<p>This forum is always the best source for all kinds of information…</p>
<p>We are moving to Evanston from Columbus, Ohio in two stages–DH is moving in to a townhouse in Evanston, Illinois in March, and the rest of us are following him in June after third son graduates from high school.</p>
<p>Our house is going on the market very soon and we hope we can sell it…the market here is not as bad as elsewhere, a little slow but no precipitous price drops…</p>
<p>but we need advice on moving and movers</p>
<p>Any one with any recent experiences, good or bad???</p>
<p>Best moving experience was with Allied in 1990.</p>
<p>Worst moving experience by far was with Clark and Reid in 2008. The truck driver and crew also did the packing. Obviously the crew had never been trained in the fine art of packing.</p>
<p>I had a terrible experience where I went with a “reference service” from a top hit on the 'net who gave me several bids for one company with several aliases, sloppily packed and destroyed many of my possessions, took nearly a month to move my apartmentful of belongings from Illinois to California, and forced me into paying seven thousand dollars in order to get my ruined furniture and boxes back, many of which had been stored in the heat, soaked in water, growing mold, and ripped to shreds in the meantime. The company folded, changed names, and started business as another company… their modus operandi… in order to keep their record “clean”.</p>
<p>Be careful, get a binding contract with a written estimate from an agent who visits your home beforehand, and only go with a company that you’re certain you’ve heard of before.</p>
<p>I have heard very good things about Bekins, for what it’s worth.</p>
<p>I moved a year later than H since we couldn’t sell house. Good luck.
I packed everything myself and moved with the cheapest, scariest looking locals you can imagine. Their “truck” was a rusty old horse trailer. But they didn’t bang up my furniture any more than a big-name company I used for a corporate paid move a few years ago. I was happy. Just ask for references.</p>
<p>Make sure they are licensed and insured. A newlywed couple we know (also have a new baby) recently hired the least expensive movers they could find. They moved from California to Texas and their movers never arrived. That’s right they stole all of their belongings. When the couple attempted to call the phone numbers they were given all were disconnected. Do your homework and ask for verifiable references.</p>
<p>We got several referrals from the real estate company that we used for local movers (all affiliated with national chains) for our move a couple of years ago. Other than the expense, they were excellent in terms of packing, delivery. Of course this was in state, so the rules are different than interstate. The realtor’s “concierge” service had these referrals. It is a large realty chain, so look into that type of thing if you can. When I lived in NYC, it was easy to get recommendations from coworkers for good movers since people were always moving in/out. A previous in state move of ours years back was by a local company that advertised on local cable. They were actually the best of the lot.</p>
<p>Call Golan’s Movers in Skokie. They’re local there (at least as of 8 years ago, perhaps they’ve branched out) but move people from the Chicago area all over. Perhaps they could move you to Evanston on their return trip from some place near you.</p>
<p>They are the BEST movers I’ve ever had (and I have moved 19 times in the past 35 years - 7 of those moves long distance!) They are efficient and careful.</p>
<p>Also, perhaps your current or future employer has a deal with a moving company. When I was leaving University X to move 1000 miles to University Y, I called some movers near X for quotes. I was shocked that they gave me the University X discount even though I was moving away!! </p>
<p>By the way, I lived in Evanston for 5 years (and the Chicago area for 18) - it’s wonderful! I’m sure you’ll love it.</p>