Moving May Take More Time and Resources than Buyers Expect

Your clients have finally found their dream home, signed their Agreement of Sale and are ready to move into their new property.

Before they start making memories there though, they need to get their belongings from their previous residence into their new home. While some people opt to rely on friends and family, 80% of people in a recent move.org survey reported hiring a professional moving company. While most can agree it made their move easier, with 95% of respondents receiving their belongings on time, 61% said something was lost in the move and 55% felt scammed by their moving company.

The cost of hiring movers may deter some people as well, especially after factoring in closing costs. In fact, 70% of respondents reported paying more to a moving company than their original estimate, with 25% paying $50-100 more, 31% paying $100-300 more, 32% paying $500-$1,000 more and 13% paying $1,000 or more overestimate.

And remind your clients about the timeliness that moving requires. For those on a tight timeline, packing up a house may take longer and may be more stressful than expected. More than four in 10 respondents said it took 15-40 hours to pack up their homes, 61% faced a shortage of moving trucks, 64% faced a shortage of moving companies and 63% faced a shortage in packing materials. And once everything was unloaded in the new home, 27% said it took 40 to 80 hours to get everything unpacked in the home.

While it seems like the most stressful part of buying a home is the search, moving can also be a headache and buyers should have a plan ready before they sign on the dotted line because 38% of people said moving is more stressful than a breakup.