Austin is a city of rich culture, unique traditions, gorgeous people, and fantastic food and drinks. It is a haven for music and food lovers and young professionals. Though it has its bad points, Austin’s crime rate is lower than most cities of a similar size, making it ideal for everybody. Read on for more […]
Are you in the process of planning a long-distance move to Austin? If so, you’re in for a pretty stressful experience. See, The City of Violet Crown bubble with so much activity that settling down within its premises can be tiresome and time-consuming. Thankfully, you don’t have to do it alone. You have the convenient option of hiring a reliable moving company. Unfortunately, many fraudulent movers exist out there and it can be difficult to determine which companies are reliable. In this blog post, you will learn seven proven facts about hiring a trustworthy moving company, so you don’t end up with a regrettable experience.
Before you even start contacting moving companies, take some time to think about your needs first. What is the most critical factor to you when choosing a mover? Is it price? speed? Ease of use? Or a sweet mix of it all? On top of that, how much are you willing to spend? When you have an idea of your expectations, it will help you weed out companies that don’t fit your bill.
Setting a budget is crucial, especially when planning a long-distance move, and it’s often a more complex task than budgeting for a local move. Unlike local moves, where the primary cost factors are typically just the time and distance, long-distance moves involve additional variables that can significantly impact your budget. These may include the weight of your belongings, the distance traveled, and any additional services required, such as packing, storage, or special handling for delicate items.
For those who’ve only moved locally before, it’s important to understand that long-distance moves are generally more expensive and require more detailed financial planning. The average local moving cost in Austin, TX is $941, but moving across states could easily run into the thousands, depending on the size of your household and the services you choose. When setting your budget, consider all potential expenses, such as:
You might be thinking, aren’t you doing research right now reading this article? Yes, and that’s a good start. However, now that you know what you’re looking for, it’s time to dig even deeper.
Once you’ve been in contact with a potential mover, start by checking review sites like Yelp, Google Reviews, and Angie’s List, where you can get an idea of the company’s past customers’ experiences. Be careful about fake reviews. It might be a good idea to contact a referral and hear the actual story from them.
After evaluating the reviews, it’s time to inquire about the most important part: your mover’s licenses. Having a legitimate license proves that the movers have complied with the proper operation requirements. That said, for a long-distance moving company based in Austin, the credentials you should be looking for include:
Although there are plenty of new companies who are excellent at what they do, the safest bet for your money is a company that has been in the business for a considerable while. More specifically, work with movers who know Austin by heart. They will be able to weave across the neighborhoods without issues. The more experience your movers are, the more likely they will be able to troubleshoot problems with ease, the faster the job gets done, and the less stressful your entire experience will be.
Having movers do everything without you having to lift a finger is convenient, but it can be too expensive for the average household. An excellent way to cut down costs is to do the packing yourself. This means you will need to hire a moving company that offers labor-only services. This way, you save yourself from the physical burdens of carrying your stuff while still being able to save money on your move. Just be sure to shop for quality materials and do some extra research on how to pack your items as securely as possible.
Insurance is crucial, especially when it comes to something as expensive as moving. You don’t know when accidents or calamities will strike, even if you’re hiring the best company in Austin. That being said, understand that movers are required to provide valuation coverage equivalent to $0.60 x the weight of the damaged/lost item in pounds. This might be fair for casual stuff, but what about something as expensive as a TV or a fridge? If you’re moving some appliances or important furniture, consider talking with your potential company to get a full valuation coverage, albeit for a higher price.
Austin is a great place with loads of opportunities and scenic attractions. Your decision to move there might be one of the best yet. That said, don’t let all this fuss surrounding the relocation stress you out. It’ll be over soon, and you’ll be enjoying life in your new neighborhood. Now that’s something to look forward to!
You’re probably too excited to move into your new apartment or house. Perhaps you already have a picture of what you want your new home to look like. Unfortunately, it’s not always a smooth transition with previous tenants leaving behind some filthy remnants or the dust gathering in every corner of the house due to […]
Many people fear moves because they expect the worst. If you make a plan and break everything down into doable steps, you’ll find that moving can be an exciting process. Mentally, walk through everything you’ll need to do. This will get you geared up for the move. 1. Reduce Unnecessary Items It’s a good idea […]
When moving across the country, in addition to moving your things, you also need to consider how you’re getting your vehicle to its destination. At first glance, driving a car across the country seems like the cheapest option. After all, a vehicle shipment can cost hundreds of dollars. Yet, you shouldn’t rule out shipping your car for this reason alone. Both of these options have different pros and cons that depend on a wide range of factors. Kip’s Cross Country Movers (kipscrosscountrymovers.com) breaks them down for you:
If you decide to drive across the entire United States from one coastline and ocean to another, so to speak, then the trip can cover almost 2800 miles depending on your start and end points. The time it takes to travel that distance can run from anywhere between three days to a week depending on the number and duration of food, rest, bathroom and sleep stops and delays caused by construction, traffic congestion, accidents, breakdowns and other emergencies. You must ask yourself if you have the time and money to make the trip. If not, you must determine if you can afford to pay someone to drive the car for you.
