Tag: NJ moving companies

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Moving Tips

Useful Advice for an End of Year New Jersey Relocation

Useful Advice for an End of Year New Jersey Relocation

For many people, the end of the year can be exhausting with all of the family gatherings, holiday celebrations, and, of course, preparation for the new year. Planning a move during this time might feel overwhelming on top of everything else, but it doesn’t have to be. With proper planning, making a NJ move during the new year doesn’t have to be stressful. Below are some tips and steps you can take to make the experience as smooth as possible.

Know Your Budget

With the holidays, your budget is probably already stretched thin with all the gifts and travel you might need to do. Adding moving expenses on top of that can throw your budget for a loop. Before you start buying presents or moving supplies, sit down and break down exactly how much you can afford for both. Chances are you’ll probably need to cut down your spending somewhere.

Luckily, there are ways you can save on your end-of-year move. First, try to schedule a midweek move if possible and avoid moving on an actual holiday as most moving companies will be short-staffed. On top of that, try to negotiate a lower price. While there NJ moving companies may have fewer people on staff that’s because there aren’t as many people moving during the winter months. As such, you have more room for negotiation than if you tried to move during the summer. Some may even have active deals available, so don’t forget to ask!

On top of that, you can save money by decluttering your house. After all, the less you move, the less time it will take the movers to load and unload your boxes to your new home. Start this process as soon as possible. Not only will it prevent any mix-ups between the items you are gifting and what you want to get rid of, it also gives you time to sell your stuff. You can host a garage sale for more common items and, for more expensive things like brand name clothes, cameras, etc. you can sell those online for a better price. Whatever money you make from these sales you can put towards your move or your holidays gifts.

Pack Early

The last thing you probably want to do is pack during the holidays. Even if you live in an apartment, you should have some advance notice before you need to move. Use that time to your advantage! It might be tempting to put it off, but commit yourself to packing one room a week. Start with rooms that don’t see a lot of use like a guest room or attic and then go from there. The last places you should pack are your bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom.

Take your time when packing. The last thing you want to do is throw everything into a box without a plan. Remember, you also need to unpack once you’re in your new home! The more organized you are when packing, the easier it will be to unpack. Besides packing by room, try to pack like items together so they are easy to find. For fragile items, make sure you not only add enough protection in the box, but make sure there are no air gaps to prevent the objects from shifting during transit.

You don’t have to forego decorations just because you’ll be packing. With that said, you should try to minimize the amount you’ll need to pack away afterwards so choose a few favorites and put them up. And don’t forget to save a big box so you can quickly pack the decorations once you’re ready to move.

Plan For the Weather

Since you’re moving during the winter, you need to be aware of the weather during your move. While winters recently have been relatively mild, you never know when you might get hit with icy roads or a blizzard. While you can’t control the weather, there are ways you can mitigate potential issues. For example, you should prepare moving supplies that will stand up to wet and soggy conditions. Make sure to have your snow shovels and or snow blower ready to go to keep your driveway clear.

When it comes to preparing yourself, have some winter gear ready. That includes jackets, gloves, boots, and hats. More importantly, make sure your electricity and heat are turned on in your new house before you arrive. You don’t want to deal with freezing cold temperatures on a moving day. Also, have a mop and cleaning supplies ready for your old and new house. NJ moving companies may put down plastic runners to reduce how much dirt they track, but with snowy conditions, chances are you and they will track plenty of mud inside.

Finally, be careful when it comes to stairs and sidewalks, especially during the winter. It’s all too easy to injure yourself by slipping on a patch of ice.

Consider Temporary Storage

If your move conflicts with holiday plans, it might be worth your while to use temporary storage for some of your things. You can easily store some or all of your items somewhere safe while you’re traveling to visit family. That might mean you have to start your moving plans earlier, but it might be worth it if you don’t have to deal with all the half-packed boxes in your own home. Plus, if you know you’re not going to be around for most of December, you can potentially save some money on utilities by canceling them before you’re hit for another month. Don’t forget to turn them on a day or so before moving into your new house though!

