Reliable Movers Answers Your Most Common Moving Questions
Planning a move can bring a lot of questions. Whether you are hiring local movers in Syracuse, planning a long-distance move across New York, or relocating to another state, our FAQ guide provides straightforward answers based on nearly 30 years of professional moving experience.
Below you will find answers about moving estimates, flat-rate pricing, packing services, climate-controlled storage, interstate moving regulations, piano moving, commercial moving, insurance, licensing, scheduling, and what to expect before, during, and after moving day. Every answer comes from the real-world experience of completing thousands of successful residential and commercial moves throughout Central New York and the East Coast.
Local Moving FAQ
Reliable Movers provides local moving services throughout Syracuse, Auburn, and Central New York with flat-rate pricing.
How much does local moving cost in Syracuse NY?
Reliable Movers offers flat-rate local moving pricing based on truck size and the amount of space used within the truck. A typical 3-bedroom home is usually a full 26-foot truck at approximately $2,500.00 within a 30-mile radius of Syracuse. Pricing includes truck, labor, fuel, furniture setup, padding, shrink wrap, tolls, and moving insurance. Additional fees may apply for stair carries, excessive walk distance, or bulky heavy items such as gun safes and pianos.
Do you charge hourly for local moves?
No. We specialize in flat-rate pricing so customers know the cost upfront without hourly surprises or hidden fees.
Do you use subcontractors or temporary labor?
No. Reliable Movers uses experienced full-time crews only. We do not use subcontractors, temporary laborers, or day workers.
Do you offer last-minute local moving?
Can my local move be completed in one day?
Yes. Most local moves are completed in a single day. The exact time depends on the size of the move, access conditions, truck size required, and the amount of furniture being moved.
Can you move just one item or a few pieces of furniture?
Yes. We move single items, apartment furniture, appliances, and small shipments all the time. Reliable Movers offers special pricing for smaller local moves and limited-item shipments.
Can you load and hold my shipment overnight because of closing issues?
Yes. If you are between homes or experiencing a delayed closing, we can load your belongings and hold the shipment on the truck for up to 48 hours for an additional charge.
Can I hire you to move furniture for hardwood flooring or remodeling projects?
Yes. We frequently move furniture for hardwood floor refinishing, painting projects, and home renovations. We can relocate furniture to a garage, basement, storage area, or another part of the home and return once construction is complete to move everything back.
Can you move pianos and gun safes locally?
Yes. Reliable Movers moves more than 200 pianos and hundreds of gun safes every year throughout Central New York. Additional pricing may apply depending on weight, stairs, access conditions, and equipment required.
Can clothes stay inside dressers during a local move?
In most cases, yes. Lightweight clothing can usually remain inside dresser drawers during a local move. Heavier items such as books, electronics, collectibles, or fragile items should be removed.
How many movers will be assigned to my local move?
Most local moves are completed with a crew of 3 to 4 experienced movers. Larger homes, heavy items, pianos, gun safes, or specialty moves may require additional crew members.
What size truck do I need for a 3-bedroom home?
A typical 3-bedroom home is usually a full 26-foot truck. Within a 30-mile radius of Syracuse, a full 26-foot truck typically averages around $2,500. Additional charges may apply for stair carries, excessive walk distances, or specialty items such as pianos and gun safes.
Piano Moving FAQ
Reliable Movers provides professional
piano moving services
throughout Central New York. We specialize in upright, grand, and baby grand piano moving.
Do you specialize in baby grand piano moving?
Yes. Reliable Movers specializes in baby grand piano moving and averages approximately 200 baby grand piano moves per year.
What types of pianos do you move?
We move upright pianos, baby grand pianos, grand pianos, console pianos, digital pianos, antique pianos, and player pianos.
Can you move a piano upstairs or downstairs?
Yes. Depending on the weight of the piano, the number of stairs, and the amount of turns in the stair carry, we can move pianos up or down stairs. Additional charges may apply depending on difficulty and labor required.
Can you move antique pianos?
Do you store pianos?
Yes. We offer climate-controlled storage for pianos and household items.
How much does piano moving cost?
Pricing depends on the type of piano, stairs, distance traveled, access conditions, and whether additional equipment or manpower is required.
Can you move pianos locally and long distance?
Yes. Reliable Movers moves pianos locally throughout Central New York and can also transport pianos throughout New York State and along many East Coast interstate routes.
Packing & Unpacking FAQ
Reliable Movers offers professional
packing and unpacking services
for local moves, interstate moves, downsizing projects, storage moves, and home staging throughout Central New York.
