Article from Allied's blog article Top 5 Reasons Why You Need an In-home Moving Estimate
So, you’ve made it this far…you’ve made the decision to move, you’ve compiled a list of movers and now it’s time to request a moving quote. At this point in the process many wonder why some movers want to schedule an in-home moving estimate, while others will provide an estimate sight-unseen.
While it’s very tempting to get a quick quote from a website or over the phone, but an in-home
estimate is an essential step in the process that should not be avoided. Here are the top reasons to get
an in-home estimate:
1. It’s the law. By law you have the right to receive an estimate based on
an in-home survey of your household goods. Under regulation, it is the mover’s obligation to create a moving
estimate based on a physical survey of the household goods to be moved (if the goods are located within a
50-mile radius of your mover’s place of business). You can elect to waive this right for a physical survey, but
if you do decide to forego this right, you must sign a waiver.
2. In-home estimates are more accurate. The majority of the time, in-home
estimates—based on a physical survey of the items you plan to move—will be more accurate than an estimate of
goods that you provide over the phone or on the Internet.
3. Saves money. If you receive an online or phone estimate that is
non-binding, your final moving costs will be based on the actual weight of your shipment on moving day. So if
your online estimate is inaccurate, you could be responsible for a substantial amount of additional charges
that you weren’t anticipating.
4. Helps avoid moving scams. Insist on getting more than one estimate and
beware of movers who tell you they can move you for a significantly lower amount than the others. Sometimes
these movers will give you a “low-ball price,” but will add extra charges once your shipment has been loaded
onto their truck. Also, if a mover refuses to set up an in-home estimate, you may want to choose another
mover.
5. Better move planning. At the time of an in-home estimate, your moving
agent will ask you quite a few questions about the items that you’re moving. This is a perfect opportunity to
think through what you need to move or what you might want to sell. The in-home estimate will also give you and
the agent time to talk through origin and destination obstacles that may occur, so the agent can prepare for
those challenges before moving day.
