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Six Mistakes to Avoid When Making a Move

Hiring Companies

Moving is one of the most stressful phases in life. It’s physically, mentally, and financially draining. With all the complications and requirements involved in the process, it’s easy to lose track of things and make mistakes. Sometimes, these errors don’t matter much, and you can still finish your relocation with ease. However, a simple mistake […]

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5 Red Flags to Look for When Hiring an Austin Moving Company

Hiring Companies

Moving is a major undertaking. It’s essential to hire the right people for the job. While Austin is a big city with plenty of exceptional movers, many moving scams still exist. If you’re not careful, you could be the next victim. 

Obviously, you don’t want that to happen, right? That’s why you’re out here on the internet looking for information. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place. Here are five major red flags to watch out so you don’t get scammed by an Austin moving company.

1. There’s Not Much Info About Your Movers

Credible movers always try to get on everybody’s radars. They want people to know about them. A good reputation equals more customers. That’s why if your potential movers don’t seem to have a substantial presence, you should start having second thoughts.

Rogue movers prefer to lay low so they won’t get tipped off to authorities by their previous victims. Here are some ideas on how to check your mover’s credibility.

  • Ask them to provide their USDOT number. This number is assigned to all moving companies registered to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Failure to provide one automatically deems a company as an illegal business.
  • Evaluate their website. Rogue movers often don’t have websites, and when they do, it’s poorly done. The site doesn’t necessarily have to look extravagant or high-end. Some legit mover pages even rock a minimalistic design. Look at the content instead. Does it feel professional and appropriate? Do their testimonials come from actual people? Also, try to look out for missing pages like contact information or a poorly-written about us page.
  • Check online reviews. The experiences of other people are your most valuable source of information. Just remember to look for reviews on Yelp and Google since it would be difficult to fake those sites.

However, keep in mind that there are also new companies out there looking to build their names. They may not have an extensive reach, yet they offer excellent services. Make sure you do your research so you can distinguish a rogue from a new company.

You will be trusting these people with your belongings, so make sure you do your research.

2. Your Movers Can’t Answer Your Questions

Or they try to provide an answer, but you don’t feel confident with the response. See, legitimate movers who have been in the industry for a long time won’t even need a second to answer your question. They’ve been doing this job for years that they know all the ins-and-outs of the industry.

On the other hand, rogue movers will have a hard time responding when thrown a complicated question like something about piano moving, for example. They haven’t actually performed the job before. That’s why they won’t have a clue about the process.

3. They Ask You to Pay a Large Deposit Upfront

If your movers do this, don’t bother following up. You won’t be hearing from them after you deposit the money. Legit moving companies always finish the move first before asking for payment. It’s a fundamental act of professionalism. You should also look out when the movers provide you a ‘too good to be true’ estimate. The moment you take the bait, they’ll take your belongings hostage and ask a large amount before completing the move.

4. They Don’t Discuss Liability Coverage Clearly

When you try to bring the topic to your movers, watch out for these lines or something that sounds similar:

‘We’ve been doing this stuff for years. There’s no way we’ll mess your things up.’

‘Just trust us. The last thing we want to happen is to break or lose something in your inventory.’

And then they brush you off the liability talk. That’s a major deal-breaker right there. Even if they’re the best in the world, humans make mistakes. No one knows what can happen. That’s why you want to ensure that you’ll get the favorable end of the stick if things go south.

Speaking of accountability, your moving company must at least provide basic protection coverage. How does it work? The movers will have to pay you $0.60 per pound of a lost or damaged item. However, you might want to get full-value protection when moving expensive stuff. If your movers happen to break your $2000 TV, they’ll have to cover the repairs or replace it with a new one.

Know every single thing, every single detail that you need to make sure you’re going to keep you and yours belongings safe.

5. Your Movers Will Make You Sign Shady Documents

Never sign a contract without reading it. Rogue movers like to come up with fake arrangements containing loopholes or conditions that’ll be disadvantageous for you in the long run. So make it a habit to review any document first before putting your signature on it. 

And that’s it! Keep these five things in mind, and you’ll be good to go! Now, time to start looking for a reliable Austin moving company to help you out!

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Steps for Decluttering Your Apartment Before a Move

Decluttering

Before you start the long process of packing everything in your apartment, it is important to declutter and organize your apartment. Decluttering before you move allows you to get rid of unwanted items, and organize your existing items, to make unpacking in your new home or apartment easier. Follow the steps below from Imperial Moving NYC to get a start on the decluttering process for a less stressful move.

Step One: Start Early

The most important thing to remember about decluttering is to do it before you start packing up boxes for your new place. Although you can also declutter while you pack, this can make packing feel overwhelming. No matter how far away your moving day is, it is imperative that you start the decluttering process as soon as possible. By starting early, you leave yourself enough time to do all of the other tasks associated with moving.

Step Two: Decide What Items to Get Rid Of

One of the biggest hurdles in the decluttering process is deciding what items you should keep or get rid of. To make this easier, create a list of criteria for getting rid of items which could include:

  • Broken or worn down items
  • Out of style or poorly fitting clothes and shoes
  • Expired items, such as medicines, make-up or food
  • Duplicate belongings that are not necessary

Another good rule to follow when deciding what to discard is the 12-month rule. This rule says to get rid of any item that has not been used in the past 12 months. Do not hold onto items just because you might eventually use them.

Step Three: Use Three Boxes to Declutter Each Room

After you have your criteria for discarding belongings, you now need to sort through all of your items to decide what stays and goes. Break this task down room by room to make it less overwhelming and use the three box trick to make it easier. Each box is for a category of items to help you sort out your belongings.

  • Box 1: Items to Keep
  • Box 2: Items to Sell or Donate
  • Box 3: Items to Throw Out

All items that meet the criteria for the last step should be placed in either box two or three depending on the condition of the item. Items in good condition can be sold or donated, while items that are broken or completely worn out should be thrown away.

Step Four: Sell and Donate Items from Box 2

Once you have decluttered every room in your apartment, it is time to find a place for all of the unwanted items. You can hold a garage sale or put items online to sell with an app like Decluttr or OfferUp to get extra money for your move. Anything leftover can be donated, and to save even more time you can schedule a charity to come pick up the items from your apartment.

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