Moving can be pretty exhausting and tiring especially if you want to move your entire household. Right from packing your stuff to loading and transporting them, you need to take care of so many things altogether. All of this can be really overwhelming as you’re not just investing your money but also a lot of time and effort to carry your move smoothly. That’s why it’s always best to consult residential movers who can help you move your household in a safe and efficient manner.
Need residential movers to help you move your house? Well, you’ll be glad to know that there are several residential movers for whom moving is just a piece of cake. We did some digging for you to find out some of the best residential movers in the country. Let’s just dive right in and know more about what these residential moving companies have to offer you.
Quick Overview: 5 Best Residential Moving Companies
| Company | International Van Lines | Allied Van Lines | Mayflower Transit | Adams Van Lines | FlatRate Moving |
| Logo |  |  |  |  |  |
| DOT Number | 2247789 | 76235 | 125563 | 2886867 | 488466 |
| MC Number | 729978 | 15735 | NA | 969195 | 254356 |
| Pros | Nationwide availability, Full container load sizes (20’, 40’), Instant ballpark pricing | Virtual survey, Transparent pricing, 24 hours customer service | Car transportation services, Full Value Protection, Short and long term storage options | Offers packing supplies, Short and long term storage services, Customized packing and moving services | Furniture, piano, art and antiques moving, Custom crating services, FlatRate Upcycle Program |
| Cons | 25% deposit, Website doesn’t have much information about pricing | Complaints about claiming process to be slow, Moving experience varies with different agents | Complaints about damaged items , Mixed reviews | Does not offer online quotes | No hourly costs, Moving quote increases if you don’t disclose everything about your move |
| Phone | 877-647-1336 | 800-689-8684 | 888-368-4689 | 786-870-1729 | 212-988-9292 |
| Website | internationalvanlines.com | allied.com | mayflower.com | adamsvanlines.com | flatrate.com |
5 Top Rated Residential Moving Companies in the U.S
1. International Van Lines
Providing moving services throughout the country and around 180 locations outside the US, International Van Lines is a recognized international moving company. Whether your move is local, long distance, corporate or international, they have it all covered up for you. Speaking of their outstanding services, IVL provides you with a coordinator who can help you with moving pianos and other specialty items. Being a broker and a carrier, IVL has connections with almost 3,000 partners worldwide.
Reasons To Choose International Van Lines
Worldwide Availability: One of the best things about International Van Lines is that they offer moving services across the globe. Be it long distance, local moves or storage services, they operate as a broker and a carrier with almost 200 movers nationwide at your service. Unlike most moving companies, IVL gives you the option of customizing your move. To make your planning process easy for you, they provide you not one but two account managers to answer all your queries. You can get a free quote online or call them for a free moving estimate.
Container Shipping and Auto Transport Services: If you want to ship your vehicles such as cars or motorcycles, container shipping can be the best option for you. You can choose between 20’ and 40’ high-end containers from IVL to ship your expensive cars. To help you save a few bucks for shipping costs, the company can also accommodate up to four mid-size vehicles in their 40’ container. Not only that, they also offer your container services for ocean freight transportation. Don’t worry about any kind of damage to your vehicles as the company has a full coverage insurance plan that covers all the damage and losses.
If you need trailers to ship your vehicles, International Van Lines offers you both open and enclosed trailers. Whether yours is a domestic or international auto transport, International Van Lines can customize your auto transport services to suit your needs.
Short and Long Term Storage Services: Whether you want your belongings to be stored for a short or long period of time, International Van Lines is the best option for you. If you need to store your goods in their warehouses for a short period of time, you can avail their Storage In Transit (SIT) service. Having said that, SIT comes with an additional cost depending on the size of your load. If you need them to store your items for a long period for a long distance or an international move, IVL offers you temperature-controlled storage services. Again, this also comes with an additional cost. All you have to do is get in touch with the company’s coordinator for further details.
Also Read: International Van Lines Review
2. Allied Van Lines
Serving in the moving industry for almost 85 years, Allied Van Lines is one of the largest moving companies in the world. Whether your move is right across the street or across the ocean, they are here to assure you a quality moving experience with their array of moving services. Doesn’t matter whether your move is local, interstate or international, you can get a customized moving solution from the company to suit your needs. You can either call them for a moving quote or visit their website for a free online quote.
Reasons To Choose Allied Van Lines
Different Moving Services: Whether it’s just packing your household belongings or moving them across the country, to another state or country, Allied Van Lines is here to take care of all your moving needs. They take care of everything related to your move in their capable hands. Not only that, they also help in corporate relocation services to move your business in a timely and safe manner. At your own convenience, you can either call them and request for an in-home moving estimate or visit their website to get a free moving quote.
