Getting Three Quotes and Comparing Them Properly

Everybody says to get three estimates. Fewer people say that three estimates are often not comparable, because each company assumed something different about your house and none of them wrote the assumption down.

The lowest number then wins, and it is the one most likely to change.

Just-In-Time Moving works throughout St. George and Washington County.

Describe the job identically to each

This is where most comparisons break. Write down the details once and give the same list to everybody.

Both addresses. Stairs at each end and how many. Whether there is a lift. Bedrooms, and separately the garage, basement, shed and loft, since those are frequently omitted and are frequently a third of the load. Any heavy or specialist item: a piano, a safe, a treadmill, appliances. Whether you are packing or want packing. Your date.

If one company knows about the garage and another does not, you are not comparing anything.

Establish what kind of number it is

Ask each one directly: is this hourly or a fixed price, and is it binding.

An hourly estimate is a prediction of hours. A binding quote is a price. A non-binding fixed figure is somewhere between and can move. These are genuinely different products and cannot be compared as though they were the same.

Check what is included

The questions that turn a low number into a higher one later:

Travel time, and whether it is billed. Fuel or mileage. Materials, and which ones. Disassembly and reassembly of furniture. Appliance handling. Stairs, long carries, or a truck that cannot park close. A minimum number of hours. Overtime rates if the day runs long.

Ask what would make this go up. The answer tells you more than the number does.

Ask about valuation

Which level of liability on your goods the price assumes, and what the alternative costs. A quote including full value protection is not comparable to one on basic released value, and the difference is real money if something breaks.

Judge the assessment, not the price

A company that asked about your garage, your stairs and your heavy items is quoting your move. A company that gave a number in ninety seconds is quoting a generic house.

The second one is often cheaper on paper, which is precisely the problem.

Be wary of the outlier

If one quote is dramatically below the others, something explains it, and it is usually an assumption that will be corrected on the day, once your belongings are already loaded.

Our estimate is free, in writing, and states what it is based on.

Call (435) 862-3080 or email office@movingjustintime.com.