Moving Long Distances: Major Mistakes

Long-distance moves aren’t for the faint of heart. There’s a lot that goes into a long-distance move, and even more planning is required. Long-distance moves are all about changing up everything you know and love! It’s a leap into the unknown, and it can be terrifying. Our friends at safeboundmoving.com understand that, so they put together a quick guide on common major mistakes prospective movers make when they’re moving long distances. Read on to see what those common major mistakes are and how to best avoid them.

Don’t Take Everything

This is an all-too-common error among 15 million Americans who relocate each year. They believe that because they’re moving, everything they own must follow suit. This is simply not the case. It’s more of a mental stumbling block than anything else.

It’s usually easier to sell old furniture and get new furnishings for your new home. Because you’re moving less, you end up saving a lot of money on the move. Keep in mind that moving firms charge based on the weight of your possessions or the amount of space they take up in the truck. The less stuff you have to move, the less you have to pay.

An easy way to move less stuff is to get rid of it! Get rid of some of the unnecessary items. Organize a garage sale. Bring your old pots and pans to your local Goodwill. Put some furniture on Facebook Marketplace.

Abandon that mentality of packing everything, throwing it all into a truck, and unpacking everything at the new house. When you try to bring everything, you literally and figuratively weigh yourself down. You literally weigh yourself down because you’re trying to take more. As we mentioned, this will only drive up the cost of your move.

This is the key. Make a list of all your possessions. Then go over that list, pick what you want to keep, and establish a strategy to get rid of the rest before your moving date.

Don’t Cheap Out on Insurance/Valuation

Get the full-value coverage from whatever moving company you hire. If something breaks during the move, you want the moving company to replace, fix, or offer financial compensation for the damages. All too often, prospective movers will get the cheapest/basic valuation offered by the moving company. This is a major mistake!

The basic valuation all moving companies are required to include in their binder only ensures compensation of up to $0.60 per pound. So, if something happens to your 100-pound antique dresser that is worth $1,000, the moving company is only liable to compensate you $60. That’s insane, right? Well, that’s just the law most moving companies are following.

To best protect yourself and your belongings, get the full value insurance that the long-distance moving company offers. If anything were to go wrong during your move, you want your stuff to be insured. Any reputable moving company will offer basic and full value protection. While the full value protection is certainly going to be more expensive, you’ll be glad you bought it when something goes wrong.

Important Documents Stay With You

Don’t toss your birth certificate, passport, tax documents, or car title into the moving truck with a box of plates. We’ve heard horror stories about a box going missing and containing all of that essential paperwork. To avoid this, just place all of your irreplaceable documents in a box that you keep with you during the moving day. Put that box in your vehicle the morning of the move so it doesn’t get mixed up with the boxes the movers will load onto their truck. Save yourself the trouble and get it done now.

This becomes even more essential if you’re moving long-distance. There’s no greater nightmare than being across the country from all of your most important documents and not knowing when you’ll be able to get them back. It’s even worse if you somehow got into business with a shady moving company.

Do Research and More Research

The mistake here is handing over your hard-earned money to a company that doesn’t have your best interests in mind. The mistake that precedes that mistake is not doing your due diligence when it comes to researching moving companies for your long-distance move.

There are plenty of ways to seed through all the potential moving companies that compete for your business. There isn’t a wrong way to go about researching them. The major mistake to avoid here is not doing any research at all and trusting one ad you see online.

Referrals are the optimal way to go here. Ask friends and family which moving company they hired to help them move. If they had a good experience, look into the company. Check out their Better Business Bureau ratings and reviews. Call that company and see what kind of quote they offer. If it’s an obvious low-ball, move on.

If several people are all pointing you in the same direction, then your choice should be fairly clear. However, if you can’t seem to find any referrals, it’s time to get busy and do dedicate some time to research. The time you spend researching a reputable moving company will be well worth it when all of your belongings are safe in your new house. If you don’t do the research, you might get your belongings held hostage by a predatory moving company. Unfortunately, those kinds of companies exist in this industry, and it’s your job to weed the good from the bad.

Long-Distance Moving Mistakes

Your long-distance move might not turn out perfect, and that’s okay. It’s rare for any move to go off without a hitch, especially a long-distance move. So it’s important to have realistic expectations. However, if you follow these basic tips and avoid these common mistakes, you should have a relatively smooth long-distance move.

Get rid of some stuff, get the full value protection, keep your important documents on you, and do as much research on moving companies as possible.

