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How do you calculate the true cost of movers in Toronto? Moving isn’t just about taking one’s belongings from one house to another. It is tied to so many other factors. Sometimes the move is precipitated by the end of something, the end of a marriage, the loss of a loved one. A move can also be the start of something new, perhaps the birth of a new baby, the start of a new job/career, or perhaps starting college or university. Some say that the difference between a person viewing making a move as something negative or positive is all tied to the way you process change.
The physical and emotional cost of moving must be factored into the total moving costs. At Torex, we can’t calculate that cost for you, but we can promise to help take away some of the stress involved with moving. We want you to be excited about your new move. Some who have worried about the average cost of hiring professional movers have been surprised to discover the cost to hire full-service movers is not as high as they anticipated.
Why Hire a Moving Company?
Hiring a moving company has been proven to reduce the stress associated with moving. A recent survey showed 94% of participants who had recently hired movers felt hiring a moving company was worth the cost incurred. Moving isn’t just about one stressful day; packing up ahead of time can take weeks if you are doing it alone. Then on moving day, there is the worry of whether or not your furniture will need to be disassembled to get it out the door or into your new place.
If you hire full-service movers, the moving company will do the packing/unpacking for you. Packing services employ the best packing techniques ensuring your household goods will get to your new home safely. Movers will also disassemble and reassemble any furniture that needs to be taken apart for the move. The money you will save from not having to replace broken or damaged items or repairing scraped walls or stairwells should be factored into your final moving cost.
COVID-19 has changed our world. Your health, as well as the safety of our staff, is our top priority. At Torex, we are following all provincial regulations. We disinfect our equipment and trucks before and after each move. Our staff will all be wearing protective gloves and masks and will maintain a safe distance from you, the client, and each other. We would appreciate it if you could disinfect your furniture before we arrive.
What Are All The Moving Costs
There are a lot of costs to be factored in with moving. What is the distance from your old home to your new home? Of course, a local move will be cheaper than a long-distance move. With all moves, local or long-distance, some factors you will have to include are issues such as traffic and severe weather conditions. Most moving companies charge per hour for their services, but Torex offers flat rate estimates and package deals if you prefer a set moving price.
If you want to move without using a moving company, you will have to include the cost of a truck rental in your moving estimate. With some truck rental companies, you can expect to pay per kilometer in addition to the flat fee charge, which will add up with long-distance moving. They can also charge you a fee to drop the moving truck in a different location than the pick-up location so check to see how much does it cost to do this.
The size of your move and the weight of your belongings will need to be estimated. The cost to move from a 4-bedroom house is going to be greater than the cost to move from a 1-bedroom apartment. Moving companies can estimate the weight of your belongings, but on your moving day, they will calculate the true weight by weighing the empty truck and then weighing the truck once it is filled with your belongings. Your per pound cost will be included in the final cost of your move.
When contacting a professional moving company for an estimate, be sure to mention any specialty items you may need to have moved. These would include a piano, hot tub, pool table, or expensive, fragile items such as antique furniture or expensive art. These specialty items will need extra protection, moving companies do offer a basic insurance, but it may be a good idea to purchase extra insurance for these items.
If your move is long-distance or your new home isn’t ready to move into yet, you may require storage. At Torex, we can provide mobile storage trailers that we can pack for you, or you can pack yourself. We can then store the trailer in our safe storage compound or store it at the location of your choosing.
What Is The Average Cost of Movers in Toronto
The internet tells us the costs for an average move is over $1500, but this is a very rough estimate. The moving costs of a small-bedroom apartment compared to the moving costs of a 3+ bedroom house are going to be different. Moving to a new home with professional movers does come with a cost, but you can control some of the factors in this cost.
Movers can provide non-binding or binding estimates. A non-binding estimate is based on the size of your current house and how many things need to be moved. It includes the anticipated travel time based on the distance but does not account for travel issues such as high traffic situations or severe weather conditions. Movers charge per hour, so the anticipated estimate will not include surprise issues such as a piece of furniture needing to be disassembled and reassembled or a handrail needing to be removed to move items downstairs.
