There’s no easy way to say it: moving on short notice can be risky. Planning a move month or years in advance is one of the best ways to ensure that a move to a new home is a worry-free, pleasant experience.

However, just because a move is necessitated on short notice doesn’t mean it has to be stressful. In fact, by following a few guidelines, keeping calm, and carefully assessing your options at each step along the way, those forced to deal with an emergency move can even triumph.

Don’t Accept The First Estimate For An Emergency Move

Making the best decision is difficult when there isn’t enough time to consider every option, as is often the case with last-minute moves. Unscrupulous moving companies, who are familiar with the nuances of the business, could easily take advantage of people at their weakest moment.

No matter where you are looking for an emergency moving service: Boston, MA; Dallas, TX; or Lansing, MI, expect movers to come to your home and carefully consider how much your belongings weigh, how much space they will take up, and how long it will take to pack and move them both out of your old home and into your new one.

Getting at least three estimates, checking reviews online and with the Better Business Bureau for each company providing quotes, along with asking questions, and receiving satisfactory answers should be part of every emergency moving plan.

Be Suspicious Of Companies That Give Moving Estimates Over The Telephone Or Sight Unseen

Some questionable moving companies have been reported to provide quotes and estimates over the telephone, without even seeing the items they are agreeing to move. Consumers should treat companies who agree to moving jobs sight unseen with suspicion.

Further, never sign a blank contract, or one that doesn’t specify exactly what is being moved, the origin and the destination, and all included charges. Signing a blank contract is basically the same as signing away all of your rights.

Familiarize Yourself With Standard Moving Contracts And Estimating Methods

There are three standards of estimating moving jobs and providing price quotations generally in use: binding contract estimates, non-binding contract estimates, and non-binding to exceed contract estimates.

Only the binding contract estimate gives consumers complete certainty with regard to the price of the move, while non-binding and non-binding to exceed contracts may result in higher charges under some circumstances.

Ask for references from each moving company that provides a quote for your business. Some hold the belief that references are unreliable, because contractors are not going to share bad references with potential customers.

However, a moving company that is unable to provide at lease a few glowing written reviews might be viewed with suspicion and would seem, in a competitive marketplace, to be putting itself at a disadvantage to other participants, perhaps puzzlingly so. Using movers known to family and friends to provide superior service can also help alleviate this potential pitfall.

Online review sites like Yelp are rich with information to aide those tasked with completing an emergency move and should be consulted before making final moving decisions.