It’s time to plan your move.  What’s the best strategy?  What resources are available?  Do you have a strong back, a good truck, and lots of gung-ho friends.  How complicated is this move going to really be?  Should you hire a professional moving company or try to make the move yourself?  This depends on several factors.

Most of us have made some kind of move on our own: moving into our first apartment, moving the kids into college dorms, perhaps moving the kids back in after college.  These small moves can be pretty manageable if they involve relatively short distances and relatively small loads.  You can rent some kind of truck or van, or perhaps even use the family vehicle for such relocations.  However, things tend to change.  Life becomes more and more complicated.  Possessions accumulate, especially when you own a house, and before you know it a station wagon and a few friends are just not enough to relocate everything you own.

Local moving companies can save you a lot of headaches if they are trustworthy, but not everyone has the budget to hire help.  Whether you are moving international, moving in Canada, or moving in your own city, it may be worth considering hiring professionals.  Some people don’t even consider using moving companies because they assume it will be too expensive.  Actually, the rates may surprise you.  Whether we are talking about local moving companies or an international mover, it’s a good idea to find a company that quotes moving costs.  They should be able to give you a realistic idea of just what kind of budget you will need.  It doesn’t hurt to make a few phone calls or look at a few websites.

When deciding whether or not to hire a moving company, try to be realistic about the size, distance, and complexity involved in your move.  Many of us tend to over-extend ourselves, or to underestimate the difficulty of certain tasks.  Whatever the reason for your move, it probably already involves a good deal of adjustment and stress, especially if there are children involved.  Relocation can be hard on the kids, and the stress tends to grow exponentially the more responsibilities you take on yourself.  If you are moving in Canada, there should at least be some sense of consistency, depending on the range of the relocation.  If you are moving international, you will have a whole new level of adjustment (and paperwork) to deal with.

If you are moving overseas, get a professional mover if at all possible.  The process is tedious and complicated, and you will need all the help you can get.  Any good international mover quotes moving costs reliably up front, usually offering a rough estimate on the internet and then an in-house estimate with a “Binding Not-To-Exceed” estimate, which means that they cannot charge you more than their official estimate indicates.  Whether it’s domestic or overseas, the distance of the move can be a major factor when deciding to do it yourself or bring in professional.  After looking at all of your options, you may decide to take a comfortable plane ride and just meet the movers at your new home.  If your move involves children, elderly folk, or people with special needs, that may tip your inclinations toward bringing in the pros.

Another factor to consider is the kind of items to be moved.  Antiques, electronics, art objects, office equipment, or extra vehicles (cars, motorcycles, boats, snow mobiles, etc.) should all be taken into consideration.  It’s a good idea to look around the house, garage, and storage building, and develop a realistic idea of what needs to be moved and how hard it would be to move it.

The better international and local moving companies should be able to handle special items like these.  When a company quotes moving expenses, they can factor in the packing, transportation, storage, and / or unpacking of anything that you need to include.

When you are selecting a moving company, it definitely pays to shop around.  If you are moving in Canada, especially a local move, you may be able to find a very affordable local mover to provide simple service with a basic truck.  You may even be able to just round up some buddies to load up a van.  Whatever you do, a successful move always comes down to planning, which means beginning your preparations early, taking a thorough inventory of what needs to be moved, and taking into consideration factors that may complicate the move.  Thank goodness, there are companies that specialize in moving international clients.  They are internationally licensed and help with paperwork and logistics.

However you decide to move, don’t be afraid to ask for help, whether it’s from a professional company or your friends and relatives.  Too many people hurt themselves simply because they are too stubborn to accept assistance.  Delegating shows leadership and wisdom, not weakness.  Knowing your limitations is the first step to overcoming them.

Find a company that quotes moving costs.  Not every mover quotes moving costs accurately, so you need to make sure that they will honor their quotes.  Some of the more sophisticated moving companies will offer online estimates, but those are just preliminary.  Be sure to get a few in-house estimates to compare service and prices, and get written “Binding Not-To-Exceed” estimates to ensure that you will not have to deal with a “bait and switch” type of issue with added or hidden costs later on.

Don’t be cheap. Unusually low prices may indicate desperation on the part of the moving company, which could be indicative of any number of problems with the company.  A bit of research and examination of quotes should give you a sense of the average prices.  Before even considering price, it may be wise to make a list of factors and services that are the most important to you – packing services, storage, safety records, referrals, etc.  Once you decide exactly what you are looking for, try to find a good price for the company that matches your criteria, ignoring companies that do not live up to your standards, no matter how inexpensive they may be.  It usually doesn’t pay to skimp on quality when it comes to transporting all of your worldly possessions safely.

