Understanding what can affect your final moving cost can help you avoid surprises and make moving day less stressful. Getting a moving estimate is one of the most important steps in planning a move. A good estimate helps you not only understand moving costs but also allows the mover to assess your home and belongings, providing you with a plan and advice to stay on track for a successful moving day.

But what happens when the final cost isn’t the same as the original estimate?

An estimate is an estimate. A price change doesn’t necessarily mean something went wrong. Moving estimates are based on the information available when the estimate is prepared. If the details or circumstances of your move change, then the time, labor, or materials needed may change as well.

What Factors Affect a Moving Estimate?

Here are some of the factors considered when giving an estimate:

• Size of the household (If belongings are all spread out, it may increase time.)
• Number of items being moved
• What is being moved (Do you need two people to carry it? Is it heavy? Fragile? Can it be stacked easily? Does it need to be loaded a specific way?)
• Distance between locations/number of stops (Travel time)
• Prep work (Prepping loose shelves, glass, or marble, as well as wrapping furniture, all add time.)
• Service(s) required (Moving, Packing, Crating)
• Disassembly/Assembly
• Access (Distance to the truck and having to navigate through stairs, elevator, and/or narrow doorways all factor into the time it will take.)

An estimator will factor all these conditions when calculating the crew size needed and how long it will take, among other things.

How Are Moving Estimates Calculated?

Some estimators will visualize the job and load the truck in their head. Others will base numbers off similar jobs or rely on the intuition they have developed over years of experience. Some will use a combination of these methods.

Most estimators have years of firsthand experience actually moving furniture before they begin giving estimates. While their estimates may still have some error, this experience helps them account for everything within the client’s and crew’s control.

However, with so many moving pieces, a lot can change between the estimate and moving day. Here are seven of the most common ones:

1. The Amount of Items Being Moved Changes

One of the most common reasons a moving estimate can change is that the amount of stuff shown in the estimate differs from what’s there on move day.

It could be less stuff. For example:

• You’re able to leave the patio set for the new homeowners.
• You sold your dining room set.

Or it could be more stuff. For example:

• Your friend still hasn’t picked up the extra bedroom set.
• You ran out of time to drop off your unwanted stuff to the donation center.
• You forgot to show the estimator the attic full of storage bins.

Even relatively small additions or subtractions can impact the time the crew needs to wrap, carry, load, and unload your belongings.

2. Incomplete Information and Unknown Factors at the Time of the Estimate

The accuracy of a moving estimate depends heavily on the information provided.

If belongings from certain areas of the home were left out, or if important details weren’t disclosed, the original estimate may not accurately represent the work required.

This is why customers should be as thorough as possible when going through their inventory with the moving company. But don’t worry, a good estimator will check to make sure you don’t overlook:

• Attics
• Garages
• Sheds
• Storage areas
• Outdoor furniture
• Large or unusually heavy items
• Extra fragile Items

The more complete the information is at the beginning, the more accurate the estimate is likely to be.

3. The Move Has More Difficult Access Than Expected

Truck Position

The location of where the truck can be parked greatly affects access. It can be hard for an estimator to picture the large truck maneuvering into position. Even with a lot of experience, the estimator might end up on the wrong side of a tight fit, leaving a longer walk than expected.

The most common problem with getting the truck positioned is that a car or two is parked in the way. This can be the difference of tens of feet further than where the estimator imagined, and over the course of a day it can add up to hundreds or even a thousand extra feet the crew has to walk. So, talk to your neighbors about clearing the way for the moving truck so you can give your crew the shortest walk possible.

Weather

Something like the weather can be out of the estimator’s control. If it is raining, movers might have to bring items through the house instead of around back to prevent tracking mud or getting items wet, especially if they’re moving indoor items out of the basement access. Temperature can also affect how fast the crew moves. A lot of stairs or a long walk on a hot day can fatigue the crew much faster.

Elevators

Elevators are an obstacle in and of themselves. Sometimes buildings have a loading dock with a big freight elevator that the crew has to themselves. Other times, the crew must load or unload from the street and share a small elevator with the residents. Elevators are hard to estimate, even if the movers know the building. One little thing, like the time of day, or which day of the week it is, or if there’s an event going on, can disrupt the flow of the move more than you’d expect.

