With the arrival of the "peak" moving season, workers at Humboldt Storage and Moving of Canton are sharing a few moving tips to help consumers prepare and help reduce the stress of moving.

While the real estate market is still struggling from a down economy, according to the American Moving and Storage Association and the U.S. Census Bureau, close to 40 million Americans will move each year. In 2007, 84.3 percent moved within the same state, 12.5 percent moved to a different state and 3 percent moved to the U.S. from another country.

In honor of National Moving Month, the company is offering some tips:

• Prepare your children in advance for the move. The company said to tell kids about the idea and give them some time to adjust.

• Stay away from companies that perform services based on cubic footage, this is less measurable than going on the physical weight of your goods.

• Set up appointments with three reputable moving companies.

• Stay away from Internet based moving companies. Always have a sales person come to your home to do an in home survey.