By Julie DeLong, A-1 Freeman Moving Group
Believe it or not, some people think it's a grand idea to let their fingers do the walking and check "hire mover" off their to-do list in ten minutes. This is a fun fact. That is not the ideal way to choose movers. You need to have a real human interaction with your potential mover, since these are the people you are trusting to move all your things in a secure and proper manner. Here are several of the fundamental questions a professional mover will ask on the first phone call.It's a big help if you take pictures of your rooms and have written down furniture dimensions when you have a conversation with a mover. They will need to know how many bedrooms and living spaces are in your residence, and how many floors your home is on. You really can't be too detailed about your rooms, since the mover is working off of a standard template, and every house is one-of-a-kind.
If you have a living/dining combination (popular in the 60’s and back in the 2000s), don't forget to mention the dining table, china hutch, and how many ever armchairs when you describe your "living room" contents. Formal dining rooms are more rare these days, so many movers don't even include that room on their basic list--and if you do not think about it to tell them, contemplate the overall damper on the ambience of moving day when you recognizes the truck isn't large enough for all that furniture.
Measuring the dimensions, and whether things can be disassembled, is also a vital part of a correct estimate. Couches are normally between 5 and 7 feet long, some have detachable cushions, and some are sleepers. A hardwood queen sleeper weighs much more than a rattan loveseat, so be as exact as possible with details. Some furniture can be taken apart, so be sure to tell the coordinator so the moving crew can bring the right tools to disassemble and put back together.
By this time, you might be questioning why the moving company is asking you all of these questions. Well, they are trying to calculate not only the number of boxes you will require for all of your belongings, but also how much space in the truck your belongings will consume. Movers will have estimates for box counts based on number of bedrooms and home size, but that's really basic, and it assumes that you've purged a fair amount of old Christmas decorations and preschool art.
After you have chosen your moving company, and had one or two phone conversations, the mover will most likely schedule an in-home estimate to confirm their calculations are right. People are stressed during a move and do sometimes forget items like the lawn furniture or the lawn mower, because they're not going in cartons, and this is prime example of out of sight, out of mind. But, these items will be included 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, pick your appointment date for your estimate and do not worry about the dust bunnies. Click here to get started today!
