ben Soreff is a partner at House to Home Organizing. He is originally from Portland, Maine and used to work in film & TV Production. Ben graduated from Skidmore College and has experience with Level 5 Hoarders.

How much does it cost to hiring a moving company?

The cost of hiring a moving company greatly varies depending on a long list of factors, including but not limited to the time frame of the job, how much stuff you have to move, where you are moving to, and what size van you need to hire.

Though as the owner of a moving company, Matt shared the following to provide you with a rough price range for typical local and long distance moves. Be sure to add this information to your moving house checklist!

"For a local move, depending on if you are hiring movers to do full-service (movers wrap furniture and dis/reassemble furniture, pack boxes and provide the packing materials) or a more basic service (movers wrap furniture and dis/reassemble furniture but customer obtains and packs their own boxes), prices typically range from $500-2,500 for a studio or 1 bedroom apartment," says Matt. "It increases to $1,000-4,000 for 2-3 bedroom apartments and $1,500-$7,000 for a multi-level house. For long distance moves, prices increase by roughly $1,000 per every 250 miles."

FAQs

What Should I Keep an Eye Out for Before Moving?

Matt's final words of advice are: "The moving industry has a lot of sketchy companies, so be really careful and skeptical if you encounter companies that charge much cheaper than average prices, or prices that when you think about it you can't make sense of. Of course, you want to save money when you are in the process of a move. But a nightmare moving experience is worth spending some money to avoid, so invest in hiring a reputable company, even if they are a little more expensive. That will significantly decrease the chances of your move going off the rails."

Millie final advice is: "If you have valuable art or high-priced items, consider getting supplemental insurance. Standard moving company policies typically provide minimal coverage for lost or damaged items (the exact amount will be outlined in your agreement). Supplemental insurance can offer significantly higher protection for your belongings."

And expert Ben tells us: "If your movers will be helping to unpack or position large items, they are going to keep asking you 'Where do you want this?' a million times. The better prepared you are the smoother it will go. Ideally, in each room you would have a big sign saying kitchen, kids bedroom, living room, etcetera so what goes where is clear to everyone. You want to control the controllable where possible."

Take note of what the experts have to say and take time to find the right moving company to ease the stress that follows moving homes.

"People often underestimate the amount of physicality required to execute a move from beginning to end," says Debra. "Professional moving crews do this work for a living, while those of us who might be moving usually do not. Movers are skilled and equipped to carry any number of boxes filled with fragile or heavy bulky items, not to mention furniture and art of all shapes and sizes up or down stairs and from room to room."

Which is why it's essential to find the right moving company, and we hope this expert guide gets you a step closer to just that.

To stay on top of all things moving, check out these good reads:

• The Art of Happy Moving: How to Declutter, Pack, and Start Over, priced at $18.93 from Amazon.

• Organizing Your Move: Moving Checklists, Worksheets and Timeline, priced at just $16.99.

• Positively Moving: 12 Steps for an Organized and Optimistic Transition to a New Home with Your Family, priced at $14.99.