Whether you’re relocating locally or across the country, you don’t want to spend a fortune on your transport. That’s why you need an affordable moving and storage company. This article will help you find one.
Coming up are the most important tips for finding cost-efficient moving and storage services.
Affordable Moving and Storage 101
You don’t want a disreputable or inexperienced team to relocate and store your belongings. This means you’ll need to spend an extra buck for a reliable provider, but you don’t want to burn a hole in your pocket either. The following tips will help you avoid spending a fortune on your relocation.
Start Your Search Early
The idea is to contact high-quality companies that offer the necessary services at reasonable prices. Naturally, the demand for such teams is high, even if you’re not in the middle of the relocation season. This creates a sense of urgency – you need to find your carrier as soon as possible to avoid being stuck with high-end providers.
Act quickly by making the most of the time you have. The sooner you begin your quest, the more likely you’ll book an affordable company.
In most cases, you’ll want to start searching 2-3 months before your move-out. This will give you more options, providing greater flexibility when selecting a top-rated moving and storage team. Most importantly, you might qualify for discounts by booking your services early.
Get Recommendations
The biggest problem when finding affordable moving and storage providers is that it’s hard to tell which ones are reliable yet cheap. Each company guarantees first-class services and low rates. We all know that providing both at the same time is impossible.
You need to talk to someone who’s already had their belongings moved and stored by professionals. Ask your friends, neighbors, and coworkers if they’re familiar with a reputable carrier with reasonable rates. They might have relocated recently, so they can give you relevant information because their memory is fresh. Some of the aspects you should inquire about include the following.
- Affordability
- Quality of service
- Timeframes
- Professionalism
- Customer service
Your acquaintances should give you unbiased reviews. As a result, you’re less likely to be tricked into scheduling extortionate services.
Go Through Internet Reviews
If your colleagues, friends, or family can’t recommend inexpensive moving companies with high-quality services, you’ll need to turn to the internet. Check out online reviews and see what previous customers say about their mover.
Forums and comments are among the best ways to discover affordable moving and storage. Yelp reviews, for instance, are extremely helpful. They can include performance ratings and a brief description of what the carrier did right or wrong.
The idea is simple – the internet plays a vital role in movers’ reputations. If anything seems fishy or a company consistently renders low-quality services, you can use other people’s experiences to avoid being scammed yourself.
Use the internet to strike a balance between high-quality services and affordability. It’s the only way to ensure your budget and household items remain intact.
Request On-Site Estimates
Once you’ve gotten recommendations for a few companies, ask them for their prices and make sure they fit your budget. It sounds simple, but be wary when receiving estimates.
If possible, avoid accepting offers via email or phone because they might not be 100% accurate. Instead, request an in-home survey from multiple movers and storage providers. Committed teams shouldn’t mind coming to your address and examining the items you want packed and relocated.
Another great thing about on-site estimates is that the representatives can understand any potential obstacles during transport beforehand.
- Long staircases
- No elevators
- Tight corners or corridors
- Special items that need extra transportation or packing care
This way, they’ll know how to prepare for your moving day. They’ll bring all the necessary equipment and recruit the right number of people so you don’t get charged more for unpleasant surprises.
Requesting in-house estimates helps ensure your quoted price doesn’t change dramatically when the company delivers your belongings to their destination.
Familiarize Yourself With Average Costs to Find Affordable Moving, Storage
As previously discussed, your primary goal is to find cheap carriers. But how do you do so if you don’t know what’s expensive and what’s cheap in the first place? You need to research two types of service to understand the average price: local and long-distance moving and storage.
Cost of Local Movers
Most local carriers charge hourly rates, and they usually cost about $50 per hour, per mover. The exact price depends on several factors, including the company itself, season, day of the month, and locations.
Here’s how much homeowners usually pay when moving and storing their possessions locally.
- $90-$120 for hiring a truck and two personnel
- $300-$400 for moving out of studio apartments
- $400-$500 for moving out of 1-bedroom apartments
- $750-$900 for moving out of 2-bedroom apartments
- $1,400-$1,600 for moving out of 3-bedroom apartments
Keep in mind that the prices don’t include extra services like packing, unpacking, disassembly and reassembly of furniture, and handling bulky items.
Cost of Long-Distance Movers
Long-distance movers typically charge flat fees. They consider several factors to come up with a price.
- How heavy are the items that need to be stored and shipped?
- How far away are the customer’s homes?
- Are there any extra services that need to be performed?
On average, storing your belongings and moving them long-distance can cost anywhere between $1,000 and $6,200. Here’s the price breakdown of different types of long-distance transport.
- Approximately $1,000 for moving out of studio apartments
- $1,400-$2,100 for moving out of 1-bedroom apartments
- $3,400-$4,100 for moving out of 2-bedroom apartments
- $5,000-$6,200 for moving out of 3-bedroom apartments
These prices apply to moves about 1,000 miles long and don’t include additional services.
Compare Your Estimates
After obtaining several quotes from moving companies or acquaintances, you need to compare the offers and choose the most appealing bid.
