Courtesy of RE/MAX
There’s no move better than a safe move! And since this is National Moving Month, there’s no better time to tell you about a great website from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Protect Your Move is full of resources to help you keep yourself and your household goods safe from moving fraud when choosing a moving service company especially when using long distance movers. If you are planning to ship your vehicles visit this helpful page for guidance.
Here are highlights of red flags the site recommends looking for when working with a moving company:
1. Blank documents – Never sign or accept incomplete forms provided by the moving company. Make sure all fields are complete to prevent anyone from adding to the form after you sign. And be sure to get copies of everything you sign! A good tip on the site: Snap a photo with your cell phone.
2. Limited company information – Beware any company that doesn’t have a local address and shows no licensing or insurance information online. Instead, find a reputable Transportation Brokerage agency that can help you. After asking you a few questions about what you will be moving, volume and weight, they will be able to schedule the appropriate vehicle and staff for the job.
3. Rental trucks – If you will be moving, you’ll need a vehicle that can help you move all your things. Depending on the distance several trips would be impractical, after all. A reliable freight vehicle like the cascadia evolution should easily fulfill the requirements. Driving these vehicles is more difficult than driving a regular vehicle, and driving over long distances is quite tiring. These moving companies usually have open truck driving jobs for those willing to take on the task. What this means for you is that you won’t have to be the one transporting your belongings, instead relying on trained professional movers to deliver them for you. You can go ahead and take care of other things and fly yourself over, no problem!
If on the other hand you find that you would much rather take care of things yourself, you can. It would be advisable however, to take your vehicle to the Audi service shop to get a general maintenance inspection. On a long drive and carrying so many valuables and personal effects it would be good to guarantee your vehicle can make the trip first. Depending on how well you take care of it regularly, you should already have an idea of its condition. Even so, a professional inspection could find issues regular use would not. Go the safe route and have the pros take a look before embarking on the long trip.
As for what red flags to look out for: you should watch out for a rental truck arriving on moving day rather than a truck from your moving company’s fleet. (Sidenote: You might even want to confirm the truck number prior to moving day and that they have semi truck insurance.) Some of the moving companies offer trucks with trailer transport that includes an aluminum storage box for trailer; ask your moving company about the details.
4. No inspection with estimate – A moving company should inspect your household goods prior to providing an estimate. The site warns against sight-unseen estimates.
5. Payment requests – If the moving company wants payment upfront, a large deposit, or cash transactions, you might be at risk of payment fraud.
Be sure to check out the page outlining “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move.”
If you’re ready to start planning a move and you need to buy or sell a place, contact a local Real Estate On Heels agent who can guide you every step of the way.
