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rubyaches

Moving - what do local movers in your area charge?

rubyaches
11 years ago

We're considering using a local moving company as opposed to doing it all ourselves with a U-Haul and calling in favors from various friends. I'd rather go with a mover because at our age (60 and 61), we're just not as spry as we used to be...lol.

I called a couple of local movers for estimates and got the following:

$95 per hour for 3 men; pads; dollies; plus 1 hr travel time. Estimated time for a 3 bedroom home is 6 - 7 hrs.

$119 per hour from another company, but everything else (men, travel time, etc.) is the same.

Does this seem to be the norm? I'm in Indianapolis. For me, I'd rather pay $600 for movers to do it, although I know from past experience that there's still a lot of work involved for the homeowner, even when not doing it all by yourself.

TIA!

Comments (6)

  • Northlut
    11 years ago

    That is much, much less than we've paid in the past, however I assume things in Indianapolis are cheaper in general than the places we've lived recently. Seems like a great deal to me, if the movers are reputable and will take good care of your stuff. There are a lot of fly by night and sleazy moving companies out there. Be sure to check their reputation and hopefully get a recommendation from someone you know. In the places we've lived, I'd consider those quotes suspiciously cheap.

  • azzalea
    11 years ago

    We'll be moving in about a month. The price we got, for 3 men, for about 5 hours work, including the fuel charge, etc, etc--was about $750 (109/hour). Mind you, that's for them just to move the 'big stuff'--our living room set, one bedroom, large dining room set, refrigerator and a few miscellaneous items like the snowblower and gas grill (which is roughly the size of a VW--LOL).

    We're pretty happy with that price, and didn't bother to check around--couldn't really come in much lower, and this was a very established company. But the price can vary greatly, depending upon where you live, how much you'll be moving, and how far you'll be moving. The mover we spoke with was talking about moving jobs that he had to charge $20,000 for, because of the time/distance involved.

    We've moved (or will be moving) all the stuff we can manage, since we have a pick up and an FJ--and we've been working on shifting stuff gradually for the past 4 years. Oh, and if it makes a difference in your comparison, we live in NJ, where EVERYthing is generally pretty expensive, anyway.

  • camlan
    11 years ago

    For local moves in Connecticut, I paid $85/hr for two men. In New Hampshire, I just paid $75/hr for three men.

    Worth every penny to me. I'm older and can't lift and carry the way I used to, let alone go up and down stairs a million times with boxes.

    And good movers know how to get awkward pieces of furniture through doors and up stairs without banging them into walls and door jambs. They know how to wrap things to prevent scratching and dings. They get the job done faster, so you can start the unpacking sooner.

  • Adella Bedella
    11 years ago

    Your prices sound about right for a local move. It has been two years since my last move. I know it was less than $1000 and more than $400.

    IMO, it is money well spent.

  • minneapolisite
    11 years ago

    I've received quotes around $100/hr for two movers, $150 for three movers, $200 for four movers. Plus a $75 "destination fee."

    Some have mid-month discounts, or winter discounts.

  • azzalea
    11 years ago

    Update to my post above.

    Our house was also a 3 br. We did move about a month after I posted the info re: the estimate.

    The mover sent 3 guys, one large truck. WE were moving 1 hour away. They arrived about 7:45AM, had us packed and were on the road before 9. They were finished unloading and setting up our furniture before 11, so the price (since the time was WAY less than originally estimated) ended up being only $450. And that's in the Phila megalopolis where everything is very expensive.