How Much Does It Cost to Relocate After Selling Your House?

When you decide to sell your home, you will need to move once the sale closes. Many people often overlook the moving costs associated with relocating to a new house. However, the cost of moving should be included in the home’s selling costs. Determining how much it costs to relocate depends on several factors, as you will soon see. 

Factors to Consider When Calculating Moving Expenses

#1. Local Moves vs. Long Distance Moves

When you move across town, the costs to move will be less than moving long distances either in-state or out-of-state. This is because local movers often include a set amount of time in your initial moving quote. If they go over that time, then they will charge an hourly rate.

With long-distance moves, the cost of moving is based on the weight of the goods being moved. Therefore, your mover should provide you with details showing the weight of the empty truck and the estimated weight of your items when preparing your moving quote. 

#2. The Size of the Home

The size of your house often determines how much stuff you will need to move. The larger the home, the more belongings you need to pack and move. For example, the moving costs for a 3 bedroom house will cost less than a 4 or 5 bedroom home. 

#3. The Amount of Moving Supplies You Need

This factor goes along with the previous one and is based on the volume of belongings you will need to pack. Remember to include different sizes of moving boxes, bubble wrap, padding, packing tape, and other essential moving supplies you will need when calculating your costs. 

#4. DIY Move vs. Hiring Movers

The costs for a DIY move does cost less than hiring local movers or long distance movers. Yet, you are responsible for taking care of all aspects of the move, including renting a truck, packing, loading and unloading, and driving the truck to your new house. 

#5. The Cost of Add-On Services

When you hire full-service movers to assist with your relocation, they can offer add-on services, such as packing services and unpacking services. If you decide to take advantage of these, your moving budget will increase.

#6. When You Are Moving

You should expect to pay more when your move date is on the weekend or during the summer months. These are peak times for moving companies, whether you pay for a truck rental or hire full-service movers.

#7. The Distance You Are Moving

Local movers will often include a flat rate for moving a certain distance, such as up to 100 miles. However, if your local move is more than 100 miles from your current home, then you should expect to pay a per-mile fee. 

Long-distance movers usually charge based on the weight of your belongings. However, they may still charge a per-mile rate as well. So make sure to verify what additional charges there will be when you get an estimate. 

#8. How Much Advance Notice You Give

You can expect to pay more if you wait until a few weeks before your moving day to rent a moving truck or hire movers. The more advance notice you give, the lower your moving costs. Even if you are not entirely sure of the moving date, having an approximate move date can lock in your moving costs. 

#9. Moving Insurance

Protecting your belongings while they are being relocated may require you to obtain moving insurance coverage through the moving company. However, some insurance providers do provide moving insurance protection. 

So, it is worthwhile to check with your agent to see if your homeowner’s insurance has this protection. If not, then you will want to include moving insurance in your moving budget. 

#10. Additional Moving Fees

Depending on the type of moving services you require, there may be added moving fees, such as:

• Storage Fees – If you need to store some of your belongings before moving, you will have storage fees.
• Long Carry Fees – If your movers have to carry your items over a long distance to or from the moving truck, they may charge this fee.
• Specialty Moving Fees – Specialty items include grandfather clocks, pianos, large mirrors, paintings, and other fragile items requiring special handling.
• Stair Carry Fees – If your movers have to move items up and down several flights of stairs, usually more than one floor, you may be charged a stair carry fee.
• Expedited Delivery Fees – This fee applies to long-distance moves when you want your items delivered faster than the usual delivery time, which can take up to a few weeks.
• Additional Stops Fees – If you require your moves to stop at your storage unit or other locations to pick up belongings before delivering them to your new house, they could charge this fee.
• Tipping – While tipping is optional, many people will tip their movers when they do an exceptional job.

How to Save Money on the Cost of Moving

Suppose you have a limited moving budget. You will want to look for ways to save money on your moving expenses. The most obvious way to lower the cost of moving is with a DIY move. Other ways to lower your moving costs include:

• Declutter before your pack. Taking the time to sort your belongings before you pack helps you get rid of anything you do not want or need.
• Have a garage sale or yard sale. Selling anything you no longer need or want can help raise additional money you can use to pay for your move.
• Donate items to a nonprofit organization. Anything you have left after a garage sale or yard sale can be donated and could qualify for a tax deduction.
• Get help from family and friends. Ask family and friends to help you with your move instead of hiring a moving company.
• Pack and unpack yourself. You can cut your moving expenses by several hundred dollars by not opting for professional packing and unpacking services offered by full-service movers.
• Source free boxes and packing materials. You can get a wide assortment of boxes you can use to move from local stores. You can also ask your friends and neighbors if they have any boxes or packing materials they do not want that you could have for your upcoming move.
• Choose a moving day that costs less. Moving in the middle of the week or before or after summer will help lower your moving costs.
• Ask about moving discounts. Many moving companies offer discounts for seniors, veterans, active members of the armed forces, and certain membership programs. You may also be able to find discounts online or through other sources, such as your employer or the post office, when picking up your mail forwarding packet.
• Get more than one moving quote. One mistake people make is to not shop around for moving companies. Take the time to request moving quotes from at least three different movers who do an in-person estimate.
• Compare the costs of moving trucks for DIY moves. If you are moving yourself, shop different moving truck rental companies to find the best price for the size truck you need.
• Consider a smaller truck for short-distance DIY moving. Another way to lower costs is to rent a small moving truck rather than a larger one. Just make sure to check the per-mileage fee to determine if you will save any money.
• Compare the cost of a moving container. For long-distance moves, you may be able to lower your cost by renting a moving container. You only pay the transportation costs as you load and unload it yourself.
• Check out freight companies. Some freight companies offer moving services where they drop the truck off at your house. You pack up the truck and, once done, they pick it up and haul it to your new home where you unload it.

Obtaining a Rough Cost of Moving Prices

Now that you know about the different factors that influence the cost of moving and ways to save money, you may be wondering what your moving expenses will be. The best way to get a rough estimate is to use a moving cost calculator. 

There are several free moving cost calculators available online to help you compare your costs between hiring full-service movers, container moves, freight moves, and DIY moves. However, it is essential to remember these are rough estimates to give you a price range. 

Furthermore, these calculators rarely consider any specialty moving services or unique situations, as when you need to move a second vehicle long distance. Therefore, once you decide what type of moving you will be using, you can start requesting moving quotes to get a better idea of how much it will cost to relocate to your new home. 

How 800CashToday Can Help Reduce Your Moving Expenses

800CashToday makes it easy for you to sell your home in “as-is” condition to local, motivated cash buyers. In addition, when you choose to list your home through us, the buyer will cover your moving costs of up to $1,500 for local moves using one of our partner professional moving companies. 

You can also apply this money as a credit for long-distance moves through professional full-service movers. If you decide to do a DIY move yourself, then the moving credit is added to your purchase price, and you will receive it as part of your proceeds for the sale of your home. 

Additionally, we offer our sellers up to a $10,000 cash advance, which you can use to pay for your moving costs. Best of all, we give you the flexibility to choose your move-out date. So, you can stay in your current home for a little longer after closing. 

Other perks our sellers enjoy:

• No repairs or maintenance are required since you are selling your home “as-is.”
• Free credit repair service if you require it.
• No need to hire a real estate agent or pay realtor commissions.
• No staging, home viewings, or other time-wasting and added “home prep” expenses.
• No appraisals are required.
• Quick closing and fast escrows in as little as a week.

Are you ready to find out how much your home is worth? Then, request your free, no-obligation cash offers from motivated local buyers to sell your home and move easily with 800CashToday!