Begin where the truck will end up
It is natural to plan a move from the house you are leaving. This plan starts at the far end instead. If you can get into the new place before moving day, even briefly, what you learn there can shape your choices about what goes on the truck, how the crew should load it and what a fair estimate looks like. Bring a tape measure, a notepad and your phone.
Walk through each room and note where the windows, vents, outlets and closet doors sit. Measure wall lengths where a bed, a sofa or a long dresser might go. Then measure the way in: the front door, any side door, the narrowest hallway, the turn at the top or bottom of a staircase. If you cannot get inside yet, ask the seller, landlord or agent for a floor plan with dimensions.
A floor plan with the furniture already placed
At home, sketch each room of the new place on its own sheet. Draw in the large pieces you intend to keep, using their real sizes. A rough drawing is enough, as long as the measurements are honest.
The sketch can raise questions early. Does the sectional fit the new living room, or only half of it? Will the guest bed go in the small bedroom with the door still able to close? Is there anywhere for the second freezer? Pieces with no spot on the plan are worth deciding about now, before a crew is paid to carry them across town. Sell them, give them away or arrange for them to be hauled off.
Number each room on the sketch. Those numbers become the labels on your boxes and the signs you tape to doors on moving day.
The pieces that need a second look
Some items deserve their own line in your notes:
- anything taller or wider than the narrowest door you measured;
- a piano, a gun safe, a pool table or exercise equipment;
- glass shelves, a marble top or a large mirror;
- a bed or crib that has to come apart;
- a washer, dryer or refrigerator, along with who will disconnect and reconnect each one.
Mention each of these on every call, so that every price you collect takes them in.
The first call to a mover
Keep the first call short and specific. Give the company both addresses, your preferred date and a fallback date, the number of rooms, the stairs or elevator at each end, how far a truck can get from each door, and your list of second-look pieces. Then ask whether it will look over your belongings in person or by video before giving a written figure.
Ask too whether it handles the whole job or brings in another business for the truck or the crew. If it does, ask for that business's name.
Reading a written estimate
When the estimates arrive, line them up with your notes and ask of each one:
- Is it a set price or an hourly rate? If hourly, when does the clock start and stop, and is there a minimum?
- How many people are coming, and how big is the truck?
- Are packing, boxes, wardrobe cartons and taking furniture apart listed separately?
- Are stairs, a long carry or heavy pieces priced, or left open?
- What deposit is asked, how is it paid, and what happens to it if the date changes?
If something on your list does not appear on an estimate, ask the company to add it in writing before you compare totals.
Alabama's household goods rule
According to the Alabama Public Service Commission, an APSC certificate or permit is required when household goods are moved by motor vehicle for pay from one point in Alabama to another, unless exempted by law. The Commission's household goods application, Form 14H, carries a $100 filing fee.
Before booking, put this question to each company and write its answer next to the estimate: "Does this move call for an Alabama Public Service Commission household goods certificate or permit, and if so, what is the number?"
Coverage for what you own
Ask each mover what it pays if an item is damaged or lost, how that amount is worked out, and whether a higher level of protection is offered at extra cost. Ask for proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation.
Services and keys at the new place
Set the start date for power, water, gas and internet at the new address for the day before you arrive, so the lights and the water work while the crew unloads. Confirm when and how you will get the keys, and whether a garage opener, a mailbox key or a gate code comes with them. File your change of address with the post office.
Unloading in the order you planned
Tape the room numbers from your sketch to each door at the new place before the truck pulls in. Give the crew lead a copy of the floor plan. Ask the crew to bring in beds and large pieces first, set where the plan shows them, and boxes after, so nothing heavy has to be shifted around a stack of cartons later. Count boxes as they come off the truck, and note any damage on the delivery paperwork before you sign.
The first-night box
Pack one box for the evening after the move and keep it in your own car: sheets and pillows, towels, toilet paper, a shower curtain, soap, a few plates and cups, a pot, a phone charger, medicines and a flashlight. Mark it so it cannot be mistaken for anything else.