There are plenty of self-storage solutions available, but many NJ moving companies also offer short and long-term storage rentals. The benefit of going through movers is that they will move everything to and from your storage unit. If you use NJ Great Movers for storage, our facilities are 100% climate-controlled and secure with 24/7 surveillance.

Prepare for Your New Year’s Move in NJ

Moving under normal circumstances can be stressful. Add in the holiday period and the winter weather and you have a recipe for exponential stress growth. Luckily, the steps above can help you keep your NJ move on track. To make it even easier on yourself, make sure to hire professional movers like NJ Great Movers. Not only can we help with a basic move, but we also offer other add-ons like packing, unpacking, and more. Reach out and we’ll help you through the process.

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How To

How to Spot Real vs. Fake NJ Moving Reviews

How to Spot Real vs. Fake NJ Moving Reviews

When planning a move, you’ll probably do some research on the professional moving companies before you hire them. After all, you don’t want to get stuck with unlicensed or uninsured movers. Or, worse, a scam. For many people, reading online reviews can help them decide whether to choose one company over another. Even a few bad reviews can turn people away from an otherwise great company. The problem is that while online reviews are useful, they should always be taken with a grain of salt. After all, you can’t verify the legitimacy of said review. A NJ moving company with nothing but glowing reviews might not always be the best one for you and, in some cases, these reviews might not even be real!

That doesn’t mean reading reviews is a waste of time. Instead, you need to critically evaluate the comments in order to distinguish real reviews from the fake ones. Once you understand what to look for and how to evaluate these comments properly, you can apply this knowledge to other areas like when you’re researching a large purchase like a car, computer, or home!

Why Online Reviews

Before we get into how to evaluate customer comments, it’s important to understand the power and influence of online reviews. Since its introduction, they have been a way for people to figure out whether the service or product they are considering is right for them and if there are any deal breaker issues. In the past, reviews were relegated to the domain of subject matter experts, but the popularization of online shopping has allowed everyone to share their experience. And since these comments are from normal people, many trust them more than reviews from experts who might have received some kickbacks or payment leading to them being less trustworthy. In a way, it’s a different form of word-of-mouth recommendation.

It’s no surprise then that around 84 percent of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations and that an overall positive online review makes folks trust a business more. Naturally, with something as important as moving, people will always veer towards companies that have positive comments since they want to make sure the people they hire are professional and won’t break their belongings! 

Why Businesses Create Fake Reviews

Considering how much of an impact reviews can make on customer decisions, it’s no surprise that some companies will drum up fake reviews. There are usually two reasons companies craft these comments:

  1. To boost their ratings so they can look more reliable and attract customers
  2. To leave negative reviews on their competitor’s page to damage their reputation

While some movers will create a fake account and post reviews that way, others will hire people to leave reviews for them so it looks more natural. Ultimately, the impact of fake reviews has a huge impact on both the customers and businesses. For the customer, fake reviews can lead to confusion and poor choices. They might think they are hiring reputable NJ movers, but instead they end up hiring either a bad company or get scammed.

For actual moving companies, especially those targeted with negative comments, the consequences can lead to loss of revenue and damage to reputation. Depending on the platform, they might be able to remove these fake reviews, but in many cases it can take days or even weeks to get it removed. In the meantime, hundreds of customers will avoid them because of these fake negative reviews. This can have an especially big impact on smaller local movers. 

But what about the companies that get fake positive reviews? They might see an uptick in customers in the short-term, but customers will quickly find out the truth once they hire them. Depending on how bad the movers were, they could face legal repercussions.

How to Spot Fake Reviews

With so much competition in the NJ moving scene, many companies will utilize fake reviews to hopefully catch your attention. So how can you spot fake reviews? It can be difficult, but once you develop an eye for it, you should be able to root them out on almost every site.

