According to resent industry data, increasing number of households and businesses are looking for a long-distance, cross country move. Almost a quarter of all planning to move are looking for a different metro, 500+ miles relocation. Considering the fact that the average cost of shipping household goods in 2012 being $12,500 the answer of the question “How much does my cross country moving cost? ” is becoming the most important when making the decision to relocate or choosing among moving companies.
What the cost of cross-country moving depends on
There are many components that determine the cost of moving and they are specific for each type of move. In this article we’ll stress on those constituting the cost of interstate relocation so that everyone gets the idea how much would cost their long-distance move. In most cases moving interstate involves hiring a moving company – the distance and the specifics in organization and logistics most definitely require experienced moving professionals for a smooth, trouble less relocation. Not to mention the fact that this will save you the stress and heavy work of organizing, packing, labeling, and even loading and unloading your belongings at different stages of the move. This is especially true if you haven’t moved before – trying to save on the moving cost by doing the move yourself can put you in lots of difficult situations and tough decisions and on the bottom line, it will surely cost you more money and hardship compared to hiring a professional mover.
Get to know what moving will actually cost
If you trust our experience and follow our advice, you are ready to determine the cost of your move. Long distance moving costs are determined mainly by the weight or volume of your belongings. Weight is the most commonly used estimator but the volume (measured in cubic feet) could be used for light and bulky items. The best way to get a precise cost level is by arranging an in-house estimate by a moving company. This type of estimate will also allow you to get a binding moving quote from the company. However, if you are able to make a detailed list with all your items you can receive an accurate price quote over the phone. Hint form the expert: A moving company can offer a discount if you wait to be loaded with other customers’ items going the same direction.
Rough estimate of the cross-country moving costs
Everyone can get a rough idea about the cost of their interstate relocation. The typology of the real-estate sizes can be divided in the following chart:
This are of course only rough estimates of the moving costs – logically, the final price is also strongly related to the distance of the move. Typically, for an interstate long-distance move further than 2,500 miles you should expect prices between $0.60/lbs to $1.00/lbs. It is not recommended though to go for the lowest price – it can be tempting, but lower prices usually mean lower quality service and you can get easily scammed.
Other price components you should be aware of
Storage service is coming as a part of the moving package, but it has specific terms. Some moving companies will provide a 30-days free storage. After that period they’ll charge you additionally for storage, ranging from $50 to $60 a month per vault (the average capacity of a vault is 1500 lbs).
The Basic valuation coverage averages $0.60 per pound of your items. You should consider purchasing additional insurance to cover the value of your belongings in case of damage or loss during transportation.
Long Carry Fee is applied in case that the moving truck cannot be parked in close distance of your front door. It usually goes from $75 to $100 for every 60-80 additional feet.
Flight of Stairs Fee – you can be charged additional $75 for every extra flight of stairs that movers have to climb carrying your belongings (one flight is around 7 stairs).
Hotel expenses – moving long distance for more than 1,500 miles trip will require at least one night at a hotel along the way. If your family is large this extra expense should not be neglected since the average cost is $100 or more per bed, depending on the location and category of the hotel.
Choosing the right cross-country mover
Assuming you’ve made a wise decision and decided to hire a professional mover for your interstate move, the question is how to identify the best one to do the job? Definitely the moving cost depends on the moving company as well – different companies charge different prices for the same services so you need to know which one offers the best price-quality ratio. Finding it is much easier now – what you need to do is collect as much useful information as possible on the Internet. Visit cross country moving companies’ web sites and fill in free moving quotes or use moving calculators to get many different price offers. Once settled with few acceptable quotes check the respective companies’ reputation on The Web – there are a number of specialized sites which provide user ratings and opinions for the quality of services provided by these companies.
