What can you tell whether a moving company is legit?

Moving can cause a lot of stress for a variety of reasons. Because of this, fighting against fraudsters in the relocation industry should be the very last thing on your list of priorities. When you select a mover it is essential to determine if the moving company is legitimate to make you confident of their capability to manage your move and your valuables with care. You risk hiring untrustworthy movers who will be stealing your money if the research is not done in advance.

Unfortunately, fraudulent movers do exist They are particularly active during the peak period of the season for moving, which is from May through September. Professional and licensed movers are most in-demand at this time of year for clear reasons. Here is a list of warning signs to avoid falling for scams and having a bad experience.

There are major differences between scammers and reliable movers

Do not fall for scams at the time of your moving. Before you decide to use the services of a moving firm it is crucial to verify the legitimacy of the company. The good news is that you can verify if the company is genuine and legal status shouldn’t take more than a quarter of an hour. This is a security test that may save you from many hassles later down the line. Pay attention to any of the warning signs that your service provider displays that are listed below.

A significant initial deposit

Most reputable and licensed movers, for example, Zeromax moving, want only a small down payment at the time of booking. Many moving companies don’t require the payment of a down. Instead, they will ask for payment in full once the job is complete. If they request a larger first payment, the company you are dealing with is likely a fraud.

Incredibly low-interest rates

Large down payments can raise suspicions, but so do very low rates of moving. Both are suspect. Moving is not an inexpensive undertaking. The company has to pay its employees, along with tax, fuel, and car maintenance. Check to see if the price you get is compared to the estimates you receive from other moving companies. Some scams include doubling the price at the very last minute and betting that you won’t be able to locate a replacement provider in a short time.

There are a lot of negative movers reviews

When selecting a company to move with, it is important to always look at their ratings first. It is clear that their service is not up to par since there are a lot of negative reviews. Also, it is important to be on the lookout for the excessive amount of positive reviews, as this could indicate fake reviews.

Time management issues

Be wary of movers who continuously try to alter the time or date of your move. Another sign to tell if something is wrong is when the team is late to arrive or fails to provide an estimate. Although it is understandable for there to be a small amount of late or rescheduled appointments even from reliable movers, however, a large percentage of these issues can point to fraud.

Cash is the only accepted payment method

It is possible to get a lower price if you pay your movers in cash. On the other hand, it is important to be aware of red flags that should be raised if the mover insists on only accepting cash payments. Credit card transactions are recorded and can be challenged if something goes wrong. Moving companies that are certified will accept different payment options, including credit card payments and various other methods.

Learn what makes movers trustworthy and reliable

It is vital to know what is required for a moving company to be considered a legitimate business. Legitimate moving business must be licensed and registered by the State Department of Transportation (FMCSA):

• Movers who are operating within the state. Locally operated companies require a movers license from the department of transportation in the state for legal permission to conduct business in the state. In contrast to movers from outside the state moving companies, in-state movers cannot be permitted to do business beyond the boundaries of their state of residence.
• Moving companies operate across state borders. Any long-distance certified mover who plans to perform transfers across state lines needs valid permits issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Every interstate mover is issued a USDOT number to serve as proof of their registration done properly.

The government keeps a record of the safety history of a moving company by using the USDOT number. It includes the status of registration, evaluations, and ratings, inspections and investigations into accidents, as well as other information. The shipper of your home’s contents must be concerned about whether or not a moving business is registered with a USDOT number since this indicates the legitimacy of the business, which is the most vital factor. If an interstate moving business has a USDOT number, it signifies that the business has been recognized by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), that it adheres to strict federal safety regulations and security, and is properly insured and can be held accountable when customers have complaints or disputes.

7 Home Maintenance Tasks You Should Do on Schedule

Your home is likely to be the largest investment that you’ll ever make in your life. So you need to make sure that you treat it with the respect that it deserves. Delaying home maintenance tasks or failing to catch a problem early on can spell disaster for your investment.

Doing home maintenance tasks on a schedule allows you to prevent unnecessary wear and tear to your property. It also means that you’re likely to catch problems early on. All of this means minimizing the damage and alleviating the burden of cost that’s likely to come with a major problem.

Every second you wait or fail to find a problem is dollars that you’ll spend later on to repair it. Sometimes delaying repair for what seems like a minor issue can cost tens of thousands of dollars or more.

1. Change Your Climate Control Filters

One of the most important and easiest home maintenance tasks is replacing your air filters. This is important because air filters have two major purposes. 

The first is to filter harmful dust and contaminants out of the air so that you and your family are breathing high-quality and healthy air. Air quality has huge benefits for health.

