11 Tips for Avoiding Extra Moving Charges
It does not matter if you have a small or large moving budget to work with: you don’t want to end up with extra moving charges on your bill. Here are a few tips to help avoid this unwanted surprise.
- Get a Quote for Packing – Whether you need your entire home packed or just blankets wrapped around your glass tables and entertainment center, get a quote up front for these services.
- Disassemble Your Furniture – Movers are going to charge to disassemble your furniture. Plus, you may think your furniture is small enough to not need disassembling, but they may say they “have” to do it for insurance purposes. An in-home moving quote is best because then they see the furniture they will be dealing with upfront.
- Reserve Parking – You will end up with a long carry fee if the movers have to park a considerable distance from the door. This is usually more than 50 or 75 feet.
- Be Transparent About Stairs – Make sure your movers know how many flights of stairs they will be tackling in both locations, so this can be factored into your quote.
- Recycle Your Boxes – Some movers will charge you to remove your boxes and other packing supplies. Recycle them or list them on Freecycle or Craigslist to give to someone else who is moving.
- Dish the Details on Specialty Items – Safes, pool tables, home gyms, pianos, hot tubs, jungle gyms, etc. cost extra to move. Plus, the weight and size of these items will likely demand extra help. They will need to schedule appropriately.
- Avoid Extra Stops – Every time the moving vehicle stops to load or unload an item you will be charged extra. So, your aunt may be giving you her old living room furniture, but you will be paying extra to stop and pick it up.
- Be Punctual – Your movers likely have other appointments scheduled after you. So, if you are late then everyone after you will have to wait. You can expect to pay extra for this inconvenience.
- Fill Them in About the Elevator – If you are moving out of one place with an elevator and into another building with one, you will likely have to pay extra. Elevators may reduce the physical stress of a move, but they do slow the process down significantly because everything needs to be loaded and unloaded in batches.
- Share the Vehicle – If you have minimal belongings and they have someone else moving in the general area, you may as well share the vehicle and let the movers handle both on the same day.
- Reserve Storage – If your new home is not ready yet but you have to be out of your current one, you will need a storage space. Shop around for prices. The one your moving company offers could be the cheapest, but it may also be the most expensive option.
Moving can be exhausting, but hiring movers can help make it a lot less stressful. However, it can also make the transition a lot more expensive, if you don’t take the steps to avoid certain fees. As with everything else in the home buying process, the more research you can do, the better off you will be; especially when it comes to avoiding extra moving charges.