Online Calculators: Moving By The Numbers
by Julie Garton-Good
While a good place to start, prices at online moving calculators can often vary by thousands of dollars. Such differences do not necessarily mean that one calculator is somehow "right" and another is "wrong," but instead that different factors are being weighed. The result is a requirement for savvy consumers to compare several calculators, consider the questions they ask, and to also obtain more personalized-quotes from estimators who actually visit your home.If a household move, especially one cross country, is part of your future, your first stop might well be one of the dozens of online moving calculators. Depending on the type of questions posed on the site, you plug in information such as how many rooms of furniture you'll move, the distance you're going, and viola, you have an estimate of the approximate costs associated with the move.
Let's review the findings from three different online calculator sites and look at their advantages, disadvantages, and exactly what type of information you need to obtain a quote for your individual situation.
A source that acts for moving much like a travel agent would in searching for air fares is MoveSource.com. When you visit their homepage, you'll notice quite a few moving companies listed as links. These are the companies that MoveSource.com shops for estimates.
Step one is to click on the "pricing" button, then "cost estimator" and enter the origin of the move and the destination. If you know the driving distance, you can enter the mileage as well.
Step two is to estimate the approximate weight of the shipment. You enter the number of rooms you're moving and whether they're "sparsely furnished", "medium furnished" or "heavily furnished". The site then calculates the approximate weight, the approximate distance, and the total approximate cost.
When I plugged in ten "medium furnished" rooms to move a distance of 2,800 miles, it gave me a total approximate cost of $7,520 with a disclaimer that said the "actual charges will be affected by addition services, including" and then went on to mention surcharges, local labor costs, etc. It then listed a low and high price with packing and with both packing and unpacking. This ranged from $8,960 to a high of $10,160. Below the estimates was the link to
"For a more accurate quote, go to the online estimate form." Once there, you're asked to provide contact information, like your e-mail address.
Requests for more information on any site raise a question of balance. Do you want a more precise quote? Then you must provide the site with contact information. If you don't like to provide personal information online, then you need to evaluate such requests on the basis of your privacy preferences.
The second moving calculator site visited was HomeFair.com. Long known for its wide variety of online financial calculators like rent vs. buy and refinancing your home, its moving calculator asks for specific information including the number of bedrooms and types of other rooms like den, office, and playroom. It even takes into consideration locations outside the home like patios and sheds that might have contents.
Last but not least, HomeFair asks if there are more than three occupants in the household as well as whether you've lived in the home more than five years. (I suppose this weighs what I term the "junk factor" that tends to build momentum the longer you stay put in one place! The move alone, with no packing, was estimated between $9,034 and $10,979 at the HomeFair site, and with packing expense, it bumped the total up to a high of $13,241.
The third site, Bekins.com, a well-known full-service moving firm, would not provide any type of estimate. In order to search for fees, you needed to enter your ZIP code to find the closest Bekins company nearest you or fill out a page-long form, complete with name, address, and moving particulars in order for a representative to later contact you.
In comparing the price estimates from the two sites that offered them, the transportation-only estimates were $1,514 apart. But by the time packing/unpacking costs were factored in, there was a price chasm of more than $3,000 between the two sites -- a difference of more than twenty-three percent!
And then there is the MoveSource question which asked that you estimate the degree to which your home was furnished. I had trouble gauging whether "sparsely" furnished took into consideration knick knacks, books, and other types of things you accumulate in closets or if "sparsely" solely meant furnishings. The difference in the estimates turned out to be several thousands of dollars, depending on that judgment call alone.
Although the HomeFair.com site probably came closest to estimating the cost of the long-distance move I've experienced, neither site factored in all special moving concerns like packing/handling antiques, special collections, or cumbersome items. After moving what was termed an "overweight piano" across the country, I know there's a hefty surcharge for bulky or unique items that require additional manpower or care. In retrospect, I would have saved money by selling the piano on one coast and purchasing another on the other!