  • Overly positive language – if a review sounds like an ad for the company, chances are it was written by the movers or someone they hired. Look for phrases like perfect experience or flawless service as these often lack authenticity.
  • Generic – while not everyone wants to write paragraphs about their moving experience, many will at least explain some parts of their move like where they moved to, if the movers went up flights of stairs, etc. If the review has zero details, you might want to take it with a grain of salt.
  • Timing of reviews – Yes, lots of people move on the 1st of the month, especially if you live in a place with a lot of renters. But not everyone writes reviews at the same time. If you notice multiple reviews posted on the same day that read similarly, chances are they are fake.
  • Low pricing – if a reviewer specifically mentions an exceptionally low price, beware. Most professional movers are priced similarly with maybe a $10-30 difference. If something is $50 or more cheaper, it’s probably a scam or there are a lot of hidden fees.
  • Comparisons – reviews claiming that one company is a lot cheaper or better than another without any clear reasons are suspicious. 

Analyzing Reviews

Not all reviews are super obvious. Sometimes you’ll need to take a little more time to determine whether it is real or not. The biggest indicator of a genuine review is that they often provide a story or personal experience. Many times they will name the movers or an aspect of the move that stood out to them. These are very rare in fake reviews! Another good tell is if the reviews portray the company in a consistent manner. Don’t mistake consistency of service with consistency of the actual words in the review. If you see a lot of comments that use the same phrase or wording, they’re probably fake!

Finally, if you’re unsure about a review, many sites allow you to click on the name to see their posting habits. A new profile with minimal activity or only activity on specific services or products could potentially be a red flag. If they user has made several posts, check them out and look for things like overuse of marketing jargon words, the same exact words used across multiple reviews, and strange posting patterns.

How to Find Reliable Reviews

It’s hard finding quality online reviews, but there are a few places to look. Google Reviews allows users to provide an array of customer feedback on a variety of services. On the other hand, Yelp allows users to provide detailed reviews and to filter these by location and service quality. Both sites utilize algorithms to detect and remove fraudulent reviews, although they can’t always catch all of them.

There is also the Better Business Bureau, which lists accredited moving companies in addition to complaints, resolutions, and a general overview of the company’s performance over time. All companies listed on the site have to go through a strict process in order to be listed.

Finally, professional movers must all register with the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), which requires them to provide proof of insurance, incorporation, etc. Once they receive all of this, the movers will receive a USDOT number which customers can look up to ensure all of the information is up-to-date and if there are any complaints.

Hire Reliable NJ Movers

Finding a good moving company takes time, which is why you should start looking for one at least a month before your move date. You want to take your time doing your research so you don’t accidentally fall for scam. If you’re in the market for a NJ moving company, give NJ Great Movers a call. We are licensed and insured and have been in business long enough to rack up hundreds of positive reviews. Reach out to us and we’ll work with you to make your next move seamless.

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General Moving Tips

What to Expect from Full Service NJ Movers

What to Expect from Full Service NJ Movers

Moving to a new home is both an exciting and stressful experience. There are so many steps involved in the moving process that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Whether you’re planning a long-distance or local NJ move, professional moving companies can help you with almost every step of the process. If you want to save yourself some time and potential heartache, consider a full-service move.

What Does a Full-Service Move Entail?

As the name suggests, full service NJ movers will do everything associated with a move. That includes:

