Has anyone every paid out of pocket for professional packers? I know military and other company-paid long distance moves usually have packers. But I’m really curious as to the out of pockets cost. Google is telling me average is about $1500, which seems lower than I expected.
This post inspired by me packing ONE box. For a potential, but yet to be solidified, move (*shakes fist at current housing market*)
edit - this is a local move. Well, roughly 30 minutes away, in state.
We did and it was worth every penny. I cannot remember the cost right now, but we did not regret it. And, I know military people who have had terrible experiences with their movers, so I would shop around and get several quotes.
I think for my parents to move from MD to VA including packing 75% of their stuff it was $17k. This included about 6 weeks of storage before their build was ready.
Old house was about 5,000 sqft, although they got rid of a TON before the move.
We did and it was worth every penny. I cannot remember the cost right now, but we did not regret it. And, I know military people who have had terrible experiences with their movers, so I would shop around and get several quotes.
This is where I am. I just told H I was contemplating it and starting to get quotes, and he said “I’ll pack. Will you pay me to pack?” But, last time we moved I put down my foot and said we are hiring movers (after he said he would move), and now he says he would never go back to moving himself.
This is how every project I want to do goes. I offer to pay, he says he’ll do it. And he does it without complaint, but I feel guilty as hell when I don’t help.
I think for my parents to move from MD to VA including packing 75% of their stuff it was $17k. This included about 6 weeks of storage before their build was ready.
Old house was about 5,000 sqft, although they got rid of a TON before the move.
This is a jam-packed 1800 sq ft to about 2500. And 30 minutes away, one county over. No storage. It’s those prices that have me saying no way. It then Google tells me $1500, and I’m like - sounds reasonable?
Last time, the mover cost was roughly $800. Just for moving our packed boxes.
Post by lilypad1126 on Apr 16, 2021 14:42:52 GMT -5
The one time we did a local move, we packed ourselves and the move still cost $1,000. And it was a fairly small move - basically a 1 bedroom apt.
Our last move we paid to have them pack us (it was across state lines) and it was SO WORTH IT. My H was all, we can pack ourselves, and I was like, uh, you mean YOU can pack us? And then he was like, oh, well, when you put it that way, let's pay for packers! I mean, I'm perfectly capable of packing, but then I have to have boxes and tape and bubble wrap and stuff. If I let the movers do it, they'll supply that stuff. Plus, none of my stuff is so valuable that if they broke it i'd be super upset. I think that move cost us about $4500.
It helps that we don't have a lot of stuff and that we purge every time we move. I'll be getting moving quotes for a cross-country move here in another month or two and I'm hope it's not outrageous.
So, we just decluttered our house and packed some bedroom stuff, living room, laundry room as we went. Part of the stuff is going to a family member including all the beds, a day bed, couch, end tables (4 sets), a recliner. We donated a few car loads also. Just to give an idea of what is left.
All that to say, we are hiring professional movers to pack the rest including the entire kitchen. (We have a large Chef's kitchen). So partial pack is costing us $1450.00 2300 Square foot house. 4 bedrooms, 3 baths. Again, we packed quite a bit except the kitchen and donated a ton. This was Allied/North American Van Lines. We had a quote from Mayflower that was $2400.00. Definitely shop around.
We're supposed to be moving in June-ish, and I'm planning to pack everything, just pay movers to move the boxes + furniture on the big move day. We're only moving 3 miles away, and are planning to start the process ourselves, since we will own both for an overlapping month or so (at least that is the plan). We are supposed to close on the new house by 5/26, and just listed our house today. We already have 14 showings scheduled for the weekend and will probably be in contract by Sunday. Aiming for a late June sale closing. We have a bunch of stuff packed and stacked in the garage, and more in a storage unit. Moving from about 1900 to 2200 sf.
So, we just decluttered our house and packed some bedroom stuff, living room, laundry room as we went. Part of the stuff is going to a family member including all the beds, a day bed, couch, end tables (4 sets), a recliner. We donated a few car loads also. Just to give an idea of what is left.
All that to say, we are hiring professional movers to pack the rest including the entire kitchen. (We have a large Chef's kitchen). So partial pack is costing us $1450.00 2300 Square foot house. 4 bedrooms, 3 baths. Again, we packed quite a bit except the kitchen and donated a ton. This was Allied/North American Van Lines. We had a quote from Mayflower that was $2400.00. Definitely shop around.
Full move packers are priceless.
I'm really happy to see those prices. Given that we live in a smaller place, I'm hoping to keep our costs for packing/moving this summer to around $5k. Even if it means I have pack some of my stuff. Thanks for sharing!
So, we just decluttered our house and packed some bedroom stuff, living room, laundry room as we went. Part of the stuff is going to a family member including all the beds, a day bed, couch, end tables (4 sets), a recliner. We donated a few car loads also. Just to give an idea of what is left.
All that to say, we are hiring professional movers to pack the rest including the entire kitchen. (We have a large Chef's kitchen). So partial pack is costing us $1450.00 2300 Square foot house. 4 bedrooms, 3 baths. Again, we packed quite a bit except the kitchen and donated a ton. This was Allied/North American Van Lines. We had a quote from Mayflower that was $2400.00. Definitely shop around.
