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.
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