By Julie DeLong, A-1 Freeman Moving Group
Some folks believe that it's a good idea to let their fingers do the walking and check "hire mover" off your list in fifteen minutes. This is a fun fact. That is not the ideal way to choose movers. You need to get up close and personal and have a real human interaction, since these are the folks you are trusting to move all your belongings in a secure and proper way. Here are several of the basic questions a professional mover will ask on the introductory phone call.It's a big help if you have pictures of your rooms and have written down furniture dimensions when you chat with a mover. They will want to know how many bedrooms and living spaces are in your home, and how many levels your house is on. You really cannot be too specific about your rooms, since they are looking at a standard template, and every residence is different.
If your house has a living/dining combo (popular in the sixties and again in the 2000s), don't neglect to list the dining table, china buffet, and how many ever armchairs when you go over your "living room" items. Formal dining rooms are getting rare anymore, so some movers do not even include that room on their basic list--and if you do not think about it to tell them, contemplate the overall hinderance on the temperament of moving day when you recognizes the moving truck isn't big enough for all those items.
Measuring the dimensions, and whether things can be disassembled, is also a vital part of an accurate estimate. Couches are commonly between 5 and 7 feet long, some have detachable cushions, and some are sleepers. A hardwood double sleeper weighs significantly more than a rattan couch, so be as explicit as you can be with details. Some furniture comes apart, so make sure and communicate that to your coordinator so the moving team can bring the correct tools to disassemble and reassemble.
By now, you might be wondering why the moving company is asking you a ton of questions. Well, they are trying to figure up not only the number of boxes you will require for all of your belongings, but also how many linear feet in the truck your belongings will take up. Movers will have approximates for boxes based on number of bedrooms and the square footage of the residence, but that's very rudimentary, and it assumes that you've gotten rid of a fair amount of old shoes and preschool art.
After you've chosen your moving company, and had a couple of phone conversations, the mover will schedule an in-home appointment to make sure their estimates are correct. People are absent minded in the middle of a move and do have a tendency to forget items like the lawn furniture or the lawn mower, because they're not being packed into boxes, and this is prime example of out of sight, out of mind. However, these items will be caught during the in-home estimate.
Developing a working relationship with your mover is important for an uneventful move. They don't judge your housekeeping, so contact your local mover, select your appointment date for your estimate and don't worry about the dust bunnies. Click here to get started today!
