How much do movers cost?

Depending on how specific you want to be, this may be a tough question to answer. From a simplistic perspective, you could say a complete moving service cost on average anywhere between $100-$400 per hour/per mover. That also depends on your location, how accessible your home is, the size of your home and how much stuff you have. The quote could vary greatly depending on how all these factors pan out. Let’s look at the key factors when trying to figure out this deceptively simple question of how much do movers cost.

When are you moving?

Depending on the time of the year, the cost of your move may vary greatly. As you can imagine, during the summer and dates around the 1st of the month see higher rates as a simple effect of supply and demand. In the summer, demand rises tremendously, and prices are adjusted based on how much capacity your moving company of choice has available.

Where are you moving from?

This parameter has two parts to it. Firstly, depending on if you are in the city or in the suburbs, access to your home may be vastly different. A house in the suburbs with an accessible driveway would not pose any concern. However, if you are in the city and require permits to block off the street, or need access to an elevator or receiving area, that is a different issue and may incur additional costs.

The second part of this question depends on the mover you chose. Most likely, the moving company you hire will charge travel time, so the further you live from the movers’ base of operations, the more additional costs you may see.

What are you moving?

This will make up the majority cost of your move. Depending on the size of your home, this will dictate the number of men needed and the amount of time required to remove all of your items. There are things that will naturally increase the amount of time, such as disassembly of furniture or emptying out your drawers. The movers will need to do this to make the furniture manageable to maneuver through hallways and down steps. If you are focused on being cost-effective when it comes to your move, you can do a bunch of this disassembly and decluttering prior to your move day to ensure your movers can operate as quickly as possible.

Additional items to evaluate

Often times leading up to the move day, life gets extremely hectic and some things gets missed. Keep in mind, your mover is prepared for this, and can offer both full-service packing options, as well as additional supplies if needed. If you happen to underestimate your need for either time or materials, your moving company will happily offer these items at an additional cost.  

The other important additional service to consider is valuation and liability. Most states have a default liability insurance requiring your moving company to carry. Keep in mind however that this is usually a very basic insurance, and if you have a claim on a sentimental or expensive item, the claim payout may seem inequitable. If this is a concern for you, reach out to your moving company and explore their valuation options, however an additional cost to think through as well.

 

One thing to note that is usually free, an estimate. As Olympia Moving & Storage consistently urges, perform your due diligence on the moving company you choose. Make sure they have the customer reviews, the accreditation, the experience and the expertise to make your move-day as stress free as possible.

Usps Mail Forwarding

The little things: Did you remember to forward USPS mail?

The complexities of moving are often hidden. The overarching notion of moving your stuff from point A to point B seem relatively simple. However, as you zoom in and pick apart the requirements and things needed to make your move successful: before, after and during, the term overwhelming comes to mind.

Most likely before your move comes the detail with housing. Buying or renting? Well, make sure the logistics line up for when you want to move. And once you land on that info, then there’s the moving preparation. Decluttering, sifting through all your items, packing all your items, will it all fit? Do I need any other furniture?

During the move, the complexity rears its ugly head in the form of aligning all schedules and the frantic pace throughout the actual move day.

And now after, once you get through the move comes the settling in and set up, which could take months. And while all this was going on, did you remember the little things, for example that you may need to forward USPS mail?

Luckily for you, you can depend on Olympia Moving & Storage to help you through every step of the process, providing tools to make things like needing to forward USPS mail an afterthought. As a moving company with 30 years of experience, we can assist with your relocation providing you access to the latest technology all in one place. Our moving resource center can help you navigate through your move, no matter what stage you are in, providing timely tools, tips and resources at your fingertips.  In addition to the USPS Mail forward capabilities, we can help you research and transfer utilities, provide insight into your new neighborhood services and send out moving announcements to your friends and family.

As we always suggest, do you research first for moving companies. The reviews, the experience and find yourself a partner and not just a one and one service provider. Your USPS mail will thank you!

Reach out to us today at 800 222 4744 or here for a free quote today.