Full move packers are priceless.
I'm really happy to see those prices. Given that we live in a smaller place, I'm hoping to keep our costs for packing/moving this summer to around $5k. Even if it means I have pack some of my stuff. Thanks for sharing!
I like these prices, too! I’m kinda thinking that is all funny money on the sale side anyway, so maybe I’ll splurge. I’ll splurge in the $2-4k range, but not the $10+k range.
A little more information: we are moving long distance to a house that is already furnished so we have 2 drops, our second home and storage. The full move with partial pack from Houston to northern Michigan (not quite to the Upper Peninsula) is $7500. I think it would have saved us more if we’d have been headed to a more metro area. We are on a shared load.
My 2 BR apartment was fully packed to move from Lexington KY to Bellingham WA. Total cost of the move was a shade over $6000. I think we paid out a couple hundred more in tips for the packers and movers. They packed and moved in pairs, so 6 people in total we dealt with. This was in 2014.
The most I’ve paid for a local move was $800 in 2005. The quote was half that, then the movers jacked up the price the day of. So my advice is find the most reputable place using a service like Angie’s list, and pay a little more for a trustworthy company.
Our most recent move, in early 2020, was $500-something plus $150 in tips, moving a to a 1500 sf house with 3 floors, nothing super-heavy. We are MCOL.
ETA: they only packed the kitchen. That’s what takes the most time by far, IME.
We paid for movers to pack the kitchen last time and it was incredible. INCREDIBLE. I seem to recall it was only a few extra hundred dollars. So worth it.
We paid for movers to pack the kitchen last time and it was incredible. INCREDIBLE. I seem to recall it was only a few extra hundred dollars. So worth it.
For some reason, the kitchen does not intimidate me like my craft room does. Last time, I spent 3 full weekend packing in, while H did the rest of the house.
I use an organizing service and based on my organizer's conversations, I think they do this also. Their hourly rate to come organize my house is $85/hour with a 4 hour minimum, so somewhere around there would be my guess.
Post by mysteriouswife on Apr 16, 2021 22:41:48 GMT -5
A relative recently moved and could not find movers to come in and pack for them. Due to covid the companies in their area was only allowing pre-packed moves.
I use an organizing service and based on my organizer's conversations, I think they do this also. Their hourly rate to come organize my house is $85/hour with a 4 hour minimum, so somewhere around there would be my guess.
Sent might be on to something! Get an organizer to pack you, and then have a moving company move the stuff. 2 companies, but the thought of spending potentially $17K, good grief.
If/when I ever move again (not likely), we will not pack. It was horrific 6 years ago when we moved into this house, and was the source of deep fights w/ H.
rubytue, if you want, I can’t find out who did their move. My parents used to be local to you-ish I believe.
Also, my mom had a whole basement of crafts, I’m betting that was a lot of the money. She sews, she scrapbooks, she does stamping/cards, and has yarn for knitting and crocheting.
We paid about $1200 for a local move, but our movers didn’t pack boxes. We put most boxes in the garage (to speed up the day) and the movers wrapped/disassembled the furniture. At the new house they put the boxes in most of the rooms and reassembled furniture, but didn’t unpack. It would have been much more expensive if they had packed all the boxes.
I use an organizing service and based on my organizer's conversations, I think they do this also. Their hourly rate to come organize my house is $85/hour with a 4 hour minimum, so somewhere around there would be my guess.
I use an organizing service and based on my organizer's conversations, I think they do this also. Their hourly rate to come organize my house is $85/hour with a 4 hour minimum, so somewhere around there would be my guess.
Now I know what I’m asking for for Mother’s Day!
It's been great. I did have to take a break during this winter because I was tired after doing 2 bedrooms, the living room, family room and garage, but she is returning to do the attic and other areas with me in May. She's like the bossy big sister I always wish I had. She comes for 4 hours, forces me to make all the decisions to declutter and organize, and then we have to maintain everything after she leaves.
My family moved from the Seattle area to central/eastern WA state into a rental in late June 2020. It was $2300ish plus tips for 6 people. Worth every penny. They did an amazing job. The only moved boxes and furniture.
We moved again on Dec 1, 2020 (just a few miles this time) for $1300ish plus tips for 2 people. Again they only moved boxes & furniture. They bunged up a bunch of our furniture and broke my/H's dresser.... I wasn't impressed.
Don't move twice in 5 months in a pandemic folks. It sucked and was really stressful... and really expensive.
Post by MixedBerryJam on Apr 17, 2021 12:47:36 GMT -5
I’m in NOVA and recently moved 20 minutes away. I did most of the box packing but left the fragile and otherwise unwieldy stuff for the movers on moving day. 2 bedroom unit I’d lived in about a year, so not a lot of excess accumulation. I think my move was about $ $1700 including tipping them at the end
I just had one company call me. It was an over the phone quote, but he kept repeating it was a “exact price” quote and “no surprises” at the end. $1400 for the moving part, including the washer and dryer, and $600 for packing. I kept asking questions like “does that include packing supplies, like boxes and packing materials”, he said yes.
If I can pay $600 to pack all the boxes, sign me up! Hell, boxes along will run me $300. That is so low, I can’t believe it.