America used to be a nation of nomads. In the 1960s, about 20% of Americans packed up and moved in a given year. But by 2024, that number had dropped to 11%, according to U.S. Census Bureau data analyzed by real estate company Point2Homes.

What hasn't changed, however, is that people who do choose to move still need help with the heavy stuff. For many, that means hiring professional movers. Nationwide, there are an estimated 17,000 household moving companies. Many of them are great -- but there are also plenty of rotten apples to watch out for.

Complaints against moving companies are among the most frequently fielded by local consumer agencies. Some customers make the mistake of eagerly accepting a lowball estimate, only to have their goods held for ransom later. Others pay their movers too much in advance, or even sign blank contracts.

But the biggest mistake consumers make is not verifying that the movers they are considering are legitimate.

That should be the very first thing everyone does, says Ron Harper, a paralegal in Cambridge, Ontario. Movers should be forthcoming with their license numbers and insurance information. If they don't, that’s an “automatic disqualifier,” he advises.

One Florida resident reportedly hired a local mover without bothering to determine if the company was licensed, only to run into a boatload of trouble. The mover arrived late, damaged the customer's property and then wanted an additional $1,300 to unload the truck. In another instance, an investor lost a $2,000 deposit to a “moving broker” who disappeared before the family was ready to move.

Even if a company readily provides its official documentation, you should still check it out. For local movers, check with your state’s consumer affairs agency. For long-distance movers, make sure they are registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. It’s a “huge red flag” if they are not listed, says Riggs Powell, who operates a moving and storage company in Utah.

While you’re at it, look into their complaint records. Locally, check with the Better Business Bureau or your consumer affairs agency. On the national level, try the Federal Trade Commission and the FMCSA.

Of course, you also should look at the company's online reviews. Dissatisfied customers are not shy about voicing their displeasure, so "scour the internet" for complaints, advises law professor Danny Karon.

Next, always request bids from more than one company. Beware of low bids, estimates made over the phone or verbal quotes. Ideally, “at least three separate companies (would) send a representative to your home to provide a detailed written estimate,” says Harper.

The estimate is the basis for your contract, so it should include all the services the mover will provide, plus their costs: the weight or size of the load, packing services, mileage, timing, appliance services and stair navigation. For long-distance moves, Powell recommends asking for a binding estimate so “the price won’t jump once your stuff is on the truck.”

When you receive a contract, read it and make an effort to understand what it says. “It’s taxing,” admits Karon, but it’s necessary. “You’ll likely find things you don’t like, such as forced arbitration and liability waivers, neither or which favors you.”

“Read every word, and don’t rush,” Powell advises. “Ask the mover to walk you through any confusing sections. If he won’t take the time to explain something, that’s a sign to walk away.”

Try to negotiate out the clauses that you're uncomfortable with. If you can’t, go elsewhere, Karon advises -- or accept that “at least you’ll know the consequences if things go badly.”

Harper says the contract should clearly state the mover’s liability for your belongings, pick-up and delivery dates and all payment terms. If the contract is not consistent with the estimate, he warns, don’t sign it until you are told why -- in writing. “The only defense is vigilance,” agrees Florida attorney Thomas Fighter.

Watch in particularly for weight estimate discrepancies, suggests Derek Mills of Texas-based moving company Square Cow. “If a company refuses to provide a contract or uses excessive industry jargon to confuse you, walk away.”

Also avoid movers who want a large down payment -- in cash. “Low bids often indicate potential problems later,” warns Mills.

Fighter says he has had clients lose thousands to companies they only checked out online. In one case, the family paid half in advance, only to have the company disappear the very next day.

One big sign that a mover is trouble is that it only accepts cash or requires large deposits upfront.

“It may be acceptable to pay a small deposit,” advises Harper, but most reputable movers are adequately funded and do not need your money to operate.

So don’t ante up more than 25% at most, the experts advise, and do so with a credit card for further protection.

“You get what you pay for” is a popular refrain among real estate agents who try to defend their commissions. But according to a new report, when buying or selling a house, you can get all the service conventional agents offer without having to pay the going rate.

The report, from the Consumer Policy Center, says that fears about low-fee agents offering a lower quality of service are “unfounded.”

“This is not to argue that (consumers) stop using real estate agents, whose knowledge and expertise can be very valuable,” writes CPC Senior Fellow Mark Nadel, “just that they’ve been grossly overpaying for those agents' services due to a lack of effective price competition among agents.”

Like many stockbroker and travel agent fees prior to the 1980s, the report maintains, traditional realty agent fees are “ridiculously excessive.” If there were more price competition among agents, it says, as much as $30 billion annually would be put back into the pockets of consumers.

In urging buyers and sellers to consider low-fee agents, the report exposes the misconceptions that lead consumers to accept current commission rates as reasonable and justified. To be sure, consumers should continue to choose their agents based on experience, skills and track record, as well as their fees. But “a lower fee should be a plus, not a minus,” writes Nadel.

It’s natural to assume there must be something lacking with agents who charge as little as half the going commission rate. After all, buying a house is one of the largest financial transactions people will ever undertake, so many choose to play it safe.

Nadel argues that realty agents are not like other commissioned salespeople, for whom a commission based on the percentage of the sales price is warranted. He calls it “a flawed analogy” to think that they are.

For most salespeople, the price of the goods or services they sell is set to recover their employer’s costs -- including a commission -- plus a specific profit. So, if a salesperson doubles their sales, they also double their commission. In these cases, commissions incentivize people to sell more.

But in real estate, the price is not set to recover the seller’s cost plus a profit. Rather, the seller aims to secure the highest price possible. “Selling a $900,000 home does not generate triple the 'profit' of selling a $300,000 home,” Nadel writes.

