The average cost of a local move is $1,250. But what is involved in that cost? What can you expect from a local moving company? How long is it going to take for you to get everything done? And how will it go? This is what we’ll take a look at in this guide.
What Your Home Has Inside of It
The number of items and the number of rooms in your home play a significant role in the cost of a move, whether it’s a local one or a long distance one. Many moving companies use this information for two things – how long they think your move will take, and how much they are going to charge you in terms of an estimate.
Some companies do walk-through options for their moving quotes, which allows them to get a more accurate idea of how much you’re going to have to pay for everything. Now’s the time to get rid of what you don’t need to keep and to reduce the amount of stuff you’re going to be moving to your new place.
Any Special Considerations
Moves get more complicated when there are fragile items, antiques, and/or large items that need to be moved as a part of your local move. The more of those items there are, the more supplies and care that your team is going to need to consider as they move your items.
Because of this, it’s going to increase the expertise and the time involved to make everything happen within a reasonable amount of time. More often than not, you will get charged special handling fees or other associated fees in order to compensate for how much extra effort will go into moving things.
Vehicles and Electronic Items
Do you have an oversized TV and/or other fragile, oversized equipment that you’re going to need to put in the moving truck or van? If so, then those items may also accrue extra costs because of the space they take up or the expertise needed to take care of them during your move.
Another consideration is vehicles, like go-carts, lawn mowers, mopeds, etc. These may require a hitch or you may need to rent an additional trailer so that they can be taken to your new home. Once again, this may end up kicking the price of your move up a little bit when all is said and done.
Size of the Truck They’ll Need
Federal law states that if a truck can hold 26,001 lbs. or more, then someone with a CDL needs to drive the truck or van being driven. Most moving companies use vehicles smaller than that, but if you have an unusually large home, you may need a bigger truck.
Your moving company has two choices here – they may need to have someone with a CDL to drive the larger truck, or they may use two smaller vans to load up your items. Either way, your cost will likely go up because of the extra manpower that is need for your move to be completed in the way you wish it to be.
Hours
We’ve mentioned it a few times, but time is money, and the longer your move will take, the more you’re going to have to pay for it. Hours are a pretty consistent consideration for all moving companies, with many local moving companies making it as simple as the number of hours, multiplied by the number of movers, multiplied by a certain rate per hour.
Extra Services
Extra services that you request or need are going to have an extra cost associated with them. Different moving companies have various moving service options available, including packing services, the sale of packing supplies, and a number of other things that they can do in order to help make your move go smoothly.
Tip
Lastly, make sure that you tip your movers to let them know how much you appreciate their hard work. Local tips should be between $10-$30 per mover per hour if you can afford it. They’re only getting a portion of the money you pay for your move, so going the extra mile to tip them is something you want to be sure to do.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I reduce my stress on moving day?
Get some friends to help, and make sure that all of your ducks are in a row. If you’re not super far from your new home, take a load or two over yourself before the movers get there. This will make your day go more quickly and you’ll feel much more prepared to face the day.
How much time should I give myself to move?
Moving is going to be exhausting, whether you are doing the physical work or not. At the very least, you want to give yourself a couple days off before and after if you can. Otherwise, your moving company can give you an idea of how long it all should take.
Why shouldn’t I just move myself?
You can, of course, but there are some risks involved in that process. More often than not, you will run the risk of causing damage to your property and sometimes, to your own body. You can save money, but you’re going to need to bribe your friends to help you out if you don’t hire a moving company to help.
Getting Started with Your Local Move
Your local move is definitely going to take some time to plan, but it’s not as complex or stressful as many people make it out to be. With the right moving company, and a little bit of effort, you can ensure that you’re ready when moving day finally comes around.
