How to Calculate your Moving Costs

You’re moving home, and you’ve just discovered the ultimate removalist deal at $80 an hour. At that price, we can almost guarantee you’ll get a broken-down truck with dumb and dumber moving your furniture. After petrol, insurance, truck charges, salaries and operating costs for a business, there’s a lot that goes into calculating your moving costs. While no one wants to overpay for any service, underpaying can run you into problems.

A smooth move typically starts with asking one fundamental question, “where are you moving to?” From here, we work alongside you to ensure you receive the best possible service at the best possible price. With benefits including storage, boxes, packing, unpacking, and anything else you may need to make your move a smooth one, let’s run through how to calculate the cost of moving house with Smoothmoves.

Removalist Charges in Sydney

Sydney removalists like us typically charge an hourly rate, including two experienced movers and a moving truck. We also charge a standard “call-out” fee to cover the distance from our head office. That means no matter where you live, everyone pays the same price. While it may be tempting to choose fly-by-night removal companies with low advertised rates, the additional time and the level of care (or lack thereof) will end up costing you more.

The Relocation Distance

Moving next door is a lot easier than moving to the next state. The distance from your old place to your new home will significantly impact the cost of your move. The further you need to travel, the more expensive your removalists costs will be. 

Smoothmoves, for example, offers expert moving house services across the Greater Sydney area from the CBD to the Blue Mountains. Having completed countless moves, our highly-experienced staff can give you an estimate of the costs associated with your location. Whether it’s one suburb over or towards the Central Coast, we’ll work together with a commitment-free quote based on where you’re moving from and where you’re moving to. Click here to see a complete list of areas we service.

Your Belongings

Before you even start counting boxes, think about what needs to be thrown out. While some of us can get sentimental about our belongings, the amount of time, money and effort you can save by letting go of unwanted goods is worth considering. We recommend getting rid of anything too damaged or worn out, but make sure to keep anything still in good condition that could be repurposed, sold or donated to charity.

With decluttering out of the way, it’s time to take stock of your belongings. As you would expect, the more you have to move, the longer the move will take, and the more space your belongings will take up, resulting in a heavier shipment and higher moving costs. 

Creating a detailed moving inventory will make it easier to estimate moving costs, as well as the number of packing materials and boxes you’ll need to store everything.

Packing Materials

Another factor that can impact your moving costs is whether or not your removalists provide suitable packing materials. From boxes to tape to bubble wrap, moving house can be a real struggle without the necessary supplies, which could lead to a more prolonged and expensive move.

To avoid unforeseen costs, rent as many packing materials as you need from Smoothmoves! To ensure everything is safe and secure, we’ll deliver anything and everything you’ll need to ensure you’re 100% prepared.  Don’t worry! If you have any extras, we’ll refund you for what you don’t use. 

Once the move is done and dusted, flat-pack any boxes that are still in good condition, and we’ll pick them up for free from locations within our Sydney delivery area. If you’re a little further away, we can pick them up for a small fee, or alternatively, you can return your boxes to our Smoothmoves Depot in Brookvale for a 50% refund as long as they’re de-taped and flat packed.

Click here for more information about hiring and returning moving boxes.

Consider the peculiarities

How complex a move is can also impact the final relocation costs. Beyond the travel distance and the overall size of your move, the individual peculiarities – unusually large and heavy items, location obstacles, and time of day – can often make the moving process slower, riskier, and more complex. 

Take stock of the following to better understand the cost of moving house.

• Unusually large and heavy items
  • Pool tables
  • Hot tubs/ jacuzzi
  • Security safes
  • Mirrors
  • Cabinets
• Extremely delicate and fragile items
  • Antiques
  • Pianos
  • Art
  • Sensitive electronics
• Location-based obstacles
  • Access to property
  • Narrow streets
  • Parking
  • Other physical constraints
• Interior obstacles
  • Stairs
  • Narrow corridors
  • Small doors

Get The Experts To Calculate Your Move Today

Calculating the cost of your move is an essential step in budgeting for your new home. As one of the most popular professional home removalists services across Sydney, we pride ourselves on delivering a fully-serviced and personalised move, no matter where you are or what time you want us to be there. 

Whether it’s just a few boxes and a bed, or an entire mansion worth of items, we treat your furniture and homewares as if they were our own for a smooth move guaranteed! 

Get in touch with the Smoothmoves team, and request a cost and commitment-free quote today.