If you are getting ready to move across country, you may want to price out hiring a full-service moving company to get you there. Since they will come in, pack up your home, transport your belongings, and then unpack you on the other end, this will be the easiest and possibly the less stressful way to execute your move. It also may be one of the most expensive ways to move. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce and offset the cost of your move. By doing so, you can still use the services of a full-service mover without placing such a large dent in your pocket.

Shop Around

When you are looking to hire professional movers, the total pricing of your move is based on several different factors. These include:

• The distance you are moving
• The amount of stuff you are moving
• How much packing your movers will be performing
• The amount of insurance you needing
• The time of year you are moving
• The time of month you are moving and more

In addition to the factors listed you will also see variances in the pricing structure of various moving companies themselves. One of the ways you can negate paying too much for a professional move is the shop for the best company to perform the move. While the cheapest is not always the best, having lower priced estimates will often give you bargaining power with some of the higher priced companies.

Make sure that you are getting binding estimates in writing. This will not only help you to ensure that you are comparing apples with apples, but it will keep you from facing the possibility of having to pay additional unforeseen expenses associated with the move. 

Negotiate The Timing Of Your Move

Many times the price of moving is based on supply and demand. Movers are often able to offer you deeper discounts if they have trucks that are sitting empty and drivers that are not working. Moving companies are often the busiest during the beginning or end of the month, and there is more demand on weekends than during the middle of the week. 

To save money, it is best to move in the middle of the week during the middle of the month. For example, consider a Tuesday or Wednesday that falls somewhere around the 15th of the month. If you know far enough in advance that you will be moving, try to avoid the summer months altogether. This is a prime moving time, as families with children are trying to relocate while school is out.

If you are planning a winter move, take into consideration the weather where you are moving from, as well as the weather where you are moving to. Potential weather conditions can delay your move, as well as increase the price of your move. You may not want to move to Montana in the middle of the winter. 

Take The Tax Breaks

Do you know that depending on the reason that you are moving, the cost of your move may be tax deductible. There are certain rules that apply such as distance, and full-time payroll status. In addition to deducting the cost of your move, you may even be able to deduct the cost of all of your belongings that you donate to a charitable organization prior to your move. These deductions can quickly add up and help to offset the cost of your move.

After you get over the initial sticker shock of a full service move and you start looking for ways to reduce the cost, you may find that it is a whole lot more reasonable than it looks from the offset. You must also remember, there is no price that you can put on the reduction of stress that having someone else move you will offer.

Contact a local moving company for more information.