The Move Manager's Estimate Hides the Hours

A senior move manager plans a downsizing or move from a distance, sorts a parent's belongings with the family, and arranges the people who pack, haul, and clear the house. Estimates from two firms can look close and still cover different jobs. Your first task is to make them describe the same job.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

Start with the scope, not the total

Ask each firm for a written list of tasks: which rooms they sort, whether they pack, who loads the truck, whether they handle donations, sales, and disposal, and who removes items that do not sell. Ask how many on-site hours the estimate assumes and who is on the crew. A low total with a short hour count often means the sorting falls to you.

Check what you can verify

Ask for the firm's license and insurance certificates, then confirm them with the office that issued them. Ask for two references from families who used the firm for a home clearance. Ask who answers the phone when a question comes up after the crew leaves.

Read the terms that change the bill

Look for the rule on extra hours, the rule for items the crew cannot move, and the deposit and cancellation terms. Check whether the estimate holds if the move date shifts. Ask who signs for the house keys and who attends each walk-through, so the person in St. Louis who lets the crew in is named in writing.

Ask these before you sign

Which tasks are included, and which are billed separately? What total hour count does the estimate assume? What happens to items a buyer or donor does not take? Who holds the deposit, and when does it move? Can a family member join the final walk-through by video?

Check these tonight

Ask both firms for written scopes built from the same room list. Put the two estimates side by side with one row per task. If you are looking for local help in St. Louis, the Local Help for a St. Louis Parent page lists the kinds of people to ask about first.

What to take to the doctor

If your parent's mobility or memory changes how much sorting they can do, share that with the doctor before the move date. The doctor can say what physical limits the family should plan around, and those limits belong in the scope.