The reputation of the moving company goes a long way. Allow only licensed and insured movers to bid on your job. Get several estimates. They re free, so take advantage of them. If you can make the time, you can take control of the moving process.
Estimates given over the telephone and the Internet are difficult for a mover to guarantee.
A mover cannot properly estimate your job unless he can see exactly what has to be moved. Make sure that you show the estimator everything, including what s in the basement, attic, garden shed, garage, closets. Tell him if your neighbor is using your John Deere mower and you re not planning on driving it to your new home. Find out how binding each estimate is. It ll be easy to discard high estimates but should you receive an estimate that is substantially lower than the others, inquire as to why.