It’s no secret that summer is the most popular season to move house – the weather is usually nice (warm and dry), one can easily get days off work (paid vacation), and children are out of school (the summer break).
Taking into account all the benefits of moving in the summer, it’s no wonder then that around 70% of all household moves take place within the 5-month period between May and September – the official peak moving season.
However, moving in the summertime has its share of drawbacks – the intense summer heat could affect your summer move and professional moving companies charge more money simply because their services are in great demand.
With more than 10 years of experience in the moving industry, I know for a fact that it’s more difficult to find great movers in the summer. Why? Because the best moving companies are all fully booked months in advance.
Soon enough you’ll begin to understand why moving in the summer can be both advantageous and unfavorable at the same time.
We’re here to help.
Follow these 10 useful tips for moving in the summer and you should have a smooth summer move despite the excessive heat, the higher moving costs, and the limited choice of first-class moving services.
1. Solve the DIY vs. MOVERS dilemma
The very first thing you need to do when you learn that you’ll be moving in the summer is to decide whether you’ll attempt to move by yourself or whether you’ll hire a licensed and reputable moving company to help you move your belongings to the new place.
If you’re unsure which way you should go, then the following pointers can help you make the right choice:
Consider organizing a DIY summer move when
You have previous house moving experience;
You’re moving locally – within a radius of 100 miles in the same state;
You’re not taking too many household items with you;
You know you can rely on your good friends to come on Moving day and give you a hand. This is especially important if you’re moving heavy furniture as well.
Hire one of the best moving companies in your city when
You’re moving out for the very first time (zero relocation experience);
You’re moving across the country and will be crossing multiple states along the way;
You don’t really have any friends whom you can ask to help you move;
You’re taking quite a lot of things with you, including some specialty items such as a piano, a pool table, or a grandfather clock.
A successful summer move requires strategic planning and impeccable organization. But there’s one thing that will determine just how successful you are in the end – good time management.
Do all in your power to begin working on your move as soon as you know for sure that you’re moving. This tactic will give you the maximum amount of time possible until Moving day, meaning you’ll have a much better chance of getting fully ready to move out.
Giving yourself more time when moving in the summer will also help you
You can’t afford to lose even a single day when moving in the summer.
keep the notorious stress of moving within healthy limits by knowing you’ll have enough time to complete all pre-move tasks;
manage the time-consuming task of packing for a move without falling behind your packing schedule;
bounce back from any instances of wasted time due to inexperience-related mistakes when getting ready to move out, and
take your time when researching various moving companies with the purpose of picking the best mover for you.
So, once your summer move becomes only a matter of time, you cannot afford to lose any precious time by not beginning to work on your moving checklist.
3. Create a summer moving checklist
Summer moves tend to be a bit chaotic.
The fact that most people choose to move in the summer results in a much higher demand for reputable moving companies, which in turn increases the standard movers’ rates.
But this is only one side of the relocation story – the other notable difficulty when moving house is that too many tasks will often need to be completed in a limited amount of time.
Too many things to do and too little time to do them – this definitely sounds like a recipe for a house-moving disaster.
Starting early on your preparation will give you more time… but what are you supposed to do with this time? This is exactly when a moving checklist should come in to save the day.
A moving checklist is simply a detailed to-do list that’s customized to your house-moving needs. It lists all the tasks that you have to do for a smooth and problem-free move in the summer.
As a bonus, it’ll also tell you when to finish those jobs for maximum efficiency.
With a super-detailed moving checklist by your side, you will never lose any precious hours or even days in complete inactivity, wondering what you should do next.
Is it more expensive to move in the summer? Generally speaking, yes.
As we already discussed above, the major reason for the higher moving prices in the summer is the greater demand for professional moving services compared to the off-peak moving season (September – May).
And when most of the people rush to move within roughly the same period, then the best moving companies get booked for the whole summer and their rates tend to go up as well.
And this is exactly why it’s super important that you use every little opportunity to lower the moving price. Luckily, one of the smartest ways to bring down the overall cost is to schedule a beneficial move-out date.
Pick a date during the week since most people will want to move on a Friday, on a Saturday, or on a Sunday. So, movers are likely to give you a better price if you choose to move out on a weekday.
Pick a date that’s away from the beginning or end of a month. Many renters need moving services at the end of a month or the start of the next one because that’s when their rental leases are terminated.
Choose to move later in the day, (late) afternoon, or even evening. Most people hire professionals early in the morning and that’s when movers’ rates are higher.
After you decide on a moving date that’s likely to help you get a better deal from a professional moving company, it’s time to secure the services of a top-rated mover near you.
Act quickly to secure the services of a reputable and experienced moving company.
Since you’ll be moving in the summer, you shouldn’t expect to get a very good price like you would have if you were moving in the wintertime.
Instead, you should focus on finding a licensed, reputable, and experienced mover that will do a great job protecting and transporting your household belongings – quickly and safely.
When moving in the summer, the level of professionalism and expertise of your movers should be your top priority since finding cheap yet reliable movers can prove to be a real challenge.
The good news is that it takes just a few steps to find a mover offering excellent moving services
Use our Moving Cost Calculator to get estimates from the best movers in your city or town;
Ask the moving companies to visit your home in person for accurate cost calculation;
Discuss with the pros your individual relocation needs and the necessity of extra moving services;
Check the online reputation of the candidate movers in the form of moving reviews and performance ratings;
Pick the moving company that you think is the best one to handle your summer move.
