Moving house can be very time-consuming and costly. The best thing to do is to plan well for your move so that you do not feel overwhelmed by the costs attributed to the moving process. Unless you are moving due to factors out of your control or it is an emergency, consider planning well in advance. Our team put together a step-by-step guide on how to budget for your move.
3 Key Factors to Consider When Preparing For Your Moving Budget
- Distance
- Volume of your household items
- Moving day costs
Where are you moving to?
House moves could range from a local move, relocating to another town, or an international move. The distance from your current house to your new home will determine the transport costs in your moving quote. For local moves, it’s much easier to work with house movers near me, as they are familiar with the roads and can give a rough estimate.
An international move however will attract other costs such as storage, shipping and destination service to get you settled abroad.
Volume of your household items
Take an inventory of all your household items starting with your bulky items such as furniture, electric appliances, items that will need special handling such as art pieces, pianos, pool tables. Make sure you’ve gone room to room.
Why is this list important? It will determine some hidden costs such as furniture installation and insurance especially for long distance moves like moving across borders. It will also determine the manpower needed to for your house relocation.
Moving day costs
To hire professional movers or to plan the move yourself? This decision rests on your finances, availability, time and energy. You may even choose to do a hybrid where you purchase moving supplies, and pack at your pace, then once you’re ready, hire affordable movers or a truck rental.
Hiring a professional moving company vs a self-move
When hiring a professional moving company you can get an estimate of your moving costs with a pre-move assessment. A site survey will be conducted virtually or in person to determine the volume of your household items. The final moving quote will factor in the volume, distance, labor, packaging material and transport logistics.
When conducting a self-move however, time and energy are intangible expenses that can’t be budgeted for. However, here’s a breakdown of your do-it-yourself moving costs.
- Moving supplies to pack your household items.
- Transport costs including truck rental, fuelling it and the driver.
- Manpower to help you carry your bulky items from one residence to another.
- Installation of furniture and electrical appliances such as shower heads, cooker and hood, tv mounting or pay tv.
- Special handling fee
- Cleaning up your house
- Insurance for the goods in transit, especially for long distance moves or international removals
Other costs to consider before moving day
We are aware that budgeting for your move begins way before moving day. So let’s get to it.
House Search
The cost associated with house search is the commission paid to the relevant parties. At this stage, engage reliable real estate agents, property managers, or agents next door to help in sourcing for the new place. Avoiding the last-minute rush to get a new place will give you the peace of mind that you deserve. You can go on with your day-to-day activities without anything disturbing your mind.
Set aside deposit for the new house.
It’s a high likelihood that you will need to place a deposit before getting access to the new house. To prove this, you’ll then sign a lease agreement with the property managers. Access will only be granted upon receipt of the required deposit and signing off of all the necessary paperwork. This exercise might also involve your lawyers meaning you will incur legal fees as well.
Preparations for the new house
A new place may have some unprecedented costs. We’re talking about your interior. Aesthetics. Is it paint, a new set of curtains, cleaning, and fumigation, a new set of furniture? Whatever it is, if it’s a priority then listing down these expenses is critical. Remember time is also money. We advise that all these preparations be done well in advance, to avoid unforeseen delays or inconveniences on moving day.
Service Charges
What is a service charge? These are the monies paid to cover the operating expenses for premises. Before signing the lease contracts for the new place, seek clarity on all the laid down service charges. You might be shocked later after learning that monthly service charges are exorbitant, a rip-off, or above your means. Needless to say, you might as well have stayed at the previous house if the moving was necessitated by the desire to save on costs. Eventually, you might be forced to start looking for another place to move into which will be very costly. Caveat emptor.
Storage space
In the event you’re renovating the house you’re moving to, or relocating to another country, you will need to factor in the cost of storing some of your household items. You can opt to hire a storage container or lease storage space with moving storage service providers.
Once you’ve factored in all the above moving costs and settled on the best time to move set aside an emergency fund for unforeseen expenses like pet boarding, baby sitting, meals etcetera.
You can always request a moving quote from the centric moving company in advance. To secure your move, a deposit might be required. If not, then plan to make a full payment immediately after your move is complete. Only in instances when an LPO/LSO has been issued is payment accepted later.
It’s our hope that the above has given you more insight into how you will prepare for your next move or if you are looking to move for the first time.
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