The Hidden Costs of Moving
Author Bio: Jessica is the head of content for Hire A Mover - her fathers moving company. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling around the world to different surf spots and tasting the local cuisine.
Regardless of whether you finally saved up money to buy a new home, or you have decided to rent another apartment, moving always costs more than one plans to spend. The reason lies in all the hidden costs people forget to factor in their moving budget, which extends far beyond the property cost or the monthly rent.
In the list below, you will find the most commonly overlooked expenses that you need to take into consideration to ensure your move is as smooth as possible.
Cleaning Costs
Be it because you are selling it, or you need to get back the damage deposit you most likely paid when you moved in your rental, cleaning will be a responsibility you cannot escape. You can either clean the house yourself or hire a professional cleaning service to do everything for you.
Note that a professional cleaning company can clean in a day, the same space that’ll require almost a week of your time.
Packing Costs
When it comes to packing, you can either pack your belongings yourself or purchase packing as an added service when you hire movers.
If you pack by yourself, you will need to buy bubble wrap, boxes, and tape. If you leave the packing to the professional moving company, on the other hand, you will have to pay extra for the service.
In both cases, you will face extra costs that, ultimately, you need to include in your budget.
Hired Help Costs
The more time you spend in a place, the more possessions you will accumulate. You might have some enthusiastic friends who will jump at the opportunity to help you pack and move your possessions, but chances are, you will still need to hire help – especially for the big pieces of furniture like your bedroom set or your kitchen elements.
Keep in mind that although hiring movers will cost you extra money, they will make the process much easier not only for you but for everyone around you as well.
Plus, moving heavy furniture yourself might cause sprains and injuries. Movers, on the other hand, know how to handle these big pieces (it’s what they do, after all!), so they will ensure no one is hurt during the move.
Storage Costs
Only one thing is certain when it comes to moving, and that’s the fact that the process is never as smooth as one hopes it will be.
Even if you’ve developed the perfect moving plan, when the time to move comes, there are a number of things that can go wrong.
For example, many buildings have limited moving hours. That means that if you’re not able to move all your things during a previously set timeframe, you’ll have to find a place to store your things until the following day.
Moreover, many times, you won’t be able to fit every piece of your old furniture in your new place. So again, you might have to find a place to store some unfitting pieces until you decide what to do with them.
Having to pay for storage is highly probable, so make sure to factor possible storage costs in your budget as well.
Property Start-Up Costs
Start-up costs are something you can’t avoid.
If you are renting, then usually these costs will include a security deposit and the first month’s rent. Depending on the landlord and your contract, you might also need to cover last month’s rent too. If you have a pet with you, add the pet deposit to your expected expenses as well.
That means that you are looking at at least three months’ worth of rent that you need to be able to spend right from the start.
If you’re buying, apart from the down payment, there are the mortgage costs including attorney’s fee, home inspection, credit check fee, loan organization fee, an appraisal fee and so on.
If you’re lucky, you might agree with the seller to divide these costs, but usually, you’ll have to take care of them yourself.
You can expect the above-mentioned costs to mount even higher if you higher a realtor to streamline the entire process of moving.
Utility Costs
Once you have moved to a new place, you will need to set up various utilities to make your place fully functional. These utilities usually include gas, internet, tv services, water and sewage, electricity, and even a home security system.
To budget accordingly, call the providers beforehand, and calculate how much it will cost you to set up all the utilities you require.
Also, do not forget to factor in the expenses you might incur when terminating utilities at your old place of residence, as well as the bill overlaps occurring because of pay-in-advance bills for your new place arriving in the same time as some retroactive bills for your old home.
Restocking Expenses
Chances are when you move houses, you will leave behind all those perishable goods you have filled your pantry with over time. Moreover, there will be various cleaning supplies you don’t feel like moving and would much rather replace.
Even though restocking your pantry might not seem like it will cost a lot, you’d be surprised when you sum up all small and seemingly insignificant expenses.
Extra Expenses
No matter how much time you spend planning and budgeting, there will always be some extra expenses you have not planned for.
Something may break during the move, or the elevator in your new building might not work, so you’ll end up having to replace a piece of furniture or pay extra for the movers to take your things up the stairs.
Finally, you’ll surely want to buy new furniture or décor for your new home, be it because your old stuff doesn’t look as good as you hoped, or as they did in your old apartment, or you’d simply like to freshen up the place and buy that new, bigger sofa you’ve been putting off until now.
