So, you’re getting ready to move to a new place and you want to be sure that you don’t forget anything. How are you supposed to make sure that you can get everything done? Are there ways to accomplish the goals that can save you time and effort?
As you look into the options that you have, you are often going to notice that there are many, many ways that you can decide to accomplish your goals and ideas. If you’re considering a moving service, you may be trying to research information, like how much do movers cost and what can you expect? Let’s take a look at the cost.
Where Do You Live Now?
Where you live now is going to play a role in costs because it will factor in the difficulty of the move. It’s much easier for a moving company to take care of the details around a rural move than one that’s in a downtown area of a medium to a large city. They may have to pay a premium for parking purposes, or it could take longer because of the complexity.
On top of that, the number of rooms in your home is going to play a big role in how much your move costs. As you may expect, the more rooms in your home, the more stuff you’ll have, so the more that you’re going to have to pay. If you look at websites, you will often see a rough estimate of the average costs of the company’s move – typically, that’s based on a three-bedroom home.
Lastly, where you live now is also going to affect costs in general. It’s typically going to be cheaper to hire a moving company in the rural parts of Virginia than it is in the middle of Boston. This is just due to the general cost of living and how much you’re typically paying for goods and services, anyway.
Where Are You Moving To?
Now, of course, where you’re moving to is almost as important as where you’re starting your moving journey. Moving companies will always use this information in order to get mileage sorted out. But, that mileage ends up telling a lot about how it is that your move is going to be sorted out.
For most moving companies, if the move is less than 100 miles away, then you’re doing what is known as a local move. Local moves are typically charged by the hour, and by how many people are going to be used in your move (at least 2, typically 3-5). This is because they require less time and logistical effort than trying to sort out a long-distance move.
If a move is more than 100 miles away, then you’re typically looking at a long-distance move. These go from hourly rates to mileage and weight rates. That’s why the estimate process is so important in a long-distance move – more often than not, you’re going to have a lot of details factored into the overall cost of your move. On top of that, you may also need to figure out a lot of logistical information in order to make sure that you and your movers are on the same page in regards to all of the things that you need to accomplish here.
Things get even more complex if you’re doing international moves. You’ll want to find a company that specializes in these types of moves if you’re going to be going across any sort of international borders during the moving process.
How Movers Estimate Costs?
Movers will take all of these factors together and put together an estimate for you ahead of time. Typically, they’ll come in, check out your home, and do a basic inventory of what they see in terms of large items and how many boxes they think it’ll take. Then, they’ll use that information, along with the questions that we listed above, in order to put together an estimate.
That estimate usually includes an idea of how much time it’ll take them to deal with everything, how long they’re on the road, and how long they expect to be at your old home and your new one. That quote will be what they work off of on moving day, and when they give you the final cost.
How much does it cost to hire a Professional Moving Company?
Local moving companies charge hourly rates for in-town moves which start from $50 to $200 per hour. The number of workers needed to complete the job will determine the moving hourly rate. Moving a studio or small 1-bedroom apartment will finally cost approximately $150 – $400, and it usually involves two workers and takes between two to three hours. It may take six to ten hours and three to five workers to move a 2- to 3-bedroom home at an overall cost between $600 and $2,000.
Long-distance movers on the other hand charge based on the actual weight of your belongings or the volume of your household items. The household move can cost between $600 and up to $10,000+ based on the size and distance of the relocation. Moving a small 1-bedroom will usually weigh about 2,000 lbs and will cost around $600 for a few distances to $2,500+ for a move across the country.
The weight of a typical two to three bedrooms will be about 5,000 lbs and will cost approximately between $1,700 and $7,000 based on the distance. The quoted price becomes even higher when you add fees like specialty packing, large items, shuttle trucks, and more.
Moving to an area with less population, such as the Dakotas or Montana, will generally cost more due to the less moving demands to those places. Go throughout the list of the best long distance movers to obtain quotes from various moving companies.
The Average Cost of a DIY Move
You can save a lot of money from your overall moving cost if you are prepared to handle all the heavy lifting and driving to your destination. This will also give you more control over the entire relocation process, which is preferable by some people. You can either go for moving containers or rent a moving truck for your DIY move. Let us discuss the estimated cost for the two options.
Cost of Moving Truck Rentals
You can expect to spend between $30 and $500 as the average cost of renting a moving truck for a local move. The size of the moving truck and the rental duration are both determinants of the price. For example, Budget Truck Rental usually charges between $20 and $60 daily as their truck rental base rate. Renting a moving truck for a 1-way can cause an average of $200 to $300 if your move will take about a hundred miles to $2,000 – $4,000 if your move will take you to another part of the country.
Rental rates for the long-distance move are determined by the distance between the points and the size of the truck being rent. There are a number of days and miles allowed in rental rates. For example, relocating to California from New York will include about 3,200 miles in your rental rate for six to eight days driving as rental duration. You can get additional rental mileage and days for free. You will also want to consider the cost of fuel in advance; typically, rental trucks get an average of eight to twelve miles per gallon based on their size and the loading level of the truck.
For instance, when a 26ft rental moving truck is fully loaded, it may get up to seven or eight miles per gallon, while a 10ft rental truck that is not loaded may get around twelve to fifteen miles per gallon. Fuel costs can significantly rise to hundreds of dollars.
