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Moving from one place to another one. When planning your relocation, you should always be prepared that it might involve more costs than originally expected. This mostly happens if the relocation is not planned very well, but sometimes even if it is. In today’s text I will focus on the cost of moving houses to give you an idea of what to expect, both when moving on your own and when hiring a professional moving company. Now you are maybe wondering, so what's the problem then? Basically, there are two problems: in case of moving organized by people themselves, it is too common to forget about all the additional tools, packaging material, transportation or the value of the time. But all these are related costs you should count with. Also if you decided to move using professionals, there might be a problem because you picked the wrong company, or they estimated the wrong price, or underestimated any additional necessary costs not included in the company's bill. As I mentioned in the first article of this series, there are three options for organizing your relocation. They all differ by the level of your own involvement: either the movers do all the work for you, or you can manage all the work yourself - packing, loading, transporting and unloading. Or in case you want to have more control over the whole process, you might choose a company offering a hybrid service. The level of service provided may also differ: sometimes only the transportation is provided, in other cases you can also request loading, unloading and transport of things you have already packed. What are all the related costs? As the beginning of your relocation plans, we always suggest that you sit down and plan the budget. If you do this, you are on a good way to a well-planned relocation without any nasty surprises. We can divide the costs connected to moving into four main categories: the transportation of your stuff, packing of your stuff, transportation of you and your family, and also the costs related to starting up in your new house. The relocation itself. The first step should be calculating the main cost of moving your stuff. So will you be moving on your own, or hiring a company? This is the crucial issue you have probably already decided. If you decided to use some professional help (more advice on how to determine which company is the best one for you will follow in one of the next articles), make sure you get a written price quote from them. The quote may present either a binding or a nonbinding price, meaning whether it is the final price, or some other charges may occur later. This should be obvious from the price estimate in any case. Also the tips should be included - generally about $25 per worker. The cost of work. Secondly, estimate the cost of the manpower that will help you pack & load, whether it’s the professionals you might hire, friends and family ready to help you (they’d deserve at least a dinner!) or even the value of your time you have to take off, if that’s the case. Also don't forget to calculate the cost of any essential packaging material (boxes, bubble wrap, tapes etc.) and/or tools (i.e. dollies). The cost of your transportation. Thirdly, you have to estimate the price of the transportation for you and your family - either flights, train or bus ride, or the price of petrol, if you are planning to travel by car. Also lodging, meals and possible entertainment while travelling should be calculated into the total price. The time after the relocation: back to square one There is usually a lot of issues and extra costs connected to the moving, that people don't think about when they are in the middle of all the boxes. For example, you might have to count with a start-up charge for connecting up utilities such as a cable or telephone. Another problem is food - you will have to do a lot of shopping to replace all the groceries you have probably emptied from the fridge and freezer before the relocation. Then things you left behind such as various household items needs to be replaced. Or maybe your new place needs a new coat of paint. Just try to think of all these details and jot down the cost of all stuff you will have to buy after the move, so that you are not surprised by the total sum. As a realtor from Vancouver , I have always tried to help my clients even with this issue, therefore I would like to share with you some useful advice: 1) Always compare how much it would cost you to move a specific thing against how much the thing costs when purchased new. If you do this, you may be shocked by what comes out of this comparison. 2) If the reason for your relocation is that you got a new work at a new place, find out if you can get a relocation package from your new employer. 3) Keep all the bills related to relocation since you might be entitled for a tax deduction.
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moving, relocating, moving costs, tips,
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