Literally everything you possess will be in someone else’s hands on the day you move. Sound scary? It is. But fortunately, by asking the most appropriate questions, you can select movers who are more than up for this task. The four most important questions surround length of service, moving philosophy, training involved for staff members and booking.

Question No. 1: How long have you been serving the local industry as a professional moving business? Ideally, the movers you hire will have a well-established reputation both where you currently live and where you are moving. And the company you decide on should be an upstanding business community member with several years of experience under its belt.

Question No. 2: What is your moving philosophy when working with clients? Some movers will answer this question right away, while others may give you a silly and confused look. But it is good to know how the movers you select plan on working with you throughout the process. If a mover seems stuck on this question, get into more specifics by asking how it regularly works with customers to see their moves from the beginning through to the end. That should help the mover give you a definitive answer.

Question No. 3: How do you train your staff members? Movers that skip over this important part are risky. Those who hire big, brawny people to lift heavy equipment are risking their own businesses and your belongings too. On the other end of the spectrum, movers that take the necessary time to carefully train their staffs often do better jobs and have more customers too. How they train their staffs … either internally or through an independent company … is not as vital as how these staff members are trained.

Question No. 4: How far in advance must I book you? Many movers are flexible in their scheduling, but the popular and well-regarded ones fill up more quickly on the books. A general rule of thumb is to start researching moving companies at least three months before a move, so most likely a mover will tell you that a few months in advance is most desirable to contact and secure a time before a move. After booking, the mover should present you with useful information like a moving check list and other helpful resources. This often is when you will know whether you have selected a great mover.