8 Common Moving Mistakes to Avoid on a Dallas Move

Weekend dates, the last week of any month and summer go first, and a high-rise or HOA that only allows moves on certain days narrows the choice again. If you want packing too, say so when you book, because it adds crew time to the schedule.

Reserve the date as soon as you have one; the inventory can be finalized at the walkthrough. If your dates are flexible, check the busiest and cheapest times to move in Dallas before you pick one.

Leave time for yourself, too: take a day or two off if you can, and hold off on other big projects until you’re unpacked.

Check the License

A move inside Texas, from Dallas to Fort Worth or Austin, needs a mover licensed by the Texas DMV. According to TxDMV’s consumer guide, an “Active” certificate status in its Truck Stop lookup means the mover is licensed. A move across a state line runs under the FMCSA, so ask for the USDOT number and check that its record shows household goods authority. Licensed Texas movers display their name, TxDMV number and USDOT number on both sides of the truck. Element’s are USDOT 2038052, TXDMV 006519926c and MC 715198, Element’s federal household goods authority. Our guide on how to check whether a moving company is legitimate walks through each lookup.

Get Written Quotes You Can Compare

Get written proposals from more than one company for the same inventory, packing and access. In Texas a proposal is either binding (the exact price) or not-to-exceed (a maximum the mover may come in under). TxDMV’s first red flag is a price far below the others that rises once your things are loaded. A large deposit demanded up front is another warning sign.

Don’t Accept a Price Without a Walkthrough

Nobody can price a household from a text message. Element walks through the home, in person or by video, before giving a written price. Skip that step and you meet your mover on moving day: movers booked off a coupon deal have arrived with one open flatbed trailer behind a pickup.

Basic coverage usually pays by the pound, not by what a thing is worth. On an interstate move, released-value protection is the federal minimum and pays $0.60 per pound per article, so a 40-pound television worth $2,000 pays $24. Inside Texas, the mover’s liability is whatever you and the mover agree to in writing, and some agreements limit it to 60 cents per pound per item. TxDMV adds that a mover’s limits on liability are not the same as insurance.

Full-value protection is the upgrade to ask about, and it costs more. On an interstate move, the minimum valuation level used to price it is $6 per pound times the shipment weight (a mover may use a higher minimum), so a 4,000-pound shipment is declared at no less than $24,000. That is a floor for the declared value, not a price.

The mistake is signing whatever coverage is on the form without asking. Ask about full-value protection in writing; our comparison of moving insurance vs valuation coverage explains how a claim works. Keep an itemized inventory and photograph valuable pieces before the move. Fine art, antiques and wine need the same coverage conversation on a move across town too.

Element’s crew plans around a few recurring Dallas situations, and each one adds time to the clock:

• high-rise condos in Downtown, Uptown and Victory Park that want a certificate of insurance before approving the date, a reserved freight elevator and a fixed move window
• Highland Park and University Park streets, where HOA rules and tree canopy keep a 26-foot truck off the curb, which turns into a long carry
• older Lakewood and M Streets houses with narrow staircases
• Plano and Frisco HOA communities with move-day registration and gate access

Element’s guide to what movers cost in Dallas lists the access fees: stairs at $50 to $100 per flight beyond the first, a long carry at $50 to $200 when the truck can’t park within about 75 feet of the door, an elevator at $75 to $200 per move in a high-rise, and a shuttle truck at $200 to $500 when a smaller truck is needed for a narrow street or a building with no dock. They are legitimate charges; the mistake is meeting them on the invoice instead of the estimate, which is why a Dallas moving company should walk through the home first.

Get the HOA’s or the building’s move rules in writing early (allowed days and hours, the elevator reservation, the certificate-of-insurance wording, parking) and send them to your mover. Measure doorways and your largest pieces, and mention every flight of stairs at the walkthrough. At the new home, make sure the paint is dry and the gates are unlocked.

Sort before you pack: sell what has value, throw out what is broken and donate what someone else can use. Element’s packing guide uses a one-year rule: if you haven’t used something in a year, it probably won’t get used in the new home either. Start small, with a kitchen junk drawer rather than the garage, and work up.

Clutter isn’t free to move. On an hourly local move, every box you keep is loaded, carried and unloaded on the crew’s clock. If you aren’t ready to decide about something, short-term storage keeps it out of the new home without forcing the choice.

Start planning a month or two ahead, depending on how much you own, and allow about one day per room, least-used rooms first.

Running out of supplies is one of the packing mistakes Element’s guide names. Count what you need before you start, and use professional-quality boxes sized to the contents: small ones for books and kitchen items, larger ones for linens and bedding. Self-pack materials run about $200 to $400 for an average house, so budget for packing supplies and moving boxes up front, not halfway through.

Then pack it right:

• heavy items in small boxes, light items such as clothing and bedding in large ones
• no box heavier than 50 pounds
• every box filled to the top, so a stack doesn’t crush it
• vases, china and other hollow pieces stuffed with packing paper
• dish and glass boxes for the kitchen
• tape on every seam, top and bottom

A packing and unpacking service doesn’t have to be all or nothing: packing just the kitchen and fragile items runs $200 to $700.

Write the room and the contents on every side of each box, so it reads even when it faces a wall, and mark fragile boxes and set them apart. The crew uses those labels to know where each box goes and which ones need extra care.

Keep an overnight bag with toiletries and the first night’s things with you. Element’s packing guide also says not to pack family photos, important papers such as wills and deeds, or prescription drugs. Its list of items that can’t go on the truck includes flammable fluids such as lighter fluid and gasoline, chemicals, fireworks, paint and paint thinner, propane tanks and oxygen bottles, and live plants. The full list is in the Ultimate Guide to Residential Moves; ask about anything else before moving day.

File your change of address with USPS online or at a post office, and allow at least 7 to 10 business days for it to take effect.

Most long distance moving mistakes come from assuming it works like a local move. Element quotes a long-distance move out of Dallas as a flat, binding price rather than by the hour, from roughly $2,000 for a short in-state run to $15,000 or more cross-country.

Ask who will actually carry your things. Element moves long-distance customers with its own crew on its own trucks. Pin down the delivery date when you book: Element’s long-distance delivery is usually on a set date that depends on the route, and you get the date at booking. If you’re moving to Dallas and arrive before you can get in, Element can hold the shipment in its Dallas storage until the closing date.

How Far in Advance Should I Book Movers in Dallas?

Off-peak, three to four weeks of notice is usually comfortable. For a summer date, a weekend or the last week of any month, plan on six to eight weeks, because those dates fill first. Allow more if you want packing too or your high-rise or HOA limits move days.

What Does a Mover’s Basic Coverage Pay If Something Breaks?

On an interstate move, released-value protection is the federal minimum and pays $0.60 per pound per article, so a 40-pound television worth $2,000 pays $24. Inside Texas, the mover’s liability is whatever you agree to in writing, and some agreements limit it to 60 cents per pound per item. Full-value protection is the upgrade to ask about. Get the choice in writing before moving day.

What Items Can’t Movers Take on the Truck?

Element’s packing guide names items such as flammable fluids, chemicals, fireworks, paint and paint thinner, propane tanks and oxygen bottles, and live plants. Family photos, important papers and prescription drugs should travel with you rather than on the truck. If you aren’t sure about something, ask your mover before moving day, not while the crew is loading.

Is It Cheaper to Pack Yourself or Pay for Packing?

Self-pack materials run about $200 to $400 for an average house. Full packing of a whole home adds $400 to $1,800, and packing only the kitchen and fragile items runs $200 to $700. Packing yourself saves the most when it’s finished before the crew arrives, because waiting time on a local move is billed by the hour.