No matter if you’re moving inside New York or going for an intercity or interstate move to New York, the moving costs are always high and they should be factored into your relocation budget. However, there are some things that you can do not only to assess the moving costs beforehand but also to make sure that you make the most of your money spent and bring down the costs to a certain extent as well. To be honest, this entire practice depends primarily on how good your negotiation skills are and whether you’ll be able to convince your chosen movers & packers to cut down the costs and include more services in the package or not.
Estimating The Moving Costs In NYC
When it comes to making estimations, there are quite a few factors that should be taken into consideration as they can influence the costs incurred big time. LuxuryProperty.com highlighting the most important factors that actively contribute to the moving costs for NYC moves include:
- Distance Of The Move
Obviously, the distance is directly proportional to moving costs and if you are moving across greater distances it will cost you more. Similarly, shorter distance moves will cost you less. So, make sure that you know the exact distance between two places to get accurate cost estimations.
- If You Need Storage Or Not
Actually, there are a couple of situations in which you’d need storage.
- You have to move out but haven’t yet finalized the apartment you have to move to; or
- Your chosen apartment isn’t yet ready to be handed over to you and your current lease has expired.
Both these situations require you to store some of your stuff, if not all, in a storage facility. Generally, the moving service of your choice handles this type of storage requirements. They usually have enough space in the warehouse where they can store your goods for a fixed price. You can expect the charges to increase based on the time period for which you’d like to use their storage facility and also the amount of storage required.
- Packing & Unpacking
It’s always advisable that you entrust your chosen moving service providers the responsibility of not only packing all your stuff but also unpacking it. They might charge you additionally for packing and unpacking of your items during the move but the money you spend will be well worth it because it will eliminate any kind of hassles involved. Furthermore, all your stuff will be professionally packed and dealt with during the packing and unpacking process so that no damage might be caused to your belongings. If you are lucky enough, you might even find a service provider who doesn’t charge you additionally for such add-ons.
- Insurance Coverage
When moving between places, you are often prone to different types of incidents where some loss may happen and your belongings might get damaged. So, buying an insurance cover in such cases would give you enough peace of mind that all your stuff will be protected and you will get compensated for any losses that may happen along the way. Now, whether something gets stolen, lost or damaged, you will get a reasonable compensation for that if you have bought the insurance cover for your move. It won’t just help you save a huge chunk of your money, but will also make sure that you have a completely stress-free move. However, it can surely add to the overall costs of your move.
- The Boxes Required To Pack Your Stuff
The boxes you need to pack all your stuff that has to be taken to your new home will also add to the overall costs of the move. Obviously, the moving company will be providing these boxes and they will charge for them.
Do A Bit Of Comparison
Now that you know a bit about the factors that can contribute to the moving costs, it’s important that you must not go for the first moving company that you might come across. Instead, try getting quotes from at least 3 moving companies. Compare their quotes on on-to-one basis and see what each of these are offering before you can go for the service that is offering ultimate value. Some moving companies also showcase the basic services they offer with the associated rates on their official websites.
Generally, you’ll find a couple of rate types there. These include the following.
- Hourly Rates
Hourly rates are often charged by the movers when you have to move within NYC. Such local moves consider total time being taken for the move including chores like:
- Packing all your household items
- Loading them into their carrier vehicles
- Transporting everything to the final destination
- Unloading all your stuff from the transport vehicles
- Unpacking the stuff in the destination
- Weight Rate
Most of the moving companies in NYC will charge you based on the weight of your belonging and this, generally, applies when you’re making an interstate move to NYC. In this scenario, all your items are weight and the total weight determines how much the move will cost you. Sometimes, it can get a bit expensive because the weight of your goods including the furniture, accessories, utensils, decorative stuff, etc. can quickly add up to give a major figure. You can, however, split the costs in this scenario by initially transporting all your items that will be required urgently as you move into your new home. You can always move the rest of the items at a later stage.
You can also get different types of discounts from the chosen moving services and, therefore, you should stay abreast of any such offers. Moving during off-peak times usually earns you good discounts as the moving companies are looking to grab some business when nobody else is moving. So, make sure that you look for any discounts available before signing the contract with them.
So, moving homes can be an expensive affair and different factors can contribute to the overall costs you will have to bear at the end of the day. However, meticulous planning can help you save a bit here and there making your move more affordable.
