frequently asked questions

Four to eight weeks ahead is comfortable for most households, and eight weeks is safer between late May and early September. Marvin's Moving and Delivery books further out for Sugar Land, TX summer dates, though last-minute jobs are often still possible.

A licensed Texas mover owes you a written proposal describing the work, a moving services contract that carries those terms, and the Rights and Responsibilities brochure, all before a single item goes on the truck. Verbal agreements protect nobody.

A binding estimate fixes the price for the services listed, while a not-to-exceed estimate sets a ceiling and charges less if the job runs light. Texas requires either one in writing before anything gets loaded onto the truck.

A one-bedroom apartment often wraps in three to five hours, while a three-bedroom house runs most of a day. Stairs, long carries from the parking area, and closets nobody packed stretch that estimate far more than the driving distance does.

Trucks are weighed empty and then again fully loaded, and the difference is your shipment weight. That figure drives valuation calculations, so you have the right to observe the weighing and to request a reweigh if something looks wrong.

Ask how the estimate was built, what the crew size and truck size will be, whether the date is confirmed or tentative, how valuation works, and what happens if your closing or lease date shifts. Get every answer in writing.

Pack one carton you can open first: medications, phone chargers, toiletries, paper towels, a change of clothes for everyone, basic tools, scissors, and coffee supplies. Load it onto the truck last so it comes off ahead of everything else.

Begin three to four weeks out with the attic, garage, and guest room, then work steadily toward the rooms you use daily. Two cartons an evening quietly becomes 60 by moving week without anyone losing a weekend to it.

Yes, storage between pickup and delivery is common when closing dates do not line up. Goods stay inventoried while they are held, and delivery happens once the new address is ready rather than on a date that suits the calendar.

Note the damage on the inventory or delivery paperwork before the crew leaves, photograph the item from a couple of angles, and file a written claim. Your settlement follows whichever valuation option you selected and signed for at booking.

Someone with authority to sign paperwork and answer placement questions should be there at both ends of the move. If that cannot be you, name a representative in writing and tell us who holds the keys and access codes.

Neoprene runners go down on finished floors, door jambs get padded, and elevator walls and cab floors get masonite and blankets. Marvin's Moving and Delivery carries that gear on every truck, since buildings around Sugar Land, TX require it.

Specialty items need the right equipment: piano boards, stair-climbing dollies, straps rated for the weight, and enough hands to control a turn. Tell us about them when you book so the crew size and gear match what you own.

Disconnect and drain the washer, defrost the freezer at least 24 hours ahead, and shut the icemaker line off the day before. Gas appliances need a licensed technician to disconnect them, which is not work any mover should attempt.

Summer carries the heaviest demand, roughly late May through early September, and the final few days of any month book out first because leases and closings cluster there. Midweek dates in October or February are easiest to reserve.

Reserve the elevator and loading dock with building management, ask what certificate of insurance they require from your mover, and confirm the hours moves are allowed. We send the certificate straight to the property office, usually within one business day.

Houseplants do best riding in your own vehicle, upright in open cartons with the soil slightly dry. They cannot be strapped down safely in a loaded trailer, and a closed truck in Texas heat can cook them within a few hours.

Write the destination room and a short contents list on two sides plus the top, then add a priority letter: A for essentials, B for important, C for seasonal. Unpack in that order and the first evening stays calm.

File the change of address with the postal service about two weeks out, schedule the old disconnect for the day after you hand over keys, and make sure power and water are already live at the new address.