The second major issue that air filters help to prevent is unnecessary wear and tear on your climate control systems. Regardless of whether it’s central air, air conditioning, or heating, such as a furnace, air filtration systems keep those same harmful contaminants out of the climate control systems. This prevents premature problems from arising within the climate control system. 

To have a more effective climate control system, cheaper prices, and a longer lifespan for your climate control system it’s important to frequently change your filters. The hardest problem with this activity is that there are many different filters to choose from. You can check out and purchase many of the different filters that you require at filterbuy.com, also, you may need to remove your current filter and read the serial number on it to find out which one you need. Just make sure you turn off your climate control system before removing your filter and while the filter is not in the system. Don’t turn your climate control system back on until you’ve replaced the filter.

Things You Need to Consider Before Buying a House

Buying a house in the State of Maine in the United States can be so exciting. There’s a lot to enjoy: the wide-open spaces, the bustling cultural and art hubs, and the beautiful scenery. Anyone would love to call Maine his/her home. Nevertheless, you must ask yourself several questions now that you’re coming to stay in a pine tree state. Read on to find out the things you need to consider before buying a house:

How Prepared Are You to Buy a House in Maine?

Readiness while buying a house has many facets, all of which you must critically think through. Have you ever been to Maine? Are you prepared for the winter? Are you ready to drive in the ice and snow? Furthermore, your house’s location can influence your access to services in Maine. For instance, circumstances can force you to travel many miles before you get to the nearest store. Think about the amenities you cannot survive without. 

Consider the activities and lifestyle you want to enjoy. If you adore Kayaking,  you should buy a home near a public area. Similarly, if you would love to snowmobile in the winter, you must have access to trails. Inquire about internet connectivity if you intend to work remotely. Remember, internet availability is not always a guarantee in Maine, depending on your location.

The House Value

In Maine, you must look keenly at the house quality before you buy it. Home valuers at Repair Pricer recommend that when the house is old, you should follow this free home inspection checklist; the electrical connectivity, the roofing, and the foundation. Any defects on these critical aspects of the house can be too costly; avoid them by all means possible. Further, all these determine the safety and the durability of the house. 

6 Clear Signs Your Sewer Line Needs Professional Attention

Plumbing systems are extremely important for every kind of property, as soon as it stops working properly you can face a lot of problems. That’s why it’s important to determine the issue as soon as possible, not ignore it in order to prevent further damages and fix it as soon as possible! Thankfully, sewer problems are easy to spot; some are unfortunately not easily ignored, so all you have to do is call a professional to fix it and you’re good to go! So here are 6 clear signs your sewer line needs professional attention as soon as possible.

The drains are slowly draining

It’s important to note that the whole plumbing system is connected and it’s highly likely that it’s all going to the same place – so things are bound to go wrong at some point! Starting from the obvious cause of most plumbing problems, as you can see after you go to site, the main problems are usually sewer cloggings and that alone can cause further leaking and make your drains super slow. So it’s best to call a professional for maintenance and see if it’s something serious or your sewer line just needs some cleaning up! 

Strong smells are filling your home

Bad smells are always a bad sign, no matter if it’s plumbing, electricity, heating, or anything related to your property. But there is just something vile about the sewer smell you cannot escape from. Sure, the smell is bad, but the underlying problem should be your biggest concern. Instead of masking the smell, find its source and fix it! The smells can be coming from sinks, showers, or the toilet itself, so make sure you check it out, it can be something serious!

Consistent toilet clogging

There is possibly nothing more annoying than to flush a toilet and find out that it’s clogged, for the millionth time! If it’s a recurring theme that the toilet is clogged, there is quite possibly a problem somewhere in the pipes or sewer line! This is one of those instances, where the surface problem doesn’t seem too bad, a little annoying but nothing too bad – but it can certainly turn into a disaster if you don’t get it fixed by a professional! And remember not to dispose of baby wipes, feminine hygiene products, and materials that are not water-degradable into your toilet!

The flora looks a bit too good

If you’re not big on gardening and basically only maintain the grass around your home, you might be surprised why your garden looks a bit too green and luscious! Well, it’s quite possible that you have a swear line break on your hands and that the feces are possibly leaking! This sounds like a nightmare for you, but for the flora and fauna of the garden, feces are actually a great fertilizer! So if you notice strange puddles, spots, and grass that looks too green and grows insanely fast – you know what’s up! Even if this sounds…almost a good thing, mostly for the garden, it can be dangerous for your well-being and there could be serious issues going on with the sewer line!

How to Easily Sell Your Property in 2021

Need more space? Feel like downsizing? Relocating for employment? There are loads of different reasons that lead people to sell their homes. It tends to be a process that is stressful both emotionally and financially, especially if it’s your first time selling a house.