Do you offer full packing services?
Yes. We can pack your entire home, including kitchen items, dishes, glassware, electronics, decorations, clothing, and fragile belongings.
Do you offer partial packing services?
Yes. We can help with specific rooms, kitchens, fragile items, antiques, artwork, collectibles, or specialty pieces while allowing you to pack the rest yourself.
Can you pack for interstate moving?
Yes. We offer both partial packing and full-home packing for interstate moves. Partial packing typically includes kitchens, dishes, pictures, lamps, glassware, artwork, and other fragile items. We can also pack your entire home from top to bottom before moving day.
Can I hire you just to pack my belongings?
Yes. Many customers hire us strictly for packing services. We can pack households that are moving themselves, using a rental truck, POD, shipping container, freight carrier, or even relocating overseas.
How much does packing cost?
Packing is $28.00 per box. The price includes the box, labor, and packing materials. We use professional small, medium, and large moving boxes depending on the items being packed.
Can you help with downsizing or home staging?
Yes. We can pack only the items you want removed from the living space and move them to another room, basement, garage, storage unit, or warehouse. This is a popular option for downsizing, preparing a home for sale, and home staging projects.
What packing materials do you provide?
We provide boxes, packing paper, tape, shrink wrap, moving pads, mattress bags, and other professional packing materials needed to protect your belongings during transportation or storage.
Can you pack fragile and valuable items?
Yes. Our crews regularly pack dishes, china cabinets, glassware, artwork, antiques, collectibles, electronics, lamps, mirrors, and other fragile household items using professional packing techniques.
Can you unpack at my new home?
Yes. We offer unpacking services and can help place items in cabinets, closets, kitchens, and living areas to help you get settled faster after your move.
Gun Safe Moving FAQ
Reliable Movers provides professional
gun safe moving services
throughout Syracuse, Auburn, and Central New York.
How much experience do you have moving gun safes?
Reliable Movers averages approximately 300 gun safe moves per year.
Can you pick up gun safes from local stores?
Yes. We can pick up gun safes from stores throughout Central New York, including Bass Pro Shops, Tractor Supply, and other local retailers.
Can you bring gun safes inside when online stores leave them curbside?
Yes. Many online retailers only provide curbside delivery. Reliable Movers can move your gun safe from the curb, garage, or driveway into your home.
Is there a weight limit for gun safe moving?
No. We have moved gun safes ranging from 100 pounds to over 4,000 pounds. We proudly moved five 3,500-pound gun safes for the Seneca Falls Police Department after other movers declined the project.
Can you move a fireproof gun safe?
Yes. We have moved hundreds of fireproof gun safes. We have specialized equipment for moving large, heavy safes and experienced crews trained in safe-moving procedures.
Can you move a gun safe up or down flights of stairs?
Yes, depending on the weight of the safe and the structural capacity of the staircase. A gun safe often requires at least four movers weighing approximately 200 pounds each, plus the weight of the safe itself. We must determine whether the staircase can safely support that amount of weight before proceeding.
Climate-Controlled Storage FAQ
Reliable Movers provides secure
climate-controlled storage
for delayed closings, construction projects, interstate moves, downsizing, and storage between homes.
Can I store items between homes?
Yes. Many customers use our storage when there is a gap between closing dates, lease dates, or move-in schedules.
Do you offer storage during construction or remodeling?
Yes. We frequently store furniture and household goods during home construction, remodeling, renovations, hardwood floor projects, and new home builds.
Can you hold my shipment during an interstate move?
Yes. We provide storage holding for interstate moving customers who need temporary or long-term storage before delivery.
Is your storage climate controlled?
Yes. Our climate-controlled storage helps protect furniture, antiques, electronics, artwork, documents, and other household items from extreme temperature fluctuations.
How much does climate-controlled storage cost?
Climate-controlled storage is typically $180.00 per month. Storage is billed in 30-day increments.
Can you move my items into storage and back out later?
Yes. We can pick up your belongings, place them into storage, and later deliver them to your home, apartment, business, or new location when you are ready.
Do you store furniture during home sales and delayed closings?
Yes. Many customers use our storage when selling one home and waiting to close on another. We can safely store your belongings until your new home is ready.
Can you store items for downsizing or estate situations?
Yes. Storage is often used during downsizing, estate cleanouts, senior moves, and when families need extra time to sort belongings.
What Makes Reliable Movers Different?
