Moving into a new house is an incredible experience. You’re starting a new chapter in your life, in a different area with a new community and plenty of awesome opportunities to follow en suite. However, the moving part isn’t always the most enjoyable. In order to ensure a positive experience, you need to be prepared. While you may have your packing boxes ready, there’s one thing that is often overlooked during the process and it’s moving costs.
Fortunately, moving into a new home often costs more sweat equity than it does finances, especially if you’re doing the majority of the move instead of hiring a moving company. This can be an excellent way to save money, but it can also cost you a significant amount in time. You also have to factor in the gas costs and wear and tear on your vehicle if you’ll be driving back and forth between houses to move your belongings. With the oil prices being at an all time high, doing the move yourself can quickly cost you way more than you expected.
The Travel Costs
Even if you hire a moving company, you have to consider the travel costs of getting your family, pets and automobiles to your new house. If it’s in a different city, state or country, you have to factor in the transportation fees, hotel stays and meal purchases. Depending on the location of your new home, you may also have unexpected loading costs on things such as ferries, planes, trains, etc.
The Moving Costs
If you hire movers and/or a moving truck, these come with obvious costs that are easy to factor in. However, there is also the option of purchasing protection from your moving company, which is a common fee many homeowners forget about.
It’s just as easy to overlook the minor fees that could spike your moving total. Things such as the cost of extra mileage, the use of loading ramps, dollies and moving blankets should be factored in when determining your moving costs. Some moving companies will also charge more if you’ll be utilizing their services at a specific time, or if they can’t park directly in front of your home. There is also valuation coverage that needs to be looked into, which is designed to cover any damage to (or the loss of) your possessions during a move. These are all fees you’ll want to consider in order to properly prepare for the big day.
The Storage Costs
If your new house is not yet ready or you intend on doing some home renovations prior to fully moving in. you’ll need a storage unit. This is not only a moving cost that is often forgotten about, but all of the fees associated with a storage unit are rarely factored into the total.
You have to consider whether you’ll be moving your items into the storage unit, or if movers will be doing this for you. If it’s the latter, you’ll have to factor in the cost of hiring movers and/or a moving truck. Fortunately, a storage unit is one of the safest storage options that will keep your belongings secure and properly stored until you’re ready to fully move into your home.
The Packing Costs
You can pick empty boxes up with a quick drive around the neighborhood on garbage night. Mind you, this isn’t recommended because you don’t know where the boxes came from or how durable they are. The bottom of a box crashing through and scattering your breakables all over the driveway is never a desirable experience. So, purchase packing boxes that are designed to withstand your belongings, and factor this into your moving costs. You’ll also need packing tape, box fillers such as foam peanuts, and a Sharpie to mark each box. These costs are small, but leaving them out of the moving cost calculation can leave you shocked when you receive the actual total.
The Activation Fees
While this commonly overlooked moving cost doesn’t pertain to the actual process of moving, it can significantly hike up your overall moving budget. When you move into your new home, all services will be deactivated. Everything from your Internet to cable, electricity, water and much more will need to be activated, and with that comes a charge for each.
It’s always a good idea to have the activation scheduled prior to your move in day to ensure you won’t be trying to unpack your belongings in the pitch dark. This also allows you to prepare for the activation fees.
Moving into a new home is exciting; unexpected fees are not. Factor in these commonly overlooked moving costs to ensure a pleasant, stress-free and adorable moving day.
