Moving everything you own from your old home to your new one can end up becoming an expensive endeavor if it’s not carefully planned. This article by Devon Thorsby of U.S. News offers some helpful tips on how you can reduce your costs on moving day.
Moving is complicated for just about anyone, but if you’ve lived in the same place for years, you typically discover you’ve accumulated more than you imagined as you try to pack up your life to resettle it elsewhere. How do you begin to cut down what’s coming with you, and how do you get it from one place to another without eating ramen for the next three months?
Moving.com, an online real estate and moving service provider, estimates a full-service move – meaning a moving company takes care of loading, transporting and unloading – in Austin, Texas, could cost as little as $640 for a studio and as much as $4,440 for a four-bedroom home.
But it doesn’t have to cost so much to move. Rather than looking at moving as a single action, break it into the various parts of the process, and weigh the options to dramatically reduce the overall cost of setting up in your new home.
Moving gives you the opportunity to start from scratch when it comes to interior decorating, and often you’ll find yourself shopping for a couch or bed while you wait to close on your new home.
If that’s the case, don’t waste time and money moving the old stuff to your new place. A sure way to cut moving costs is to eliminate unnecessary belongings – especially larger furniture – from the equation.
To streamline the process of a long-distance, full-service move, consider hiring a national brand. This should reduce the need to work with two different moving companies, and by including representatives in each area, you’ll lower the possibility the moving truck gets lost trying to reach your new home because the movers are unfamiliar with your new city.
The key to saving money in your move is to know what parts of the planning process can lead you toward cheaper rates. Here’s what the pros recommend:
Research, and research early. It’s best to start your research early to determine the best method for you – full-service move, DIY or hybrid. And reserve any necessary equipment far in advance to make sure you don’t find yourself up the creek without a moving truck on the last day of your lease or hiring the only guy available.
Get three different quotes. As with any service you hire, you should always weigh your options and speak with multiple companies to not only find the best deal, but also to ensure who you choose to work with is reputable.
Consider the off-season. Summer is the most convenient time to move, but it often brings the cost of renting equipment and labor up due to higher demands.
Move on a weekday. Moving on a weekend isn’t very original, either. If you can take a day off work at least for the movers to come or to use the rental truck, you’re likely to find lower rates.
