Binding moving estimates are based on video surveys that miss attics, crawlspaces, and garage corners

Virtual and video surveys for moving estimates last 15-20 minutes and rely on the customer panning a phone camera through each room, but consistently miss items in closet backs, attics, crawl spaces, garage shelving, and outdoor sheds, leading to day-of-move inventory overages that can add $1,500-$3,000 to the final cost. The customer is stuck because the truck is already there, the crew is on the clock at $150/hour, and refusing the overage means leaving belongings behind with no plan B. This persists because in-home estimates cost movers $150-$300 per lead in labor and travel so the industry shifted to virtual surveys to cut costs, there is no standard protocol for what a virtual survey must cover, and movers benefit from low initial estimates that win the booking since the overage is collected at delivery when the customer has no leverage.