    • Providing all packing materials and supplies – no need to save up boxes or purchase packing tape, bubble wrap, or anything else. The movers will provide everything your move needs, that includes things like furniture blankets and additional padding to keep your belongings and walls safe!
    • Packing everything – no one enjoys packing and it is generally the most time consuming part of a move. With a full service move, the packers will pack everything for you in a fraction of the time it would take you. The highly trained crew knows exactly how to pack boxes in an efficient and safe manner for transport and, of course, know how to handle fragile and valuable items. Plus, if the movers pack items themselves, your belongings are protected should anything get damaged.
  • Furniture disassembly – while many movers provide basic disassembly service of your furniture, full service movers will provide more thorough disassembly and, in many cases, reassembly upon reaching the destination.
  • Truck loading and unloading  +- there’s no need for you to carry anything except your essentials bag and whatever items the movers cannot put inside their truck. Otherwise, leave the rest to the professionals.
  • Transport – This should go without saying, but included in all moving packages (even the basic one), the movers will use their own truck to transport your belongings from one location to another. They’ll even manage things like parking.
  • Unpacking – Full service NJ movers don’t just pack your house, they also unpack. While they movers will have labeled the boxes according to the room they were in, make sure to provide some direction on where items should go so you don’t have to do too much redecorating.
  • Disposal of packing materials – say goodbye to cardboard boxes, packing peanuts, and bubble wrap. Full service movers will remove all packing materials and supplies once they have unpacked and unloaded everything. That means you don’t have to spend time breaking down boxes and separating recycling.

Of course, you shouldn’t assume all of these are included in a full service move. Always ask beforehand to make sure they are offering you what you need.

How Much Does it Cost?

As you might expect, a full service move will cost you significantly more than a basic move where you do the packing and disassembling yourself. Costs vary based on the size of your move, the distance they need to travel, time of year, and more. Always get an estimate from several full service moving companies so you can compare prices and make an informed decision. Don’t forget to ask if they have any promotional sales going on at the moment or if discounts if you belong to a certain group like a student, senior citizen, or veteran.

How Long Will it Take?

Packing and moving yourself can take days or sometimes even weeks. When you hire a full-service mover, they can finish in a few hours depending on the size of your move. In order to provide you with an accurate time frame, the movers will need to do an in-person or virtual tour of your home to take stock of your belongings. Unless you have a lot to move, most full service movers can pack everything up in a three bedroom home in under 4 hours. 

After that, the rest of the time will be spent loading and unloading the truck and unpacking. And, of course, don’t forget the time it will take to get to your new home. For local moves, a full service move might take 8-10 hours. The less you move, the quicker the move will be so make sure to declutter beforehand. Even if you’re not doing the hard work, there’s always something nice about having a few hours to relax after a move.

If you’re not able to move into your new house immediately, you might need to request short-term storage solutions. Many NJ movers have their own secure storage units, but renting one is an additional cost on top of the full service move. Make sure you know how long you will need to rent out the unit and incorporate the cost into your moving budget. While you can find self-storage solutions, the benefit of using storage directly from the movers is that they will handle all the loading and unloading and travel to and from your homes.

How to Find a Reputable Full Service NJ Mover?

There are plenty of NJ movers to choose from and while most of them are legitimate, not all of them have your best interests in mind. When looking for a NJ mover, make sure to check that they are licensed and insured by looking for the Department of Transportation (DOT) number on their website. You can then go to the DOT website and enter the number to make sure they are up to date on their licenses and check for any complaints or accidents. 

You should also ask friends and families for suggestions or feedback if you know they have moved recently. Otherwise look up online reviews on Yelp, Google, and the Better Business Bureau (if they are listed). You want to look for any negative reviews that have the same or similar complaints.

After that, listen to how the movers talk on the phone. Are they professional? Do they answer your questions in a straightforward manner? If you notice that the movers are evading questions and/or trying to pressure you into signing a contract with them, thank them for their time and move on to another company. You should also avoid movers who have estimates that are wildly cheaper than others or who ask for a large upfront deposit. These are all signs of a scam.

Ready to Move?

If you want to make your next NJ move easy, make sure to reach out to NJ Great Movers. We have years of experience and can provide you with a comprehensive full service move tailored to your budget and needs. Of course, we also provide other services like storage, last-minute moves, and more! 

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How To

How to Find Affordable NJ Movers You Can Trust

How to Find Affordable NJ Movers You Can Trust

Finding the right NJ moving company to help with your relocation can be a daunting process. Looking for a trustworthy affordable one can be even harder. With so many moving companies in NJ to choose from, it’s important to take the time to do your research and find one that matches your needs and budget. Luckily, the steps below can help you find an NJ moving company that is affordable and trustworthy.

