Budgeting for a move is not as cut and dried as you may initially think. Your moving costs don’t end with the quote you get from the movers. You have to dig a little deeper to get the true cost of your move. Moving is expensive, that’s for sure. But when you know all the details as to what goes into the final price, as well as the associated costs of a move, you can plan better. Plus, you won’t fall for those traps that unsuspecting customers do. Get educated on those true costs and save yourself a little money.
A Breakdown of Costs
US News and World Report says the average cost of an intrastate move is $1,170, while the average move between states costs $5,630. And that’s just the moving company fee. The first step to budgeting your move — and sticking to it — is to get a detailed estimate from your mover, as well as all other professionals involved in the move, such as your Realtor and your lender. Here’s a look at those extra costs that occur when you sell your home, buy a new one, and schedule a move.
- Taxes
- Title Insurance
- Administrative Costs to Close
- Realtor Fees
- Escrow of Taxes and Homeowner’s Insurance
- Movers
- Incidentals: repairs, upgrades, staging
- Mortgage points
Obviously you won’t have as many fees if you’re just moving from one apartment to another. However, even then, there are hidden costs, such as first and last month’s rent, that you have to shell out all at the same time.
Budgeting Tips
Stay within your budget with the following tips:
- Keep a checklist of all your belongings. Taking inventory of your stuff will tell you from the start how much you have to move so you can give a better idea to your movers. If you don’t want to worry about packing up your own stuff, be sure to factor in the price for your mover to do all your packing. This is always an extra service most movers offer on top of the basic rate.
- Mark a date on the calendar when you’ll be moving. Stick to it. Try to get it as close as you can to your move-in date in the new digs to minimize costs of having to use a storage unit in the interim. Even if you use a storage unit for a few days, you usually have to pay for the whole month, which can be costly.
- Factor in your deposit or down payment on the new place, then plan to budget 20% of the cost of your home or apartment.
- Keep in mind all those deposits, activation fees, and new equipment fees for utilities and the like.
- Create a list of items you will need to buy for the new digs, from furnishings to cleaning supplies. These can quickly add up.
- Determine how many days off from work you’ll need for your move, and budget those days into your plan. As the biggest drain of your budget, you need to keep an eye on your liquid savings account to ensure you have enough to cover days lost from work.
Contact Olde World Movers in Dallas
Here at Olde World Movers, we are up front with our pricing so at least this portion of your move is stress-free and seamless. Contact us in one of our two office locations, Euless or Frisco, for unbeatable rates throughout Dallas and beyond.
