Skip to content
MoverCompass

Quotes and what they mean

Do I need an in-home survey for a moving quote?

The short answer

For anything beyond a small local move, yes — in person or by live video. An estimate is only as good as the inventory behind it, and a mover who will quote a full house from a phone call is either padding heavily or planning to revise the number when the truck is loaded.

What a real survey covers

  • Every room, including closets, the garage, the basement, the attic, the shed and anything in storage. Not just the rooms you would show a visitor.
  • Access at both ends: stairs, elevators, lift bookings, parking, long carries, narrow streets, and whether a full-size truck can get in.
  • Items needing special handling: pianos, safes, gym equipment, large appliances, artwork, fragile antiques.
  • What is not going. It is as important as what is.
  • Packing: who is doing it, and what materials are included.

Video surveys are fine, and have one advantage

A live video survey is genuinely adequate for most moves and it produces a recording, which is a useful thing to have if the inventory is later disputed. Ask whether it is recorded and whether you can have a copy.

The single biggest cause of a moving day going wrong is a truck that is too small. That is a survey failure, and it is the reason to insist on one even when it delays booking by a few days.

Also asked

Does a survey cost anything?

Normally not — it is part of the sales process. A mover unwilling to spend that time on a full-house move is telling you how the rest of the job will be resourced.

The long version

Moving quotes and estimates explained

Understand moving estimate types, surveys, contract documents, and the common reasons a quoted price can change before delivery.

Read the guide →

General information about moving and about hiring, not advice about your move. Interstate household-goods moving within the United States is federally regulated; local, intrastate and Canadian moving is regulated by each state or province, and the rules differ. The authority for your move is the one to check.