If you decide to ship your vehicle and travel separately by plane or train, you can reach your destination in a few hours or days. It can take between five days and two weeks for your vehicle to arrive unless you pay extra for faster shipping. You must also take into account the time to travel to the airport or train station and any traffic delays on the way, waiting for the plane or train to arrive, delays during transit, waiting for luggage and a rental car or a taxi or rideshare vehicle and then the remaining journey to your new home.
Gas-powered and hybrid car owners must estimate cost based on per gallon mileage and gas prices at the start point and at stations in different states following the shortest distance between the locations. Keep in mind that fuel prices are different across the country based on national and local standards. You should always add an extra 100 miles to your fuel cost estimate to take into account any times that you might have to travel out of the way, such as when road construction forces you to take a detour that’s longer than your mapped out plan. When you ship a vehicle, the total rate amount quoted to you by a shipper includes the fuel prices at the time of the quote and the estimated cost of fuel based on the size and weight of your car and the transport distance. Shippers also typically charge more for going out of their way to deliver door-to-door and to remote locations.
Without a doubt, shipping is the better option when you factor emergencies into the estimated costs for your journey. The best shippers quote package rates that include excellent insurance coverage. As a result, if an emergency happens that delays shipment or damages your vehicle, you don’t have to worry about the repair or rental car costs. When you drive across country, you have to pay out of pocket and use your own insurance. You might think that an emergency won’t happen, but there’s no guarantee. Your car might break down. Another driver might hit your vehicle, or you might hit a deer or other animal. The stress from driving thousands of miles in different kinds of traffic can cause anxiety, indigestion and even a heart attack. Along the way, you might experience a severe allergic reaction or poisoning from a snake, insect bite or food. You might become distracted while driving or parked and experience an injury. A medical emergency can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Shipping your car reduces most of these risks.
Both driving and shipping options result in expenses that most people fail to consider, such as tolls and parking fees when driving. If you don’t sleep in your car or an attached trailer, you must pay for a motel or hotel room. Food costs are higher at toll road, and major highway rest stops. You must also take into account the potential cost of lodging for several extra days or longer if your car needs repairs or you become sick. Additionally, adding thousands of miles of travel to your vehicle can cause parts to wear down faster, which then results in additional car repair expenses after your move.
On the other hand, if you ship your vehicle, you must take into account public plane and train costs, the high cost of food at airports and train stations and possibly a taxi, rideshare or rental car costs. You might need a rental car if you have to wait several days for delivery. You might also need to pay a taxi or rideshare company to drive you to the delivery site if you choose terminal-to-terminal delivery.
Given that everyone has different moving needs and types of vehicles, the choice you make depends on your situation. To make an informed decision, research all of the factors and costs related to driving across the country based on the shortest driving distance and stop points along the way and then contact local car shipping companies for estimates so that you can find the cheapest shipper and compare costs. Once you have this information, always make the choice that not only saves you time and money but also reduces stress and hassle.
The process of preparing for a move is always an exciting one. Amidst the excitement, however, is a serious amount of stress and anxiety. These feelings are only compounded during a long distance move, where the stakes are higher, the planning more intense, and the move that much more exhausting. Gearing Up for a Long […]
It can be tricky to pack your bedroom for moving because there are so many different items of wildly varying sizes. Many of those items are also fragile, which makes things even more complicated! On the bright side, there are a few tricks you can use to make the whole process a little bit quicker and easier.
Your bedroom will have a lot of fragile items that need padding to survive transportation. It will also have a lot of clothes and other textiles. You can use those soft items as padding to keep the fragile ones in good shape. Simply wrap the fragile objects in a layer of clothing or blankets, and use a little bit of stretch wrap or even tape to hold them in position. This will save space because you don’t need to add more packing material to your boxes, and it will also keep the cost of moving down because it is a good alternative to paying for enough bubble wrap to keep everything safe.
Organization is the key to success when moving. It is especially important for the bedroom because you will need to get that ready quickly after you move if you want to go to bed on time. The most important thing that you can do is to keep your boxes organized and labeled. That will ensure that you can find things quickly when you need them. Your labels should be durable and easy to identify at a glance. There are a lot of little tricks for labeling boxes, but Martha Stewart recommends using color coding and large text to make sure you can identify boxes quickly.
Many people keep jewelry or other personal valuables in their bedrooms. They tend to be fragile, easy to lose, and extremely hard to replace, which makes it incredibly stressful to pack them up for moving. You will probably feel much better and keep those items more secure if you carry them yourself rather than packing them with the rest of your possessions. If that isn’t an option, your best bet is to wrap the pieces in bubble wrap or another protective layer and put them in a box with compartments. Many jewelry boxes will work, but a fishing tackle box is a great choice if you need to buy something new.
Moving gives you a great excuse to sort through your closet and get rid of the items that you never wear. After all, it makes no sense to waste time, energy, and space on packing things that you don’t need. Simply take the time to look through all of your clothes before you pack them and sort out the ones that you don’t want to keep. There are a lot of techniques that you can use to make this easier if you are having trouble making decisions, so try them all out and use the one that works best for yours.
If you still need help with packing for your move, enlist a moving company! Most moving companies offer packing as an additional service to help moving customers. Use this guide from Keller Williams San Antonio to find the mover that’s right for you.
Moving across the country is a bit more detailed than moving to another city or down the street. There are more costs involved, and you will spend more time on the road unless you’re able to fly to the area you’ll be living. Fortunately, there are a few tips that you can follow to make […]