Reliable Movers has served Central New York since 1996 with experienced crews, flat-rate pricing, owner involvement, and decades of hands-on moving knowledge.
How much moving experience does Mike have?
Mike has over 30 years of experience in the moving industry. During that time, he has personally completed thousands of local, long-distance, interstate, commercial, piano, gun safe, and specialty moves throughout New York and the East Coast.
How long have your employees been with the company?
Reliable Movers believes experience matters. Our longest-tenured employee, Kevin, has been with the company for 19 years. Many of our crew members have between 8 and 19 years of experience working for Reliable Movers.
Why does Reliable Movers use flat-rate pricing instead of hourly pricing?
Reliable Movers helped redefine moving pricing in Central New York by focusing on flat-rate pricing based on truck size and the amount of space used rather than charging by the hour. Customers know their price upfront and don’t have to worry about traffic delays, slow movers, or hourly charges increasing throughout the day.
What is the advantage of truck-size pricing?
Truck-size pricing allows customers to pay for the space they use rather than the amount of time a move takes. This creates predictable pricing and helps eliminate many of the surprises commonly associated with hourly moving companies.
How has Reliable Movers changed over the years?
Reliable Movers has successfully navigated three decades of changes in the moving industry by continuously adapting and improving. We constantly update our equipment, trucks, packing methods, moving techniques, and communication systems to better serve our customers.
How have customers changed since COVID?
One of the biggest changes we’ve seen is the amount of household items customers own. Since COVID, online shopping has significantly increased the number of belongings moving into homes. Before COVID, a typical three-bedroom home often contained 60 to 80 boxes. Today, many three-bedroom homes contain 100 to 120 boxes or more.
How has furniture changed over the years?
Furniture manufacturing has changed significantly over the past several decades. Many older antiques were built from solid hardwood and designed to last generations. Much of today’s furniture is lighter and mass-produced, which often requires different handling and protection techniques during a move.
Are people still moving antique furniture and pianos?
While we still move many antiques, pianos, and china cabinets, fewer customers are keeping these items compared to previous generations. We’ve seen many families choose modern furniture styles over large dining room hutches, china cabinets, and antique pieces that were once common in nearly every household.
How has the moving industry changed over the last 30 years?
The moving industry has changed dramatically over the last three decades. Years ago, most customers found movers through the local phone book, and moving companies were generally easier to verify because they operated locally and were subject to licensing requirements. Today, the internet allows new moving companies to appear almost overnight, so consumers need to be more careful about verifying licensing, insurance, physical business locations, and experience before hiring a mover.
Why is it important to verify a mover’s credentials?
A professional moving company should be properly licensed, insured, and willing to provide its operating authority numbers. Customers should verify a mover’s credentials through state and federal databases rather than relying only on advertisements, social media pages, or online marketing.
Can online reviews always be trusted?
Online reviews can be helpful, but customers should look beyond the total rating. Consider how long the company has been in business, how long reviews have been appearing, whether reviews seem detailed and authentic, and whether the company has a consistent track record over many years.
What should customers look for when researching a moving company online?
Look for a professional website, licensing information, insurance information, company-owned equipment, a verifiable business history, and reviews that have accumulated naturally over time. Customers should also be cautious of stock photos, generic marketing claims, and websites that provide little information about the people actually performing the move.
Why do customers choose Reliable Movers over many larger moving companies?
Many customers appreciate working directly with the company performing the move. When you call Reliable Movers, you’re working with the people responsible for your move, not a call center, broker, or third-party scheduling service.
Are Mike and Jen still involved in daily operations?
Yes. Reliable Movers remains owner-operated. Mike and Jen are actively involved in estimating, scheduling, customer service, operations, and quality control to help ensure every move receives personal attention.
What is the biggest difference between Reliable Movers and most moving companies?
Experience, consistency, and accountability. With nearly 30 years in business, long-term employees, owner involvement, flat-rate pricing, company-owned trucks, and thousands of successful moves completed, Reliable Movers continues to evolve while staying committed to the values that built the company.
Meet the Owners of Reliable Movers
Reliable Movers is a family-owned and owner-operated moving company serving Syracuse and Central New York since 1996.
Mike and Jen started Reliable Movers with one truck and a commitment to honest pricing, dependable service, and experienced moving crews.
Today, Reliable Movers operates company-owned moving trucks ranging from 10 feet to 53 feet. Mike and Jen remain actively involved in daily operations.
Reliable Movers does not use subcontractors, temporary labor, or day laborers.
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