By Julie DeLong, A-1 Freeman Moving Group
Believe it or not, some people think it is a good idea to type “find a moving company” into the search bar and check "hire mover" off their to-do list in ten minutes. This is a fun fact. That is not the ideal way to select movers. You need to have a real human interaction with your potential mover, since these are the folks you are entrusting with moving all your things in a safe, secure and proper way. These are some of the fundamental questions a professional mover will ask on the introductory phone call.It is a big help if you take pictures of your rooms and have recorded furniture dimensions when you chat with a mover. They'll need to know how many bedrooms and living spaces are in your residence, and how many floors your residence is on. You really cannot be too detailed about your rooms, since they're working from a standard template, and every residence is unique.
If you have a living/dining combo (popular in the sixties and back in the 2000s), don't forget to mention the dining table, china cabinet, and how many ever armchairs when you go over your "living room" furniture. Formal dining rooms are getting rare nowadays, so many movers don't even have that room on their standard list--and if you don't remember to tell them, contemplate the overall damper on the mood of moving day when everyone realizes the truck is not large enough for all those chairs and a table.
Knowing the dimensions, and whether things can be disassembled, is also a vital part of a correct estimate. Sofas are normally between 5 and 7 feet long, some have detachable cushions, and some are sleepers. A hardwood queen sleeper weighs a lot more than a rattan couch, so be as explicit as you can be with details. Some furniture can be taken apart, so let the coordinator know so the crew can bring the specific tools to take apart and reassemble.
By now, you may be pondering why the moving company is asking you all of these questions. Well, they are attempting to calculate not only the number of boxes you will require for all of your things, but also how much space in the moving van your belongings will take up. Movers will have estimated guesses for boxes based on number of bedrooms and home size, but that is really rudimentary, and it assumes that you have thrown out a decent amount of old Christmas decorations and preschool art.
After you've chosen your mover, and had one or two phone conversations, the mover will most likely schedule an in-home appointment to make sure their estimates are correct. People are frazzled in the middle of a move and do have a tendency to forget stuff like the kid's swing set or the jet skis, because they're not being packed into boxes, and this is classic example of out of sight, out of mind. But, these items will be caught during the in-home estimate.
Developing a working relationship with your mover is vital for a smooth move. They do not judge your housekeeping, so contact your local mover, set your appointment date for your estimate and do not stress about the dust bunnies. Click here to get started today!
