No matter where you’re moving, it’s always a big chore involving tons of packing at one end, unpacking at the other, planning, and traveling in between. To deal with all the hassles involved, it helps to have competent movers who will provide you with excellent service as they help you get situated. However, when it comes to moving, there are often big differences between local movers and long-distance movers.

When you move locally, you can usually get away with a company that isn’t as thoroughly vetted, since you’re just moving your stuff around town. But when you’re moving your prized belongings out of town or out of state, you need to be absolutely certain that you’re dealing with professionals who will treat your belongings as if they were their own.

How to find quality long distance moving companies

When searching for the best moving company to handle your long-distance move, there are a number of things to consider. Here are some of the factors to consider when choosing the right long distance moving companies:

1. What services do you provide?

Moving companies tend to vary widely in the types of services they offer to customers who need a long-distance move. Those who move out of town often have a lot more stress from all the other things to worry about; such as locating in an unknown city, settling in a new job, traveling to the new city with the family and many others. For this reason, it’s best to choose a moving company that can literally provide an end-to-end service if needed. This means they can show up at your door, carefully pack everything into the right sized boxes using the best wrap for each item, load it all onto your truck, unload everything into your new home, unpack all your items, and place them exactly where you want them. And by the way, if you need to store your stuff somewhere for a month or two, they should be able to accommodate this need as well. A moving company that can perform all of these tasks will be on your shortlist.

2. Can you do a long-distance move on short notice?

This doesn’t apply to everyone, but many people have long-distance moves that come up at the last minute. For example, some people have family emergencies, such as needing to care for elderly parents with health problems, and have a sudden need to be in another city. Others work for large companies with multiple offices. These companies often move people to different offices as if they were shuffling cards. So when a last-minute move comes up, you need to make sure that the company you choose has the ability to execute the move smoothly and efficiently, even if you’re working on a short period of time.

3. Do you offer competitive prices?

Pricing is usually a problem for people, unless someone else, like your company, pays the bill J But for most people, you’ll need to keep an eye on the bottom line. When comparing quotes from different moving companies, pay close attention to what services they include with the price they offer you. Some companies have hidden costs that aren’t obvious, so always ask what the full cost of the services you need will be.

4. What do other customers say about them?

Once you have a moving company that has met all of your other criteria, it’s important to do a little more due diligence and check out reviews online. These days, it’s usually pretty easy to find 5 or 10 (or more) reviews on a reputable business. Read reviews carefully, especially those that go into some detail. If you have multiple positive reviews and a strong overall rating (hopefully 4.5 or higher), chances are you have a winner.