Movers, or magicians? Hiring movers can be a good value

WASHINGTON – This is the peak time of year to move, so the likelihood you’ll be scammed by movers is high. But there are ways to avoid it.

Linda Bauer Darr, who heads the American Moving and Storage Association, says moving is one of the biggest events of your life.

“[It] ranks right up there with one of the three most stressful things that you can do,” Darr says.

She recommends knowing who you hire, looking for good value rather than going cheap and not going by the estimate given over the phone.

“Since every move is custom, it’s very hard to quote that move over the phone without actually seeing the volume and the size and shape,” she says.

If they visit before the move, they can establish a better idea of what the price will be.

Darr says a mover can be like a magician, moving just about anything as long as he knows the task at hand.

“Hiring a mover is much preferable to doing it yourself,” she says. “The average move is 3,000 pounds or more. I’m not sure how many people are up to that.”

WTOP’s Veronica Robinson contributed to this report.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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