Janis Peterson, GRI, ABR, CSP Realtor® Philadelphia Main Line Homes and Real Estate Montgomery, Delaware, and Chester Counties Relocation Specialist

Telephone:	(610) 642-3744
Fax:	(610) 658-0267
E-mail:	jp4re@pahomes.com
Home page:	www.pahomes.com

The first thing to know about using a professional mover is that all movers are not alike. It will save you a lot of stress knowing that you have a reliable and reputable company. Ask your real estate professional, neighbors, family and friends for a recommendation. In addition, check with your local Better Business Bureau to see if there are any complaints against the moving company.

Once you have narrowed down your selection, ask the following questions:
· How long has the company been in business?
· Is the moving agent certified?
· How long has the estimator been in the industry?
· Is the company insured? Do they have worker's compensation? If not, and one of their workers is hurt in your home, you may end up having to not only pay for your move, but their medical expenses too!

Next, get an estimate for the costs of the move at least eight weeks before your move. For local moves, your costs are usually based on the number of movers and truck multiplied by the number of hours. For long distance moves your costs are charged mainly on the weight of your items and the distance they need to be moved. In both cases, there may be additional components that will factor into the costs.

To get a more accurate estimate, ask that the company sends a representative to your home to take an inventory of your belongings. Be prepared to give a description of your new residence. Are there stairs? Restrictions? Accommodations for a truck?

Get a written copy of the estimate with the costs components detailed out. Examples of moving cost components are packing (labor and materials), special handling of antiques, art and other fragile items, transportation charges, additional insurance while in transit or storage, and accessory charges including number of stairs, distance from the truck to home, ease of entry, etc. Getting a written estimate does three things. First, it will alleviate any surprise charges after the move is complete. Second, it protects you from a would-be unscrupulous vendor trying to understate costs to get your business. And lastly, in most cases a mover can only collect within a certain percentage of the estimate on delivery.

After you have an estimate of costs, schedule a move date no less than two weeks before the move. However, the earlier the better, especially if you are moving during the busy season, May to September. If your move is across states, you may need to plan extra days into your move. This is because most companies' rates on interstate moves are based on fully-loaded trailers. And unless all of your household goods fill the trailer, there may be other household shipments on there as well, so you have to be flexible on the dates for both loading and delivery.

Make sure the mover gives you an estimated time for arrival so that you can have someone at your new destination to receive your items, otherwise your items will be placed in storage and you will have to pay for storage and for redelivery.

Once you've chosen your mover and set your move date, there's only one thing left to do—sit back and enjoy moving day!

"Real Service in Real Estate." For a personal consultation on buying or selling real estate, Janis Peterson, GRI, ABR, CSP Realtor® can be reached at (610) 642-3744, e-mail: jp4re@pahomes.com. Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors® is an independently owned and operated member of The Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc.

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