Moving Articles | News | Advices

The reliability of moving companies you are planning to hire can be checked on three websites: the websites of the nonprofit Best Business Bureau and the American Moving and Storage Association, and the protectyourmove.gov of the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

While there are many other websites that you can visit, such as the site of the Households Goods Forwarders Association of America and the sites of state moving associations, consumer groups, chambers of commerce, trade associations and offices of attorneys general, the three websites are sufficient. For people moving out of the country, however, it is helpful if you also check the HGFAA website.

BBB is an unbiased organization that gives accreditation to business organizations and charities that adhere to ethical business practices. It was established in 1912 and it has spread out into branch organizations across the U.S. and Canada.

To check moving firms, visit the BBB website of your state. If you are looking for a certain BBB, go to the national site bbb.org and click Find a BBB. You can check the moving company you have in mind or you can see a list of accredited moving companies operating in your state. From this list, you can choose one and then check on its BBB status and if there are complaints filed against this certain firm.

On the AMSA website, you will be led to its moving.org site, where you can check the reliability status of your chosen moving firm. If you are still looking for a mover, you can fill up an online form to get in-home estimates from six ProMovers firms. ProMovers is the mover referral program of AMSA.

The AMSA website also shows links to the J.D. Power customer satisfaction survey which listed Mayflower Transit, Allied Van Lines and Two Men and a Truck as among the best-rated full-service moving companies in 2009.

The FMCSA site, protectyourmove.gov, is one of the most helpful sites for people planning to move. It allows you to search interstate moving companies and view their complaint history. It offers you useful tips that start from moving checklist to choosing a mover to insurance options and cost estimates. As FMCSA says, its mission is to prevent moving fraud and to help movers plan and execute a successful move.

If you have visited these three websites and checked the moving companies you have in your short list and have followed relevant guides, you can have a successful move.

Moving company Allied Van Lines said that Texas was the top relocation destination in 2009, based on its outbound and inbound shipments.

Texas has been topping the annual relocation report of Allied Van Lines since 2005. Its net relocation gain for 2009 was nearly 2,000, higher than its gain of around 1,900 in 2008.

Allied Van Lines, founded in 1928 and one of the largest moving corporations in the world, ranks destination states by estimating net relocation gain – number of inbound moves minus number of outbound moves done by the firm. It has been issuing its annual report on the top magnet states for the past 42 years.

Ben Hurwitz, head of Houston-based Westheimer Transfer and Storage, one of the top international and domestic agents of Allied, said that his company moved a diverse group of people to Texas in 2009, including retirees, singles and families from various backgrounds. He added that Texas welcomes different ethnic and cultural groups.

Bill Hammond, head of the Texas Association of Business, said that Texas is still the best state in the country to work, raise a family and live.

His statement was affirmed by Bill Jones, head of the Texas Association of Realtors. Jones added that the state has wide spaces for businesses and housing development, has various fine arts facilities and recreational opportunities and has affordable housing for families and individuals.

According to Hurwitz, his moving company also helped a lot of corporations move to Texas, showing that the state is among the friendliest states for businesses.

Texas had nearly 8,800 inbound shipments, second only to California, which had nearly 11,000 inbound shipments. Florida ranked third with more than 8,600 shipments. California was cited as the most mobile state because it posted the highest number of total outbound and inbound shipments.

Michigan had the biggest net relocation losses in 2009, with its 2,210 outbound shipments overwhelming its 1,019 inbound shipments. The troubled auto and housing sectors of Michigan may have pushed residents to move out of the state.

In 2009, Michigan ranked eighth in foreclosure rates among states, posting more than 118,000 foreclosure filings during the year. The three other states with the biggest net relocation losses were Illinois, Pennsylvania and California.

Moving company Allied also reported that the three other states with the biggest net relocation gains were Arizona, with a net gain of 566; North Carolina, with a net gain of 564; and Colorado, with a net gain of 508.

Las Vegas is considered a hot spot for filming, by movie moguls. I know that this blog post, might sound as absurd as it reads, because it is being written by one who has never been to Vegas. The best I know about the place, is what I have seen from movies like ‘The Hangover, What Happens in Vegas, Fear and Loathing in Vegas, Looney Tunes: Back in Action and so on’. Guess being a movie buff does pay off once in a while, as you get to see more of place, which you long to visit, through films.

Las Vegas has been the personification of high life, according to all those movies. It is a place, to which every person longs to move into. Ask the movers and they will tell you this. Hey, don’t panic. There are moving companies in Las Vegas too! So, if at all, you save enough to live life, to its fullest, and have fun all day, every day, make sure you move into Las Vegas. However, coming back to the point, these movies have portrayed Vegas in a fairytale manner. Of course, there are movies such as 21, where people get screwed up at this paradise. But, hey, it happens in real life as well. The point I want to make here is, Vegas has become the hotspot of the entire world, for getting high on life, and non- stop party action, replacing Alps, Hawaii and those other exotic destinations, as the most desirous vacation of many around the world. Least do these people know, they stand to lose more than make a quick buck, at the world renowned casinos of Vegas. But, I guess the experience is a wholesome one, and losing money is a part and parcel of this place. Damn! It sounds friggin’ cool! I will make it there one day!

Sometimes, my behavior can get on the nerves of people. I love lazing around, especially, when assigned a task. I wouldn’t particularly regard it as an asset of my character, but it is rather unique of me (I really don’t know why I say this, as every other friend of mine, claims to laze around). […]

New Year resolutions. Now what are they? It has always hit me before, as to the meaning behind these. I mean, people follow them for a couple of weeks, and bam! Out it goes through the window. This time around, I was literally forced to take a resolution. ‘Take a resolution or I won’t talk […]

If there was one thing in this world my wife loved doing, it was moving into a new home. I did not find the source of fun from such a tedious process. But, this was something which my wife relished doing. Sometimes, I had even wondered if she had married me, for the love she […]

Killing time on a holiday may become a tedious process. Especially, when you are bored, have nothing to do, no friends around, and above all, no electricity at home. It was one of those days, where there was a routine maintenance check on the cables. Hence, we were informed in advance about the proposed power […]

When you move, you move with a mind to take at ease, whatever crops up. Even if that means losing some of your precious stuff. Now, my experience with moving wasn’t a particularly memorable one. I had taken the day off from work, and it was a loss of pay. Strike one. Due to pending […]

Off late, I had been noticing a stark change in the environment near my house. No, it wasn’t the withering leaves of autumn, or the excessive smoke from that old Ford pickup! It was the rambling noises and the quarrels from the neighbors. I had been wondering as to what they were up to? Sometimes, […]

Off late, I have been seeing some promos on television with a caption of ‘Move on’. When I saw the posters in the streets, I wondered if it had anything to do with moving services. Finally, I discovered that it was a promotional campaign for watches and shades of a famous brand. Moving on is […]