Whether you’re looking for local or long-distance moving services, a moving company can ease the stress of a family move. They can handle the packing, heavy lifting, and transportation logistics, allowing you to focus on your family. When hiring a moving company, you’ll want to look for ones that check these family-friendly boxes:
- Scheduling flexibility
- Experience with family moves
- Good reputation with families
- Family-friendly services
- Transparent pricing
Let’s take a deeper look at each of these topics so you can find a moving company that makes moving with family a breeze.
Flexible Scheduling for Busy Families
You need a moving company that understands family schedules. School, work, and after-school activities require careful scheduling and some flexibility. Find out what a mover’s policies are regarding the following:
- Weekend availability: Do they operate on weekends or only during the week?
- Evening move options: Do they only work during normal business hours or do they have evening and night options?
- Rescheduling policies: Scheduling conflicts and confusion might require last-minute rescheduling. It is fair and common to charge a rescheduling fee. Make sure it is fair, and that you fully understand the company’s rescheduling policy.
- A flexible moving company will help you minimize disruptions to your busy routine. You can enjoy peace of mind knowing that the company has experience with unexpected changes.
Proven Experience with Family Moves
Experience makes a difference. You’ll want a mover with a proven track record of working with families. When researching movers, look for these pieces of information and keywords:
- Years in business: A more established mover will usually have more experience with families.
- Specialized in residential moves: These movers have experience handling complex inventories and keeping belongings separated by room.
- Handling delicate and bulky items: From fine china to children’s toys, movers that mention delicate and bulky items can handle anything a family might own.
A mover with extensive family experience will have family-oriented logistics, packing, unpacking, and handling techniques.
A Good Reputation with Families
Check reviews and ratings. Many review sites specify the kind of service performed. Look for positive reviews from families. Here’s how:
- Search online reviews (Google, Yelp, BBB)
- Ask for local moving company recommendations from friends and family
- Look for reviews highlighting family-friendly customer service on the mover’s website
Family-Friendly Services
Family-friendly services ease the moving process. Look for full-service movers that offer these additional services:
- Full packing and unpacking: This will save you significant time and effort. You can take the kids out for the day while the movers do all the hard work.
- Child-safe packing materials: If you’ll be unpacking yourself, look for a company that offers child-safe packing materials, such as packing paper and cloth. Materials shouldn’t have sharp edges or be ingestible.
- Pet care: Some movers offer pet moving and temporary boarding services. While less common, this can bundle two services into one, making your life a little easier.
Family-friendly services keep your kids safe, your pets cared for, and your schedule free.
Transparent Pricing to Fit Family Budgets
Family moves are expensive. Transparent pricing helps you plan your budget. Look for reputable moving companies that do in-home estimates, written quotes, and offer transparent pricing. Check for these:
- Clear, detailed estimates
- No ambiguous additional fees
- Breakdown of all costs
Transparent pricing will help you stay on budget and avoid unpleasant surprises on moving day.
Wrap-up
The key takeaway is that you need to keep your family front and center during your moving company search. By taking the time to think about the services you need–and how you want your move to go–you can ask the right questions before you make your choice.
To save you a little bit of time, we recommend ZipToZip Moving. With years of experience in residential moves, they have the skills, wisdom, and friendliness to help your family through the moving experience.
Let’s take a deeper look at each of these topics so you can find a moving company that makes moving with family a breeze.
