Let's begin with figuring out exactly what type of move that you have. 
  
1. There are many types of moves.

a. Local- moving within the state, often within the same city.
b. Interstate- moving across state lines but within the US
c. International- Moving to Canada, Mexico, or a country on another continent.
d. Alaska- As the name implies, an Alaskan move is considered any move to, from, or within   Alaska. Alaskans can have local interstate or international moves, but this is a good place to start.  

• First, choose a few agents (the local moving company that represents the national brand) to consider. 
• Evaluate the agent. Athough there may be many agents for the same van line in the region, the strength and capability of the agent plays a large part in the success of the move. 
• Check out their web presence like you did here with Continental.
• Go to the BBB, www.thebbb.org, and check out their record.
• For agents based in Washington State, verify that they are a member of the Washington Movers Conference  www.wmcmovers.com.
• How many years have they been in operation?
• Schedule a few estimates. These should be in-home free, no obligation estimates.

There are three types of estimates.

• Non-binding- A non-binding estimate is an estimate that provides a best guess as to what costs you can expect on your move. They generallly are pretty accurate and as a consumer, the adjustment of additional costs are limited.
• Binding- A binding estimate provides you a breakdown of what your costs will be for moving the inventoried items and providing the listed services. As with all binding estimates, there are still always potential additional charges that may apply.
• Not to Exceed-  This form of binding estimate provides a reduction in costs should the actual weight of shipment turn out to be less than estimated.

Potential Extra Charges- If you have done your homework in choosing a reputatble mover, the potential additional charges are pretty basic:

• Shuttle service- Over the road trucks, most commonly called "semis" can average over 75 feet long. By combining multiple family's goods on one truck keeps the costs down. But, not every home is on a freeway. Some neighborhoods are inaccessible to large trucks. If that applies to you, then the local agent needs to come out with a smaller truck to pick up your items and then transfer them to the larger truck. Keep in mind, that this service can be required at either origin, destination, or both. This is the big ticket additional cost, so do some research, especially at destination.
• Additional items- Before a driver loads an item on the truck, if you have added items to your inventory of items going, be prepared that the driver and the moving consultant may come to you for a price adjustment. It makes sense to review the inventory of items on your estimate to make sure that it represents what you plan to move. Good estimators will list not going items as well.
• Additional services- It comes as no surprise that if you request for a mover to provide additional services such as unpacking or extra deliveries, that additional charges will apply.

Earlier this year, the government removed the collective rate making system called the Household Goods tariff. Movers no longer price from a common set of structured rates.

Customers used to be able to compare discounts between moving estimates. So now, the question becomes discount off of what? 

The answer is to look at the base price and what is included. Disregard the discounts, and stick to the basics. What is the estimated weight? How much packing is included? What's the price?  Is the moving consultant someone you can trust?  

If you have completed all of the above steps, you should have a good idea which mover to choose. Although there are other considerations that were not covered here, this should give you a good start.  

If you are not yet prepared to get an estimate, but have just a few questions, you can contact us, via phone,  or review our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section.