# The perfect moving quote: how to write a quote that gets signed

Published: 2026-03-19 · Reading time: 7 min · Bas Software
Web version: https://www.bas.software/en/blog/perfect-moving-quote-checklist

Your customer asks for three quotes, and yours ends up on the kitchen table next to two others. What makes them choose you? This is how you write a moving quote that is clear, builds trust and gets signed quickly.

![A mover prepares a professional moving quote on a tablet, together with the customer at the kitchen table.](https://www.bas.software/images/blog/verhuisofferte-checklist-hero.jpeg)

Tuesday evening. You visited three customers for a survey today, and tomorrow you want to send the quotes. At the last house, the customer mentioned in passing: "We're getting three quotes, by the way." That means your quote will soon be lying on the kitchen table next to two others.

What makes them choose you then? Usually not just the price. It is the quote that arrives first, shows most clearly what will happen and is easiest to sign. This is how you write that quote.

## Why does a customer choose one quote over another?

Because moving is stressful. A customer hands over everything they own and mainly wants to know it will be fine. The quote is often the first thing they read carefully from your company, and that is what they decide on.

Customers drop out for a handful of familiar reasons. The quote arrives too late, they do not understand what is included, it feels like a standard letter, they have no idea whether you are any good, or accepting it is too much hassle. You can remove every one of those reasons.

## What goes into a good moving quote?

A good quote has a fixed structure. Not because it has to, but because the customer then sees at a glance what they are getting.

### A personal opening

Do not start with prices, start with the customer. Use their name, the date and the addresses, and refer to your conversation. That shows you listened.

> "Dear Mr Johnson, thank you for the pleasant conversation yesterday. As discussed, please find attached the quote for your move from Amsterdam to Utrecht on 15 March."

### Exactly what you will do

Not "move including packing", but specific. How many people are coming, with which vehicle, what do you pack, which materials do you bring and how are the belongings insured?

| Item      | Example                                          |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| Crew      | Three movers and a foreman                       |
| Vehicle   | 40 m3 moving truck with a tail lift              |
| Packing   | Fragile items and clothing                       |
| Materials | Moving boxes, blankets and tape                  |
| Insurance | Under your terms and conditions, with the amount |

### A price the customer can follow

Customers distrust a bare total. Show how your price is built up, so they understand where their money goes. With a fixed price the customer has certainty. With an hourly rate, add a realistic estimate of the hours and explain what it is based on.

### Extra charges named up front

Most arguments afterwards are about costs that were not in the quote. So agree clearly on what a move on a Saturday or Sunday costs extra, and what you charge for stairs without a lift, a long carrying distance or extra materials. What is not included, such as a piano, dismantling a kitchen or a parking permit, belongs in the quote too.

### Something that builds trust

Show that other customers are happy. Refer to your reviews, or add a real comment from a customer, with their permission. Also say in a few sentences what makes your company different: fixed crews, your own storage facility, or thirty years in the region.

### A validity period and an easy signature

A quote that is valid forever goes on the pile. Give it a deadline, for example two weeks. And make accepting as easy as possible: a digital signature or a button in the email. Every extra step, such as printing, signing and sending it back, costs you jobs.

## How do you make your quote a calling card?

Your quote is the first document the customer really reads from you. So treat it as your calling card, not a price list.

Use your own house style, with your logo and colours, so the quote looks as neat as your trucks. Offer extra services as a choice rather than a mandatory extra, such as packing help, extra insurance or storage. And give the customer something to keep, such as a short list of what they need to arrange themselves before moving day. Then they will pick up your quote again.

## Which quote do you write for storage or an office move?

Not every move is the same, and neither is your quote. So work with a few standard types of quote.

- **A move with storage.** The customer wants to know where their belongings are and what it costs to collect or add something in between. Put the monthly storage price and the costs of collecting and adding items clearly in the quote. How to keep track of storage properly is shown under [storage](https://www.bas.software/oplossing/opslag).
- **An office move.** A business wants to be out of action for as short a time as possible. So offer an evening or weekend move as an option, and show how you keep the disruption small.

## When do you send the quote, and how do you follow up?

The best quote loses to a mediocre one that arrives first. So send it as soon as possible after the survey, ideally the same day. If you do the survey remotely, by video, it can be even faster, as described in [AI moving survey: the camera watches and counts for you](https://www.bas.software/en/blog/ai-moving-survey-camera-counts).

Then the follow-up starts, and that is where most moving companies leave jobs on the table. Send a short email after a few days to ask whether everything is clear. Call a few days later. And do a final check when the quote is about to expire. How to win more jobs from your enquiries is covered in [more jobs from the same enquiries](https://www.bas.software/en/blog/more-jobs-from-same-enquiries).

**Checklist: the perfect moving quote**

- A personal opening with name, date and addresses
- Exactly what you do: crew, vehicle, packing, materials
- A price the customer can follow, fixed or with an estimate of the hours
- All extra charges named up front, and what is not included
- Something that builds trust: reviews or a real customer comment
- Your own house style, with extra services as a choice
- A validity period of, for example, two weeks
- Accepting with one click or a digital signature
- Follow-up planned: email, phone call, final check

> A customer rarely chooses on price alone. They choose the mover who makes them feel it will be fine, and that feeling starts with the quote.

## How do you write a quote like this without losing an evening?

You can do all of the above by hand, but it takes time. With quoting software you prepare the quote during or straight after the survey, in your own house style, with standard texts for each type of move. The customer signs online, and the job goes straight into your planning. How that works in Bas is shown under [sales](https://www.bas.software/oplossing/verkoop). Busy summer and unsure about your price? Read [charging more in peak season](https://www.bas.software/en/blog/charging-more-in-peak-season) as well.

Online or on location, you choose.'
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