How to get an accurate moving quote – Step One: Taking Inventory

Although the internet has made instant gratification more the norm than the exception, there are still some things that require a little work to be done away from the computer in order to come to fruition.  Getting a moving quote is one of them.

For a moving company to provide you with even a ballpark figure of how much it will cost you, they need to know what they’ll be moving and how far. Telling them where you’re moving is easy, but telling them what they’ll be moving requires a little more work.

In most cases the moving company will require that they come to your home to take an inventory of the items to be moved.  In the industry this is widely referred to as a Survey.  A Survey is when an individual from the moving company (typically called an estimator) comes to your home to determine what the move will involve.  This service should be offered free of charge and if the moving company you’ve contacted states otherwise its probably best to call another.

The estimator creates a comprehensive record of the items to be moved including all furniture, appliances and estimated number of boxes.  They also make notes of any other issues that may affect the time it takes to load the truck such as what floor the residence is on, whether there are multiple floors within the residence or if a “long carry” is involved meaning that access to the moving truck from the house is further than a certain distance.

The inventory that is created from the Survey is then used to determine the weight of your belongings using a cube sheet.  A cube sheet is a fairly standardized sheet which assigns a number of cubic feet to each item to be moved  (cubic feet assigned to boxes are the the actual number of cubic feet of the box).  The final number of cubic feet is then multiplied by seven (accepted industry-wide as the average weight of a cubic foot of household goods) to establish a weight of your belongings.

The total weight is then used to determine your estimated cost.  Since the method of calculation and actual type of final estimate given varies depending of whether the move is interstate or intrastate and what state it takes place in the details of this final step are best left to a separate blog entry coming soon.

There are some important things to know about taking an accurate inventory of your household goods which will, in turn, help you get an accurate quote.

• Make sure that everything that needs to be moved is included in the inventory.  Don’t forget about closets, garages, basements, attics, outdoor storage sheds and the like.  Don’t try to hide anything because it will get you in the end.
• If you must take your own inventory or if you just want to so that you can get a ballpark quote online, don’t forget about your boxes.  Typically boxes account for 1/4 to 1/3 of the total weight of all your belongings.
• If you do take your own inventory it is easier if you use a sample cube sheet which can be found very easily online.

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