Moving can be a back-breaking experience. Every person that has ever relocated was faced with the following decision. Either they planned for the move, or they tried to wing it. We’ll leave it to you to guess which decision leads to a more successful and stress-free moving experience. However, whatever decision of those two you choose to make one thing is blatantly clear moving terminology is everything. It doesn’t matter whether you hire a reliable moving company, professional storage services, or any of the other useful moving company services offered… Knowing your way around moving terminology is the best and safest way of going about your relocation. So if you do not want to get scammed, or are simply curious about what all that moving lingo is all about, grab a pen and notepad and let’s get started with learning basic relocation terminology.
Moving terminology 101: Learning the basic types of moving services
Before delving deep into the complex world of flamboyant words such as the Bill of Lading, binding, and nonbinding estimates, we thought it best to start from the beginning – moving services.
There are a lot of different types of moving services a moving company can offer you and learning exactly what you need and what you don’t need can cut your moving bill in half. So, it might be smart to learn some basic types of moving services you can expect a moving company to offer you.
- Long-distance moving. This type of moving service is quite self-explanatory. Basically, if you are moving anywhere but locally (state-to-state, cross-state, cross-country, etc.) that’s a long-distance move.
- Local moving. Unlike long-distance moving, local moving is moving… As you might imagine – locally. They are in most cases cheaper than long-distance moving because of the resources used by the moving companies to relocate your belongings.
- Packing services. If you have trouble packing big and bulky items… Hiring a crew of people who will help you pack those belongings might be exactly what you need. These people have professional equipment that is made with the purpose of packing refrigerators, family beds, pianos, etc.
- Storage services. If you have a lot of seasonal clothes and items and are low on storing space, you might want to investigate in getting a storage facility to help you with just that.
The essential box
Having an essentials box is crucial to your move. So, what is it? Well, as the name suggests, it’s a box (bag, suitcase, etc…) that has all the belongings that you might need on moving day. If you think about it, a move can take-up days, even weeks sometimes. You want to have all your important documents, clothes, and devices with you in one place. That’s why it’s really important to pack an essential bag. That way you know that even if you didn’t pack something, you have all the essentials with you. So that once moving day comes, you won’t shiver at the thought that you forgot something.
Inventory index
The inventory index is a very important tool. Often not known about in layman circles. However, professional movers swear by it. What the inventory index essential is, is a way of marking the ingredients (belongings) of each moving box. So why is it so useful? If done right, it can help you immensely.
What we recommend that you do is to label each moving box with a number from 1 to… As many boxes that you have. After that is done, grab a notepad (or an application on your phone) and write down exactly what is being placed in each moving box. For example, in the moving box labeled with the number 1 we have the following:
- a gaming console,
- a laptop,
- games for the console,
- power cable, ethernet cable
So, if you need to unpack your ethernet cable first, you know that you need to open moving box number 1.
The grandfather of all moving terminology: Binding estimates
After you’ve understood all the above-mentioned terminology… It’s time to tackle the most complex one of all – binding estimates. While this terminology might sound complicated and difficult to understand, we assure you it’s quite the opposite. In the simplest terms, it’s what the moving company estimates that your move will cost. However, unlike a non-binding estimate, once they issue a binding estimate they cannot go over that price. Which is a great way to ensure the cost of the move won’t change at all.
However, there’s another thing to keep in mind. Fraudulent moving companies often issue non-binding estimates to gather a lot of interest from clients. They give out ludicrous prices for the move that won’t be even close to the actual price of the move. So, don’t trust those guys. Always go for a reputable and reliable moving company like Bluebell Relocation Services NJ.
In conclusion
So, there are a lot of reasons to learn the proper moving terminology. From avoiding being scammed to pure curiosity. Whatever your reason is, make sure you understand the three pillars of relocation. First, make sure that you know exactly what moving service you need. That way you don’t end up paying extra for services you don’t want. Second, make sure you understand the key concepts of organizing the move and ask your residential movers NJ any questions you might have. This way, you won’t suffer the stress of improvising on moving day. Lastly, don’t forget to always ask for binding estimates. That way you know exactly how much you are going to pay your movers.
