The True Cost of Moving: How Things Can Add Up Quickly

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Moving is a rite of passage for homeowners. Buying your first home is a time of great excitement, but the cost of this process can quickly run out of control if you aren’t careful. Thankfully, there are some simple remedies to runaway moving costs so that you and your family can focus on what really matters: Making this new house your home.

Take precautions when it comes to the roof.

The roof is one of the most important aspects of a home. This structure protects your family and belongings from wind, rain, and any extreme elements that may be at play in your local area. However, homebuyers can’t always be sure of the soundness of their new home’s roof. Make sure you ask the seller the age and condition of this essential component before putting in an offer. A roof typically lasts between 20 and 25 years, but this can be much longer or shorter depending on the upkeep habits of the owner. Little or no maintenance means that it’s likely to fail far before the 20 year mark.

For one thing, knowing the age of the roof can help you price your offer. A roof that will require replacing in the next few years can be played to your advantage when offering a buy price well below the asking. Alternatively, you may be able to entice the owner to replace the roof for you, giving you a totally new layer of protection when you move in, and the peace of mind that comes along with it. Consult Allentown roofers in your local area to game out the potential savings of doing it yourself or asking for the owner to replace the roof before the sale. It’s likely that hiring professional installers to put on a new roof yourself will save you money, but you have to know the condition of the shingles and ties as well as the likelihood of storm damage over the next few seasons in order to choose the best option for your family and its finances. A poor grasp of the situation here can add thousands of dollars to the overall bill, while an informed perspective can save you that or more – which is a major swing in your favor!

Consider moving yourself.

Movers can make the job easier, but you will still have to comb through your belongings in order to pack everything up in boxes and crates. Renting a moving van yourself and packing the car can provide you with both an exciting road trip and the satisfaction of a job done yourself. Saving on moving costs can provide a major windfall to your bank account and can help you with the unpacking to come. Finding the best self storage near you is an essential component of this final phase of the moving process. Keeping many of your belongings in a separate, secure storage facility rather than the living room can help you organize your thoughts and belongings in this new space. Trying to envision furniture, decorations, and the flow of a room cluttered with dozens or hundreds of boxes is an impossible task. Saving on the moving costs can free up the capital required for months of storage costs so you don’t have to pay out for two services in order to conceptualize the energy of your new home.

Moving can be a major chore, but planning ahead for storage and major expenses that will one day become a necessity is a great way to keep down the costs of an already expensive proposition. Remember, a move requires food deliveries, new purchases, and days on end of moving belongings around the space. Take the clutter and unnecessary expense out of the equation early on to make the move more efficient.

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