Each year, thousands of people decide to move from one location to another. If you are planning a long-distance move, it can be a costly activity, but it is also physically demanding. Therefore, most individuals will choose to move with professional movers’ help. However, this can be an expensive way to get your household possessions to your new location. If you are willing to make an effort, there are cheaper ways to complete the move. The problem is that paying less money to the mover may be a more expensive way to get your household possessions to your new home.
Risks of a DIY Move.
Not enough time: If you try to do all the tasks involved with relocation to a new location, you may be so tired and physically exhausted that you give up before the work is done. It can cost more than you would have paid to a professional long distance mover. Allow plenty of time to complete all of the tasks which go along with a DIY effort. The risk of running out of time before moving day, so there is less care in packing the items you use most frequently. You may even have to pay temporary labor to complete your packing tasks.
Rushing to complete your packing tasks: If you run out of time, it can also mean that things get broken or otherwise rendered inoperable. If your packing is not done correctly, it is easy to end up with broken appliances, electronics, or other items that must be replaced or repaired. The packing boxes can be free and abundant, but they may not hold up well enough to protect the contents during the move. Buying boxes and other packing materials is also not a solution. Instead, you spend money and end up with gaps in the boxes or trying to place items that are the wrong size or shape in failing boxes.
Problems with the moving crew: In the interest of spending as little as possible to complete your long-distance move, you may have the luxury of calling on friends or family members to help with elements of the move. These include sorting, packing, cleaning, loading the trucks, or other tasks. The price of volunteer labor is typically low, but there are risks when you rely on volunteers or unskilled labor to help. A hospital visit can be costly if someone is seriously hurt while lifting boxes or moving them into the truck. If someone drops a box of heirloom dinnerware, the loss is financial, and the items may be irreplaceable.
Risks of Using Fraudulent Movers
If you are to the point in your relocation efforts that you are ready to choose a mover, there are still some ways in which your expenses are higher than you believed they would be. The inflated prices might be because the long distance movers are fraudulent or because you needed to read the contract more carefully. Before signing a contract, ensure that the moving company is legitimate and you know what you are paying for.
If you do use a professional mover, it is essential to be sure that the mover is a licensed, reputable company with the necessary federal registrations and ownership information. The lowest price quote for an upcoming move may cost you more money, thanks to some fraudulent practices. Your price estimate should be detailed and arrived at by a professional on-site estimator. A low-ball price before the estimator has done a walk-through of your possessions is suspect. The price quote should be in writing, and it should be detailed.
A sizable deposit paid upfront can be a way of separating you from your hard-earned money. The money is collected, but more funds are demanded before the possessions are released. In addition, if your items are held hostage for storage costs or more things are moved than you expected, the costs can escalate quickly.
Never sign a blank contract. You could be liable for any price attached to the move, with little opportunity to recover your possessions. It would be best if you were sure you understand the insurance coverage you are paying for. Broken or lost possessions can inflate an otherwise low moving cost. There are multiple insurance types.
Insurance coverage comes into play when you are doing your packing. Self-packing is one of the ways to pay less for the move, but some long distance movers are very particular about how the packing is done. If boxes are not packed in precise ways, the movers may refuse to load the boxes. Alternatively, the movers may require that some boxes be re-packaged using more expensive moving team labor on Moving Day. If anything is broken in the self-packing mode, the mover’s insurance will probably not cover it.
So, What Is the Least Costly Way to Move Long Distances?
Regarding actual financial outlay, the cheapest method of moving long distances is likely to do it yourself. Get as much done with the help of family and friends as possible, and do the packing yourself. Be sure to use the tips and hints found at various places online to do your packing and sorting as early as possible.
Be sure to keep in mind that any service you pay for while moving will add to the overall cost of the move. Some of the specific cost-saving measures include doing your packing and moving during the mover’s slower months. In addition, some movers offer discounts for senior citizens, veterans, or first responders. Before packing anything, it is wise to go through all your possessions to pare them down as much as possible. The more you pack up and transport, the higher the overall cost. As much as possible, get free or discounted packing materials and supplies. Buy in bulk where it is appropriate as a cost-saving measure.
Planning, inventorying, and reducing the size of your possessions are all ways to reduce the cost of a move, whether you are doing everything yourself or working closely with a long-distance mover to lower your costs.
