The holiday season is in full-swing, which is why Allied will be bringing you some must-have tips for pre- and post-move starting next week. It's all a part of our '12 Days of Cheap Home Improvement Ideas' series -- which will help you prepare your home for the holidays.

Whether you've just moved into a new home, you're trying to sell your home or prepping to sell early next year -- this series is for you!

Allied’s MyHomeBenefits program offers you $50 cash back for every $10,000 you spend on your next home purchase or sale, plus other ways to save!

Here’s how you can save:

1)    Request a moving quote from http://www.allied.com
2)    Check you’re interested in “real estate” and “mortgage” services in the request form
3)    An Allied move coordinator will contact you with moving, real estate and mortgage information
4)    Use one of our preferred real estate agents, Allied moving company and SIRVA Mortgage on your next move to receive maximum reward benefits

Here are the benefits:

• Receive $50 for every $10,000 in home value when you sell or purchase a home
• $300 closing cost reward for using SIRVA Mortgage
• Access to highly effective real estate professionals that meet SIRVA Relocation’s stringent performance requirements
• Hassle-free home financing when you buy or refinance with SIRVA Mortgage, now offering competitive rates, outstanding service and an extra cash back reward

Do the math…that could be more than $2,000 extra in your pocket to cover other moving expenses.

Allied Network Representative in the United Kingdom, Pickfords, has won the British Association of Removers' (BAR) 2010 Commercial Mover of the Year Competition. Business Moving Director, Mark Herrington, accepted the award at the BAR's national conference this week. The title is awarded each year by the removal industry's trade association to one business moving company that has demonstrated excellence in customer service, best practice and operational quality. 

The award is based on a case study move and includes an audited visit to both client and company facilities as well as interviews with staff and customers. "Commercial Mover of the Year is a prestigious title and involves a rigorous process of assessment and checks against the BS8522 standards that all commercial movers strive to reach and maintain. A fantastic result, it’s great to see that the expertise of our teams has been rewarded,” said Mark Herrington, business moving director of Pickfords.

"I am delighted that Pickfords Business Moving has won this award, it's a true reflection of the commitment and hard work of our move management and operational teams and their focus on quality and customer service,” concludes Russell Start, managing director of Pickfords.

On February 21, 2010, Coleman American Moving Services—of Columbus, Georgia—teamed up with ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Palm Harbor Homes to assist a family in need.

The Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team traveled to Pine Mountain Valley, Georgia, to help Jeremy and Jennifer Williams, whose son was diagnosed with Spina Bifida before birth. Several years ago Jeremy was also diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, a crippling disease that causes motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord to shrink, resulting in paralysis. The family’s physical disabilities were becoming too large for their small home, so the Extreme Makeover team stepped in to create a safe house that could accommodate their special mobility needs.

“This project was awe inspiring in that everyone knew that they were helping a truly deserving family achieve a better standard of living for the time they have remaining together. To see the surrounding communities come together for the project was something that cannot be described in words,” said Randy Robinson, general manager, Coleman American Moving Services, Inc.

In a quick seven days the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition crew and the community came together and built the Williams family a new home! The episode aired last night (5/16) at 8/7 CST on ABC. The full episode can be viewed here: http://abc.go.com/shows/extreme-makeover-home-edition#

Below are pictures from Coleman American, including a picture of their build team and the Allied truck that helped move the family’s furniture.

So, you’ve made it this far…you’ve made the decision to move, you’ve compiled a list of movers and now it’s time to request a moving quote. At this point in the process many wonder why some movers want to schedule an in-home estimate, while others will provide an estimate sight-unseen. While it’s very tempting to get a quick quote from a website or over the phone, but an in-home estimate is an essential step in the process that should not be avoided.

Here are the top reasons to get an in-home estimate:

1.    It’s the law. By law you have the right to receive an estimate based on an in-home survey of your household goods. Under regulation, it is the mover’s obligation to create a moving estimate based on a physical survey of the household goods to be moved (if the goods are located within a 50-mile radius of your mover’s place of business). You can elect to waive this right for a physical survey, but if you do decide to forego this right, you must sign a waiver.

2.    In-home estimates are more accurate. The majority of the time, in-home estimates—based on a physical survey of the items you plan to move—will be more accurate than an estimate of goods that you provide over the phone or on the Internet.

3.    Saves money. If you receive an online or phone estimate that is non-binding, your final moving costs will be based on the actual weight of your shipment on moving day. So if your online estimate is inaccurate, you could be responsible for a substantial amount of additional charges that you weren’t anticipating.

4.    Helps avoid moving scams. Insist on getting more than one estimate and beware of movers who tell you they can move you for a significantly lower amount than the others. Sometimes these movers will give you a “low-ball price,” but will add extra charges once your shipment has been loaded onto their truck. Also, if a mover refuses to set up an in-home estimate, you may want to choose another mover.

5.    Better move planning. At the time of an in-home estimate, your moving agent will ask you quite a few questions about the items that you’re moving. This is a perfect opportunity to think through what you need to move or what you might want to sell. The in-home estimate will also give you and the agent time to talk through origin and destination obstacles that may occur, so the agent can prepare for those challenges before moving day.

In our next post we’ll discuss the different types of moving estimates and how to determine which one is right for you!

Starting today, we will be kicking off an 8 week moving event that will take you through a moving crash course to ensure you’re prepped and ready for moving season. Below is a schedule of events:

(Week 1-4): Move Planning & Budgeting
•    Best times to move calendar
•    How to save money and plan for an interstate move
•    How to save $2,000 on your next move
•    How to avoid being scammed

(Week 4-8): Tools & Moving Tips
•    Top 5 biggest moving secrets
•    How to evaluate DIY versus full-service moving
•    Top 10 Questions to ask when moving
•    Free internet tools to make your move easier

Leave a comment if there is a topic that you would like us to cover over the next couple of weeks. Subscribe to our blog to receive the latest posts!