Read testimonials and reviews on independent sites.  The testimonials on a moving company’s website are sure to be good.  They will only post the ones that are positive.  But you can get a more balanced perspective by reading reviews on independent websites where you are more likely to have access to both good and bad reviews.  Of course, some people are simply never satisfied.  That’s why it’s important to read many reviews, and to look for patterns.  One problem could be an anomaly, but if many people are complaining about the same things, there could be a real pattern (and a real cause for concern).

Even if you are moving in Canada, you may want to go with an international mover.  There are some good local moving companies that do not handle moving international, but many of them are fly-by-night operations.  Most of the time, an international mover will also handle local jobs.  Although supporting local businesses is commendable, it’s sometimes wise to think big.  If a company is good enough to handle moving international, it is probably good enough for moving inCanada.  International moves involve a high level of organization, certifications, and legal oversight.  Local moving companies that also have a proven track record of successful international moves probably have their stuff together pretty well.

Once you think you have it narrowed down to one or two movers, check out the companies  through the Better Business Bureau, U.S. Department of Transportation, and MovingScam.com just to be sure.

Although these states are the most popular when people do move from state to state, long moves are generally on the decline.  A survey indicates that migration patterns are changing, including shorter moves and different motivations for relocation.  One in five people who participated in the survey claimed they moved to pursue a lower cost of living, implying that the economy made it difficult for them to survive where they were.  The number of respondents who indicated that they moved as a direct result of home foreclosure was 150% higher than the previous year, apparently indicating that displacement because of the housing crisis continues to affect the American public.  These aspects of the current research make the outlook seem pretty bleak.  However, not all of the news seems to be quite so foreboding.

Assuming that the people who participated in the recent surveys were telling the truth (and we have no real reason to believe otherwise), some of the input actually seems rather encouraging.  Surprisingly, 54% of those surveyed claimed that the recession did not affect their decisions to relocate.  They relocated because they found nicer homes, wanted to be closer to families, or started new jobs in different areas.  In fact, 10% stated that they moved because reduced home prices had finally allowed them to afford to purchase homes in desirable areas.  This may be the positive side of the housing bubble’s bursting – it may have gone from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market, but at least it’s someone’s market.  It’s rough for those who are trying to sell, but people who have had a hard time affording to become home owners have a better chance than ever.  While many Americans are consistently renting, a significant number of individuals surveyed said that they were renting temporarily while they were searching for houses to purchase.  It seems as though the American Dream of home ownership has not died; it was seriously injured, but its condition may soon be upgraded from critical to stable.

Many moving companies are reporting that they are receiving an increasing number of inquiries and requests for estimates, indicating that a large increase in migration may be on the way.  While optimistic reviewers of this information interpret an increase in interest in moving logistics to be an indication of an economic upswing, more cautious researchers point out that an upswing in relocation does not necessarily indicate an economic improvement.  It is difficult to accurately interpret the significance of these relocation patterns until more is known about the circumstances and motivations involved with these moves.  It may sound cliché, but maybe all we can do now is just hope for the best and act as wisely as possible until things turn around.

Slightly greater numbers (11,000,000) moved the previous year.  This shows a significant drop from the 15,800,000 who moved from one county to another from 2004 to 2005.  The significant difference is that the economy was doing relatively well in 2004 to 2005.

Experts claim that the recession has had a significant influence on American housing and local moving decisions, effectively freezing Americans in place by making long moves cost-prohibitive.  This is a continuation of a familiar trend in American history, revealing a pattern that relates to the Great Depression and the 1970’s energy crisis.

One of the aspects that is unusual about the current migration patterns is that migration has dropped in many of the areas that have had consistently high migration rates.  For instance, Florida has shown its first decline in migration since the 1940’s.

In addition to domestic migration, immigration to the United States from other countries has also declined dramatically, dropping by half from the 1,800,000 who immigrated toAmericafrom 2004 to 2005.  This too is attributed to the current economic recession.

Total moves within the United States, including moves within the same county, are estimated at 37,000,000 in 2009-2010.  In terms of motivation, studies show that moves within the same county are more likely to be driven by housing issues.  Recently, those moving shorter distances made up about two thirds of all movers.  This indicates that many movers made their moves because of housing and economic issues, as opposed to family or job reasons.  According to a major survey, about 16% of people said they moved for job reasons, 33% for family reasons, and 40% for housing reasons.

Studies also showed that individuals and families who lived below the poverty line were more likely to relocate than people with incomes slightly above the poverty line.

All of these statistics seem to indicate that the current economic recession is causing many people to move to more affordable housing within their counties, but limiting their abilities to move to higher value properties outside of their counties.  It also indicates that fewer people are making long distance moves and international moves for jobs because high paying jobs that demand relocation are not as plentiful.