Start by counting what is going
A mover's price can rest on a picture of your household: how much there is, how far it has to be carried and how long the crew expects to be at each end. You can draw that picture yourself before anyone visits. Walk through the place with a notepad and write down every large piece by room, then make a rough count of the boxes each room will fill. The count does not need to be exact. It gives you something to hand each company, and something to hold their numbers against later.
A sorting pass, room by room
Every item that leaves the house before moving day is one the crew will not wrap, lift or unload. Take the rooms one at a time and give each thing a label:
- Coming along. It goes on the truck or in your car.
- Selling. Set a date to list it, and a later date to give it away if it has not sold.
- Giving away. Ask the place you plan to donate to what it accepts before you load your car.
- Leaving the house. Old paint, broken furniture and worn-out mattresses need a plan of their own; ask the city or your trash hauler how each one is handled.
Do the sorting before the estimates. A company that prices things you later sell may be pricing a bigger job than the one you end up with.
The walk from each door to the truck
A good part of a moving day can go to carrying things from room to truck. Stand at your front door and picture the route a heavy dresser would take: down the hall, around the corner, through the door, down any steps and out to where a truck could stop. Then do the same at the new address if you can get in.
Write down what you find, and put it to every company you call:
- How many flights of stairs are there at each end, and is there an elevator?
- How far is it from the door to the nearest spot a truck could park?
- Are there tight turns, low ceilings or narrow doorways on the way?
- Does a building manager or landlord set move hours or ask you to reserve an elevator?
Ask each mover whether any of these change its price, and how. A long carry, an extra flight or a second truck can all show up as separate lines, so ask to see them on paper.
Asking several companies to price the same list
Give each company the same household count and the same access notes. Invite each one to look the place over, on site or over a video call, before it puts a figure on paper. Then ask for a written estimate that spells out:
- which day the crew comes, and the hours it may arrive between;
- whether the price is a set amount or an hourly rate, and what it takes in;
- the crew headcount and the truck size;
- packing, boxes and taking furniture apart, each priced on its own;
- anything that could push the price up on the day, and how you will hear about it;
- how much deposit is asked, and the terms for moving the date or calling it off.
Before comparing totals, check each estimate against your household count and access notes. A low number that leaves out the garage may not stay low.
The license question and coverage
Ask every company the same thing: "What state license or registration, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?" Jot down what each one says, the date, and who said it.
In the same call, ask for proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation. Your own homeowners or renters policy may or may not reach belongings on a truck or in storage; ask your insurer which it is.
Manhattan's drinking water
Where does Manhattan's drinking water come from? The city's CY 2025 Water Quality Report says it is groundwater from 19 public water supply wells located near the confluence of the Big Blue and Kansas rivers.
Supplies and a labeling plan
Ask the mover whether it sells or lends boxes, wardrobe cartons and mattress bags, and whether those are on the estimate. If you gather your own, choose sturdy cartons that close flat, and keep heavy items like books in the smaller ones.
A labeling plan can save the unloading crew from asking where every box belongs:
- Give each room at the new place a name or a color, and tape a matching sign to its door before the truck arrives.
- Mark each box on the top and one side with that room and a few words about what is inside.
- Number the boxes and keep a list, so you can count them off at the far end.
- Mark a handful of boxes "open first" for the kitchen, the bathroom and the beds.
The bag that rides with you
Keep a few things within your own reach on moving day. Pack a bag or a small bin for your own car with what you would need if the truck were a day late: glasses, prescriptions, identity papers, the lease or closing documents, house keys and phone chargers. Add anything you would not want to explain to an insurer if it went missing. Movers may decline to carry some things; ask each one what is on its list, and plan how those will travel.
Services and mail
Choose stop and start dates for electric, gas, water, trash and internet at both addresses, and give yourself a little overlap. File a change of address for your mail, and update your bank, your employer and anyone who sends you bills or deliveries.
The day before, and the morning of
- Confirm the arrival window and the name of the crew lead.
- Unplug the refrigerator early enough to empty, wipe and dry it, if it is going on the truck.
- Clear the hallways and stairs of rugs, wall hangings and anything a crew could trip on or knock.
- Arrange for children and pets to spend the day with a sitter or in a closed room.
- Show the crew lead which pieces are fragile and which stay, before any lifting starts.
- Before the truck pulls away, make a last lap with a flashlight through closets, cupboards, the attic and the garage.