Moving mistakes to avoid

1) Unfortunately, it's safest to assume the movers will not be careful. Box things with lots of padding and if possible move fragile things yourself.

2) Some moving companies default to a flexible schedule, meaning they can show up whenever they want and you'll have no way to hold them accountable. If it's an option, pay for a specific, contractual pickup and delivery date. 

3) Pick a moving company based on referrals you trust if possible, not on price. Remember, “Pay peanuts, get monkeys.”

4) Personally transport vital and expensive items like jewelry, passports, guns, deeds, or photo albums yourself.

5) Remember that movers can't transport anything that can explode or things that are poisonous, so dispose of propane tanks.

6) There are 3 strong reasons to make sure you don't underestimate the amount of stuff you have: you'll pay by the pound/item anyway, they might not bring a big enough truck, and it gives them an excuse to rip up the "binding" estimate. Use comehome.ai to build a photo survey of your belongings and send that to movers to get a quote you can trust!

7) Keep 1-2 weeks of clothes with you, along with air mattresses, medication, and anything else you'd need to survive a couple weeks if the movers are delayed.

8) It's recommended to purchase moving insurance. Home insurance (if you have it) often covers a disaster like the truck flipping over, but will not cover mishandling or theft. The moving company usually only insures at pennies per pound, so if they break high value, low weight items like TV's you'll only be compensated a few dollars.

9) You're already stressed out, overworked, and underslept: make sure to eat healthy. Future you will thank you for it!

10) Don't forget the emotional well being of your whole family (yes, including pets). Moving can be destabilizing, so ease your children into it. For pets, consider getting a cheap medication for anxiety: you don't want the dog chewing on your new banister!