Don't be afraid to venture online to moving calculator sites for rough estimates. They have a value, but -- as is true in many situations -- it's tough to replace a good old-fashioned final estimate from a real person standing in your living room.
Source: http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20010314_moving.htm
Movers in La Mesa California
Movers Oceanside
Movers La Mesa
Movers Carlsbad
Let's review the findings from three different online calculator sites and look at their advantages, disadvantages, and exactly what type of information you need to obtain a quote for your individual situation.
A source that acts for moving much like a travel agent would in searching for air fares is MoveSource.com. When you visit their homepage, you'll notice quite a few moving companies listed as links. These are the companies that MoveSource.com shops for estimates.
Step one is to click on the "pricing" button, then "cost estimator" and enter the origin of the move and the destination. If you know the driving distance, you can enter the mileage as well.
Step two is to estimate the approximate weight of the shipment. You enter the number of rooms you're moving and whether they're "sparsely furnished", "medium furnished" or "heavily furnished". The site then calculates the approximate weight, the approximate distance, and the total approximate cost.
When I plugged in ten "medium furnished" rooms to move a distance of 2,800 miles, it gave me a total approximate cost of $7,520 with a disclaimer that said the "actual charges will be affected by addition services, including" and then went on to mention surcharges, local labor costs, etc. It then listed a low and high price with packing and with both packing and unpacking. This ranged from $8,960 to a high of $10,160. Below the estimates was the link to
"For a more accurate quote, go to the online estimate form." Once there, you're asked to provide contact information, like your e-mail address.
Requests for more information on any site raise a question of balance. Do you want a more precise quote? Then you must provide the site with contact information. If you don't like to provide personal information online, then you need to evaluate such requests on the basis of your privacy preferences.
The second moving calculator site visited was HomeFair.com. Long known for its wide variety of online financial calculators like rent vs. buy and refinancing your home, its moving calculator asks for specific information including the number of bedrooms and types of other rooms like den, office, and playroom. It even takes into consideration locations outside the home like patios and sheds that might have contents.
Last but not least, HomeFair asks if there are more than three occupants in the household as well as whether you've lived in the home more than five years. (I suppose this weighs what I term the "junk factor" that tends to build momentum the longer you stay put in one place! The move alone, with no packing, was estimated between $9,034 and $10,979 at the HomeFair site, and with packing expense, it bumped the total up to a high of $13,241.
The third site, Bekins.com, a well-known full-service moving firm, would not provide any type of estimate. In order to search for fees, you needed to enter your ZIP code to find the closest Bekins company nearest you or fill out a page-long form, complete with name, address, and moving particulars in order for a representative to later contact you.
In comparing the price estimates from the two sites that offered them, the transportation-only estimates were $1,514 apart. But by the time packing/unpacking costs were factored in, there was a price chasm of more than $3,000 between the two sites -- a difference of more than twenty-three percent!
And then there is the MoveSource question which asked that you estimate the degree to which your home was furnished. I had trouble gauging whether "sparsely" furnished took into consideration knick knacks, books, and other types of things you accumulate in closets or if "sparsely" solely meant furnishings. The difference in the estimates turned out to be several thousands of dollars, depending on that judgment call alone.
Although the HomeFair.com site probably came closest to estimating the cost of the long-distance move I've experienced, neither site factored in all special moving concerns like packing/handling antiques, special collections, or cumbersome items. After moving what was termed an "overweight piano" across the country, I know there's a hefty surcharge for bulky or unique items that require additional manpower or care. In retrospect, I would have saved money by selling the piano on one coast and purchasing another on the other!
Don't be afraid to venture online to moving calculator sites for rough estimates. They have a value, but -- as is true in many situations -- it's tough to replace a good old-fashioned final estimate from a real person standing in your living room.
Source: http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20010314_moving.htm
Movers in La Mesa California
Movers Oceanside
Movers La Mesa
Movers Carlsbad
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