Sometimes you have a say in your moving timing and sometimes you don’t. If you can control the future, read on to learn about the best timing to move for your pocket and your soul.
Moving times will affect your pocket greatly. If you have the ability to be flexible, do so. Changing your date or time ever slightly can give you the edge you need to keep a few more hundred dollars in your pocket.
What should I consider when finding the best time to move homes?
1. School calendar dates
You can usually only enroll your children during certain times of the year and this is critical to be stationed in your new home before this. You may want to move in a few weeks before school starts to allow your kids the proper time to adjust to the new surroundings.
As well you should consider the start dates of kids clubs and other activities such as sports teams sign ups, dance class, pottery club and more. As many people consider the school calendar dates your moving date price may rise if you move too close to the popular school dates so keep this in mind and maybe move earlier.
2. Pricing changes
Moving costs always vary depending on the time of year. Peak moving seasons, like spring and summer, have higher demand for moving services, which leads to higher prices.
If you need to save, consider moving during off-peak times such as on a holiday or during the winter or rainy months or simply mid-week to potentially save on costs.
Sometimes movers do 2-3 moves a day and if you are ok to take the last slot of the day they will give you a discount. This means you may have to expect them to not exactly be on time and allow for delays but this could save you hundreds of dollars if you don’t mind the wait.
3. Traffic
Think about the timing of your move in terms of traffic jams. Moving homes is exhausting enough without having the added stress of being stuck in a traffic jam for hours on the road with your movers. Maybe it means you start earlier in the day or choose the afternoon session, but considering this factor is always important.
4. Home sale date
Sometimes you can’t really control the time you move as you need to leave your current place by a certain sale date. Spring and summer are often considered peak seasons for real estate sales, with more options and higher demand for buying and selling homes, you can expect moving companies to charge a premium when they have lots of client options.
5. Weather
Consider the weather conditions in your current location and at the destination of the new home. If you are moving somewhere with mild temperatures it shouldn’t matter too much, but if you are moving places with heavy rains, snowfall, or tropical storms, think twice before being super flexible about your moving date.
Moving in the rain might end up costing you more when you have accidental soggy boxes, or damages due to slipping and breaking things in the rain. The weather will be a huge factor in your moving day so the milder the temperature, the better off you will be.
How can i save money when moving
Careful planning, organization, and smart decision-making can help you save hundreds of dollars over the course of your move. By packing on your own instead of using luxury DIY service movers offer, decluttering to understand the items you have that could work in your new place, and downsizing the truck size needed, you could save enough for an entire family vacation.
1. Consider ways to find free moving supplies like going to super markets and asking for their left over cartons, or writing in forums where others have moved and knowing when you can pick up someone’s used moving cartons.
Some apartment buildings have special rooms just for cartons so you can ask friends and family to check in their buildings for you. As well you don’t always need bubble wrap to pack fragile items, use the items you have like sheets, towels, blankets and pillow to pad the inside of your cartons to save.
2. Ask your family and friends to step up to the plate and help you when needed. Even a helping hand with the kids at the park so that you can do the packing instead of paying a babysitter will add up.
3. Make sure to compare multiple moving vendors before making your choice. Don’t only consider the final price, but rather what goes into the quote. Just because one is cheaper than another doesn’t mean they are right for you.
You can easily do so on Moving APT moving marketplace where you input your details such as address, destination, services desired, flexibility in scheduling and anything else important to you and they find you the best vetted mover.
This not only saves you time which in turn is money, but also gives you peace of mind knowing that a professional checked out their credentials, insurance policies, accident records and more. As we say, better safe than sorry!
Wrapping things up
Overall, sometimes you can control your moving dates and sometimes things are out of your hands, but when you can tweak your dates and times a bit you are able to save hundreds of dollars for your flexibility.
Consider factors such as the weather, storms, school schedules, the date of your home sale when you need to be out, and pricing fluctuation before locking down a date. Try speaking to your moving company or simply playing around with the calendar feature on Moving APT to see which dates make the most sense for your family.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I feel confident I have found a good and honest mover?
We agree that honesty is the most important quality trait a mover should have. No matter the pricing differences or reviews, nothing is more important than honesty and transparency.
Moving APT created a vetted list of movers and has a dedicated team that all day show up to their desk in the office just to read through personal reviews, and check accident records, insurance claims, and other boring documents of our movers on the marketplace.
It’s important you know what to check and why or you may end up paying more to get out of a scam.
How can I save money on my moving expenses by planning ahead?
When you plan ahead, you are actually in control of your own move. Since you can play around with the dates and times, you can haggle with your mover for a cheaper deal.
Moving mid week or in the winter when people prefer not to move can end up saving you hundreds of dollars in the long run, and since the moving companies are less busy, they don’t mind giving a discount in exchange for you booking with them in advance.
What is moving labor and why is it cheaper than movers?
Moving labor is a helpful and dandy service you can book with Moving APT if you’re planning on DIY-ing most of your move on your own. Rather than a full-service moving team that does it all, moving labor can show up whenever you order them, help with packing, and help with the heavy lifting.
Think of moving labor as that helpful set of uncles you just don’t have. Everything else will be up to you for the unpacking part, unless you book a moving labor team to meet you at your destination as well. If you are doing this look into pricing as it might just make more sense to book a classic moving team.
How can I safely move extremely fragile special objects that are irreplaceable?
The truly special pieces with sentimental value I would recommend actually packing up in many layers of bubble wrap and towels and actually putting in your personal car if the option exists.
You can of course wrap these items and put them in a plastic bin with many layers of pillows, towels and more soft items and write “fragile” on top, but I think it’s better to play it safe than sorry.
How can I know if a mover I chose is a scammer or cheater?
If any company you are considering asked you to pay the entire amount up front or pay a huge down payment, this is a really bad sign of a scammer. You shouldn’t pay more than 10% to a mover that has yet to do the job.
While down payments are common, a huge amount of funds should not be spent on this. As well you should check your mover has a DOT registration number and no recent bad accident records or claims. Moving APT helps you avoid this mess.
