Estimating And Pricing Moves Accurately

Seventy percent of people who sell their homes in our mountain towns sell them furnished. Unlike moves in the big cities where the whole house goes at once, the majority of our moves are a subset of a home’s contents. This fact shapes our approach to estimating and pricing moves accurately.

A variety of factors change what is in that subset being moved in the period between the decision to move and move day. Buyers change their minds on what they want included in the purchase. The local consignment shop may not be able to take that coffee table as they have five already. Family members change their minds on what they can take. What the client thinks will go on a move when they first ask for a quote for and what actually goes is often very different.

We created and estimation approach to help adjust for the unique needs of our mountain clients. We think of a move in five steps.

Step 1 – Preliminary Survey

You know you are moving and have general ideas about what you will take, what you will consign and what will go out for disposal. You want some price estimates so you can plan your approach. We are happy to help. You can give us a list of items you think are going with you, or the size of your dwelling with an estimated percent of house that will be going. We will give you budget ranges to help you understand your options. This is done by phone and takes 15 to 25 minutes after which you have a written survey breaking down potential prices in your email inbox.

Step 2 – Decision

After you have determined your approach you will learn more about your move. Your family members will get back to you on that twine collection you wanted them to take. The buyer will change her mind on the glass coffee table she did not want before and that now fits into her plan. Your close date will be set, or changed. And we will discuss insurance coverage and how the details work so you have all the information you need. With more information from all fronts, you can confirm the date, specific items going with you and your approach to insurance. We will take a deposit and secure your spot on the calendar.

Step 3 – Ongoing Preparation

You will be working on your move, packing items and making decisions about items you may have been unsure of prior to this. The consignment shop will let you know if they can take that armoire. You will also begin to see more clearly how many boxes will be in the move as you will have some packed. All of this begins to sharpen the picture of the situation.

Step 4 – Verification Estimate

Approximately a week before the move, we will revisit the survey with better information you now have. This can be as simple as a phone call or as involved as an in-home visit to count items and take photos of special pieces. From this verification we can have a more precise measure of the size and weight of the goods you are moving. The picture of move day(s) will be very clear, and the price can be recalculated based on good information. Here is where an adjustment in the plan can fine tune your budget so you are getting the most value for your money.

Step 5 – Packing & Moving Day(s)

We execute the packing, moving and storage plan that we have worked on together. Because we have verified what we are going to move we have no surprises on either side. What we have avoided is a big change in job size on moving day and eliminated the discomfort of settling a bill that is a surprise for both sides.

At Majestic we have fully trained office staff and software to capture and calculate the details of your changing situation. We see the preparation process as an ongoing communication. And what we think this does is help you have a successful and satisfactory move.