How Much Do Movers Cost – a Quick Guide to the Costs of Relocation

Of course, having professional cross country movers do the job for you will make the whole thing much easier. But unfortunately, there’s no direct answer to the question of how much they charge for their services. The amount you’ll have to set aside for your upcoming relocation depends on various factors. However, there are multiple ways in which you can predict what your relocation budget should be. Simply check out our quick guide to relocation costs, and we’re sure you’ll have no trouble planning your finances for this event.

How Much Do Movers Cost on Average?

If you can’t get a direct answer to your question, you can at least approximately calculate your expenses in advance. In general, you should expect to be charged around $0.70 for one pound of cargo to have it transported across 1000 miles. So, for example, the cost of relocating a one-bedroom apartment across 1000 miles should set you back around $1200. The price, of course, goes down for shorter distances, and up for longer ones.

Keep in mind, however, that this is a very rough estimate, and your calculation shouldn’t be based solely on it. Luckily, there is a way to get a more precise estimate. Here’s how!

How Does One Calculate What It Costs to Hire a Moving Company?

Nowadays, all reliable long-distance moving companies offer price quotes. This means that you can ask them to estimate how much your relocation, in particular, will cost. There are several ways in which you can do this. Usually, a company’s website will have a quote page where you can fill out a quick form and receive all the necessary information.

An even more reliable (and quicker) method is to contact the cross-country movers over the phone. This way, their customer service agents can ask you any additional questions and find out if there’s anything else that may affect the final amount. On top of that, you will get the chance to find out all the other information you’d like to know.

The third method of calculating your quote is by requesting an in-home estimate. This means that the company’s staff will visit you in person and do a survey of everything you’d like to transport. This is the most reliable method, but it takes the longest to carry out.

Bonus tip: While you’re in the process of choosing the right relocation experts for you, make sure you ask for an estimate from several different companies. This will give you a good idea of what the average amount should be.

What Affects the Final Price?

You would probably like to know how customer service agents calculate your total costs. The truth is, it’s not simple at all. The calculation is based on a number of different factors, such as the distance of the relocation, the weight of all your belongings, the services you choose, and even the time of year and some other additional factors. To be more precise relocating in winter will be cheap than in the summertime.

How Long Is the Distance of the Move?

The distance between your old and new address is one of the two crucial factors that count towards the final costs. Of course, the larger the distance, the higher the amount. This is also one of the few things that you can’t really change when relating to a new state, so if you’re trying to save up, there’s no use worrying too much about it.

Each Bedroom Increases the Cost of Hiring Movers

When you request your moving quote, you’ll notice that one of the questions you receive has to do with the number of bedrooms in your house or apartment. In general, this number doesn’t really matter for the calculation, but it does give a pretty reliable idea of how much stuff you want to relocate, hence making it easier to determine the total weight of your belongings. In other words, how much movers cost for a two-bedroom apartment will depend on what you keep in those rooms, not on their number. So if you plan to move a piano or some other heavy furniture, this will mostly determine your price.

The Moving Services You Choose

A moving company does more than just load your things onto a truck and transport them to your new home. They usually offer a much wider array of solutions you can pick and choose from, depending on your budget and needs. These almost always include the following:

• Long-distance Moving services. The process of loading boxes onto a moving truck, driving, and unloading them at the destination is at the core of every relocation service.
• Professional packing. Most companies will also offer to pack your belongings for you, they will bring packing materials, to protect your fragile items, to pack your electronics and so much more so you don’t have to worry about that tedious task. So make sure you put this service on your moving to-do list.
• Auto transport. Some relocation companies can also ship your car to your new home. Different types of this solution have different prices.
• Storage units. Some companies can provide you with a storage unit to keep your belongings safe if, for whatever reason, your new place still isn’t move-in ready. Sometimes, this service is free for the first month. All you need to know is how to protect items in storage units.
• Moving boxes and other supplies. Usually, you can buy all the supplies necessary for packing your stuff directly from the company you’ve hired. Before buying double check if these boxes are strong enough for packing pots and pans.

Additional Factors That Could Affect the Final Price

Aside from the abovementioned factors, other things could affect the final amount as well. For example, if you are relocating from house to apartment that is on a higher floor, you might be charged an additional fee. Likewise, if some items can’t pass through the doorway and need to be moved through the window, your long-distance movers will need additional equipment and hired labor, which will bring an additional fee as well.

Make sure you ask your customer service agent about these miscellaneous expenses that can occur and let them know if they should take any of them into consideration when calculating your estimate.

Per-Hour and Per-Mover Prices

Some moving companies calculate their costs differently. That is, instead of charging for the distance, services, or weight, they will charge you per hour and per mover. However, this is usually only the case with local companies. If you’re long-distance moving, don’t expect to be charged this way.

How to Cut Down on Expenses?

You’ve asked around, read reviews, received estimates, and finally chosen your company. However, the quote you got from them doesn’t seem to fit into your budget. You still have to move, so how do you go about doing so without having to carry everything out on your own? Luckily, there are ways in which you can cut down on expenses without losing the possibility of using long-distance movers near me.

Getting Rid of What You Don’t Need

We’ve already mentioned that the more stuff you move, the higher the price will be. So it is only logical that, by getting rid of some things, you’ll lower your expenses. When you start packing for the move, go through everything you own carefully. Pick the clothes you haven’t worn in over a year, the fine china you don’t really like, the piece of furniture that won’t fit into your new home, pack glasses you don’t need- in short, anything you don’t really use or need. Learn how to have a successful garage sale, and you will not only free yourself of extra cargo but also make some extra cash on the side. If you don’t manage to sell everything, you can always donate clothes for the homeless or take them to your local charity organization or church.

Carefully Picking the Services

Another great way to cut down on your expenses is by carefully choosing the moving solutions you’d like to receive. For example, instead of having experts pack every single item in your home, do some packing on your own and let them handle only the more fragile stuff. They can pack your dishes for starters. If you don’t have anything that’s easily breakable or difficult to pack, you may even want to do the whole thing yourself. Invite a few friends over and let them help you. You could even turn it into a fun family activity, you can start your coping with moving away right now.

Also, you can always opt for borrowing moving supplies and getting free cardboard boxes from your local grocery store instead of buying brand-new stuff. Grocery stores usually have spare boxes they just end up throwing out, so they’ll surely be happy to have you take them off their hands. These also come in various shapes and sizes and have probably only been used once, which means they’re in good condition.

Things You Shouldn’t Cheap out On

While cutting your expenses on some things makes sense, there are services you shouldn’t really cheap out on. One of the most obvious examples is insurance. You should always have a policy that covers your stuff, if not everything you own, then at least those things that are more valuable. This could include electronics, jewelry, heirlooms, and so on. If anything gets damaged or lost, you will surely be glad to at least get some monetary compensation.

Another thing you shouldn’t hesitate to pay for is the professional packing service for your fragile and valuable belongings. Only an expert knows how to properly protect those items and prevent them from getting damaged in the truck.

Does It Pay Off to Have Experts Complete the Relocation?

When you take all things into consideration, you might catch yourself wondering: “Does it pay off to hire a relocation company?” Our answer is yes. Although it doesn’t seem so at first glance, doing it all on your own can amount to being quite expensive. Here are some of the things you’d need to calculate into your budget for a DIY move:

• Truck rental
• Gas and tolls
• Overnight accommodation along the way
• Food and drinks
• Insurance
• Packing supplies and relocation equipment such as dollies and hand trucks.

Hiring professionals to do the job for you will not only be good for your budget, but it will also save you from a lot of stress. After all, you want the new chapter of your life to begin as peacefully as possible.