Sarver Movers has finally made it to the big leagues regarding local movers in Austin. We were lucky enough to be featured in an article on Redfin! Redfin is the premier online residential real estate brokerage and mortgage origination service company that has taken over the internet in more than 100 major markets in the US and Canada. If you are looking for a home to purchase in the Austin area, you have probably searched for one on Redfin. They were kind enough to feature our moving services in Austin with a very positive article named Hiring a Moving Company? Here are 6 Tips to Consider." We're proud to be the moving company chosen to speak for all local movers in Austin, TX's booming real estate market.
The good folks over at Redfin asked for some advice. They quoted our owner, Will Sarver, on his expertise in choosing a binding or non-binding rate when choosing between moving estimates from different local movers. He explains that a binding rate quote is a fixed or flat rate quote that will not change during a move. A non-binding rate is an hourly quote that will vary based on the time the moving job takes.
The Binding Rate
The binding rate quote allows both the moving company and the customer to count on a predetermined price going into the move. This helps many of our customers build a budget for their move and is typically applied to out-of-state deliveries or long-distance moves. Sarver Movers will use a non-binding or hourly rate quote when our customers need local movers to perform house or apartment moves here in town.
For non-binding moves, we start the clock when we first get to our customer's house, storage unit, or apartment and then stop the clock when we drop off the last piece of furniture. We do not charge our customers for the initial drive time it takes to get out to their starting location, and we do not charge for the drive time from the ending location back to our warehouse. This is a significant bit of information to consider when hiring a moving company!
If the company you hire for moving services in Austin does charge for the drive-up, this will significantly add time to your move. If it is a non-binding or hourly quote, this will add to the overall amount of money you pay for your moving services. It is important to note that the truck fee we charge here at Sarver Movers is almost always less than the added time that another company will charge you for this added drive time. This is considered a "hidden fee" that moving companies are notorious for charging people.
We aim to eliminate any surprises that may come up during a move with us. Sarver Movers wants to provide the most upfront pricing structure for our potential clients. In doing that, we will always be forthcoming about any and all fees that may apply to your move. That is why we review all the possible fees that may come up in our initial phone call; that way, there are no surprises when you book us as your local movers.
Moving Equipment
Further along in the article, Sarver then highlights some equipment that every moving company should show up with when performing moving services in Austin. These are valuable tips that can really help guide customers when determining which moving company to hire! Sarver Movers will always show up with the appropriate moving equipment needed to do the job; you can count on that. In this article, we discuss using the proper-sized moving pads to efficiently wrap every piece of furniture that we move for our clients.
The infamous brown snap-off moving tape is also mentioned. This is the correct type of tape that is used by professional movers who know exactly what they're doing. This tape does not peel off wood finish from furniture, and it does not require any scissors to remove it. If you see your movers using any other type of tape, run for the hills!
Different types of tape can cause different types of damage to various types of furniture. This is another example of what type of equipment your local movers should show up with on moving day.
If you'd like more moving tips from Sarver Movers, click over to our frequently asked questions page. There is a wealth of information there and you can gather lots of great tips from Sarver Movers to find out which moving services in Austin are a great fit for you. For more information on getting a free moving quote, give the expert Austin and Round Rock Movers a call by clicking over to our quote page on our website.
Suppose you continue to read down past the advice provided by Will with Sarver Movers. In that case, there are many other highly rated moving companies that give great advice on what to look for when hiring a mover, like making sure the mover is licensed and insured, making elevator reservations on moving day, and being properly packed. Having the right insurance is critical for providing moving services in Austin. If you choose a mover off Craigslist, they will likely not honor an insurance reimbursement if something is damaged on your move. We will write a separate article providing an in-depth look at what kind of insurance, or valuation coverage, is offered by all the major moving companies.
Who Helps With Putting on the Event Every Year?
Making elevator reservations is a simple task that you can perform that will allow your apartment or condo to move so much faster. This type of preparation is crucial to significantly lowering your overall move time. It is nearly as important as being completely boxed up, sealed, and ready to go prior to your movers' arrival. Another mover in the article explains the importance of doing just that; he says that consolidating items into boxes can make your move go up to 40 times faster! That can equate to huge savings for a local, non-binding move.
Read Reviews
The last piece of advice is one of the most important: read the reviews. If your moving company has only one-star reviews, they should not be trusted with your household goods, and they probably will not honor a reimbursement if anything is damaged. On the other hand, if they have only 5-star reviews, we often see that some reviews are from fake accounts on Google. These accounts are created for the sole purpose of leaving just one review. We feel a good mix of high and lower reviews, adding up to an overall high rating, shows that this is a great moving company. It also shows that the company has authentic reviews, allowing customers to get an honest assessment of the quality of work the moving company provides.
For more information, check out the Sarver Movers feature on Redfin to learn what things to consider when hiring a mover. Sarver Movers feature on Redfin