You've just bought or built the home of your dreams and obtained insurance, now you're ready to move in. Finding the right moving company can make the difference between a successful move and losing a priceless family heirloom. Some moving companies are better than most and some moving companies are far worse than the rest. The two biggest complaints against movers are that the final price of the move is far greater than the original estimate and that the movers lost or damaged some of your belongings.

     Once you have narrowed down your initial choices of movers, call your local Better Business Bureau and see if the company you're looking at is a member and whether or not it has any history of complaints. You can find your local BBB online at www.lookup.bbb.org. If the company is not a member or has a bad history then find someone else. Another good resource is the American Moving and Storage Association, it's website is www.moving.org.

     Initially, make sure that a representative actually comes to your home and visually inspects everything you want moved. This will help ensure that the estimate and the final price are close. You can also request a binding or nonbinding estimate. A binding estimate means that it will be the most you will pay for the move, a nonbinding estimate can be increased according to the actual cost.

     You should ALWAYS insure your belongings, based on either the weight of the items or their replacement cost. Weight based insurance is a lot cheaper than replacement cost insurance, but the amount of coverage, usually 40 to 60 cents per pound, will almost never to replace the lost or damaged items.

     Once your property arrives at its destination, make sure that you have enough time to go through boxes and make sure that no items have been damaged or lost. Any lost or damaged items should be immediately reported to the moving company and reflected on the documents confirming receipt of your belongings. Before the moving company will unload your belongings, generally it will require full payment for the move. If possible use a credit card or cashier's check. If the moving company is late in delivering your belongings, you may be entitled to recover the costs of replacing necessities needed because of the delay.