Friday, July 4, 2014

How To Reduce Moving Costs

By Pammy McGrath


While searching for a new home is exciting, there's no denying that some big expenses are in your future. Not only do you have to consider the cost of actually buying the home, you also have to deal with costs associated with moving. While you might not be able to reduce some of the costs, there are ways to cut the moving expenses.

When it comes to moving, every pound counts, especially if you are moving far away. The more you have, the more it costs to move. So get rid of everything and anything that you don't want or need. Not only does this help cut costs, it also means there is less for you to unpack. You can even sell some items, which can help you cover some of the moving costs.

Another cost that can be quite prohibitive is the cost of packing supplies. You need boxes, packing tape and packing paper. For a typical three-bedroom house, this might mean you need as many as 100 boxes of varying sizes, which could easily cost around $400. To lower this cost, look for free boxes on Craigslist and Freecycle or ask friends to save any boxes they have. Also ask friends to save their newspaper to use for packing materials. You can also use towels and clothing to wrap up fragile items.

You might think that renting a truck and moving all your items yourself is less expensive than hiring a moving company, but this is not always the case. Certainly if you are moving just a couple of miles away, doing it on your own probably is going to be cheaper. However, if you don't have friends or family available to help, it can be very hard to move those heavy items. If you are moving a long distance, you will have pay truck rental fees for several days, as well as the gasoline expenses, your lodging expenses and meal expenses. Add it all up and it might just make sense to have a professional team of movers take your stuff. If you aren't moving furnishings and have just a few boxes, it actually also can be quite cost effective to mail your boxes at the post office.

When you hire movers, it usually is less expensive to schedule a move in the middle of the week. Most people move on the weekends so the demand is higher and the cost is higher. If you can swing a move on Wednesday, you will save. Additionally, most people move around the first of the month but it's cheaper to move in the middle of the month.

If you are ready to search for Fredericksburg, TX homes for sale or Kerrville homes for sale, contact the team at Nixon Real Estate. They have been helping people find great homes in Texas Hill Country for three decades. They can help you find a home from Fredericksburg to San Antonio and all towns in between.




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