Nowadays, almost all tasks usually conducted in person have been impacted by the toll of COVID-19. This means that tasks like house viewings and valuations have both moved to be virtual in many cases, and this added layer of complexity can make the sale of a house even more daunting for many.

If you happen to find yourself in any of the aforementioned situations, here are some tips to make the process of selling your house in 2021 easier. 

Look Into Market Trends

To enter the property market as a buyer, it is important to be aware of market trends, even more so the case when you are doing so as a seller. The factors you’ll want to research include:

• How many properties are for sale in your area?
• What are the average prices or homes similar to yours?
• Are the properties on the market inferior or superior?
• Is there more of a surplus in demand or supply?

There are many more details one could consider, but they are all of equal importance. Doing adequate research surrounding these aspects will allow you to then base all of your following decisions accordingly, helping you ensure that you are well aware of what you should be aiming for and where you stand.

Set Your Price Right

The price you set in the right bracket is one of the most important decisions you will make when selling your home. Setting your price high because you believe your property is worth it or setting your price low because you feel like your house is inadequate, for example, are both unwise decisions.

You’ll want to base your price around the average range already evident for homes similar to your own locally. You can then compare which additional benefits or drawbacks your property possesses, upon which you will be able to make any changes in the price you will be asking for. This is a step where you will especially want to take your time because once your home has been viewed for a specific price, it can be very difficult to shift away from that price point onwards.

4 Major Hidden Costs Of Home Remodeling

Remodeling your home often comes with a vast amount of expenses. Sometimes there are also hidden costs which can mean you will have to spend a lot more than you may have budgeted. Being aware of these potential hidden costs can ensure that you find some portions in your budget to adjust to make room for them. It also means you are prepared in case these hidden costs pop up. The more informed you are the more prepared you’ll be.

Here are 4 major hidden costs of remodeling your home.

Plumbing And Electricity

Oftentimes remodels can’t happen without needing to mess around with plumbing and electricity. When this happens, you will usually need to call on a professional as a DIY job can certainly cause a much bigger issue. Having to use these, a professional plumber or electrician can dramatically hike up the cost of your remodel for sure. 

If possible, try to avoid moving fixtures like bathtubs, ovens or white goods. If it’s unavoidable, try and factor in these costs and do your research so you can spend a little less. With plumbing, one of the biggest issues is leaking pipes. The damage from a leak can cause several problems including structural issues, rust, and mold. To keep plumbing costs down ensure that you stay on top of any leaks and once discovered they should be dealt with straight away since this prevents further damage and costs.

The Equipment and Tools that You Need to Perfectly Maintain Your Yard and Outdoor Space

Maintaining your outdoor space or house yard is quite tricky because many things need to be attended to, and each task requires a unique tool. If you don’t have the proper gardening or yard maintenance tool, you may lose precious hours just trying to make do. So, let’s look at a list of some of the most essential and valuable tools for outdoor space and yard maintenance.

Get a Spade

A lot of people assume that a spade is the same thing as a shovel. The spade and shovel are different gardening tools, but their functions are sometimes very similar. The primary use for a spade is for slicing under the sod, edging beds, or working on soil alterations in the garden.

If you don’t have a shovel around, you can make use of the spade to clear ice from the sidewalk. So, now that you know the difference, you should also purchase a spade. Go for the stainless steel ones because they resist rust for a long time. 

6 Tips and Tricks for Efficient Rental Property Management

In today’s article, we are going to tell you six tips and tricks that can make managing your rental properties more efficient and considerably easier. Due to the pandemic, the management of rental properties became incredibly more difficult than it once was, especially since landlords were not technically allowed by many governments to actually enter into their tenants’ properties, and instead, had to do everything remotely. It has taken some assimilation, but now, I believe, the renting world has gotten much easier, and thus, more efficient. If you do not find the way that things currently are more efficient, then you a probably doing it wrong.

Efficiency is fundamentally important to any real estate business. If you do not run efficiently, then you will not be in a position to benefit wholly from your business. Efficiency can save you time and make you money, and here are six tips and tricks to make your business more efficient.

Practical Roof Maintenance Tips Every Homeowner Should Know By Heart

Your roof is your home’s first line of defense, sheltering your interior from many possible damages. This is why it is important to ensure that your roof is always in good shape. Replacing the roof can be costly, so you need to maintain it to avoid the costly expenses. By maintaining your roof regularly, you can steer clear of major damage or repairs. If you’re not quite sure what you should be doing to maintain your roof, here are some practical tips to guide you.