Moving Long Distances: Major Mistakes

Long-distance moves aren’t for the faint of heart. There’s a lot that goes into a long-distance move, and even more planning is required. Long-distance moves are all about changing up everything you know and love! It’s a leap into the unknown, and it can be terrifying. Our friends at safeboundmoving.com understand that, so they put together a quick guide on common major mistakes prospective movers make when they’re moving long distances. Read on to see what those common major mistakes are and how to best avoid them.

Don’t Take Everything

This is an all-too-common error among 15 million Americans who relocate each year. They believe that because they’re moving, everything they own must follow suit. This is simply not the case. It’s more of a mental stumbling block than anything else.

It’s usually easier to sell old furniture and get new furnishings for your new home. Because you’re moving less, you end up saving a lot of money on the move. Keep in mind that moving firms charge based on the weight of your possessions or the amount of space they take up in the truck. The less stuff you have to move, the less you have to pay.

An easy way to move less stuff is to get rid of it! Get rid of some of the unnecessary items. Organize a garage sale. Bring your old pots and pans to your local Goodwill. Put some furniture on Facebook Marketplace.

Abandon that mentality of packing everything, throwing it all into a truck, and unpacking everything at the new house. When you try to bring everything, you literally and figuratively weigh yourself down. You literally weigh yourself down because you’re trying to take more. As we mentioned, this will only drive up the cost of your move.

This is the key. Make a list of all your possessions. Then go over that list, pick what you want to keep, and establish a strategy to get rid of the rest before your moving date.

Don’t Cheap Out on Insurance/Valuation

Get the full-value coverage from whatever moving company you hire. If something breaks during the move, you want the moving company to replace, fix, or offer financial compensation for the damages. All too often, prospective movers will get the cheapest/basic valuation offered by the moving company. This is a major mistake!

The basic valuation all moving companies are required to include in their binder only ensures compensation of up to $0.60 per pound. So, if something happens to your 100-pound antique dresser that is worth $1,000, the moving company is only liable to compensate you $60. That’s insane, right? Well, that’s just the law most moving companies are following.

To best protect yourself and your belongings, get the full value insurance that the long-distance moving company offers. If anything were to go wrong during your move, you want your stuff to be insured. Any reputable moving company will offer basic and full value protection. While the full value protection is certainly going to be more expensive, you’ll be glad you bought it when something goes wrong.

Important Documents Stay With You

Don’t toss your birth certificate, passport, tax documents, or car title into the moving truck with a box of plates. We’ve heard horror stories about a box going missing and containing all of that essential paperwork. To avoid this, just place all of your irreplaceable documents in a box that you keep with you during the moving day. Put that box in your vehicle the morning of the move so it doesn’t get mixed up with the boxes the movers will load onto their truck. Save yourself the trouble and get it done now.

This becomes even more essential if you’re moving long-distance. There’s no greater nightmare than being across the country from all of your most important documents and not knowing when you’ll be able to get them back. It’s even worse if you somehow got into business with a shady moving company.

Do Research and More Research

The mistake here is handing over your hard-earned money to a company that doesn’t have your best interests in mind. The mistake that precedes that mistake is not doing your due diligence when it comes to researching moving companies for your long-distance move.

There are plenty of ways to seed through all the potential moving companies that compete for your business. There isn’t a wrong way to go about researching them. The major mistake to avoid here is not doing any research at all and trusting one ad you see online.

Referrals are the optimal way to go here. Ask friends and family which moving company they hired to help them move. If they had a good experience, look into the company. Check out their Better Business Bureau ratings and reviews. Call that company and see what kind of quote they offer. If it’s an obvious low-ball, move on.

If several people are all pointing you in the same direction, then your choice should be fairly clear. However, if you can’t seem to find any referrals, it’s time to get busy and do dedicate some time to research. The time you spend researching a reputable moving company will be well worth it when all of your belongings are safe in your new house. If you don’t do the research, you might get your belongings held hostage by a predatory moving company. Unfortunately, those kinds of companies exist in this industry, and it’s your job to weed the good from the bad.

Long-Distance Moving Mistakes

Your long-distance move might not turn out perfect, and that’s okay. It’s rare for any move to go off without a hitch, especially a long-distance move. So it’s important to have realistic expectations. However, if you follow these basic tips and avoid these common mistakes, you should have a relatively smooth long-distance move.

Get rid of some stuff, get the full value protection, keep your important documents on you, and do as much research on moving companies as possible.