West Coast Movers: Moving Costs, Services, and Reviews

If you happen to live in any of the states of California, Oregon, or Washington, then the good news is that there are excellent west coast movers there in case you need to move house soon, or anytime in the future.

This fact can be advantageous for you on a number of different levels simply because that excellence of west coast moving services is reflected in professional attitude, extensive experience, an array of tailored moving services, and last but surely not least – affordable prices.

As you probably know by now, the process of moving your earthly possessions to another home that may be tens, hundreds or even thousands of miles away is not a one-man affair by any means. Help when moving is often priceless regardless of whether it comes from professionals or amateurs – even when self-moving heroic acts are underway, the timely assistance of good friends is the required ingredient for success.

Read where you can find the best west coast moving companies, what types of moving services you can expect to get from your relocation experts, and most importantly – how much west movers cost on average.

What type of west coast movers do you need?

People don’t just decide to up and move out of their current homes without a good reason to do so. Everybody knows that a hassle house moves can be so the decision to start looking for a reputable and low-cost moving company and start thinking of a good packing strategy at the same time is, in the majority of cases, caused by a complex mixture of external and internal factors.

The termination of your current lease contract is a sure sign you’ll be moving soon, but so can be a recent change in your marital status or continuing your studies in a new city, or even pursuing your professional career in another part of the country.

Americans are a highly mobile people – statistical analysis shows that the average American moves house every 5 years. The reasons that lead to residential moving are uniquely personal but they can still be summarized in an attempt to shed some light on the complicated reasoning behind most relocation decisions.

If you’re facing a household move yourself, then you’ll most likely be following one of the 3 west coast moving scenarios:

• Local moving. Local moves do not cross state lines and stay, in general, within 100 miles of the starting point. Moving across town or relocating to another neighboring city in the same state are two classic examples of local moving. And if your starting point is Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Sacramento, Oakland, Seattle, or any other major city by the Pacific Ocean, then it’s good to know that the priority task in your personal moving calendar is to find top-rated local west coast movers.

• Interstate moving. An interstate move is a general term that defines a residential move crossing one or more state lines. The major difference here is the move distance itself. For example, a short move to a neighboring state such as Arizona or Nevada, a medium-distance cross country move to Texas or Colorado, and a west coast to east coast move to Massachusetts, New York, or Florida all fall in the category of interstate moves. However, because of the huge difference in the road miles to be covered, the moving costs and the initial packing preparations can differ substantially.
• International moving. If the destination point of your move falls outside the boundaries of the country, then you should be looking at reputable international west coast movers who have long years of experience in international relocation. Initial research is of paramount importance here – you can’t just trust and hire the first international moving company that sends an offer your way. Yes, such research will cost you time but the effort should be well worth it in the end. Get a preliminary idea of how much your international moving costs will be by filling out our cost estimator – maybe now the temptation to live and work in another country is stronger than ever.
• Moving to the west coast. Of course, you may find yourself in desperate need of inexpensive west coast movers in case you’re moving to the west coast from the east coast or another part of the United States. How to move to the west coast? Let’s answer this very question with another one: who understands west coast moving better than the west coast moving companies that know the Pacific region like the back of their trucks? Trust an experienced moving company for your westward relocation and you won’t be sorry that you did.

Complete Guide to Moving to the Bay Area

How much do west coast movers cost?

It’s all about striking a healthy balance between price and quality, isn’t it?

Before we go on to explain in detail how to find the best west coast movers out there, let’s take a look at the average moving costs of local, cross country, and coast to coast movers. Knowing the average cost of moving is an important aspect during this highly transitional period because 1) you will be able to form a preliminary idea of the cost of your move which will subsequently tell you if you’ve managed to save enough money for the upcoming relocation. And if it turns out that you don’t have enough money saved to execute the house move, then you should definitely take a look at possible how-to-move-without-money solutions, and 2) stay protected from possible cases of overcharging when comparing the price estimates you have received from various west coast moving companies.

• Local west coast movers will charge you on an hourly basis so the final price you pay will depend on the amount of work hours your hired men will have to invest in your job. That amount will respectively depend on the size of your home (and more specifically on the number of items in it) and the nature of your stuff. For instance, it’s easy to see how moving a piano can increase drastically your move-related costs. /You can still attempt to move a piano by yourself but your options for success are much more limited./ Depending on your exact location on the west coast, the local moving rates may vary but generally speaking, expect to shell out roughly $60 per mover per hour. Each additional worker will cost extra, of course, while packing will be around $60 per hour. The usual travel fee will probably be included in the price as well, and that fee usually equals one additional hour of labor.
• Cross-country moving companies and coast to coast movers will charge you on the basis of 4 major factors: move distance, shipment weight, specialty items, and additional services. The specific combination of these price-defining elements will produce a moving estimate that has been calculated for your move alone. The case-by-case nature of long distance moving makes it extremely hard to come up with any concrete numbers.

