Are you making an interstate move? You have to perform several tasks to accomplish them. Here are a few basic things which you may need to do:
- Pack your belongings.
- Find a suitable place to move.
- Check out the various moving options.
- Establish new connections.
An interstate move is a time-consuming process, and it may require a lot of planning and patience. To help you understand better we have put together a few important tips that will help you relocate smoothly to a different state.
Explore the new city
Before you move to a new city, it's important to know about the new place where you would be moving. It seems a great idea to take a short trip to the city and explore it properly. You can take a bike ride or a long walk to research your neighborhood and the nearby eatery or pub.
Here are some tricks to do your research:
- You must check for nearby schools in your locality on websites like GreatSchools.org if you have children.
- Ensure to check the commute time, by opening Google map, mostly during the rush hours. You need to find out the areas which are red and calculate the approximate time in both transit and car.
- If you don’t have time to explore your neighborhood in person, consider using Google Street View for the same.
- To find out the crime rate, you can use Neighborhood Scout.
If you are satisfied with the neighborhood, consider searching for a house to rent in that locality. Alternatively, you may stay with a friend or relative, until you find the right house for yourself. Moreover, you can use portable containers to keep your belongings, until you find a house.
Find the living cost
You need to estimate your living cost in the new state and compare it with your previous expenses. We recommend you use the living cost calculator to compare the transportation, housing, food, and clothing costs with that of your previous state.
- You can check on your state's property, income, and sales tax of your new state.
- If you have a business, ensure to check on the payroll and business taxes. Also, you need to check on your business license expenses.
Moving and storage options
Moving all your possessions to a new state is one of the biggest expenses and the most difficult part of the whole process. Of course, you can create advance plans and make your move comparatively easier.
Check out the moving and storage options for an interstate move:
- You can hire professional movers to load your belongings into a moving truck as well as drive the truck for you. However, this can be the most expensive and difficult option when it comes to scheduling.
- Another option would be to hire a rental truck and request family members or friends to help you load your possessions into the truck. You may even hire a local mover to load and unload your belongings.
- If you are looking for an affordable option, perhaps you can rent a portable container for packing, storing, and moving.
Tip: We recommend you determine your budget as well as your needs, likes, and dislikes before you choose a moving option.
2 More Tips for a low budget that you shouldn't ignore:
- Try to declutter your belongings as much as possible. The fewer possessions you have to move, the more budget-friendly your move would be.
- In case you are relocating for a new job, we suggest you ask your employer to bear your moving expenses. If you do this, definitely you will save a lot of money.
Save money for additional moving expenses
There are a few moving expenses that you may ignore while creating your budget, but it will increase your final cost. Let's check them out.
- Cost of packing supplies like moving boxes, bubble wraps, packing tapes, and moving blankets. You may arrange for some used moving boxes, possibly this will reduce your moving expenses. Make sure these moving boxes are strong and sturdy as they might break if you pack something heavy into them.
- Shipping cost, if you need to ship your car across the country.
- Hotel rooms and meals expenses while you are on your interstate move.
- Deposits and connection fees for your utility services.
- The deposits and first or even last month's rent you pay while renting a new apartment.
- Cost of items like a shower curtain, bathmats, rods, cleaning supplies, hand towels, and groceries that you may need to set up your new home.
- Gas and diesel cost is another important component, which you shouldn’t forget while creating your budget. In short, a truck rental company will charge you $8/gallon for your interstate move, if you don’t return the truck with a full tank.
Turn on the utility services
It would be a big disappointment for you if you moved to a new state and found all your utility services haven't yet started. Ensure to start all your utility services like water, sewage, internet, power, and garbage collection, before you move to the new state. Don't forget to pack your essential box with things that you will need during the first few days of the move. You can bring a towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, and toilet paper.
