Pros and cons of hiring moving brokers

Everybody needs some help when moving. Sometimes it's only friends helping you carry furniture and boxes a hallway or a building away, but other times you are in need of professionals that will facilitate a move from one coast to the other. In other words, sometimes you need moving companies... or do you? There hundreds of thousands of Americans moving each year, but not all of them hire moving companies directly. They do end up moved by movers, though, they just don't have direct contact. Rather there is a middle man. This means that the clients in question have been hiring moving brokers. Should you hire moving brokers? What are the downsides, and what are the benefits of hiring moving brokers? Let's go into the details.

Know what is the difference between brokers and movers

In the intro, we have alluded to the main difference between the movers and moving brokers, but here we will explain it further. So, let us presume that you are moving to Texas from Georga. Your search for interstate movers in Georgia can be a tougher one than you might expect. Because so many Americans are moving so often, there are plenty of moving companies that are available to you. However, you might find it overwhelming. Too many options can be a bad thing, especially because it is easy to just get tired and settle on any moving company. That way you can get very unfavorable service.

Cardboard boxes — Who will you trust with your boxes?

Furthermore, you might also run into scamming movers that do their best to present themselves as legitimate. They can scam you of your money, possessions, or worse and are very easy to track down afterwords. Therefore, if you are planning on moving you need vigilance and effort, but most of all time. Time to find the right mover - and time not everyone has. That is where moving brokers come in. They are there to choose for you. The middlemen between you and your mover. In theory, moving brokers can provide a valuable and unique service to you. Their value lies in their guaranteed outcome of a legitimate and affordable mover. After all, it is in their interest to find the most affordable mover around so the price (with their margin added) doesn't scare you off. However, theory can differ from practice. That is exactly why you should read into the pros and cons of moving brokers before hiring them.

What are the pros of hiring moving brokers?

Let us begin with the positives. What are the pros of hiring moving brokers rather than turning to movers Austin, Texas, directly, for example? Well, Moving brokers can offer guarantees. As we previously alluded to, they are sometimes cheaper than simply turning to movers directly. They possess a vast knowledge about all the various relocation companies that are offering the service you want. Therefore, they can go through all of those offers with ease and provide you with the best one.

hiring moving brokers - handshake — Hiring moving brokers - is it the right choice?

It is pretty much a certain outcome when all goes well. It definitely saves you time, in addition to quite possibly saving you money. Selecting a mover can be time-consuming and result in failure, so having a middle man doing it for you does make sense.

Why you might want to think twice about the brokers

However, after the pros come the negatives. So, what should make you think twice before hiring brokers instead of movers Texas directly? Well, for one, you are leaving a pretty important part of the job to a third party. Having a good mover can make a world of difference on a moving day and you really should aim for it. However, if you hire a moving broker that is not legitimate, they will try to provide you with no the most affordable, but rather the cheapest service there is. Furthermore, the moving broker is not liable for any loss of property or any other kind of damage. Neither are they liable for movers being late or not coming at all. All of these things make it so that their hands are clean no matter the quality of service.

Pros and cons of moving companies

If you opt for hiring movers directly rather than hiring moving brokers when moving to Dallas, you might want to know the pros and cons here as well. The pros of having a moving company are that you have professionals that have the logistical capability and the know-how to deal with any trouble you might have. The con is usually the price, as it can get quite high, especially so in interstate relocation..

What to look in for movers, and what in brokers

So, what to do when you are searching for moving brokers? Well, your best strategy is to search for those that comply with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association regulation. While the FMCSA is required only for intestate relocators and brokers, it is a good stamp of approval that the job is legitimate and responsible. Furthermore, the (interstate) moving broker should provide you with your rights, a list of movers they are using (of only FMCSA registered ones), have a written agreement with the mover, base binding or non-binding estimates on the tariff of the mover that will be doing the relocation, reference their business location, MC number and status as brokers and perform a physical survey of your household.

For movers, you should aim for these three things:

FMCSA registration - Just like when hiring moving brokers, intestate relocators should be registered.
Good reviews - Good reviews matter quite a bit, as they are a good indication of their previous accomplishments.
Affordable price - Most companies will offer moving estimates that are more precise than those of brokers, so compare the few to find the best ones.

Who will you trust?

In the end, the question of should you be hiring moving brokers or not is ultimately a matter of trust. Ideally, you want to trust your movers and to have full confidence in their abilities. That is something you should never sacrifice, no matter the cost. Safety of your possessions and the promised quality and reliability are keys to the moving itself. Therefore, they are indispensable. If you hire a moving broker with full confidence that the move itself will be done properly, there is no reason not to. However, if you doubt the legitimacy of either the broker or the mover they would provide, you should strive for direct contact.

Know what is the difference between brokers and movers

What are the pros of hiring moving brokers?

Why you might want to think twice about the brokers

Pros and cons of moving companies

What to look in for movers, and what in brokers

Who will you trust?

The rules of loading a moving truck

Guide for packing and moving electronics

Dallas

Fort Worth

San Antonio

New Braunfels

Bedford

Grapevine

Austin