What are the Average Moving Costs?

Things to know when looking for a west coast moving company

There are a handful of essential things to be aware of even before you start looking for a reputable and affordable west coast mover. The following top 5 moving tips have been hand-picked exclusively to make the transition period easier for you and your family, and to facilitate the next period of finding the best west coast mover for you.

• The statement that using the services of reputable movers will always be more expensive than hiring a truck and moving with the help of a few friends is nothing more than a well-documented myth. Even in the case of local moves where self-moving can still be the better option, it’s very hard to make the price calculations work for you, especially when you find it impossible to place accurate price tags on the time, energy, nerves, and stress you have invested or plan to invest soon into your own household move.

• The initial contact you make with select west coast moving companies will tell you a lot about the way your short-term professional relationship will develop. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that the first moving company should, for any reason, be the one you should use. The process of choosing a professional mover can be somewhat likened to shopping for a quality product – do an extensive research, compare well the offers, re-assess your relocation needs and you will get rewarded handsomely in the end.
• Some west coast moving companies you contact may try to give you price estimates over the phone or even worse – by email. Unless you have no other choice, avoid such non-professional attempts at moving costs estimation because they can never be as accurate as you need them to be. Instead, save yourself a headache or two by requesting an in-house survey from experienced professionals. Why are in-house surveys so important? Remember: on-site moving cost calculation is the only way to know how much you will pay the west coast movers with a satisfactory degree of certainty. Besides, you will get a chance to voice any pre-move concerns or direct burning questions at the west coast movers’ representatives.
• It’s important to know how to stay protected from possible dishonest movers whose primary goal will be get as much money from you as possible, usually through fraudulent practices and scam tricks. If you care to spare around 10-15 minutes to check the companies you get in contact with, you will stay on the safe side from Day 1. Moreover, using our quick cost estimator will guarantee that you will never become a victim of a moving scam simply because all the moving companies in our database have been rigorously license- and insurance-checked beforehand.
• What do you do once you get a few written estimates in your hands? How do you select the west coast mover that will turn out to be the best one for you? This one is relatively easy: you compare the quotes and pick the best one. The price is usually the deciding factor there but you must take a closer look at the additional services offered and their respective charges as well.

How to find the best west coast moving companies

Here’s a short guide on how to find the best west coast movers with brief steps to guide you through the hunting process. In the majority of cases, you will need a professional partner to take the stress out of what is considered one of life’s most stressful situations. Yes, that is your upcoming move to another home.

• Step 1. Access west coast movers’ reviews /see Step 2/ to read what past customers are saying about the top-rated companies in the relocation sector. Customer reviews and performance ratings will give you a clue of your possible options and will increase your chances of a successful partnership.

• Step 2. Make sure you check those top-rated movers in your own area:

– Los Angeles movers /Los Angeles, California/

– San Francisco movers /San Francisco, California/

– Oakland movers /Oakland, California/

– San Diego movers /San Diego, California/

– San Jose movers /San Jose, California/

– Portland movers /Portland, Oregon/

– Seattle movers /Seattle, Washington/, or

– west coast moving companies in other locations along the Pacific ocean.

• Step 3: Get in contact with a few reputable east coast moving companies and ask for price estimation via an in-house visit from their reps. You should be holding binding estimates in writing after their respective surveys.
• Step 4: Check the website of each company to get more information about who they are and what they do. Unlikely as it may seem, stay away from moving companies that don’t even have official websites of their own.
• Step 5: Visit the official website of the Department of Transportation (DOT) and check if the movers you are considering have valid registration there. Each interstate moving company should have a valid DOT Number issued by the national governing body – the DOT in this case.
• Step 6: West coast moving companies that can be trusted have a valid business record with the Better Business Bureau /BBB/.
• Step 7: Compare the west coast movers’ quotes carefully. Base your final decision on the calculated price, moving services, additional terms and conditions, research, professional attitude, and your intuition.

If you also need to have your car transported safely to another state because you’ve decided to take a plane to the new destination, then you’re also going to need the professional services of a top-rated auto shipper. But don’t worry – getting quotes from interstate car shippers is more than easy – you just fill out a quick auto shipping form and they will get in contact with you for quoting you a price and negotiating the details of the job with you.

How to Ship a Car to Another State?