Whenever a move is conducted, the decision of whether or not to hire a mover is addressed. On the one hand, hiring a mover means you don’t have to do the moving, on the other hand, hiring a mover is not cheap.

There are several considerations to look at when you are thinking of hiring a mover, with the first being who is going to pack all of your stuff.

Usually, you are going to pack everything you own, but if you are short on time and have some extra money you can hire professional movers to pack up your belongings for you. The benefit of doing all your own packing is that you know where everything is when you unpack and you won’t have to worry that the things you own are going to get broken by a careless mover.

If you do hire a mover to pack your stuff, then you should make sure that boxes which hold important documents should go with you and be packed with you. The last thing you want is for a mover to take a box that belongs to you because they see something interesting in it.

The next concern is cost. When you are moving 100 miles or less, you will be billed per hour, but if you are moving outside of the state or more than 100 miles in the same state, you will be billed a set rate that will be determined by your move date.

You should never accept rates over the phone and you should require the movers to come to your house and look at the boxes so they can give you an accurate rate. You do not want to be in the situation where a mover is going to increase the price because there is more there than they realized.

Before you ever sign the final estimate on a move, make sure you have the full name of the company, their address, phone number and e-mail address. You should also make sure you have their license numbers, names and contact information for the company’s references and be sure to check to see if the company is incorporated in your state.

You are going to want to pick the company that gave you the lowest estimate, but met all the requirements that have been sated. You should always watch out for company’s that offer to do the work for much less than others, and always, always read the fine print on a contract.

There is no such thing as a binding estimate and movers can legally give and estimate and then decide during the move to double the size of the estimate. Usually, there is little an owner can do but pay the increase, if they do not they may not receive their valuables from the moving truck.

On moving day, make sure you have exact directions for the movers on how to get to your current location and where you are moving to. You should have the phone number where you can reach the movers, and you should arrive early at your new location.

Movers are great because before you know it, you will be in your new Atlanta apartment and unpacking, without having to worry about loading up the truck and unloading it. Of course, that comes at a price so you have to decide, sore back or a depleted bank account.

Walk around the neighborhood: One of the quickest ways to get to know your Atlanta apartment neighbors is to walk around the neighborhood. Talk to the merchants or small businesses around you and ask questions. Tell them that you’ve just moved into the neighborhood and want to get acquainted with everyone. Also a number of apartments have a concierge desk, make it a point to mingle. Smile at people while in the elevator, that’s a good way to break the ice. You can then start up a conversation.

Be the first one to talk: Most people today are shy of strangers and when you are new to the neighborhood, neighbors are already checking you out to see if you’re a fit for what they already know. Unless someone is extremely extroverted, they will not be the first ones to talk to you. You can simply approach them when you see them outside or walking down the hall and say hello. A good point of conversation is let them know that your new and your looking for something like a pharmacy or something nearby. You’ll find people are more than willing to help someone new.

Take food or invite them in: No one can resist free food and neighbors love it. Have a small gathering at your place and invite people for snacks. Let it be a space to find common ground. Some of your Atlanta apartment neighbors will come out of curiosity, others may not come the first time. The point is to create a positive space for everyone to meet and get to know each other. Or, if you’ve seen the neighbors have pizza delivery before, send them a surprise pizza. Everyone likes to know they are appreciated.

Join them online: Since we are in the cyber age, some people are more comfortable meeting online. There are a couple of sites today that are social networking groups and allow neighbors to meet each other online first.  If you go to http://www.LifeAt.com you will find a community space that tells neighbors of upcoming events. Your Atlanta apartment building has to be listed, but there is a space on the site to make that happen.

Another great space for the same purpose is Meet The Neighbors. They http://meettheneighbors.org. They are similar to LifeAt but they allow you to organize get togethers online and give you the option to use instant messaging to communicate in real time.

Be patient: For some people, it’s easy to talk to strangers. For others, they like to be sure they want to interact with someone. Stay friendly whenever you see someone in your Atlanta apartment building and be patient. It may take you a little time to get to know people. However, you can start by talking to the neighbors on either side of you.

Look for things in common: As you watch your Atlanta apartment neighbors, do you see things you have in common? Do you have children that are similar ages? Do you see that they drive the same car as you do or you see they go out walking everyday? If so, you could talk to them about what you see. Do they have a dog and you always wanted one? Ask for their advice on getting the right dog. Anything like this will help them get to now you a little better.