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Atlanta Real Estate Tips Moving To A New Home Move yourself or hire a mover? General Tips For many people anticipating a move, the decision of whether to hire a mover or move themselves is an easy one. The cost of a move is based on distance, type of furniture, day of the week or month and access. Get an estimate Call at least 3 moving companies to come to your home and provide you with moving estimates. The estimates are generally not binding, but some movers will give binding estimates guaranteed to be your final cost. The guaranteed estimate may actually be higher than a non-guaranteed estimate, but there won't be any surprises if your move ends up taking longer than anticipated. Packing materials can add quite a bit to the cost of moving. Whether the movers are doing your packing or you are doing it yourself, try to get used boxes from the moving company - they should cost you about half as much as new. In addition to the estimates, take into consideration the reputation of the mover. The lowest bid is not always the best choice. Wouldn't you rather pay more and hire a reputable company that will stand behind their service? Check with local consumer protection groups if you're making a short move. These agencies keep records of complaints that are filed against businesses. The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) regulates moves from one state to another. The agency can provide a summary of the most recent performance reports of the largest moving companies. Even when you use a professional mover, there are ways to cut expenses. If possible, avoid the peak summer season. Minimize accessory charges - hooking up appliances and moving heavy furniture up more than one flight of stairs. Also, do as much of the packing as you can (leave expensive and fragile items to the movers for insurance reasons) and don't take expendable items. Moving yourself If you pack your possessions and move in a rented truck, your moving bill will be a fraction of the cost. You'll also increase the amount of work and worry for yourself, and there is a financial drawback. Generally you can only insure up to $25,000 for personal property, and claims are valid only for major damages (fire, accident, etc). If your grandmother's cut-glass bowl gets broken because you have to slam on the brakes, that's a packing problem not covered by most companies. The day you reserve a moving truck is a good time to review your homeowner's insurance policy to determine if it covers your possessions during a move. If it doesn't, you can usually buy cargo insurance through the truck-rental firm. Cargo insurance protects against accidental loss or damage to your possessions while in the rental truck. Whichever method you use to move, be sure to save receipts. If you are moving in conjunction with a job, and itemize on your tax returns, you can write off moving expenses at tax time.
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