6. Use free packing supplies when moving on a budget
One of the best pieces of advice I can give you when moving in the summer is to reduce your moving costs as much as you possibly can. This is not easy to do but careful planning can go a long way toward keeping your moving expenses to a minimum.
As you already know, moving companies’ rates are at their highest values during the peak moving season because of the greater demand for professional moving services.
If you happen to be moving on a budget, then it should be your highest priority to use all proven techniques to cut your moving expenses.
Think twice before rushing to purchase all necessary packing materials brand new. Instead, do consider using free packing supplies such as cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, and packing paper for your packing needs.
The thing is that you should be able to save a few hundred dollars by not paying for most or even all of your packing materials.
Basically, you’ve got 3 major sources of free packing boxes and other packing supplies as well:
Friends. Ask your friends, including your colleagues at work, whether they have any packing supplies they don’t really need. The easiest way to do so is through a post on your favorite social media platform.
Online. Search for free packing supplies on specialized websites such as Freecycle and Craiglist.
Retail stores. Get in touch with the biggest retail stores in your city or town and see if they will be willing to give you moving boxes for free.
You already know that using a detailed moving checklist is the best way to prepare and plan for your summer move.
One of the major tasks on your personal to-do list for moving should be to inventory your belongings and get rid of the ones you don’t like anymore or you won’t use in the foreseeable future.
It’s important to bear in mind that the best way to cut moving costs in the summer is to take with you as few items as possible. This cost-saving idea is directly linked to the fact that moving companies calculate the price based on the total weight of the shipment.
Create a detailed inventory of your home and go through your things to decide their fate. As a rule of thumb, you should leave behind any items that are too broken, too worn out, too outgrown, or too unwanted to serve you in the new place.
Be very careful which furniture pieces you choose to move with you, if at all. Remember that when moving across the country, it may be more expensive to move a furniture unit than to buy a brand-new one after the move.
Here’s one decluttering principle that can help you pare down your possessions: if you haven’t used an item in over a year, then you don’t really need it.
One of the great advantages of moving in the summer is the chance to organize a profitable garage sale where you can try to sell for a profit the things you won’t be taking with you.
Sell your unwanted items at a moving sale to feed two birds with one scone.
As long as you have enough time and enough space to organize a moving sale, you should definitely do it since it’ll be a classic case of feeding two birds with one scone – you will discard all unnecessary items (fewer items to move = lower moving price) and you will pocket some cash toward your summer moving budget.
Advertise your yard sale by putting up thoughtful and attractive signs in the neighborhood;
Sort out and group similar items together, then arrange them and display them like you would inside a store;
Price the items for sale correctly – if you overprice them, then they are not likely to sell and your main goal is to get rid of them with a reasonable profit;
Create a welcoming, pleasant, and safe atmosphere to put customers at ease. If the day of the sale is too hot, offer some cold drinks to your guests without trying to make a profit from the refreshments either;
Be ready to bargain over the prices and start the yard sale with the right mindset for guaranteed success.
Unless you choose to use the services of professional packers and movers, packing for a move will be the toughest and most time-consuming job you’ll have to do when moving in the summer.
That’s correct – choosing to pack up your things by yourself will save a good amount of money but there are a few very important things that you should keep in mind during the entire packing process:
Start packing up your things as early as you can. Don’t make the mistake of underestimating the time required to get the job done – double the time you think you’ll need to pack up your possessions.
Prepare all necessary packing materials in advance so that you won’t have to interrupt the packing task in order to go and look for extra supplies. Such frequent interruptions will only prolong the packing marathon unnecessarily.
Pack your delicate items like a pro packer! Don’t skimp on wrapping paper and bubble wrap when you’re packing fragile items that can easily get broken during the summer move. Those soft protective materials will be what will keep your breakables safe on the road.
Protect well heat-sensitive items such as electronic devices, media disks, wax candles, or plants (when you’re moving only a short distance away). Keep in mind that the heat in the back of the vehicle is likely to reach extreme values when moving in the summertime.
Moving in the summer can be a bit risky when the weather on Moving day happens to be very hot. The intense heat alone may pose a number of threats for everyone involved in the move, so you should be extra careful not to let any accident or incident ruin it all.
Here are a few tips on how to stay safe during a very hot summer move:
Stay safe during a summer move. Stay cool.
Get an early start, especially when you live in an area with a very hot climate. Make sure you don’t carry heavy boxes and large furniture items between 11 am and 4 pm – the period when the sun rays are the most intense. When using professional moving services, look for a moving company that will agree to a morning move.
Make an effort to drink enough water during the summer move in order to stay properly hydrated. Dehydration could be a serious problem when moving in the summer so you’re going to have to keep replenishing the expelled fluids from the body, usually by sweating too much.
Keep the air-conditioner on and running so that the air inside the home is cool enough, thus keeping you from overheating and sweating profusely. Using portable electric fans to keep the air circulating is also a good idea.
Wear light clothes made of breathable fabric to keep your body cool. Also, whenever needed, wear sunglasses and apply sunscreen to protect your delicate skin from the intense sunshine.
You should never let your guard down when moving in the summer. First of all, use the above summer moving tips and your move should be as smooth as silk.
And secondly, stay away from unscrupulous rogue movers (most active during the peak moving season) by choosing a properly licensed, adequately insured, and hugely experienced moving company from our database of professional movers.
*At MyMovingReviews we will connect you with a professional moving company. Please note that we may not be affiliated with
and you may be speaking with another licensed provider.
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