Start Early

The sooner you can start your research, the better. While there are hundreds of reliable companies in NJ (including NJ Great Movers), there are also plenty of scams out there. The more time you give yourself to research companies, the better odds you’ll have of finding a reputable one. Ideally, you should start your search at least a month before you plan on moving out of your current home. You might want to start earlier if you’ve moving during peak season which is from May through September. 

Of course, sometimes you won’t have the luxury of time. If you need to move out in a hurry, you should still take some time to do as much research as possible and don’t go for the first company that offers you a good deal. Ask questions, look up reviews, and most of all, trust your instincts. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. And if the moving companies seem to be dodging your questions or trying to pressure you into signing the estimate, they’re probably trying to scam you. Look for companies that provide full answers, are helpful, and most of all, have an active Department of Transportation (DOT) number listed on their site.

Ask for Recommendations

No moving company is going to say that they’re bad or mediocre. Every single one will claim that they are the best. Instead, ask people you know first for recommendations. You’ll likely get better advice and feedback from them since they can provide you with reliable information regarding their experience.

After that, go online and look for customer reviews about cheap NJ movers. There are plenty of review sites online that you can check and you can even join some online groups and ask its members their opinion on various moving companies. When checking online reviews, take it with a grain of salt. The moving companies themselves create the listings on these sites and can manipulate the reviews to make themselves look good.

While you’re at it, make sure to look the company up on the Better Business Bureau and look for complaints. You should also look up the DOT number online to make sure the company still has a valid registration with the state and federal government.

Call the Movers

Once you’ve narrowed your choices down, it’s time to look up the movers themselves. Check out their website to make sure that they have things like a DOT number listed on their site, a business email, phone number, and address. From there, check the DOT site to ensure the name of the company and address listed on the site matches what is registered with the DOT.

If everything checks out, give the movers a call. When answering the phone they should say the company’s name not a generic “movers” or “moving company” or, worse, their name. If you do hear the latter, move on to the next company. In case everything is fine, ask for an estimate. Most companies will either need a virtual or in-person tour to see what you are bringing with you. Make sure to convey important information like if you need them to navigate stairs or other things like dealing with building management. These could add to the estimate.

Most estimates should be within the same range give or take $10-20. If the estimate is suspiciously low, it’s likely a scam. Ask the company for clarification and make sure there aren’t any hidden costs. Always discuss every aspect of the move including additional services like packing and unpacking, storage, furniture disassembly, insurance, etc. If you’re working with professional NJ movers you should have released value protection included for free, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. If it’s not included, RUN! By law, all professional moving companies need to offer this for FREE.

Quality Over Price

Even if you’re moving on a tight budget, it’s important to understand that you get what you pay for. Renting a van might be an inexpensive option, but you’ll spend a lot of time doing the moving yourself. And unless you have people to help or the appropriate equipment, moving bulky or large pieces of furniture will be out of the question. Even with help, you could easily injure yourself carrying boxes or other items because you don’t know proper technique or know moving safety guidelines. There’s nothing worse than having to move into a new place while injured.

Even when hiring professional movers, it can be worth it to go with a company that is a bit more expensive but has great recommendations and reviews. An experienced company will be able to efficiently and safely move all your belongings from one place to another in a few hours. Not only that, but they’ll have all the appropriate equipment and materials for a successful relocation.

When it comes to cutting costs, one of the easiest places to save money is with packing supplies. While they should be sturdy and durable, you don’t have to buy them new. In fact, you should try to use as many things in your home as possible such as bags, plastic bins, suitcases, etc. If you’re low on boxes, ask your local supermarket to see if they have any extra boxes or papers lying around. You should be able to scrounge up enough, but if not, you will only have to buy a handful of boxes instead of a couple dozen.

Ready to Move?

Whether you’re making a local or long distance move, NJ Great Movers can help. Our highly qualified employees can provide you with useful information and help with creating your custom moving plan. Just give us a call and we’ll walk you through the process.