Finding affordable moving and storage requires you to look closely at all estimates. Pay attention to all aspects, not just basic services. Make sure your prospects don’t plan on charging for some additional services you didn’t agree to. These can range from crating, hoisting, and shuttling to furniture disassembly and unpacking. Although useful, you’ll need a higher budget, which may not suit your vision.
Contact your prospective movers’ customer service if you don’t understand all the conditions or how the prices are calculated. They should be able to explain their services so you know what to expect beforehand.
Steer Clear of Low-Ball Offers
You’re looking for cheap services, but don’t be tempted to accept the least-expensive offer. You can get into a world of trouble if you’re reckless.
Estimates that are significantly lower than others could indicate fraud. Many rogue companies lure people with an incredibly low offer. But once the service starts, they often raise their prices drastically. The results can be disastrous – you may not be able to pay the bill, so the providers hold onto your possessions.
Don’t fall for cheap promises. Instead, determine why the prices are so low. If necessary, contact the carrier for more information. If the answer is unsatisfactory, reject their offer. Keep looking for an honest transporter that doesn’t want to take advantage of you.
Polish Your Negotiation Skills
Another vital step to hiring an affordable moving and storage company is to know how to negotiate better deals.
In most cases, the final price is negotiable, because it depends on several crucial factors.
- Company’s standard rates
- Shipment weight
- Requested moving services
- Additional services
If the estimate exceeds your budget, contact their customer service. Tell them you’re interested in their services, but you’ll only agree to their offer if they lower the price.
Bluffing is another viable strategy. Tell the provider you’ve been offered a better deal by a different company. They’ll be more willing to reduce your rate.
Finally, talk to the representatives to find out if you qualify for discounts.
Off-Season Service
People normally move during spring and summer. Winter and fall are less busy times of the year, making them off-season periods. Check if your prospective movers offer lower rates during this time.
Student Discounts
Large-scale moving and storage services aren’t always affordable for students. Some companies understand this, so they offer hefty student discounts to help alleviate the financial burden.
Don’t forget that you’ll need a student ID to qualify for the deal. Some other information might be necessary too, but customer service should make clear all the details.
Teacher Discounts
Some teachers change jobs often and move to different cities to stay employed. Many carriers make their transition easier by providing attractive teacher discounts.
Military Discounts
Members of the United States Armed Forces are entitled to all sorts of discounts, including moving and storage discounts. Carriers appreciate that they defend the country from various threats, so they may lower their rates by as much as 15%-20%.
Cash Discounts
If you can cover moving and storage expenses in cash rather than your credit card, consider doing so. Most companies can bring down the cost if you’re paying in cash, since it saves them money on credit card fees. In some cases, you might even shave $5-$6 per hour off the price this way.
First-Time Customers
Carriers that look to expand their customer base provide lucrative first-time customer discounts. The offers should be displayed on their websites, but you may also need to contact customer service to make the request.
Returning Customers
Providers usually appreciate loyal clients. They award customers who return for a second or third service with high discounts.
Make Other Money-Saving Moves
While comparing quotes goes a long way in finding affordable moving and storage, this is just one way of saving money when relocating. You can combine it with other techniques to bring down the rate dramatically.
Try to minimize your expenses by doing the following.
- Pack up belongings on your own
- Use free materials and alternative supplies rather than paying the company to bring their equipment
- Get free boxes from local businesses or friends to cut packing expenses
- Reduce the number of objects you want to bring to your new home
Check Your Movers’ Legal Status
The tips above will help you find affordable movers that are more likely to transport your household items safely and efficiently. However, there’s still work to do.
Before you accept a bid, do your due diligence to avoid legal trouble. In particular, research the companies to be sure they’re reputable, insured, and licensed.
How do you verify you’re doing business with licensed movers? You can check out the following resources.
American Trucking Association
Go to the American Trucking Association’s web page to check whether your prospects are members of this prestigious organization. If so, this gives you peace of mind, knowing your possessions are in great hands.
US Department of Transportation (USDOT)
If you need long-distance affordable moving and storage, you may need to hire an interstate mover. These companies must obtain a USDOT license to transport household belongings legally throughout the country. They should have a special number issued by this department, proving they’re insured and licensed. Go to the USDOT website to find licensing details of the carriers you’ve shortlisted.
Carriers’ Websites
This is the last place you should check to make sure your transporter is reputable. Visit their web pages and look for corresponding MC numbers if they’re an intrastate company or USDOT numbers if they provide interstate services. They should be clearly displayed on their home pages or in the “About us” section.
Don’t Take a Gamble With Dishonest Providers
Finding an affordable moving and storage company is your number one priority, but don’t ignore other aspects. Having your belongings transported by a reputable provider that utilizes safe shipping practices is much more important. Otherwise, you may incur a major financial loss.
If you’re looking for a quote from one of the most dependable movers in the country, visit www.movingandstorageservices.net. You can get in-depth information about our rates, including standard and add-on services. Alternatively, give us a call at 877-742-8944 and our operators will get you started.