This summer, thousands of Chicago area residents are bravely turning over all of their worldly possessions to a moving company.

"Don't contract with a moving company until you've done your homework," said Michael Drago, director of Real Estate Industries Practice for J.D. Power and Associates.

You can find a list of certified movers at www.ProMover.org, or check with the Better Business Bureau for recent reports about any of the moving companies you have under consideration.

Understand the coverage options offered by your moving company. Hiring a professional moving company is an investment in convenience -- but it is not a guarantee against damaged or lost possessions.

"So, before moving, make certain you understand the types of protection each moving company offers," Drago said.

"The majority of moving companies are solid, trustworthy companies. But like any product or service you buy, it's the handful of bad ones that should keep consumers on their toes," said Sharon Asher, chairperson of Relocation.com.

Your mover is liable for your belongings during transport. But different levels of liability exist. Released value is the most economical form of liability protection. At no cost to you, your mover will assume liability for no more than 60 cents per pound per article. That means if your 200-pound flat-screen television is damaged in transport, you will receive only $120 less depreciation, if something happens to it in transit.

"The alternative -- and highly encouraged -- form of valuation is full value protection," said Ben Ivory, general manager of Graebel American Movers in northwest suburban Buffalo Grove. "While this coverage costs extra, any article that is damaged, lost or destroyed will be paid for or replaced at its current market value."

Moving during off-peak seasons, or non-summer months, can save 5 to 12 percent, according to Bankrate.com, Also, some discounts may be available if you can accommodate greater flexibility in pick-up and delivery dates.

Customers who are still packing on moving day are 40 percent more likely to have items missing than are their counterparts who finish packing before moving day, according to J.D. Power & Associates.

And don't put off unpacking too long. Unpacking promptly following your move will give you sufficient time to file a claim if you need to do so. Nearly half of customers who discover items lost or damaged during their move do not file a claim with their moving company, according to J.D. Power. Many of these customers cite timing or missed deadlines as the reason they could not or did not file a claim.

www.Relocation.com reminds consumers to watch out for these moving firm scams:

Inventory switcheroo. Most people rightly insist on getting a "binding estimate," which is often referred to as a "guaranteed moving quote." This estimate ensures that the customer pays no more than the quoted amount, and can actually pay less if the estimate was too high.

That guaranteed quote is good only for the inventory that the moving company uses to come up with the estimate. If that inventory is wrong -- whether on purpose or not -- the "guaranteed moving quote" becomes void, and a new rate will need to be negotiated with the moving company (on moving day itself, which is always frantic).

How to avoid the scam: "After the moving estimator compiles the inventory during the in-home visual estimate, double-check the inventory to ensure that it includes everything you need to have moved," says Asher. "Many people don't even look at it."

Also, don't try to add extra items to the move after receiving an estimate; this will void the estimate and incur additional fees.

Packing pratfalls. Many people choose to pack their belongings themselves to save money. However, shifty moving companies may see this as an opportunity to add unnecessary charges on moving day. There might be a few extra items that the moving company wants to go into boxes, or they insist that some of the boxes need extra tape that they charge much more for than the actual cost.

Half-filled box. The rip-off mover takes a box, puts just a few items in the bottom and fills the rest of the box with packing paper. All of a sudden, an extra $100 in packing costs is tacked onto the final moving bill.

How to avoid the scam: Make sure the estimate details all the charges for extra packing material from the moving company. Knowing the prices in advance may be extra motivation to make sure that every item that should be packed before moving day is indeed securely taped and packed.

Also, consumers should be sure to closely monitor the movers during the process, and make sure the manager is aware.

"The more consumers communicate and work with their movers, the better the move they will have overall," said Asher.

Cubic feet. When estimating the size of the move, some moving companies use cubic feet instead of weight. For many consumers, trying to envision all their belongings in terms of cubic feet is often downright confusing. (Even if you were paying attention in high school geometry class, it's still difficult to visualize cubic feet).

Why do they use cubic feet instead of weight? For an estimate based on weight, the moving company must go to a certified weighing station to see how much the inventory weighs (and that scale doesn't lie).

With cubic feet, the moving company measures the final move by the amount of space everything takes up in the truck. This gives the moving company sizable wiggle room to load up the truck improperly, with lots of empty spaces. The moving estimate becomes much higher because the estimated cubic-foot load is much lower than the final load in the poorly packed truck.

How to avoid the scam: "Insist on a moving quote based on weight," says Asher. "And if the party being moved has concerns that there might be issues when the moving company weighs the load, tag along with the movers to the scales. Consumers have the right to do this and should feel entirely comfortable asking."