Flexible Storage and Packing Services: Depending on your move, you might need a temporary or a long term storage service especially if you’re moving long distances or internationally. Allied Van Lines acknowledges your need for storage services which is why they offer you a storage in transit for up to 90 days. If at all this time period extends beyond 90 days, then all of your stuff will be moved to their permanent storage. According to your needs, the company offers you flexible storage services. Along with storage, you can also approach them for full service packing services or just the packing materials.
Online Domestic and International Claim Forms: Let’s face it, moving can be really tedious and stressful especially if you are moving your precious items like your furniture or antiques. There are chances of these items getting damaged during the move. To save you any kind of trouble, Allied Van Lines have made their domestic and international claim forms available online. Just make sure you don’t repair or sell any of your damaged items. You can either claim for your items through the form available online or email the company about your queries.
See Also: Allied Van Lines Review
3. Mayflower Transit
Mayflower Transit opened their doors to serve people with their moving services in 1927. Since then, they have been recognized as one of the best moving companies in the United States. No wonder that they have been recognized as a Certified ProMover by the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA). They provide an array of moving services right from local and long distance to commercial and international moves.
Reasons To Choose Mayflower Transit
Car Transportation Services: Need help to move your car to your new home? Whether you’re moving across the state or to a new country, Mayflower will assist you in shipping your car to your new location. Depending on your budget and convenience, the company offers you to choose between their open sided and closed car carrier equipment. Along with that, Mayflower provides you both door-to-door and terminal-to-terminal car transportation services. You can get in touch with a Mayflower representative to know which option best suits your move.
Mayflower Moving Protection Plans: Mayflower acknowledges that many things can go wrong during the move resulting in your goods getting damaged or lost. For that very reason, the company offers you their Full Value Protection plan through their high value inventory form.
The company calculates the standard amount by multiplying the weight of your shipment by $6 per pound. To help suit your needs and budget, the company also gives you the option of a minimum valuation which is around $0.60 per item. Not just that, you can increase the amount in your full value protection plan by paying an additional cost. In case you need to claim for your damaged or lost goods, the company will assist you with their Claim Assist program.
Different Packing and Crating Services: Packing your items for a move can be really physically and mentally exhausting. To save you the trouble from packing your items, Mayflower offers you full packing and unpacking services regardless of the size or destination of your move. The company can also help you with partial packing services by providing you with packing supplies if you want to pack your items by yourself. If at all you have any expensive and precious items like antiques, large mirrors or artwork, you can approach the company for their secure and custom crating services.
Full Service Moving Packages: Mayflower allows you to customize your moving plan according to your needs. For that you need to know about their full service moving packages. The company offers you their Essential Plan for $195, the Plus 1 Plan for $395 and the Plus 2 Plan for $595. You can choose between any of these basic plans for which you will be adding the shipment value.
If you go for the Essential Plan, it has an Additional Valuation Protection of $5,000 along with the company’s Gold Standard Protection, Claim Assistance and Identity Theft Protection. The Plus 1 Plan has some extra advantages compared to the Essential Plan and the Plus 2 Plan as all of Plus 1’s advantages while also including an Additional Delay Payment. As you see, the Essential Plan has relatively low add-ons compared to the other two plans. You can get in touch with a Mayflower representative to know which plan best suits your move and budget.
Read Also: Mayflower Moving Review
4. Adams Van Lines
Looking for a carefree moving experience? If so, then Adams Van Lines is the right choice for you. Leave all the stressful packing, loading and unloading in the hands of their certified and experienced movers. Having an experience of 18 years in long distance moving, they assure you a hassle-free and smooth moving experience. Regardless of where you are located, the company has as many as 500 locations to help you with their moving services.
Reasons To Choose Adams Van Lines
Professional Packing Services: Why stress yourself with the daunting task of packing when the company can do it for you? Yes, Adams Van Lines provide you with all the necessary packing supplies like boxes, paper, bubble wrap, duct tapes and furniture blankets. Not just that, their skilled and experienced packers will pack each of your items safely for a move. Even disassembling and packing your furniture will be taken care of along with any other heavy items that you possess.
The best thing about Adams is that they also unpack your items and dispose of the materials after your move. Now if all of this is what you’re looking for, go ahead and get their full service moving package.
Efficient Residential Storage Service: To make your moving easier, Adams not just provides you with packing supplies and equipment, but also multiple storage facilities. If you need help with storing your belongings, you can ask for their storage services which are secure and spread across the country. With the help of their domestic and corporate customers and partners, they are known to carry out complex storage and moving assignments with ease and efficiency.
5. FlatRate Moving
FlatRate was founded way back in 1991 and over the years has become a major player in the moving industry. The company has as many as 160 agents internationally while having nine branches in London and in the major cities of the US. If you need accurate moving estimates and want to avoid any kind of last-minute extra costs, this is the best choice for you. When you hire FlatRate, you don’t have to worry about any surprise scams or hidden costs. Apart from that, the company assures you a quality moving experience by inspecting and cleaning their trucks daily.
