One of the biggest decisions you will have to make upon deciding to move, regardless of if you are moving locally or across the country, is whether to hire a moving company to move your belongings or to move them yourself. While hiring a professional moving company can increase the cost of your move, there are many advantages to utilizing a professional moving company, as professional movers can help coordinate your move to make it less stressful and allow you to focus on your other responsibilities.
When searching for a moving company to hire, be sure to contact at least three moving companies to obtain quotes. Make sure the movers either perform an inspection in your home or do a video survey of your belongings before giving you an estimate – this will help prevent any surprise costs at moving time.
Depending on if the move is a local or a long-distance move, the estimate will most likely be calculated differently.
- Local move: If you are moving locally, the moving cost will probably be a per hour rate. The rate will be based on various factors, including the number of movers that will be required as part of the moving crew, and the amount and size of the moving trucks that will be necessary.
- Long-distance move: If you are making a long-distance move, the moving cost will be based on the weight of your belongings and the total distance for your move.
It is also important to find out if the moving estimate is a non-binding estimate, binding estimate, or binding not-to-exceed estimate.
- Non-binding estimate: The final moving cost could end up being higher or lower than the estimate that was originally provided to you because the moving company does not have to be held to the estimate. At the time of delivery, if the final cost ends up being more than the estimate, your mover cannot require you to pay more than the estimate plus 10% of the total cost. Plus, the moving company can still bill you for additional costs after the move. For these reasons, non-binding estimates are not very common.
- Binding estimate: The final moving cost cannot be higher than the original estimate. However, if the actual cost of the move is lower than the estimate, you will still pay the estimated amount.
- Binding not-to-exceed estimate: This type of estimate is considered to be “consumer-friendly” and is also known as a “guaranteed price” or “price protection” estimate. The final moving cost will only be changed if the total cost is lower when the move is done. If the final moving cost is higher than the estimate, you do not pay any overages. If the moving cost is lower than the estimate, you will pay the exact cost of the move.
At Exodus Moving and Storage, we offer free moving estimates regardless of if you are moving locally or across the country. Contact us for more information about setting up an appointment: https://exodusmoving.com/contact-us/free-in-home-estimate/