Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, July 26, 1993 TAG: 9307280482
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By Mag Poff staff writer
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Using a professional mover reduces the hassles. In the case of a larger household, professional help usually is a necessity.
But there are ways of cutting the cost so that a move doesn't cause financial trauma as well.
Richard Key, sales manager at Pitzer Transfer & Storage Corp. in Roanoke, said about half the moves in this country are financed by an employer. In those cases, he said, families making the moves generally are not concerned about reducing costs.
But the families pay in the other half of moves, so the size of the bill is a primary concern.
Key said the price of a household move is made up of four components: mileage, date, packing and weight.
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Mileage is the factor a family can't do anything about because they must reach a specific destination.
The number of miles, Key said, is "pretty much cut and dried."
Mileage controls the rate schedule as well as the number of dollars.
Anything up to 30 miles from the old home is considered a local move, he explained, and delivery is made in a single day.
A move beyond the 30 miles but still within Virginia is controlled by the State Commerce Commission, according to Key.
The Interstate Commerce Commission, on the other hand, regulates moves of more than 30 miles that involving crossing a state line.
Still another rate schedule controls international moves, whether by air or by sea.
The date of your move has a lot to do with its cost. If you can schedule the transfer, try to avoid the period of May 15 through Sept. 30 when there is a surcharge.
Moving is like renting a motel room at the beach, Key said. It costs more during the busy season when the demand is highest.
The seasonal adjustment varies, but Key said a typical family might save $1,000 by moving between Oct. 1 and May 14.
Most people move in the summer because the school year is over.
But Key said the moving industry's research indicates most young people do better by moving in the middle of a school year.
That's because children are going to be the new kids no matter when they arrive at another school, Key said. But they will meet more people faster if they get to town while school already is in session.
Another factor to consider with the date of your move: Never plan on a weekend arrival because moving personnel earn time-and-a-half to work on Saturdays.
Packing is the third cost variable.
Do it yourself instead of paying the moving company, Key said, and a family can save up to $2,000. That's what the moving company will charge for packing possessions of a typical household.
Most families compromise, he said, by having the mover pack the most fragile items, such as china and crystal. Families that do the rest themselves can save several hundred dollars.
The moving company will provide barrels, boxes and wrapping materials - at a price.
But Key said most supermarkets and state ABC stores will give customers the boxes that they would otherwise throw away. Egg crates at supermarkets make excellent packing boxes.
Weight determines most of the cost of a move.
Despite that, Key said he's seen families pay to move heavy items they could have consumed before the move or more cheaply replaced in their new homes, such as canned goods and firewood.
Donate the canned food to a local charity, such as the Rescue Mission, he said, and take a tax deduction. Then replace the food at the new destination.
If you may be getting rid of furniture, he said, sell it or give it away at the old home, not the destination.
He knows of one retired cou-ple, moving to a smaller home, who disposed of most of their furniture here. They reduced their weight from 10,000 pounds to a mere 500 pounds.
The main problem with financing a move is that the cost is based on actual weight. And you don't know what this is until the truck is loaded and weighed.
Key advised people to obtain several written estimates from movers who send a representative to look at the furniture.
The usual yardstick is 1,000 pounds a room. Yet Key has seem four-room apartments come in at 10,000 pounds instead of 4,000 pounds. That's why a home visit to see the furniture is so important.
Don't accept a low estimate out of line with the others, Key said. He has seen people accept a low-ball estimate only to find they paid more in the end.
To get your furniture at the other end, you must have a certified check for the full amount of the estimate plus 10 percent. And you will still owe any balance.
Many companies accept credit cards for payment, although Pitzer isn't one of them.
Key said people who move should insist on knowing the actual number of pounds just after the truck is loaded and weighed. Then the cost won't be a surprise at the other end.
by CNB