Transfer or cancel all your membership plan
You should either cancel or transfer any memberships which you won't be using anymore. This may include a community membership or a gym membership. If you are engaged in a monthly membership program, you will need to give a month's notice before canceling your membership. Alternatively, you can transfer your membership if you have the club in your new location.
Inform and transfer the school records
You must inform the current school about the move and ensure to transfer all the records once you have enrolled in a new school. Here are a few documents that you must submit to your new school at the time of enrolment:
- Recommendation letter
- Immunization records
- Medical records
Hire a reputable moving company
Here’s how you can choose a reputable and trustworthy moving company:
- You need to shortlist three to four moving companies and take the moving quotes and estimates from them.
- Compare the quotes and identify which company will offer you the best service at a reasonable price.
- You check the reviews and testimonials of the moving companies before you hire them.
Generally, a good moving company will inspect all your items physically or through a video survey, before giving an estimate to you. However, if they just assign you a quote over the internet without even looking at your items, it would be a bad idea to rely on them.
Select a moving date
- You should consider the following factors before you choose a date for your interstate move:
- You must check the availability of the moving company as well as your work schedule.
- Ensure that the weather is suitable for you to make the interstate move.
- Check for any family problems that might interfere with your moving date.
Also, you need to confirm your moving date, time, and location with the professional movers many weeks before the moving day. However, if the moving company you choose is trustworthy, they will call you themselves at least a week before for confirmation. Overall, this will reduce your stress and give you peace of mind.
Check the floor plan of the new house
You must grab a detailed floor plan of your new house before purchasing any furniture for it. This will help you decide where each piece of furniture would fit in your new home. It might take several weeks or months for the new furniture to reach your new destination. You can buy a few necessary items before you move to the new address.
Forward your mails
It would be a great idea to forward your mail to your location several days in advance. You just need to go to USPS.com and select the date to start forwarding your mail to the new address. Let your family, friends, and neighbors know that you are moving into a new state.
How much does an interstate move cost?
You can calculate the cost of an interstate move based on the distance you would be traveling and the number of items you would be moving. For example, if you are traveling around 1225 miles with an average weight of 7,400 pounds, most likely you will pay an average cost of $4900. However, your costs may vary depending on the different moving services you would be using.
Here are a few factors that would affect the final cost of your interstate move:
- Packing- If you hire movers to pack your belongings, it could be your whole house, a single piece of the mattress, or box spring. The movers will charge you accordingly for their time and the packing supplies offered by the company. This may include the furniture disassembly and assembly charges as well.
- Travel expenses- You must include the cost of labor as well as fuel charges, while you calculate the cost of an interstate move. The more distance you travel, the higher would be these charges.
- Storage- A moving company will also give you the storage option for your possessions, before, after, and during the move. However, they will charge you extra for this service, which again will increase your moving costs. We suggest you ask the moving company about their storage charges as they may vary from company to company.
- Valuation coverage and liability- As per the Federal Law, a moving company will provide two different coverage options to their customers. If you choose the Full Value Protection option, the moving company will have to either replace your damaged items or pay an amount equivalent to the current value of the same product. Moreover, if you want to choose an affordable option, then you should go with the basic coverage option that would offer you a bare minimum reimbursement for your damaged goods.
- Third-party insurance- We recommend you purchase third-party insurance if you have very costly products to move. You must take the receipt from them, click photographs of all your items and ensure to document them comprehensively. Moreover, if any of your items get stolen in transit, a homeowner's insurance can also compensate for such a loss.
Conclusion
Overall, if you want to reduce your moving cost, you must pack your items by yourself, select an appropriate moving date as well as minimize the number of items you need to move. Also, you need to be careful while choosing a moving company as you may fall into the trap of moving scams. We have covered a wide range of tips in this guide, just go through it and you will understand the tits and bits of an interstate move.
Of course, hiring professional movers can be expensive, but it is going to definitely reduce your stress. Don’t hesitate to take the quotes and estimates from a few moving companies before hiring one for your move.