Before you begin planning your move:

• Buy a small notebook.
  The notebook should fit in a pocket or purse and clip a pen to it. Keep the notebook with you at all times before your move, and put all your moving notes, dates, etc. in that one notebook.Every day, start a new page and write down everything you need to do as you think of it. At the end of the day, go over your notes and organize what needs to be done. Make a "To Do" list for the next day.
• Get a cardboard accordion file.
  Keep the file in a prominent place at home. Don’t move it until you’re ready to go out the door on moving day. Keep all your important papers that have to do with the move in this file.
• Get a sturdy cardboard box with a cover.
  Label the box "Important," and keep it close to you as you sort and pack. As you come to things you don’t have time to figure out where they belong – notes from friends, stray pictures, pieces of toys, etc. – throw them into the box to sort through after you move

Before you begin planning your move:

You will experience enough stress during your move even when everything goes right. Imagine how you will feel when things start to go wrong.If your belongings are lost or damaged during shipment, stress levels escalate. Even if you are compensated for the missing or broken items, the hole where they should be is a long-term reminder of a negative aspect of the move. In contrast, having cherished items arrive safely helps your relocated family maintain a positive frame of mind in their new location.

To help reduce stress in relocations, choose a shipper with answers to the following questions in mind:

• Who handles damage claims?
  It should be the company’s customer relations professionals who get back to the transferee within 24 hours of filing a claim. Some companies allow drivers to settle certain claims on the spot.
• How is restitution made?
  The mover should have a list of restoration experts who can make an item look as good as it did before the move, and should have access to a network of firms that specialize in replacing hard-to-find, out-of-stock items. The settlement check should be the last resort.
• How are employees trained?
  All packers and movers should receive hands-on instruction in a simulated home as well as instruction on how to handle very fragile or valuable articles.
• How well are moves coordinated?
  A company that encourages communication between staff who conduct the surveys, the packers and the family is in the best position to make sure any special or fragile items are identified and appropriate steps are taken to protect them during the move.
• How are stored shipments handled?
  Everything that comes off the truck should be inspected and accounted for. Are shipments unpacked when transferred to a storage site? If so, the company must be diligent to flatten each piece of packing paper and every box to make sure no small items are lost in the packing materials.
• Does the company perform claims analyses and reward careful employees?
  By looking for patterns of damage or missing item claims, the company can spot problems and address them, thereby reducing the number of claims in the future. When the shipper is proactive in preventing damage claims, the company saves money, and so, ultimately, do you.

Another way that you can be proactive about an upcoming move is to call or e-mail us to help you anticipate and get through possible problem areas.

The secret to saving money on a move is simply to pare down your belongings: lower the weight of the load, and you will lower the cost of the move.

What The Mover Cannot Take

The process of elimination is simplified somewhat by what can’t be put on the van.

• Aerosol cans of hair spray, shaving cream, deodorants, car cleaners, etc.
• Flammables such as paint, bleach, matches, gasoline, oil-drenched rags, cleaning fluids, chemistry-set supplies
• Ammunition
• Pets
• House plants (though, where legally permitted, some movers take them on short moves where they need no special attention)
• Frozen food

Load-Lightening

• Begin with a floor plan of your future home.
• Leave behind whatever is too large or too out-of-place to fit.
• Be ruthless with never-used stuff in attic, basement, garage, workshop, garden shed.
• Weed out LP records and bookcases. On books you want to keep, compare postal book rates to the weight cost on the moving van.
• Don't take large, unused equipment: the swing set, the exercise bike, the pool table.
• Consider leaving behind appliances if they are more than five years old or if they won’t work on the power system at the future home.
• Compare the cost of moving the baby grand piano with the price of a new one (and the sale of the present one).

With so much to do when you move into a new house, it’s easy to overlook the ABC’s of following up on any items lost or damaged during the move.

Keep this timetable handy to help keep track of making a claim.

• Before the driver leaves...
  Make a note of any obvious damage directly on the driver’s inventory before signing it. Also, write down the numbers of any damaged cartons not yet unpacked, and describe the damage in detail.
• Within the next week...
  Get claim forms from the destination agent or the mover’s home office.
• As soon as possible...
  Finish unpacking or at least check the contents of all cartons that won’t be unpacked for a while. Report any concealed damage right away.
• Within a month...
  Make a claim for damage as soon as possible. It’s a busy time, but putting off making the claim is a recipe for relinquishing it. Mark the date you mailed the claim on the calendar and count ahead 30 days. The mover is required to acknowledge receipt of your claim within that time period.
• Thirty days after filing...
  Check to see if the carrier acknowledged the claim. Mark the date three months from now. The mover has a total of 120 days from receipt of the claim to deny or make an offer to settle the claim.
• Four months after filing...
  Carrier should have taken action on the claim by now, either to deny or offer a settlement.
• Eight months after the move...Check on carrier’s claim deadline – it’s usually nine months after delivery – and make sure all claims have been filed and acknowledged by the carrier before the carrier’s time limit expires.
• Keep proof...
  To help support your claims, keep all the pieces of anything broken. Also, save all your transportation documents and photocopies of all correspondence.
• Three levels of coverage
  The liability of the carrier depends on the coverage options chosen.

1. Limited Liability, the standard coverage, allows up to 60 cents a pound toward replacement of a lost item or repair of a damaged one.
2. Added Value Protection pays for damage up to the depreciated value of an item.
3. Full Value Protection offers replacement of an item or a cash settlement for market value.

There are so many things to think about before and during a move. Don't do it alone. Call or e-mail us, and professionals will be there to assist you at every step.

Moving cats and dogs via airplane requires some advance planning to ensure a safe and successful transfer. Here’s a quick checklist to help you answer some basic questions about moving a family pet.

• Before The Move Check with the airline regarding regulations. Many require current health certificates and only allow shipment on a non-stop flight.
• Arrange for necessary immunizations. Ask how much time must elapse between shots; two or more appointments may be necessary. Check with your veterinarian and airline for standard waiting times between immunization and travel.
• Obtain shot and medication records from veterinarian.
• Ten days prior to departure obtain a health certificate from veterinarian.
• Purchase a carrying crate with a leak proof bottom and ample room for your pet to lie down, stand and turn around.
• Label the crate with arrows showing which side is up and the words "Live animal." Print the animal’s name, description, your name, new address and phone number.
• Eliminate stress by following the pet’s normal routine. Ask your vet about sedation for a traveling pet.

Moving Day

• Keep distractions to a minimum and remember to reassure the pet.
• Feed six hours prior to departure.
• Provide water until two hours before takeoff. If it is unseasonably hot, don’t withhold water prior to takeoff.
• Make the crate feel like home with soft pad, favorite toy or blanket.
• Give the pet a chance to run and play before placing it in crate.
• Make sure the pet is wearing an ID tag with its name, your name, new address and phone number.

Before your family's moving trip is underway - whether traveling by car or plane - remember to pack up plenty of gear to keep the kids from getting restless.

Things to take:

1. Puzzle books, coloring games, maze books and word finders.
2. Tape or CD players with individual headphones and a selection of your child's favorite music and story tapes.
3. Books on tape the whole family can enjoy listening to together. The classic children's story "Charlotte's Web" read by its author, E. B. White, is one of the best examples. A treat for any age, a book is also something everyone can discuss during breaks.
4. Hand-held electric games - with adjustable volume controls or earphones, for obvious reasons.
5. Cozy comforts, such as a child 's favorite pillow, stuffed animal toy or blanket.