Cost of renting a Portable Storage Container
Moving containers are similar to a portable storage unit that can be delivered at your doorstep, loaded, and then transported or stored locally or on a long-distance. This DIY approach doesn’t include any labor or packing cost. However, you can get local movers to help you load up the container as a separate service. Relocating a portable moving container within 50 miles will cost an average of $400 to $700 per container. Local movers charge for local moves each time you move the container.
The move generally involves three container charges which include a fee for drop off, transfer, and pick-up. The cost can quickly add up if you are moving the container beyond three times. The average moving cost for a moving container on a long-distance starts from $900 to $4,500+, based on the size of the move and the distance to move. Typically, traveling farther increases your overall cost. Your price may also increase if the moving company doesn’t have a location closer to your destination address.
Normally, get a company that has a nearby office to your current and destination addresses. The majority of storage companies like PODS provide 30 days of free storage to customers in their pricing for container sizes from 7ft to 20ft. Renting and moving larger containers will cost even more. You may need beyond one moving container if you are relocating a large home and this will definitely increase your total cost. Moving containers are a nice alternative for those who might need storage on their moves.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should you budget for your move?
Local moves are typically going to cost you somewhere between $250 and $1500, depending on the factors listed above, how far you’re driving your vehicle, and storage costs, hotels, and whatever else needs to be considered during your move.
Long-distance moves are going to be anywhere from $1000 to $10,000, depending on those same factors.
Why should I hire movers instead of doing it myself?
It takes much less time to have movers take care of your move. Plus, if you have distractions (like kids or pets), it’s easier to take care of them and let your movers deal with the details of loading and unloading.
Movers often have tools you won’t have for your move, and if someone else does the work, you’re less likely to get injured during moving.
How do I find the best movers?
The internet has a lot of resources that can help you to compare moving prices and ensure that you’re getting what you need from them.
Facilitation services can be really helpful and ensure that you’ve got the resources necessary so that you’re able to stay ahead of everything. You can also search online and contact some of these companies directly.
Can I engage in negotiations with movers?
Yes, you can engage your movers in negotiations. Most of them offer discounts or deals to reduce your moving cost. You can also present a moving quote from competitors to see if they can match or pass the bill. You may also seek advice from your sales agent on how you can further lower your moving costs; for instance, you may reduce your cost by being flexible with your date of move or reduce the number of items to be moved.
How much does it cost to move?
It would help if you prepared to pay $1,000 in the minimum to hire professional movers. As discussed earlier, your household relocation should cost an average of $1,250, while the average cost of a long-distance move is $4,890. The cost of your move is dependent on some factors which include the weight of items, labor costs, distance traveled, move date and other extra services as need such as packing or insurance.
Do movers charge by weight or volume?
Although moving companies charge based on volume or weight but typically, you should avoid estimation based on cubic footage if this is your first time working with the mover. We recommend you obtain a moving estimate calculated based on the weight of your belongings as they are verifiable by the Department of Transportation.
What is the cost of valuation?
It is mandatory for all interstate moving companies to offer Released Value Protection and Full Value Protection to clients. Each mover determines the cost of Full Value Protection, and thus there is no fixed rate for it, and make sure you ask your mover for details.
Released Value protection is the lowest liability and is included in your moving cost by default. This basic protection provides coverage of $.60 per pound per item. Although you won’t pay any extra fee on this type of coverage, it is considered the lowest. Those having special and valuable items should get Full Value Protection.
This type of liability implies that if your belongings get lost or damaged, the mover is responsible for the repair or replacement of such or reimburses you for its current value in cash.
How do I obtain the best moving deal on movers?
You can only determine if you are getting the best deal by obtaining at least three to four moving estimates from trustworthy movers. Moving companies can offer various pricing just like airlines and prices may change as well.
Make sure each moving company has the same services and costs listed on their quote to simplify your comparison. It must contain the item, weight, packing needs, volume, and any other important details in order to ensure proper comparison.
What should I check before I hire a moving company?
Make sure you find out if your expense is worth the cash or not, before proceeding with a costly moving company. You should consider other options like hiring containers or truck rentals if the expense doesn’t justify the cost. However, you can save time and energy if you have a flexible budget by hiring professional movers. Anyhow, make sure you compare the pros and cons of each moving choice before you choose a moving method.
What is the most affordable moving company?
Moving companies are typically costly. It might be important for you to consider other alternatives at the early stage of your move if you are more concerned about the budget. Fortunately, we’ve written an article on the lists of many cheap interstate moving methods just like the following:
Will a moving company accept to move a piece of furniture?
Hiring a moving company is the wrong choice to consider if you are moving just one piece of furniture such as a mattress or sofa. Most movers have the minimum weight they accept, and they will not take small shipments. You can consider using the LTL carriers or transportation marketplace like UShip as a better option to transport your single items.
Some Last Thoughts
Hiring movers is definitely worth the effort if you’re looking at your options and trying to figure out what makes the most sense for your situation. But, more often than not, you will discover that there are a lot of different ways in which you can save money on your move. Do some research, compare estimates, and figure out what will be best for you and your situation.