Obstacles

Narrow hallways, doorways, and stairs are known factors to account for, but the estimator may miss a piece or two that won’t fit and will need to be disassembled and reassembled. It is also hard to predict the extra time it will take to move your belongings through these obstacles. Some moves are slowed down more than others. It all depends on how many items there are and what items have to navigate the obstacle.

Unload Access

Often, there are no photos of the new place, and all the estimator has to go off of is a street view of the destination. The customer may not mention an obstacle at the unload or may not know their new apartment is on the other side of the building from the elevator. If these obstacles or poor access features are unknown or left out, your estimate will not account for them. This is why providing accurate information about both the origin and destination matters when getting an estimate for your move.

4. Items Require Disassembly or Special Handling

Some furniture can be moved as-is, while other pieces need to be partially disassembled before they can safely leave the home. While a good estimator will look closely at questionable pieces and factor the necessary work into the estimate, it’s impossible to understand every piece fully. Sometimes you don’t know how long it will take you until you start disassembling. The same goes for special pieces. You don’t fully know what you’re dealing with until you’re moving and loading it on the truck. Something may look sturdy and turn out to be the opposite, taking more time.

Large sectionals, oversized furniture, exercise equipment, and other unusually shaped items may require additional time and planning. Unless you pick the piece up and try to get it through the door frame or whatever the obstacle is, it is hard to know for sure how long an item may take to move.

If you have particularly large, heavy, fragile, or hard-to-move items, make sure to point them out during the estimate. It is much easier to plan for them ahead of time than to discover a problem when the truck is already being loaded.

5. Additional Packing Is Needed

Packing can significantly affect the labor required for a move. Customers can change the scope of the pack very quickly. Whether a customer adds:

• A whole pack
• Some packing
• Specialty items (artwork, lamps, and other delicate possessions)
• Last-minute packing (didn’t get to it / ran out of boxes)
• Or packing is not needed anymore

These are all reasons the client’s estimate changes. A common reason an estimate is off, even if the customer didn’t change anything, is the unknown factor. The estimator will not open every single cabinet and drawer in your house. He will use his experience with other estimates and packing jobs he’s been on. So, if you have a bunch of loose picture frames and knick-knacks in your dresser drawer instead of clothes, it will take longer than he imagined unless you say something. So, if there’s any place in your home that stores something unordinary or more than one would think, point it out.

6. How to Prepare to Keep Your Move on Track

Being ready is the most controllable variable you have to keep your move as close to the original estimate as possible. If you’re packing everything yourself, do it to the best of your ability. Any shortcuts will be noticeable. When movers have to move things that should have been packed or consolidated, or clear off furniture, or do things out of order because they had to wait on you, the job takes longer.

Use proper materials as well. While reusing old Amazon boxes may save money up front, it can slow the crew down in the long run. Having a bunch of odd-sized boxes is harder and more time-consuming to puzzle tightly into the load than standard small, medium, and large boxes. To be best prepared for move day, check out How to Speed Up Your Move.

7. Communication with the Moving Company

When you receive your estimate, make sure you ask questions about it to avoid misunderstandings.

Make sure you understand:

• What is included
• What isn’t included
• How the company charges for labor
• Any other line items that may show up on the invoice
• Any additional fees
• What line items can change
• What line items are fixed
• What circumstances could change the estimated cost (Hopefully this article helps you understand this better.)
• What you should have completed before the crew arrives

A reputable moving company should be willing to explain its estimate and answer your questions.

If you decide to take additional belongings, or if you aren’t as ready as you should be, or if you need another service, let the moving company know as soon as possible and ask how it will affect your estimate.

The Bottom Line About Moving Estimate Changes

A moving estimate is an important planning tool, but it isn’t a guarantee that nothing about your move will change. All the factors above can affect your move cost.

At Top Notch Moving, we believe customers should understand their moving costs and what to expect before the crew arrives. Clear communication and a thorough estimate help eliminate surprises and make for a smoother moving experience.

To learn more about moving estimates, check out How to Prepare for a Moving Estimate.

Planning a move? Contact Top Notch Moving to discuss your upcoming move and request an estimate.