Moving Frequently Asked Questions

By hiring a professional moving company, like Cousins USA, it can save you time and stress of having to worry about getting your items moved into your new home safely, and without loss of items or damage. Our professional moving team takes care of everything from start to finish, quickly and safely, plus we are fully-licensed and insured.

A moving broker is someone who does not have trucks or movers of their own but instead arranges to book your move and works with an actual moving company to carry out the job. A moving company has actual moving trucks and movers of their own and will work with you throughout the entire process.

You will see that every moving company talks about local moving and long-distance moving. Many people see or hear this and assume that it simply means how long your move is. However, local and long-distance moving can really be broken up into in-state moving and out-of-state moving. A move is local until you cross state lines once you do it becomes a long-distance move.

This will depend on what you want. Any good, full-service moving company will offer both packing and unpacking services. While this will cost a little more money, you will save time while resting assured that your items are taken care of as they are packed by experts with all of the right packing supplies.

Be sure to ask if your moving company’s packing services are tailorable. It is good to have the option of having just some of your belongings packed, such as larger or more difficult to pack items. A good moving company works with you.

There are certain items that we cannot move in our moving trucks. Those items include: 

• Combustible Liquids (rubbing alcohol, antifreeze, cleaning materials, etc.)
• Corrosive Liquids (Acid, Bleach, etc.)
• Explosives (Fireworks, Ammunition, Dynamite, etc.)
• Flammables (Aerosol Cans, Gasoline, Kerosene, Ammonia, Propane, etc.)
• Food Items (Nothing perishable, subject to freezing, or sold in a bag or box)
• Plants (No live plants or soil)

Any valuable items and important documents should be packed and moved by you. These items include:

• Important Documents (Birth Certificates, Social Security Cards, Passports, Mortgage Papers, etc.)
• Laptops and Portable Electronics
• Medications
• Jewelry
• Money

From belts to bubble wrap to dollies, moving blankets, moving boxes, and totes, there’s a lot of packing supplies needed for a safe move. Be sure to start getting these items together early on if you are packing yourself.

First, check to see if your friends and family have any supplies left over from a recent move. After this, check in with your movers. They typically will sell all of the packing supplies you could need at a great price.

This is coverage for your belongings that financially protects them from being lost or damaged. Most moving companies offer different levels of valuation and some offer separate liability coverage. All good movers will offer a level of free valuation, and then you can pay for extra protection. That cost will be based on the weight and value of your items. Speak with your moving representative to learn more about our moving valuation or insurance.

There are three levels of valuation. The basic plan is typically called “Release Rate Liability” and will pay you a certain amount of money per pound or a fraction of what your item’s value is.

You can also get “Full-Value Coverage” which means that, if your belongings are lost or damaged, will be repaired, replaced with items, or get a cash settlement.

Lastly, you will be able to mark your items on a “High-Value Inventory” list. All items that come in at over $100 per pound must be on this list. This can be anything from jewelry to art to antiques and more.

Simply put, a quote is an exact price for a job set by the contractor while an estimate is the contractor’s best guess as to how much it will cost, subject to change. A quote is set in stone, unless there is a variation to your contract, which would include extra work or a change in the scope of a job. There is no such thing as a binding estimate, your contractor can change the price for a variety of reasons.

No! As virtual options have become more popular, moving companies have followed suit. Any top moving company will allow remote options for your quote survey.

Now, when looking for virtual options, remember how important it is to have a good, thorough walk-through. There are some moving companies who will offer “instant quotes” or quotes over the phone. These should be avoided at all costs. Instead, look for an option over video chat where the moving representative sees your house and the items to be moved.

With how big the moving industry is, it can be pretty difficult to determine who the best moving company is for you. Here are some of the key things to look for when researching a moving company:

• Badges: Look to see if they have any certifications or if they are accredited by the BBB. These will also show you if they have won any awards.
• Experience: You may want to avoid movers that are relatively new. Experience is key to a good move. This could be anywhere on the site, but the most surefire location is in their About Us page.
• Reviews: Find online reviews. If a moving company has less than a 4-star average rating on their Google Reviews, there is most likely an issue there.
• Family-Owned and Operated: This is always a big plus. Not only will this help you avoid shady moving companies, but it will also help you avoid ones that are too big to genuinely care about your move.

The only way to know is to do in-depth research. As you narrow down your list, look more and more into these aspects of the company to find the best one for you.

Yes, our moving company is fully-licensed and insured. For example, our licensing numbers are US DOT 70719 and IM256. We are also fully insured providing general liability and workers comp.

Yes! Your moving company will be happy to take your items to off-site storage. To make storing your belongings easy, look for a full-service moving company that provides warehouse storage with climate-control and 24/7 surveillance.

With warehouse storage, your movers will pack up your items, load them up in their truck, store them in their warehouse, then deliver it to your new home when you’re ready. In fact, storage can be even easier with On-Demand Storage options.

There isn’t a true answer to this. There are distinct seasons, but you have to decide which is best for you.

The first is summer. This is the busiest season. But there’s a reason it’s so busy. For families with kids, this is when school is out and you have more time. For everyone else, this is when the weather is at its best. There also aren’t any major holidays to work around.

While summer is a great time to move, it’s difficult. You’ll have to schedule your move in advance and the price could be higher. Planning for a winter move means a simpler moving process.