Is this a local or long distance move? Hiring a mover can get very expensive but may be your only option if you don't have helpers.

I'd suggest buying boxes in a few sizes because it is much easier to pack a truck when all the boxes are the same sizes. A tightly packed truck is best because items can't shift and be damaged. Get a few rolls of bubble wrap and use it liberally with any fragile items. Get a roll or two of the film/stretch wrap, it's great for odd shaped stuff and because it only sticks to itself is useful for securing, for example, table drawers. Moving blankets too.

Invest in a few packs of colored index cards, using one color for each room and write a detailed list of what is in each box on the card and tape the card to the box. When you get to your destination you can tape a card to the door frame of the room so people know where to put the boxes.

Start packing NOW. It takes a lot longer than you think!

We just moved--about a month ago. We'd bought our 'new' (to us--it's a 60 year old home) house about 4 years ago, and were living between it in the country, and our 'old' home in the suburbs since.

Reasons? While we loved our old home, it was a two-story/one bath home--with the laundry in the bsement. We wanted something that was all on one floor--and we found a wonderful ranch that had everything we wanted and then some. It's also in an area that's financially depressed, so the price was a lot better (we paid about $220,000, but back in the 'burbs' the same house would have gone for 350,000-500,000, depending upon neighborhood).

As to moving? We did a combination. Over the years we were living between 2 houses, we moved a lot of the small stuff ourselves, but it made sense to us to hire a mover to take care of the bigger things. Our move was about an hour between houses. We had the movers take: a large heavy dining room set, fridge, kitchen set, assorted living room furniture, Grandfather clock, and one bedroom set--as well as some bins and stuff from the garage (tools, grill, generator, etc). It wasn't that expensive--we felt that $450 was WELL worth it. And they were so fast! Arrived at one house by 7:45 in the morning, and were done at the other house before 11AM!! Less than 3 hours for the complete move!

Obviously, you have to make your own decision about whether hiring a mover is in your budget and worth it, but I found that ours were extremely careful, they wrapped everything with those heavy quilts, packed carefully. And the only casualty was the final atop my mother's secretary (which falls off EVERYTIME the thing is moved from one house to another, and then has to be glued back on--LOL--so not really their fault). I'd definitely hire movers again, if I were going to move.

I'm still in the process of finding a mover. What should I check and compare between the companies before I choose right mover. Kindly suggest

Link below

Here is a link that might be useful: Protect Your Move

Same site, different page

Here is a link that might be useful: Choosing a Reputable Mover

Again, it depends on how far you are moving. Presume it is in the same town. Many locals have moving services provided by off duty firemen. Check your local yellow pages or look for references from friends or aquaintenses. As it is often said, this is not brain surgery, and you can move fragile stuff in your cars.

I'm thinking $2-2.5 thousand for a full-service move including packing and everything? Does this sound about right or is it too high or too low?
it is hard to say, with what little info you have provided.

How far are you moving? Across town? Across the state? What state? Across the country?

Are you moving from a 1 bedroom apartment or from a 2 story 4 bedroom McMansion? Do you have possessions in outbuildings, mowers, tools, etc?

I'd think having the movers pack everything, would be quite costly, considering the purchase of all the boxes and packing materials, and all the manpower hours involved.

I'd suggest you give them your number and let them call you back, and then you provide them with as much information as possible.

When I moved to a new home, I packed all my stuff but hired a local moving company to move my things to my new home not too far away. They also do long-distance moving. A rep came to my (old) home to estimate the cost of the move based on how much stuff I had to be moved. When the rep came, I already had most things already packed in boxes.

I was so glad that I hired them because there was no way I could handle all that work. But I did save money by packing everything myself and also by moving some small stuff in my car. The workers who did the move were friendly and professional.

My brother gave me lots of large boxes that he didn't use from his move. There are lots of places that sell moving supplies, and sometimes you can get lucky by asking around to see if anyone or any stores have free boxes (make sure the boxes are in good condition) and free bubble wrap that they would otherwise discard.

I knew that this company had a great reputation, so I felt safe hiring them. I had some paperwork to read and to sign in order to hire them. Make sure you read the paperwork. Make sure that you inform them of any damage to your items within the time specified in the paperwork.

You can do searches of companies online to see if anyone has written reviews. You can go online to the Better Business Bureau's web site to check the complaint history of companies. Also, ask people if they know of a really good moving company.

You are not going to get an accurate estimate of costs by filling out a form online. The telephone rep/salesperson will ask you detailed questions about the furniture in each room, estimated number of boxes, specifics about your house (for example, lots easier/faster to move out of a one story house than 3 story with steep stairs), etc. It only takes a few minutes. I would not hire a mover because one friend had "heard of" them. When I last moved I did a LOT of research on yelp.com, the BBB's site, etc. I was very happy with the movers I chose as a result and their estimate was right on.

I had friends who did not do that and hired dirt cheap movers or movers from Craigslist to try and save some money - most of them have horror stories of their stuff being held hostage until they agreed to pay more money or being damaged, or the movers showing up hours late.

I was also only moving about a mile away, so I ferried clothing, plants, artwork, and other stuff over in my car, then boxed the remainder up myself. If you are cost conscious, you will save a lot by doing that, rather than the full-service move. I did a full service move once that was paid by a former employer, and I remember it being quite pricey, though very nice to have them come in and get all of my packing done in the span of a couple of hours.