The Importance Furniture Padding For Moving

Movers’ blankets are a hot topic as of late, given the increased scrutiny on cleanliness of pretty much everything we touch, we here at Olympia Movers wanted to provide some additional information on how we protect your belongings throughout your move. As experts within the moving industry, although the overall idea of moving belongings from point A to point B may seem straight forward, the complexities and hallmarks of a truly great moving service differ from company to company.

The details matter, and critical to a successful move start from the way we treat our clients and their belongings.  Our primary focus is on the client experience and ensuring all your items are treated like our own and protected as such, no matter a local move or a long-distance move.

When we first arrive at your house, we will ensure that there is proper floor covering where required. Once we tour your house to understand the scope, we go to work! Critical to the move is the ability to pack and stack your furniture in our trucks as efficiently as possible. We will work room to room, padding and protecting all the items that are required.

The moving blankets are a key tool in our arsenal. This blanket is no ordinary quilt. This is a thick, heavy-duty blanket that is a blend of polyester mesh and cotton. You may see these called furniture moving pads, moving pads, furniture pads or other iterations. These movers’ blankets keep your items protected from dirt, dust and shifting when stacked and packed tightly in our moving trucks. It’s often the little spaces and crevices that wreak the most havoc while in transit, causing potential shifting. These blankets are critical to help fill those tiny spaces and keep your belongings secure, taking up this little space. The thick and heavy material provides protection and keeps items static throughout the move. It goes without saying, we carry only the highest quality movers’ blankets

No matter the type of items you require moving, Olympia Moving & Storage has all the materials required to keep your items and your home protected from any damage. Apart from the materials we use as part of our service, we offer supplies for sale as well here. Included as a part of our moving service, we do provide the blankets and furniture padding needed in transit from your original location to your new destination.

Keep in mind, no matter the size of your move, furniture padding, or movers’ blankets are an integral component of your move. Some of the other moving companies may charge you per pad, and if you rent a truck there is most likely an additional cost if you require blankets. However you decide to handle your next move, whether on your own or through your favorite moving company(wink wink), make sure you do your research and prepare for the big day.

Why rent a truck for moving?

A simple question however, extremely loaded at the same time. The easy answer would be that you are looking to save money and control your own destiny. The complexities are layered, although it appears to be a straightforward decision. The multiple items to consider when renting a truck include:

  • The size of truck
  • How long the move will take you?
  • How comfortable are you driving a large vehicle around (possibly with through narrow streets)?
  • How does insurance play a factor?
  • Will you have enough room?
  • How to pack to avoid damage?
  • Do you have help moving?
  • Do you need parking or elevator permits?

And what about the cost? Does the rental company charge by mile or what happens if you’re just moving one way? Look out for those extra fees, and don’t forget the gas! Those massive rental trucks have voluminous gas tanks and are not shy about guzzling down.

We get it, sometimes it just makes more financial sense to rent a truck, relying just on yourself. But think of the timing, if you’re moving during peak months or heaven forbid on the first of a month (yikes, September!)  near or in the city, you are going to encounter a significant headache which may not be worth it. Balancing all these factors is overwhelming in it of itself, now throw in family and work obligations, and boy oh boy, have you got a big nut to crack. So, the question becomes, is it worth it?

What is worth it? Would it be worth it to work with an expert in the industry, replete with awards, 95% satisfaction rate on the last 10k moves, and hundreds upon hundreds of reviews praising the personnel and the overall experience?

Consider going with a moving service that you trust, with the experience and customer reviews to provide you the comfort knowing this will not be a nightmare scenario. When making your final decision, look at the big picture and see if renting a truck is the most effective use of time, money, and overall impact to your mental health.

There is a common cliche that moving yourself is one of the most difficult and aggravating things you can do. When you are weighing your options, and apart from all the costs incurred from both sides, make sure you factor in that most intangible and very hard to measure cost – aggravation and frustration. And what cost will that have on top of all the truck rental associated fees? When you weigh those factors against the ease and professionalism that comes with hiring a seasoned and expert moving company, you will find that sometimes the juice is worth the squeeze. That way, instead of managing through layers and layers of complexity during the move itself (and don’t forget the packing!), reach out to a moving company that can handle your move, providing a dedicated representative to walk you through the move from start to finish. Sounds like you should reach out to Olympia Moving & Storage for a free estimate. You stressless move starts with us.