A mover’s comparison
Virtual survey or in-home estimate.
A virtual survey collects an itemized inventory from footage the customer records on their phone, usually the same day the lead arrives. An in-home estimate puts a trained estimator in the house, at the cost of drive time and a scheduled appointment. Most companies now run both and choose per job.
| Virtual survey | In-home estimate | |
|---|---|---|
| Time from lead to written estimate | Same day — the customer can record that evening | Days — an appointment has to be scheduled and driven to |
| Cost per survey | A few minutes of estimator review time | Wage, fuel and an appointment window that cannot be resold |
| Practical reach | Any address, including out of radius | Limited by drive time from the yard |
| Which leads get surveyed | All of them, including small jobs | Only jobs large enough to justify a truck roll |
| Cube sheet form | Itemized, editable, re-readable after the fact | Whatever the estimator wrote down at the time |
| Second-opinion review | Any colleague can re-read the survey | Requires a second visit |
| Customer effort | Six to ten minutes on their own schedule | A one to two hour window at home |
| Depends on | The customer showing every room | The estimator noticing every room |
| Best fit | Routine residential, long distance, price-shoppers | High-value, custom crating, commercial, relationship sales |
Written from a software vendor’s point of view, so read the left column with appropriate suspicion. The comparison that matters is against your own completed jobs.
Choosing per job
The decision is which survey, not whether to survey.
Nothing in this comparison argues for quoting from a phone call. Both columns beat a guess; they differ in cost and in what they are good at.
Send a link when
- The job is a routine residential move within your normal range
- The lead is out of radius or would not repay a drive
- The customer is comparing three companies and speed decides it
- You want a written number before your competitor books an appointment
- The customer prefers not to have anyone in the house
Go in person when
- The home is large, or holds antiques, art or a collection
- Custom crating or specialty rigging is likely
- It is a commercial or office move with building rules and docks
- It is an interstate job and the customer has not waived the physical survey
- The customer asks to meet you — that is a sales opportunity
Side-by-side — the same home surveyed remotely and in person
Illustration slot: one home, two cube sheets, and where the two disagree.
Common questions
What movers weigh before switching.
Is a virtual survey as accurate as an in-home estimate?
A virtual survey is as accurate as the walkthrough behind it, the same as an in-home visit. Its advantage is that it is itemized and reviewable after the fact — an estimator can re-read the footage, and a second person can check the cube sheet. Its weakness is that it depends on the customer showing every room, which is why CubitMove prompts for the garage, basement and closets rather than waiting to be shown.
Does a virtual survey satisfy the FMCSA physical survey requirement?
For interstate household goods moves, a written estimate must be based on a physical survey of the goods unless the customer waives that in writing. Many movers use a documented virtual survey as the alternative and keep the signed waiver on file. Confirm the current rule in 49 CFR § 375.401 and with your own counsel.
Which is faster from lead to written estimate?
A virtual survey, usually by days. The customer can complete it the same evening you speak to them, whereas an in-home appointment has to be scheduled into an estimator’s calendar and then driven to.
Should we stop doing in-home estimates entirely?
No. Keep the in-home visit for large or high-value homes, custom crating, commercial moves, and any customer who asks to meet you. A visit requested by the customer is a sales opportunity, not an inefficiency.
The next step
See it on one of your own jobs.
The fastest way to judge CubitMove is to run a move you have already completed through it and compare the report against your own invoice.