Senior Movers Near Me
Published by Chris Townsend
Senior Moving Companies Near You
If you are a senior citizen planning a move, you may be leaving a home you have occupied for many years and facing a significant transition. Or perhaps this relocation is just the latest in a series of many as you hop across the country or moving overseas around the world.
You might be downsizing, rightsizing, or putting everything in storage while you spend some time deciding where to go next. Whatever the circumstances, you need help with your move.
Whether downsizing or relocating to a new area, the senior hauling companies offer exclusive moving services to senior citizens during a life-changing event. The certified relocation transitions specialist aims to aid the transition as smoothly as possible for a large family home and seniors. Let's take a closer look to know what's a senior shifting company offers, whether it's a challenging process or not.
How Do I Find The Best Senior Hauler Near Me?
Are you looking for the best senior moving services? Or how can you choose the best senior moving specialists to make the moving process effortless? Some relocation services offer the retirement community legacy services and free consultation options with effective services to satisfy the customers.
Finding the best senior hauler means finding the best mover for you: A moving company that is sensitive to what you are looking for and offers the services you want at a fair price.
Most importantly, a shifting partner you can trust with the possessions you have collected over a lifetime. You may have some special needs and requests, and to start with, you need a shifting checklist, and you need to know what to look for.
What to look for in a mover?
Choosing the best senior relocating service is an intimidating task when you have many professionals packing services and full-service companies available.
The assisted living facility and a family-owned business should be considered carefully to get the maximum advantage and the best senior moving experience. You have to keep a few factors in mind before choosing the best moving services. Consider the following factors when choosing the right relocation services.
The mover should be trusted
Look for a mover you can trust. There are a few things that can help build the confidence that you have identified a reliable partner for your move. It's essential to look for a trusted mover to get the right professional packing and relocation services. The family members must look for the details about transit systems and estate sales before choosing the right one.
More about the details
If you are shifting between states, you should only consider haulers registered with FMCSA, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which regulates interstate movers as part of the Department of Transportation.
Look for other frequently asked questions to know more about what a particular company offers. Some long-distance companies offer stress-free hauling options and assistance to move effectively.
FMCSA has established rules for moving companies to follow, and it maintains a database of information that will assist you in finding a reputable one in your area. Start by ensuring that the companies you are considering are registered and check out their safety history on the website.
Rights and regulations
Now, you have to review the rights and regulations. Review the resource document called Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move. This guide explains the framework within which movers must operate and how to protect yourself when choosing one.
For example, there is a detailed explanation of the types of estimates that movers will provide, and the differences between a binding and non-binding estimate.
It describes terms used in the industry, including order for service, bill of lading, mover’s tariff, freight bill, weight ticket, and other bits of jargon that can be intimidating if the potential vendor uses them and you don’t know what they mean. The ideal services will offer the concierge-style experience to customers whenever a senior moves. You can also get a free quote for details.
Valuation
The brochure also contains a breakdown of valuation options. Valuation is similar to insurance, but liability is assumed by the mover rather than a policy issued by an insurance company.
Consumers are often confused by the valuation coverage options and may choose the “free” coverage that the hauler offers, without fully considering the potential consequences if something goes wrong.
Even the best mover can have an accident or suffer a slip that results in damage to something in your shipment. Carefully examine the reimbursement limits of the Replacement Value (full coverage) and Released Value (free/included coverage) as well as the deductibles and exclusions before deciding.
Assurance from the third party
You may also be obtaining insurance from a third party, which is an option, especially if you have high-value items. Your moving company may not want to assume liability for expensive pieces, so be sure to discuss any necessary items with each vendor you are considering.
You may need to engage the movers to pack and prepare some things for them to provide coverage—this generally applies to items like artwork, musical instruments, and other very fragile possessions.
Whether you want to move furniture or decide to schedule a floor plan for shifting one room items, it's essential to share the new location with the companies for excellent legacy services.
FMCSA guide
The FMCSA guide has a section concerning disputes and how to resolve them. When you are considering companies, ask about each one’s dispute resolution and arbitration program.
They are required to participate in one and to have a concise summary to share with you. Also, when you conduct references, ask if the customers ran into any problems. If so, were they able to easily resolve the issue? FMCSA can assist you in handling disputes, but it’s better to avoid them if possible.
Look for a reputable company
Look for any red flags that may indicate that the company is not reputable. Because you have already checked for FMCSA registration, you are probably not dealing with any scam operators, but be careful.
If the relocator asks you to provide a cash deposit or a large percentage of the move charge upfront, those are red flags. Another worrisome sign is if the company doesn’t have a local address or their name is not on their trucks. If the personnel seem to change every time you call, you probably want to look for a different moving service providers.
Look for references
Next, check for complaints and ask for references. Besides looking at the FMCSA website or the state agency that regulates movers, check with the Better Business Bureau. Each company should be able to provide contact information for recent customers for you to talk to. Reluctance or inability to do so is a signal that something is wrong.
What Goes On The Checklist?
Have you seen the checklist? Back to that moving checklist. It starts with the estimates discussed earlier. You should obtain at least three estimates by having the movers visit your home and do an in-person survey of the premises.
The full-service companies offer excellent shifting processes and assistance to the customers with increased performance and reliability. This step is a requirement for interstate moves, but you should request it even if you are planning a local move.
Details for the checklist
As a senior, you may be downsizing as you plan this move. It is essential that you walk through the residence with the movers and point out to them everything that is going to move with you and everything that isn’t.
Quite possibly, you are planning to donate, give away, or otherwise dispose of some of your furnishings before the move, and that will have a significant impact on the weight of the shipment. YES! You heard that right. That's the first step to get the best-in-class experience. The cost varies accordingly.
Each potential mover will then develop a comprehensive inventory of the move contents and use it to forecast the shipment’s weight.
Interstate move prices are based on the load’s weight, while local moves are usually quoted by a prediction of how much time it will take to complete the loading, transport, and unloading.
What about the move cost?
That isn’t the only component of the move cost. If you engage the moving companies to pack for you, entirely or partially, the company will charge for that. Again, if you are downsizing and sharing family treasures with children or others, you may want to take the time to sort through things as you do the packing yourself.
Hopefully, you can take your time, enjoy the process, and relive some old memories. But there may be circumstances which dictate that you contract the professionals to do it for you. Get the sorting done in advance or be aware that they will pack everything.
Regarding the estimates
When you have the estimates, don’t automatically accept the lowest bid. If the weight projections are substantially different, dig in a little and check that they compare the same contents. Ask the low-cost vendor how it developed the lower estimate.
Make sure you are comparing the same type of calculation—all binding or non-binding, for example, and with the same ancillary services added to the quote.
The Bottom Line
At the time of delivery, remember that rules govern what the shifter can charge you. These are detailed in the mover’s tariff and explained in general terms on the FMCSA site.
In general, for interstate moves, the hauler must deliver your goods upon payment of 100% of the amount of a binding estimate (with certain additions for specific conditions) or 110% of a non-binding estimate. They can bill you for additional charges that you owe, but they must wait 30 days, and they can’t hold your shipment hostage.