Moving across states requires the best of your abilities to organize the endless moving tasks, keep your focus and concentration throughout the moving preparations, and manage skillfully the entire moving process.
In reality, to move out of state with a smile on your face, you’re going to need to find the best cross-state moving companies out there and pick the one that comes up with the best offer for you.
It’s important to understand upfront that organizing a DIY move when moving across states is a bad idea and won’t work in your favor due to the great distance between the two homes and the higher risk involved in driving a big rental truck across the country.
When moving across the country, your safest bet is to rely on cross-state movers who will complete the house move within your set budget and in accordance with your needs and requirements.
But how exactly do you find top-rated cross-state movers who offer outstanding cross-country moving services?
Read on to learn not only how to find the best cross-state moving companies near you but also how much those cross-country movers charge on average so that you can set your personal moving budget accordingly.
How to find the best cross-state movers near you
The search for the best cross-state moving companies near you should always begin with free quotes from the pros, continue with an extensive research on their online reputation with the help of cross-state moving company reviews, and end with a careful comparison of the cost estimates you have received.
USE an online Moving Cost Calculator. Then, expect top-rated cross-state movers to get in touch with you for accurate moving cost estimation.
REQUEST from the cross-country movers in-house surveys of the household items you have for moving. Then ask the representatives for written binding estimates of the moving costs – that will allow you to get a precise idea, free of charge, of how much your out-of-state move will cost you. You need reps with the kind of professional attitude that will be useful for you – understanding, helpful, and polite.
DON’T PUT UP with a non-professional attitude – if any moving company representative is rude, won’t respond adequately to your questions, or behaves in a strangely suspicious manner, then you should move on and look for another cross-state moving company. Be sure to select your relocation partner carefully as that choice of yours will determine to a greater degree the outcome of your move.
COMPARE carefully the received price offers and pay special attention to the additional moving services included in them, as well as their corresponding charges. Each long-haul mover will try to win you over but your final decision should be based entirely on the budget you have at your disposal and the specific relocation needs that you have.
BE cautious if you happen to get a moving quote that is way lower than all the rest. In some rare instances, such low-ball estimates could mean big trouble in disguise. Try to figure out why the price is so uncharacteristically lower – don’t hesitate to contact the company that provided it and demand a satisfactory answer. Keep in mind that moving fraud does exist and you should know in advance how to recognize dishonest movers and what you can do to protect yourself against moving scams.
GO online and check each cross-state moving company’s reputation in the form of moving reviews. Take a look at their overall performance ratings as well. Customer testimonials will also help you get a better idea of what kind of cross-country movers you are dealing with. Good movers care about their professional reputation and do their best to keep it spotless by providing moving services of outstanding quality and taking care of any issues or disputes in favor of their clients.
CHECK whether the cross-state movers are licensed by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The latter issues USDOT numbers to legal and trustworthy moving companies and keeps an electronic record with their most important data which you can access here. Do not deal with moving companies that do not have such a number.
MAKE SURE the interstate moving companies you are researching have been accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
PICK the cross-state mover that you feel will do the best job under the circumstances. The detailed research on the top cross-state moving companies should reveal the winner.
Before we discuss how much cross-state moving companies charge, let’s first explain briefly which main factors influence the final moving bill.
In general, when you know exactly what determines the relocation price, you should be able to have more control over your moving budget, and ultimately – save more money at the end of the house moving process.
Distance between the two homes. You can’t do anything to shorten the distance to your new home, so look for other methods to save on your move across states.
Total weight of theshipment. One of the most effective ways to lower your relocation costs is to optimize the number of your belongings. Take only the items that you really want, need, and will use in the foreseeable future.
Extra services requested. The more additional services you request from your interstate movers or are needed to complete the moving job properly, the higher the final bill will be. Discuss with your state-to-state moving company all viable options for a better deal as far as accessorial services are concerned.
How much do cross state moving companies cost?
When moving long distance, every dollar saved is worth two in the bank.
The best possible way to learn the relocation price of your interstate move is to get an accurate estimate from the best cross state moving companies near you.
Nevertheless, we can help you get a rough idea of what you are expected to pay by offering you some average costs of moving across the country.
First, let’s take a look at some approximate calculations of the shipment weight to be transported depending on the size of the home you’re moving out from:
Studio apartment: roughly 2,000 lbs. of household items
1-bedroom apartment: approximately 2,500-3,500 lbs.
2-bedroom home: somewhere between 5,000 and 6,000 lbs.
3-bedroom home: up to and around 9,000 lbs.
The above weight values can only serve you as guidelines, so your actual shipment weight will depend primarily on how many things you choose to move.
Let’s assume for the sake of convenience that you’re moving from Chicago, Illinois to Houston, Texas (approx. 1,000 miles), then, excluding any additional services and extra fees and charges, you should expect to pay:
Studio apartment: $2,015 – $3,595
1-bedroom apartment: $2,224 – $4,607
2-bedroom home: $2,439 – $5,433
3-bedroom home: $3,386 – $5,818
4-bedroom home: $4,036 – $6,604
Needless to say, do not take the above example of moving prices at face value but get a precise moving estimate from your chosen cross-state moving company based on your actual relocation parameters.
Also, bear in mind that the above-mentioned average moving costs do NOT include any extra moving services such as packing, unpacking, furniture disassembly, furniture re-assembly, temporary storage, custom wooden crating, etc.
What to know when comparing cross-state moving estimates
Hiring the best cross-state moving company out there means less relocation stress for you.
Requesting moving quotes to learn the price of your out-of-state move is an important step, but knowing exactly how to go about comparing the received price estimates is the key to moving cheaply to another part of the country.
