Moving to Los Angeles (LA) is a dream many people cherish, but not everyone can fulfill this desire. You should feel lucky to get this opportunity to become a part of this happening city. But in order to survive here, you will have to adapt to the idiosyncrasy of the city, and this Los Angeles moving tips guide will help you in that. It also teaches you how to find a right Los Angeles moving service.

Los Angeles moving tips

• Make yourself familiar with the surroundings (the city is divided into 10 neighborhoods), climate (it has Mediterranean climate), people (many live in their cars, and wears open-toed shoes in the winter), traffic situation (7-10 AM and 3-7PM are the busiest time of the day), etc., before you move in to the city.
• Learn Spanish. Spanish is a major language here as the life here is heavily influenced by the Mexican culture. The packaged goods, trash cans, and even restaurant menus are bilingual here. Not only that, one-third of the radio stations plays Spanish music. Being bilingual with Spanish also helps in getting job in this part of the country.
• If you are bringing your car in city which was not sold in California then you will have to pay more than $300 to the city as Smog impact fee. If you bought your ride in California then this charge will not be levied on you, as your car already follows the California emission guidelines.
• Keep a Thomas Guide handy. It doesn’t matter if you have GPS or not, this one is must for making your way through the city.
• Do not move nonessential items with you. They will be more of a hassle then convenience.

How to hire a Los Angeles moving service

If you were jittery about moving to Los Angeles then you must have gathered confidence after reading the moving tips I wrote above. Now, it is time to remove the anxiety related to finding a good moving service.

• Make a list of movers available in the week you have planned to move.
• Call each one of them and ask for their rates.
• Strike out those who are out of your budget.
• Prepare a new list comprising of the Los Angeles movers who is willing to serve you in the chosen week and within your budget.
• Run a background check to see the past record of the mover. Is the record clean or has the company got lots of bad reviews because of the bad moving experience it gave to its past clients.
• To avoid any fraudulent LA mover, make sure to verify the company’s legal status, and whether it has required permits to move people in and out of the city.
• Conduct a reputation search of the company you want to use for moving to Los Angeles.
• Ask if the truck has GPS attached to it for tracking or not. Also ask if the driver knows the route.
• Ask the mover about the insurance coverage of the goods, in case it gets damaged.
• Can the service provider be sued in the Californian court of law? You do not want to do that, but if things go wrong, you may have to do that.

If you follow the suggestions given above, moving to Los Angeles will be fun, which may not be so, if you decide to overlook the advice.

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.

First things first – do your homework on choosing a suitable mover. Picking the wrong movers could result in major financial losses due to bait and switch tactics, as well as damage to your precious personal treasures – not to mention potential theft. Prior to engaging a moving company, you will want to see if there are complaints against them at the Better Business Bureau. Also, check out this new website called www.movingscam.com, designed just for monitoring bad moving companies.

The Department of Transportation reports that there are specific signs that your moving operator may be less that ethical:

1. The mover doesn’t offer or agree to an inspection of your household goods prior to giving an estimate. These estimates are often too good to be true – a bait and switch tactic.
2. The moving company demands cash or a large deposit before the move – anything more than $100 should be cause for concern.
3. 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.
4. The mover claims all goods are covered by their insurance is not likely being candid.
5. The company’s website has very few details about the licensing or physical address.

Long time moving company owner in Los Angeles, Stan Korski, says, “Many moving companies prey on last minute movers – most legitimate companies require weeks of advance booking, so when a last minute mover calls, some movers take advantage of the situation.” An integral part of a low cost move is clearly advance planning.

At Los Angeles Professional Movers, they recommend booking at least six weeks in advance, which means you should start researching your moving company at least 7 weeks prior to your planned move date. Another advantage to booking early is that you can often negotiate the cost of the move and other details, as well as make special requests from your selected moving company.

Industry experts recommend avoiding summers and weekends when booking your move. Increased demand during those periods result in higher costs and diminished availability of quality moving services. In 2008, most violations, in proportion to the total number of moves, were discovered by the FMCSA. Poor planning blended with a move during a busy season could significantly narrow your moving service alternatives and make you more vulnerable to predatory operators.

Almost all moving companies charge additional fees for special requests or contingencies sometimes not totally disclosed, so prepare for it. It is important that you ask pertinent questions about extra costs, insurance policies, license numbers, and the mileage that is or is not included.

All in all, the most important thing to remember is not move without a plan. Sometimes a move is decided on impulse. When it comes to hiring a moving company, impulsiveness can be expensive.

This is an article written by Sydney Welkinson – I thought I would share these tips on my blog.

Here is the tail of the tape:

• The house we are moving from is 2788 square feet with a 3 car garage.
• We are leasing out our existing home in Orange CA and leasing a home in Tucson AZ until we buy another home in Tucson.
• We are a family of 4.
• We have not moved since 2004 when we went from a 1600 square too condo to a 2788 square foot house . This was a time when there were no children.
• We may leave some furniture behind for the renters, but this is still uncertain.

This weekend, we will draft the moving “plan” and relevant time line for the move. In the end, we hope that by documenting our mistakes, readers of this blog can benefit. We will document all related costs as well to the penny.

Until Saturday then!