How much does it cost to move house?

Written by in Moving House

A toy van with suitcases on top

Moving house is a stressful, exciting life event but there are countless variables to consider when choosing a moving company to prevent hidden costs sneaking onto your invoice. Here are the key things to consider when choosing a company, plus some approximate costs for different aspects of moving.

Services offered by moving companies

  • Packing
  • Unpacking
  • Cleaning
  • Secure storage
  • Insurance
  • Pet and vehicle transportation

Choose a quality brand who can customise your experience by integrating the multiple services you need.

What you should ask when requesting a quote

 Ask how the company plans on looking after your items. Be cautious if they can’t answer. A good moving company should be able to explain exactly what wrapping materials they’ll use to look after your possessions, and how they’ll pack the boxes and the truck to minimise the risk of damage.

Cost depends on:

  • What you’ll be moving: Heavy vs. small items
  • How much you’ll be moving
  • How far you’re moving: Interstate vs. local
  • Access to and from your old and new houses

Heavy items need more hands to help

If you have many heavy items, you’ll want three movers so two can carry heavy items together, while the other can pack and continue moving through other rooms. Having an extra mover will add to your cost within some companies who charge per person. Good companies will determine how many ‘guys’ you’ll need just by discussing the move with you, and they won’t charge you extra for having more people, it will all be included in the quote.

Interstate vs. local move

If you’re moving further away, your cost will be greater. Expect approximately $1000 increase in cost for an interstate move vs. a local move. This is a very loose estimate from a reputable company, estimating one full shipping container.

Access to your house may slow movers down

If access to your home requires the van to park a significant distance from your home’s entrance, and involves any stairs at all, you’re looking at a greater cost.

You’ll be looking at around $200 extra if either your uplift (old house) or your delivery (new house) involves one set of stairs.

Ways to save:

  1. Pack small things yourself

Pros: Use your own linens to pack crockery and trinkets and place them into boxes. Then all you’ll need to pay for is the movers to move the boxes and your large furniture items.

Cons: You’re not a trained removal expert, and broken plates and ornaments may occur after your home-made packing attempt. Unless you’re confident in your ability to prevent breakages, it’s best to leave it to the experts.

  1. Unpack boxes yourself

Pros: After the movers set down all your furniture and boxes, they can leave you to it while you set to work unpacking your new home. If you’ve got plenty of time on your hands, and don’t get overwhelmed easily, this is an option for you.

Cons: If you’re starting a new job the day after you move house or the thought of boxes taking up 80% of your new house overwhelms you, paying for an unpacking service may be the right option for you.

For an entire two-bedroom house, unpacking services are as little as $500; a small cost to pay to eliminate a week of stress.

What makes costs differ between companies?

Despite what the cheaper company may tell you, it’s largely related to quality. Some companies may quote you a seemingly cheap hourly rate, but take far longer than a reputable company. Most reputable companies don’t quote hourly rates at all, they look at the move in its entirety and give you a quote with no hidden costs that appear on your invoice after your move.

Don’t forget insurance

Unexpected events can occur even during local moves, such as traffic collisions. Even if you only have one box of fragile, sentimental possessions, enquire about insurance for these goodies. Insurance isn’t automatically factored into a quote, so make sure you ask for it.

Moving house doesn’t need to be costly and stressful, so shop around for a reputable moving company to create the most seamless moving experience for you.

Article provided by Wridgways