According to the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA), the industry has some 7,000 companies scattered across 13,900 areas all over the U.S. These companies offer storage and moving services to managers of offices and owners of private residences who need reliable truckers to haul out their goods and deliver them to another location or storage facility. The entire industry has a yearly $3.6 billion payroll benefiting more than 122,000 employees.
With these facts in hindsight, it’s easy to be complacent and make some big mistakes when moving out with the notion that such a multi-billion dollar industry couldn’t possibly mess up. However, the truth is that there are certain pitfalls trusting or careless property owners fall into when deciding to move out. If you don’t want to star in your own moving out horror story, then you have to exercise caution at every turn.
Here are some moving out mistakes that you must avoid at all cost:
1. Not minding your vehicles. If you have several vehicles that you need to transport from point A to point B as you move out, the last thing you want to do is to hire a fly-by-night vehicle mover. Many property owners made this misstep and ended up regretting it dearly when their vehicles arrived at their destinations with scratches and bumps all over. Instead, be sure to hire a reputable car shipping company with verifiable licenses, credentials, and past clients. Remember that one typical car model alone easily costs a small fortune, let alone several flashy cars.
2. Foregoing the packing and then scrambling at the last minute. If you’re proud of being Mr. or Ms. Procrastination, moving out is not the occasion to show off your crown. Packing up your valuables should be done carefully and way ahead of the scheduled move out. Packing up too late in the process would cause problems like items getting lost or damaged because they were packed haphazardly.
3. Not getting proper insurance coverage. While it’s true that existing Federal regulations require interstate moving companies to offer full value and released-value insurance coverage for their clients’ items, both may not be enough to cover all potential losses. Thus, be sure to not rely solely on the insurance that your mover is offering but instead fork money if needed to get additional insurance, especially if you’re moving pricey and priceless valuables like antiques and paintings.
4. Taking everything, even the ones not worth keeping anymore. If you want to pay lower costs to your mover, don’t take everything with you. Don’t make the argument that everything is important and shouldn’t be left behind because that’s untrue. So, just pull off a Marie Kondo — take only the essentials and leave everything else behind.
5. Wasting the opportunity to earn money on valuables. This one is connected with the previous item. If you did decide to leave some items behind, don’t waste the chance to make money out of them by holding a garage sale or selling them online for quick cash. It’s a win-win move since you get to move less and pay less and earn money that you can actually use to pay for entire moving costs. How’s that for a smart move.
Moving out should be painless and smooth. By avoiding these five mistakes, you can expect a fuss-free transfer from your old place to the new.