If you decide not to move yourself, choosing a good, reliable moving company will be necessary to assure that your relocation goes smoothly. With that in mind, you need to do a little advance research and homework to find the most reputable moving companies in your area.

One good unbiased source of information on the subject is your family and friends. Ask as many people as you can about recommendations both for and against moving companies that they are aware of. But don't stop there. Also check with the Better Business Bureau in your area and see which moving companies have the best reputation overall.

Now that you have a very short list of highly recommended professional movers, it's time to get an estimate from each company in order to get the best price possible. Here's where you need to be especially careful and avoid any company that does not want to come out and make a physical inspection of your possessions and give you a written estimate.

You may have seen television shows that feature people who have been ripped off by moving companies that quote one price initially and then jack the price up later at delivery to a much higher figure. Well, this is usually done when you only receive a quote or an estimate over the phone. There are legal protections in place for consumers that allow a moving company to only jack the price up by a certain percentage of the estimate on delivery as long as they gave you a written estimate in person.

Reputable moving companies are aware of these legal protections, and they are fully prepared to provide you with a written estimate after physical inspection of your belongings. It's only the disreputable moving companies that want to avoid any kind of written estimate in order to leave the possibility of taking advantage of you, the consumer, later on.

Once you've receive your written estimates, be aware that you can often save money by having flexibility for the dates of both loading and delivery. The reason for this is that most movers often carry several households of furniture and possessions at the same time. And each of these have to be moved from one destination to another. If you have the very narrow time frame for pickup and delivery you'll often pay more for this convenience, but if you are more flexible with the movers, they can often save you money as a result.

Finally, be aware that most movers are busier toward the end of the month and during the summer. So if you can avoid these busy times of year, and schedule your relocation move for a less busy time, you may be able to save quite a bit more money on the move.

Trusting your possessions to a professional mover can be an intimidating experience, but using the suggestions given above you should be able to hire a high quality professional mover and save money at the same time.