The time and costs incurred by agents are “generally unrelated” to the home’s price, he says. Agents perform the same tasks whether they sell a $300,000 house or one priced at $900,000. Yet at a 3% commission, they earn $9,000 on the first house and $27,000 on the second.

At the same time, many agents think nothing of paying electricians or painters the same hourly rates to prepare a $900,000 house for sale as they pay them to work on a $300,000 property.

If a traditional listing agent tells you that a low-fee agent will skimp on the quality of the services they offer, Nadel suggests sellers turn the tables: “Ask the listing agent why they charge double for the same level of work they would do for selling a home priced at half as much,” he says.

The CPC expert has additional recommendations:

-- Sellers should stipulate in the listing agreement that the seller retains any funds offered to pay the buyer’s agent if that agent has already offered to accept a lower fee.

Normally, if the selling agent charges 6%, it's split with the buyer’s agent, 50-50 -- they each get 3%. But if the buyer’s agent charges their client just 1%, under standard agreements, the seller’s agent would stand to rake in 5%. Rather, the savvy seller should make sure the other 2% reverts back to them.

By demanding that the extra commission returns to the seller, the seller can bargain with the buyer about how the extra funds will be allocated -- perhaps back to the buyer -- rather than allowing them to passively flow as a bonus to the listing agent.

-- Sometimes, buyers are offered the choice to skip viewing any houses in which the seller has declined to pay the buyer-agent’s fee. “Refuse that option,” says Nadel. Do not allow agents to screen out houses that do not expressly offer buyer-agent co-op fees.

You may be offered such a choice as a way to avoid having to pay the negotiated fee to the buyer’s agent, as well as the entire commission. But your concern should be your total cost, including commissions, rather than whether the commissions are included in the price of the house.

-- Sellers would do well to consider their net yield rather than their gross. “The dollar figure that should matter to the seller is the amount they net after both agents are paid,” the report advises. It's possible, after all, that a lower offer made through a low-fee agent can result in a higher yield than a higher bid from a full-cost agent.

-- To protect against agents who intentionally overlook houses represented by low-fee agents, continue to use online search engines and broker websites to look for houses that meet your criteria. In other words, do as much of the legwork as possible on your own; don’t rely on the agent to do it for you.

This, says Nadel, will keep your agent honest.

People searching for rental properties on Facebook and Craigslist need to be careful: More than half the people who told federal watchdogs they were ripped off by a rental scam said it had originated on one of those two websites.

In a December report, the Federal Trade Commission said that since 2020, consumers have reported nearly 65,000 rental scams, with total losses running about $65 million. But that’s just the people who complained. Many people don’t, so the losses are likely much higher.

About half the complaints fielded by the FTC in the 12-month period ending in June 2025 involved phony ads posted on Facebook, the agency reported. Some 16% were on Craigslist, while 32% were on other sites.

Rental schemes usually involve fake listings, which can look very real, often containing information and photos copied directly from legitimate listings on social media. But the fake ads include the swindler’s contact information instead of the real landlord’s.

When you call, the thief on the other end of the line will take your application fee, your deposit and your first month’s rent -- and then scram. And if yours is a last-minute rental -- say, for a vacation month or two at the shore -- you might be asked for the entire rent in advance. Ouch!

When these con artists disappear, they not only leave you without your money, but without the home you'd expected to occupy. They also make things more difficult for honest landlords, whose legit listings are often raided for these frauds.

When you search for a rental online, check to see if there's more than one ad for the same property. If two listings appear but with different rental companies or phone numbers, there’s a good chance one is bogus.

Here, the FTC advises you to go to each landlord’s website and search for the property there. If it isn’t listed, that ad may be fake.

If they don’t steal actual listings, scammers make up their own. Be suspicious if the monthly rent is shockingly low for the area or for the type of house. Another hint: The place may come with an amazing assortment of amenities -- stuff like a pool, spa, tennis court or a killer view.

You should always ask to see the place in person. If you can’t visit personally, have a friend in the area go by for a look. And if the landlord or owner always seems to be out of town when you want to view the place, your antennae should start to wiggle.

Don’t be rushed into making a decision. Take your time. If the place is real, and you lose it, another one will come along. If it's fake, however, the fraudster will often push you to decide right there on the spot, maybe by cutting the price. Don’t bite, especially if the price was already too low to believe.

The FTC also advises against sending any money for a property you’ve never seen, or to someone you’ve never met in person. If the swindler asks you to send money by wire transfer, gift cards or cryptocurrency, it’s the same as sending cash -- and it’s likely you’ll never see it again. Better to pay by credit card, which offers at least some protection.

Scammers make their livings by ripping people off, so the government agency suggests doing a little sleuthing before going too far or moving too fast.

Start by searching for the name of the property owner or rental company with the words “complaint,” “review” or “scam.” If others have fallen victim to a ruse with the company, they’re likely to post about their experiences online.

Ask the person you are dealing with for a business card and make certain everything on the card lines up -- the person’s name, phone number, license number and business phone number. You cannot be too careful.

If you are dealing with someone who says they are renting out their own property, the FTC advises checking the county tax assessment website to determine if they are the real owner. If the person says they're a relative or friend of the owner, it is worth a call to the owner to make sure the rental is on the up-and-up.

Keep your personal information private. If someone contacts you claiming to be working with the owner or rental company, ask to call them back -- but not at the number they give you. Rather, call the listed owner’s number, or that of the rental company, and ask for the person who just called you. They may not exist.

Finally, the government wants to know if you’ve been cheated or think you’ve run into a scam. Report your experience to your local law enforcement agency, consumer affairs agency, state’s attorney general and the website where the ad was posted. Also report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.