In-house surveys. As described above, the first thing to know when comparing out-of-state movers quotes is that you should always request on-site price estimations performed by moving experts, followed by the issuance of binding moving estimates. Due to the larger margin of error and inaccuracy, think twice before agreeing on an estimate done over the phone or via e-mail.
Crystal-clear terms. The out-of-state moving estimates you’re holding in your hand should be pretty straightforward and easy to understand. Such quotes should clearly state the type and number of your items, relocation distance, pick-up and delivery dates, and contain a list of all additional services you have requested. Make sure you understand all conditions and terms in the out-of-state movers quotes – if there is something (anything!) you don’t really understand, then simply contact the cross-country movers and straighten it out.
Extra services. Often, your final decision will depend on the stated additional services and their respective rates. It’s very important that you take the time to compare the accessorial services that the different top-rated cross-state moving companies have offered. The most common additional services when moving house are: packing and unpacking, disassembling and re-assembling of large furniture, and temporary storage.
Take advantage of the numerous ways to save money when moving to another state.
Your residential move is your unique opportunity to prove to yourself and any doubters that you can still pull cost-saving tips out of your bag of tricks to lower the final relocation price.
In reality, there isn’t a single reason why you shouldn’t organize a perfectly affordable move thanks to proven money-saving advice when moving to another state.
The well-known dilemma Why pay more when you can pay less takes center stage with each passing day, and you should do the right thing and address that important aspect ASAP when moving across the country.
Briefly, here are the top 5 ways to save money when moving across the country.
1. Hire cheap cross-country movers
Earlier, we described in detail the logical steps of selecting the best cross-state movers for your long-distance move.
The hunt for reputable out-of-state moving services should always include thorough research from you – checking out customer reviews, testimonials, and ratings left by people who have already relocated successfully.
You must also make sure the company you’re about to hire is legitimate (all interstate movers are required by law to be registered with the U.S. Department of Transportation) and trustworthy (membership with the American Moving and Storage Association and the Better Business Bureau is a sign of good reputation).
The written estimates you receive will tell you how affordable your candidates are for your residential move, but an excellent money-saving tactic you are encouraged to use is to ask your out-of-state moving companies to offer you an even better deal through various ongoing promotions, moving coupons, first-time discounts, current deal packages, and so on.
An interesting way to bring down your out-of-state moving expenses is to select your moving date in a way that will prove beneficial to you as far as the price is concerned.
In general, the relocation prices can be much lower during the off-peak moving season (September – May), so if you have the flexibility to choose the date of your interstate move, don’t hesitate to do it during that period.
However, if circumstances force you to move sometime during the summer, then it’s a smart idea to avoid, if possible, national holidays, weekends, and the first and last days of a month.
Also, once the decision about the exact moving date is made, reserve your move as early as possible so that you can start thinking about creating your personalized and customized moving calendar.
3. Inventory your entire home and optimize your shipment
Regarding the overall relocation price, there’s a huge difference between moving just across town and moving to a new state altogether. The difference, of course, comes from the number of miles your household items will have to travel before your new state home is reached.
The key moment here is that regardless of whether your destination state is a neighboring one or not, the total distance between Point A and Point B remains the same. The thing that doesn’t remain the same, however, is the overall weight of the household items you’ve decided to take with you.
Therefore, if you’re willing, and more importantly – determined to pay less, then the right way is to inventory your home and get rid of any possessions you no longer need or want.
The arithmetic is simple – the fewer items you choose to move, the less money you pay for their transportation. Go through your belongings with a critical eye while thinking about the available space in your new house or apartment as well.
Organizing a profitable moving sale will contribute to your relocation budget and save you room in your future residence. Furthermore, giving away a number of your still usable items to friends or to charity should feel like the right thing to do.
Packing is where you can save big when moving to another part of the country.
By now, you must be familiar with plenty of good packing tips that you’re about to put into practice soon.
A proven way to save on your long-distance move is to be prudent about the packing supplies you’re going to need.
One of the most common packing mistakes is to rush to your selected cross-state moving company or the nearest office supply store and purchase all the materials for packing up your home.
Your first task is to see whether you can find cheap or free moving boxes which are usually the biggest packing expense when moving house. Ask your friends if anyone has relocated recently and can any spare cardboard boxes they have no practical use of at the moment.
Also, a quick visit to a few local supermarkets can leave you with more boxes than you will ever need – supermarkets are obligated to recycle the boxes they don’t need anymore, so in reality, you’re saving them the trouble.
To save even more on your cross-country move, think about whether you can use various items found in your home instead of buying all of the packing supplies.
In some cases, you can utilize buckets, baskets, suitcases, and bags as moving containers, as well as blankets, bedsheets, towels, rugs, socks, and even newspapers as wrapping and cushioning materials.
When moving to another state, one of the best ways to save money is to pack up your things on your own as opposed to paying professional packers to do it for you.
In fact, you may be wondering how much money you should be able to save by opting not to request professional packing services from your cross-state movers.
The packing cost will depend on a number of factors, but on average, having pro packers handle all the stuff found in a studio apartment should cost roughly $300-$450, while the price of packing a 3-bedroom home can jump to about $600-$750.
In most cases, those average packing costs don’t even include the cost of the required packing materials. So, as you can see, it’ll definitely be worth it to pack whatever things you can by yourself and leave to the pros only the specialty items you intend to move, like a grandfather clock, for example.
Needless to say, consider asking your good friends to help you pack your stuff, especially if you don’t have enough time to complete on time the house-packing project all by yourself.
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