Finding a right Los Angeles moving company is as important to moving to LA as is choosing the neighborhood and communities to live in, as bad Los Angeles movers will sour your experience of moving to this dream city and LA is full of such companies. Got it, but why to move to LA?

Why LA is so famous

LA is so famous among people because of its entertainment industry, of which Hollywood is a big part. Television, recorded music, and interactive games may not be individually as big as Hollywood, but regardless each one of them entertains its audiences driving the LA economy in the process. Talking of economy I should mention here that apparel, fashion, tourism, technology, aerospace, and petroleum are other economic forces that move the company.

Cultural centers of LA

It will not be too much to say that Los Angeles is the cultural center of the world. It has many world-famous movie theaters, concert halls, amphitheaters, entertainment centers, etc., which makes living in LA quite fun. I am going to talk in very brief about four very famous cultural centers that will make your life joyous once you move to the city.

1. Hollywood Bowl: It is famous modern amphitheatre located in the vicinity of Hollywood. It is used primarily for music concerts. The amphitheater has a seating capacity of 17,376 people.
2. Grauman’s Chinese Theatre: It’s a movie theater. A movie theater with a difference. It is located near the historic Hollywood walk of fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard. It is opened after the success of Grauman’s Egyptian Theater.
3. Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre: Located in Hollywood Boulevard, this is the world’s most famous movie theater. It was opened in 1922, and has an honor of becoming the movie theater that hosted the first ever Hollywood premiere.
4. Walt Disney Concert Hall: The Walk Disney Concert Hall is located at 111 South Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles. It has a seating capacity of 2,265 people. This place could be considered home to the Los Angeles Master Chorale and Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra. These are just some of the in-numerous reasons why so many people want to live in LA. This is a place where an outgoing mobile person will never get bored. Now, let’s see how you can find a decent relocation company to shift you to the City of Angels.

Choosing the right Los Angeles Moving Company

Step 1: Ask for recommendation. If you know someone in LA, or someone who has moved to LA in the recent past then ask the person if he knows any decent moving company in the neighborhood. Following the recommendation, make a list of moving companies.

Step 2: Contact the relocation guys. Call the Los Angeles movers on the list that you made by asking for relocation. If you are satisfied by one or more of them then your initial choosing is done, but if you are not then move to step 3.

Step 3: Research online. Go to relocation forums, read blogs and ask questions, read reviews, and ask an online expert; do each one of these things and make a list of top 5 relocation companies, and repeat step 2 before moving to step 4.

Step 4: Check papers and ask for quotation. Checking various licenses of all the LA movers you talked is very important because you cannot do much to a company that runs illegally. If any document or license is missing then just bid adieu. You need to keep yourself safe from scamming companies. Once you are satisfied, ask them to give quotations

Step 5: Schedule the moving and get it in written. If you are satisfied by the papers shown to you and rate offered. It is time to fix the date and time. When everything is done to satisfaction, get it in written and properly signed. Call the moving company an hour in advance before scheduled time.

Each of the steps dealt above is important in choosing a reliable Los Angeles moving company. Do not hurry. You will not like to end up with a bad moving company that breaks your goods, and because of their legal status you cannot even do too much to them legally.

Is it Binding and Non-Binding?

Binding quotes are those that are legal contracts and cannot be changed unless extra services are added. Binding quotes almost always involve a representative coming to your home for a visual inspection of the home contents. This type of estimate that is set in writing is legally binding. As such, you are guaranteed to pay the rate you are quoted unless other services are negotiated.

Non-binding moving quotes are not considered legal contracts and do not have to be honored by the service provider. Typically, the moving service operator does not pay a visit to the home for a visual inspection, and sometimes the quote is low and designed to bait a prospective customer with a low price. In many cases with non-binding moving quotes, customers of these companies end up paying far more than the quoted price.

Be as careful with low moving quotes as much as the high quotes. If you don’t want any surprises, get your quote in writing and make it a binding quote.

The Bait and Switch

If a quote is far lower than the average quote, and it is provided strictly over the phone, it may be a “low ball” quote designed to get a commitment from the buyer. Or, perhaps it is a great deal. In the case of an abnormally low moving quote, get it in writing. Federal agencies fine hundreds of moving companies every year for bad business practices. Many victims have reported companies that will offer you very low moving estimate and then raise price up by more than double before your goods are delivered. In some, more egregious cases, the moving company puts the furniture in the truck and then hits the customer with double or triple the cost of the original estimate.

Check the Service Inclusions

When a binding quote is acquired, it is important to review the specific services that are included in the move. Estimates that might seem high could include additional services that are valuable but not specifically listed in the moving quote. Try to ask as many questions as possible about your moving quotes and request maximum details from your prospective movers. In some cases, moving company operators fail to disclose all of the additional services they will provide. Also, you may not want all the packing services that the moving company assumes you will need. For example, perhaps you want to pack a good portion of your personal belongings. By doing this work, you can shave down your cost and moving quote.
Communication and Common Sense

When seeking a quote from a professional moving company, do not underestimate your moving needs. If your garage is filled with three tons of miscellaneous books, then it will be an important factor in the cost of moving. Use good communication and common sense when contracting with a Los Angeles moving provider. Moving is not something we do every day, it is expensive, and very stressful. By paying attention to detail when hiring a moving company, everybody wins, and your move can will be far less stressful than it already is.

Recently, we read an article that helped us identify red flags with moving companies:

“The mover doesn’t offer or agree to an on-site inspection of your household goods and gives an estimate over the phone or Internet—sight-unseen. These estimates often sound too good-to-be-true. They usually are.

• The moving company demands cash or a large deposit before the move.
• The mover doesn’t provide you with a copy of Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move, a booklet movers are required by Federal regulations to supply to their customers in the planning stages of interstate moves.
• The company’s website has no local address and no information about licensing or insurance.
• The mover claims all goods are covered by their insurance.
• When you call the mover, the telephone is answered with a generic “Movers” or “Moving company,” rather than the company’s name.
• Offices and warehouse are in poor condition or nonexistent.
• On moving day, a rental truck arrives rather than a company-owned and marked fleet truck.”

This is a great article that can be found at: http://moving.about.com/od/hiringamovingcompany/a/research.htm

We followed these steps when finding our moving company. We’ll see how it works out. We have 2 weeks to complete the packing and get moved into our house in Arizona.

We’ll see what lies in store.