A binding estimate is often called a flat rate estimate. These estimates anticipate possible extra costs and are fixed. So while it is possible these estimates can be more expensive, they can also give the client peace of mind because they know exactly how much a move is going to cost before it takes place. If a problem arises and the movers have to take extra time to disassemble something or if they are stuck in traffic, the movers absorb the costs, not the customer.
One thing that can affect moving costs is the time of year you move. Movers experience a peak season in June-August. So you can expect the mover’s estimate to be higher at this time than in the low season. Rates can also be higher at the end of the month than at the middle of the month. Consider moving during the month or from September-May to receive off-season savings from professional movers.
Additional services can add to moving costs, such as storage, junk removal, packing and unpacking, and cleaning services. While these services come at a cost, they can also relieve the client of anxiety. Let’s be honest, that’s not the fun stuff. To help your move go smoothly, consider paying someone else to take care of these additional services so you can focus on getting settled in your new home. Torex offers these services and can provide a free quote.
Keep in mind that reputable movers will provide liability insurance, but if you have specialty or expensive items, you may want to consider getting extra insurance for these items. Items such as musical instruments, including pianos, pool tables, antique furniture, and hot tubs, may not have the total value covered in basic liability insurance. Discuss this with your mover. At Torex, we offer free estimates as part of our moving services.
What Will Be the Average Cost of Your Next Move?
You can calculate this by getting the hourly rate of your moving company (or compare a few) and then multiplying the hourly rate by the number of movers you will need and the number of hours anticipated to complete the move, including transport between your old home and your new home. This rate does not include additional costs such as packing/unpacking, cleaning, and storage. Local moves will be cheaper than long-distance moving.
We have calculated some general prices for local residential moves with a distance of under 50 km, but it is best to call us or fill out the contact card to get an estimate from our friendly staff:
- 4 x 8 ft : $460 plus $15 per stair
- 4.5 x 9 ft: $510 plus $20 per stair
- 5 x 10 ft : $780 plus $25 per stair
- 5.5 x 11 ft: $830 plus $30 per stair
- 6 x 12 ft: 1250 plus $35 per stair
- Commercial Moves: Minimum $830 plus $25 per stair
Junk removal can be an issue in Toronto and the GTA because garbage collection services won’t always take more than one container full, and sometimes they won’t take certain items. At Torex, we will dispose of your garbage at a reasonable rate of $160 for the first tonne + $100 for each additional tonne. We can take your garbage to the appropriate facility or donate items to charity if they are still in good condition. There is no need to separate garbage. Our staff will have protective clothing and can separate items for you; we will take everything except flammable materials and/or explosives.
At Torex, we know moving can be a stressful time, and the costs associating with moving can be the cause of anxiety. We want to do our best to help relieve you of this anxiety. We will work with you to find a moving budget that you can afford. To help with your expenses, we would like to offer these groups a 10% discount on moving:
- Seniors
- Students
- First Responders
- Teachers
- Low-Income Individuals/Families on Social Assistance or ODSP
- Delivery Drivers – Uber Eats, Door Dash, Skip the Dishes and Instacart
- Royal Canadian Navy
- Newcomers
- Single Parents
- Law Enforcement
- Social Workers
- Military Veterans
- Retail and Grocery Sales Personnel
- Flight Attendants
- Large Families With 3 or More Children
- First Time Customers
We also give early-bird discounts to customers that book their move a month or more in advance. If you sign a storage contract for a year or more, we will give you one free month of storage as our gift to you. At times we offer sales such as 10% off packing materials so check our website’s discount and offers page to see all current specials.
If you are short of funds so need to move yourself, consider hiring us for a single or select items move. You can move most of your belongings yourself, whether it is in your friend’s vehicles or in a truck rental but hire us to move the difficult or heavy items such as your appliances or fragile items like your television. If your new home is 20 km or less away from your old home and the entire move takes 1.5 hours or less, you can expect to pay only $100. This includes our movers’ work and the truck.
We appreciate that all of our customers are unique, and we will work with you to find the best moving estimate for your next move. Whether you are moving within Toronto or the GTA or even internationally, our 13+ years of experience will help your next move go smoothly.