There are many factors that can affect the price of your move. Among them are the access to your home, the volume or weight of your shipment, the packing and wrapping necessary to safely move your personal effects, and the amount of packing materials needed. Providing an accurate and professional estimate is more detail-oriented and complex than most people realize.

Some movers will give their prospective clients an estimate over the phone or by e-mail — relying on such estimates is risky, unless you have a small shipment, which would be no more than 4-5 pieces of furniture and up to 15 – 20 packed-and-ready boxes.

A larger move requires an on-site estimate. A representative of the moving company will schedule with you an appointment at your home. The estimator will check the following items, each of which can significantly affect the cost of your move.

• Street access to your home. The estimator must check if a large moving truck can access your street and how close it can park from your home’s entrance. The estimator’s assessment will determine the size of the moving truck that the movers will use and if a shuttle or long carry are needed. A shuttle is used when your street or the streets leading to your home are too narrow for a large truck’s access. It will require that the shipment be picked up by a small truck (shuttle) and be transferred to the larger truck in a different, more accessible location. A long carry is when the truck can access your street, but cannot get close to your home entrance. The industry standard for normal access is when the back of the truck is no farther than 75 ft. from the entrance to your home.
• Stair carry and elevator. A stair carry or a small and slow elevator can affect the time it takes for your move to be completed, and therefore, your cost. Stairs inside your home will usually not require price adjustment, and the same applies for up to two flights of stairs leading to your home. However, all movers will charge extra when more than two flights of stairs are involved, and most movers will charge for an elevator use.  A very small elevator might prevent loading the larger items into it and they will have to be carried down the stairs. That too, will have a separate charge.
• Who is packing what? The industry standard denotes movers wrapping and protecting your furniture — but who will pack all the miscellaneous items into boxes? Movers can provide a full packing service or no packing of boxes; it has to be determined between you and your mover before the move. You also need to agree with your mover as to who will pack the electronics and large paintings — these are items that are difficult to pack without the right materials and knowledge.
• Special packing needs. The estimator will check if your furniture needs special attention. Do you have any glass tops, pianos, grandfather clocks, or large mirrors? Some homes have expensive art or marble that will require special packing with wooden crates.
• Assembly and disassembly. It is customary that the mover disassemble beds and legs of tables, but some beds are difficult to disassemble and some wardrobes, desks, and cabinets have to be disassembled due to their size.
• The volume/weight of your shipment. Interstate and international moves are calculated by the volume or the weight of your shipment, and it is crucial to accurately estimate this as every small difference will result in a significant price hike. Even local movers need to know the volume of your shipment in order to calculate how long the move will take. You should advise your movers as to which items are being shipped and which are not. Most movers will also take a list of items that you might not want to take and give you an estimate with and without moving the items on this “maybe” list.

If you are taking estimates from a few different movers, make sure to give all their representatives the same information. Otherwise, you will be comparing apples to oranges.

Verifying all of the above is difficult to do via phone, webcam or e mail. An estimate is one of those things that has to be done the old-fashioned way. Be suspicious of any moving company that is avoiding sending a representative to your home, as you might find yourself paying a great many extra charges as a result.