Two Months before your move

  • Get rid of stuff before you move it. Consider holding a garage sale, or selling your unnecessary items online at eBay or through Craigslist..
  • Start shopping around for a mover. Decide if you want to pack yourself or have the movers (hopefully us, LionsPride) pack for you. Generally, two months in advance is plenty of time to find a good mover. Companies, such as LionsPride will do short notice moves though if your are in a crunch. Of course the more notice you give us the easier it will be to secure the time and day you want and to sort out the logistics of your move. We suggest a minimum of a weeks notice but will gladly do next and same day jobs.
  • Get an estimate. A walk through is always free and it is truly the only way to get an accurate estimate. In some states, such as Oregon the overseeing government agency (ODOT) has deemed it illegal to give over the phone estimates as they can be misleading and tend to be inaccurate. This is meant to protect both you and us, the mover, as grossly over and under estimated moves cause nothing but bad things. Have us and any other company your interested in come out and give your home and your items you wish to move a thorough once over. Talk to us and them, write down a list of questions. This is your opportunity to get to know us and for us to get to know you. Moving day can be quite stressful and knowing who is going to move you in advance can be very reassuring. Ask how we will move particular items. Do we pad the items in the truck or in the home. Will we use door, door jam, railing/banister, and floor protection? Ask about how the tariff works. How does the company charge? Is it portal to portal (from their warehouse and then back to their warehouse/next job)? Or do they start their on the clock time when they arrive at your door and does it end when you sign the BoL (Bill of Lading -receipt-)?

At LionsPride for our Oregon customers, our on the clock time starts when we ARRIVE at your door and ends when we are done with the offload and you SIGN the BoL (receipt). In Washington our time starts when we LEAVE our warehouse and ends when we are done with the offload and you SIGN the BoL (receipt). This is because of the laws in each state differ and so do our published tariffs.Your moving company is required by law to supply you with a copy of their published tariff upon request. So if your mover hasn’t been able to explain the charges well enough all you have to do is ask for a copy to see for yourself what and why you are being charged what you are.

  • Insurance. While shopping for a mover, be sure to inquire about your insurance options. Also know that if you have Home Owner’s or Home Renter’s Insurance that it is very likely you all ready have some kind of Moving Insurance. Find out what that is and decide if it is enough for you. Legitimate moving companies will give you 60 cents per pound for free, which is really not that much (imagine you have a 10 lb end table that cost you $175, if it was lost or damaged you’d receive $6 for it). Typically they have two other options, a depreciated value and a full replacement cost. Sometimes there might be a deductible. Find out before you pick an option and Sign for it.

DO NOT LET THE MOVERS MOVE ANY ITEM BEFORE YOU HAVE CHOSEN YOUR VALUATION (INSURANCE). If NO option is chosen and signed by you on the bill of    lading, the mover will assign depreciated value protection (Option 2 under VALUATION OPTIONS (e)(B) of this rule). You will be required to pay the valuation charge for this protection

  • Start talking to young children the impending move. Moves to new locations can be traumatic for young children. Preparing them in advance gives the child plenty of time to prepare for the move.

One Month before your move

  • Start Packing. As early as one month before, you can buy boxes and packing supplies. Pack rarely used china or off-season clothes. When packing, keep in mind that it’s most important to fill boxes to capacity. Under-filled boxes can get crushed and over-filled boxes may fall apart. Pick the right size box for the job, boxes should be between 25-35 lbs each.
  • Save all your bills. Remember to save your last bills–they have crucial information like account numbers and customer service telephone numbers that will help you change your utilities, credit cards and  magazine subscriptions over to your new address.

Two Weeks before your move

  • Cancel your local newspaper. Or change the address if you get a major national paper delivered to your house.
  • Notify all financial accounts of your move. Banks, credit cards, brokerages (401k, personal stocks/mutual funds, other investments, etc.) all need to know your new address. Make a list and call them.

Three Days Before your move

  • Disconnect major appliances. Refrigerator, washer and dryer, etc. should all be disconnected, defrosted, and dried out.
  • Finish packing!
  • Valuables. There are a small number of things that you’ll probably want to carry with you or in a personal suitcase. Passport, jewelry, cash, house deeds and other important documents should be set aside and stored in a safe place.
  • First Night. For each member of your household, you’ll want to pack a few nights’ worth of clothes, bedding, toiletries, etc. And dishware for meals. Mark these boxes for easy identification as FIRST NIGHT NECESSITIES. Remember that it will take you some time to UNPACK on the other end! *THIS IS IMPORTANT*

Moving Day

  • Sit back relax and let LionsPride take it from here.