How to find affordable small load moving companies
Starting a new life in a new location is very exciting! However, the stress and the expenses of a move can be demanding even when moving locally. Finding a right company can be hard and very expensive. One of the best ways to reduce the cost of your move is to not carry many things with you. If you pack lightly you can hire one of the small load moving companies, which will transport your load for less money.
What are small load moving companies?
Normally, the moving companies give you a minimum weight requirement for every household. Everything below this weight has the same minimum fee. So, moving a bed costs the same as moving a toothbrush. But, what if you are moving locally? What if you are leaving a rented apartment with not a lot of things? You would still have to pay the minimum weight and minimum mileage fee. Which would make your move pricier than it needs to be.
Luckily, there are small load moving companies. These will move your possessions cheap, fast and with little hassle.They move everything up to 1000 pounds and do not have a minimum weight requirement.
Small load moving companies base their costs on a number of factors:
- the weight of your things
- distance to your new home
- number of movers on the job
- other services you might choose (packing your things, carrying them, etc.)
The price will increase the weight and the distance, obviously. And, if you are moving locally you will be charged by the hour. However, if you are moving cross country you can negotiate the price with the movers before the moving day. The number of movers will also affect the price. If there is only one mover dedicated to your move, the cost will decrease.
Further tips to reduce the cost of your move
The trick is to go as cheap as possible but not to get anyone hurt or to damage your things. “Hiring” your friends to help you out
can be pretty cheap but you might end up having to hospitalize one of them. You can reduce the cost without breaking a lamp
or someone arm by packing yourself. You can get free boxes to make your move even more affordable. Make sure you insure any valuable things for the move and to also inform the movers to be careful with them.
Research a number of small load moving companies and try out your negotiating skills. You never know, maybe this further reduces the price. Try to book your moving date as early as possible and schedule it right away. It is much cheaper than paying some last minute fee.
Also, proof your things for the move. Don’t risk you grandma’s tea set getting broken. Even though this doesn’t make the move cheaper initially, it is cheaper than replacing your things. Finally, hire a local mover. They are cheaper than international ones.
How to find affordable small load moving companies?
Even though we want to cut costs as much as possible, we musn’t risk our safety or the safety of our possessions. Better to invest in a reputable moving company than to regret not spending that extra bit. You can always cut the costs in other ways.
So, the first thing to do is to get a pool of small load moving companies. The best way is to get a referral from your friends or co-workers. If someone you trust used them and is satisfied, you are likely to be satisfied as well. You can also check online or in person any number of movers in your city. Remeber to ask for the estimates and to write it all down. Make sure you get the estimates in person, and don’t trust any you get by phone or e-mail. They tend to change last minute.
Step 2 is to research thoroughly your pool of small scale movers. Look for customer reviews and ratings. Compare the estimates you wrote down. Research your companies online to make sure you are hiring good and trustworthy movers. Make sure they have enough personnel and vehicles to move your things. Next, check if the companies you shortlisted are legal. You should check their USDOT numbers to make sure they are real. Finally, remember to double check anything you are not absolutely certain about.
The right moving company for you
The advantage of small load moving companies is that their offers are usually highly customizable. Even though you can use this reduce the price of your move, this also provides a move suited especially to your needs. As we said before, you can take some parts of the move upon yourself to make the move cheaper, but also to hasten it. If you do your own packing and loading, you need pay only for their weight and the distance to your new home. If you want to sit around and watch five people pack and load your things, you might get charged a bit extra. All in all, you can design it to suit your preferences.
Even if you only have a fraction of the maximum 1000 pounds, there is no weight minimum, so you don’t pay extra. However, if you are way below the maximum, you can qualify for a mini load move. This will make your move even cheaper and faster, usually in a van instead of a truck.
Even though moving came me troublesome, we hope we eased your mind and your wallet with these tips. Remeber to keep calm and do your research and all will be well. In the end, there are a lot of small load moving companies, so choose the one then best fits your needs.