Reasons To Choose FlatRate Moving
Transparency In Pricing: Because of its transparency in pricing, FlatRate is the country’s only moving company that has an all-inclusive move at a guaranteed flat rate. The company boasts in its science-based flat rate formula to give you an affordable and accurate moving price. After considering the volume of your possessions and the mileage and complexity of your move, the price of your move is determined. With this formula, the company certainly has revolutionized the entire moving business. Go ahead and visit their website or call them to get a free moving quote.
Options For Valuation Protection: FlatRate allows you to choose between three of their protection plans. The company’s basic valuation is the lowest protection plan wherein you’ll get a below average protection for your household goods with no additional costs except for the basic rate. Then there’s the Full Value Protection wherein you’ll have to pay $50 to get a coverage of maximum $10,000. Under this plan, your local and long distance moves can get up to a coverage worth $100k while Elite White Glove gets a maximum coverage of $150k.
If a Full Value Protection plan is not enough for you, you can go for the 3rd Party Protection which has a maximum coverage of $150k. To know more about the valuation protection, you can get in touch with a FlatRate Moving Specialist.
Variety Of Storage Options: Whether it’s to store a few of your items or large items like furniture and chairs, FlatRate lets you choose from a variety of storage options. If you need a small storage locker to store a few items, you will be charged $23. For a medium-size locker you will be charged $96 while a large storage room to accommodate your furniture is worth $384.
To ensure the safety of your items, FlatRate has climate-controlled storage rooms with barcodes and electronic verification along with 24-hour security. They’ve made the tracking of your items quite easy with their mobile app. All you need to do is either call them or make your reservation online. You will then be connected with a FlatRate Specialist who will guide you for a custom storage plan. Using the FlatRate app you can then make an inventory of your items and keep a track of everything.
How much does it Cost to have Movers Move your House?
The prices for moving houses may vary as the total cost for moving a house depends on various factors. First and foremost are the transportation costs which include fuel costs and take into account the distance of your move. Then there’s the size of your move, whether yours is a one bedroom apartment or a three bedroom house.
Depending on the size of your house and number of belongings, your moving costs will vary. Do keep in mind that the more things you carry, the more expensive your move is going to be. If you ask the movers for their packing supplies, storage services or any add-ons, your moving cost is likely to get expensive. Also the time of your move can very much affect the moving cost.
Speaking of moving costs, hiring professional movers will cost you up to $1000. If at all yours is a local move, you can expect an average moving cost of $1,250. For a long distance move, your average moving cost would be around $4,890. As mentioned earlier, there are other factors like the kind of services you ask for, labor costs, valuation protection, etc that determine the total cost of your move.
Also Read: List of Top Local Movers in the US | Affordable Long Distance Moving Company
FAQs
What should I consider before hiring a moving company?
The first thing you need to do before you hire a moving company is plan a moving budget. After that you need to create a home inventory along with the details, bills and receipts of all of the possessions you want to take along with you. Once you’ve done that, you can contact several moving companies and ask for a free moving estimate. Most moving companies provide a free moving quote online or over a call.
An important thing you need to note is that you should consult different moving companies for moving estimates. That way you can compare their prices and see what suits your budget. You can call them and ask for their services and depending on your move they will help you choose what suits your move.
In case you are on a tight budget, do not make the mistake of hiring professional movers as they can be expensive. If you want to spend less on your move, you should either consider brokers or plan a DIY move. There are moving companies that offer only packing or transportation services at affordable rates. Having said that, the time of your move is very important especially if you’re hiring movers. So if you want discounted rates and deals that moving companies offer, we suggest you move off season or on weekdays when the movers are not that busy. Make sure you consider all these aspects before you hire any moving company.
Also See: How To Tell If A Moving Company is a Scam
How much does a residential move cost?
There is no fixed rate that movers have for residential or any kind of moves. The cost of your move will depend on the following factors:
- Size and distance of your move
- Transportation costs
- Labor costs
- Time of the year
- Type of moving services
- Add-ons
- Insurance
If at all your residential move is local or right across the street, your moving cost will be between $500 to $1,000. This cost exceeds as the distance increases. So a long distance move will cost you between $2,000 to $5,000. As mentioned above, there are several other factors that affect your move. For example, if you need the company to disassemble and reassemble your furniture or pack all your things, then your moving cost may increase. For any additional services you will be charged an extra amount which differs for every company.
Read Also: Top 5 Furniture Companies with White Glove Delivery Service
Final Thoughts
Now that you know all about the best residential moving companies, you can go ahead and hire a mover to escape the hassle of planning and executing your move. But if you’re a person that doesn’t want to spend too much money on a move, go for a DIY move or ask for limited services from any moving company. Whatever you decide, make sure you weigh the pros and cons of everything and then plan your move accordingly.
