The moment has come when you’ve finalized your moving date and find yourself on the hunt for moving company quotes. Hiring the best moving company at the best price is a struggle everyone will face on their way to their dream home.
Whether you’re hopping around companies in person or gathering online moving quotes, you’re going to need a small pool to choose from. Prices may vary between each company, so before you settle on one, it’s important you know why the prices may be different.
Size and Distance
The key factors to the price are the size of the move and the distance you’re going. A three-bedroom home with a dining room, living room, and bathrooms will cost more to move than a studio with one small space and a bathroom.
Though local moves are calculated by their weight and hours spent on the move, a long-distance move will be more by distance and your items’ weight. If you’re moving within 100 miles of your original location, you’ll pay the movers by the hour, depending on the size of your home.
Dates Are Important
The day of the week matters as much as the date itself. Spring to late summer are the most popular months for moving, which means companies begin to raise their prices as demand skyrockets. National holidays and weekends will also cost more, so if you’re hoping to save, a random weekday in the fall or winter may be your best option.
Walkthrough
Most draft or online moving quotes will only be rough estimates based on the information you provide. A quote can change, sometimes even drastically, after a representative of the company is able to do a walkthrough of your home.
The moment you sit down to get a moving quote, set up a time for someone to come take a look at your belongings and give you a better estimate of the price you may end up with. Without a walkthrough done beforehand, you are leaving a potential moving quote unfinished, so to speak, since you won’t know the final price until the day of the move.
Materials
Companies also offer packing and unpacking mostly as an additional charge onto a regular moving quote. If you’d like the full service, it will end up costing quite a bit more than if you were to do it yourself.
Not only will a moving quote have the extra time spent on packing included, but it will also have the materials. Doing it yourself means you could even pack for free so long as people would be willing to part with some boxes.
Location, Location, Location
The drop-off and pickup locations are an important part of a moving quote. The harder it is for the movers to reach your location, the higher the price. For example, you’re moving out of a tight street where a moving truck cannot fit comfortably or moving into a similar street.
These extra charges you’re likely to see are called haul or shuttle charges since the movers will have to use extra steps to get your items into the truck.
Stairs or Elevator
Though stairs at your location may cost more than an available elevator, there is no doubt that it will be a part of the moving quote you’ll receive. Also, if you have furniture that won’t fit through a standard door and require a rigger of some sort, you will likely find a hoisting charge added on.
Storage Fees
Not everyone who will be moving will encounter storage fees, but sometimes it’s necessary. If the moving company has to hang onto your items before the ultimate delivery date, your moving quote will add additional storage fees. It’s best to try and avoid these costs by timing the move-out and move-in dates.
Insurance
As a way to safeguard your belongings, companies can add on insurance coverage. A moving company will have basic insurance to cover losses that might happen along the way, but depending on the size of the move and the distance, it may not be enough.
It’s prudent for long-distance moves to look into purchasing extra insurance through the moving company, but it will have an overall effect on the price.
Labor Costs
Each state will have separate labor costs, which means your moving quote will depend on where the company is located. However, this is a charge you will most likely see only in long-distance moves, whether cross-country or internationally, since a short-distance move is really quotes based on an hourly rate.
Additional Services
Though these may vary by company, many moving companies will offer a full service of additions you can choose from. They’ll range from packing and unpacking to disassembly of your furniture. Some will have flight charges for long-distance moves if you do not want to wait for a truck or long carry fees. Unfortunately, not all of these charges can be avoided, but as you are getting a moving quote, it’s best to prepare.
Conclusion
A moving quote is a fluid document with potential changes as you come closer to your moving date. With several factors affecting the price, you may not always find yourself in control over the outcome on the price. Certain aspects of your specific move you won’t be able to change, such as a potentially tight location or the stairs.
Even if you can’t mitigate the costs, take some time to prepare as you build a portfolio of potential companies to work with. Compare and contrast what each moving quote has to offer, and don’t hesitate to ask what you can do to help change some of the costs. If some pieces of the move you can take off the moving companies plate, the overall cost may be less than what you expect.
