Many people are astonished at the costs of moving services. Before you make moving plans, it’s good to have a realistic idea of the costs involved. This may affect the services you buy, the date you move, and even what goods you take.
Transport cost
The central service is the transport of your goods from your present home to your new home.
First, determine whether your move will be considered “local” or “long-distance”, because North American movers charge very differently for these two categories.
• Rough Guide: A local move is anything less than 100 km or 60 mi.
You can use this rule of thumb for early planning purposes, but movers differ in their definition of local vs. long-distance, so be sure to ask when you talk with them.
In general,
• Local moves are charged by the hour.
Chargeable time begins when the moving truck leaves the company’s property and ends when it returns to company property, so the distance from the moving company to your home will affect the total charge.
• Long-distance moves are charged by the weight of your load.
Most long-distance movers charge at a rate of approximately $1 per pound of goods moved.
Depending on the amount of goods and furnishings to be moved, a mover who charges by the hour may cost you more than a mover who charges by the pound. If your move distance is considered local by one mover, but long-distance by another, then this factor may affect your choice of mover.
Other moving costs:
In addition to the transport cost, a full-service move also includes:
- Loading and unloading
- Packing materials, such as boxes
- Packing services
- Storage
- Insurance
- Taxes
Any or all of these services may be necessary or desirable, depending on your circumstances. Be sure to allow for their cost.
Packing materials (such as boxes): If you do the packing, you can save on labour costs, but be sure to use {good quality materials}, and allow for their costs. However, the mover will not accept liability for damage to items you have packed, and insurance may not be available either. Also, allow ample time to do the packing. Many movers offer suitable packing materials and can advise on their choice.
Packing services can be a good value if your time is scarce or you have fragile items needing liability coverage.
Storage may be required if the time when you move out of your present home cannot be closely coordinated with the time you can move into your new home.
Insurance: The basic coverage included with any move will not cover items of any significant value. Your household insurance probably has a realistic replacement value for your goods. Shouldn’t they have just as good coverage during a move? This can be especially critical if you are moving fragile or unique items. Allow for the cost of insurance.
Taxes: Don’t forget the federal and provincial/state taxes! On a substantial move, they can also be substantial.
Need to reduce your cost?
If the above costs look out of your range, consider ways to lower your moving cost.
Ready for a more accurate figure?
The above estimate is a rough guide only. Please click here for an actual moving quote.