Expert’s 8 Timely Tips to Trim Spring Moving Costs

 Founder of Brilliant Move - Braintree resident --  Marks 10th Anniversary

  “Spring and fall are the best seasons to move,” according to Jean Brillant (pronounced bree-yon), founder of Brilliant Move (www.brilliantmove.net) based in Avon, Mass., who has orchestrated thousands of moves. “In Spring it can be easier to reserve a mover, and rates may be lower than during the summer. In Winter, the weather can disrupt an otherwise well-planned moving schedule.”

But the age-old question arises: Should you do the move yourself or hire a professional mover? Brillant says many people are surprised to learn that hiring a mover doesn’t cost much more than doing it yourself once you factor in overall cost, your time, damage, aches and pains -- and favors owed. Of course, there are always many variables and each situation is different.

Many folks – due to panic or disorganization -- overlook easy and obvious steps that can result in big savings.  Once you decide to hire a mover, here are Brillant’s suggestions to make the move go faster, which translates into fewer hours and dollars saved:  

(1)   Get free cardboard boxes from liquor stores and supermarkets.

(2)   Do as much packing as you can in advance. Clearly mark each box’s destination room. (Note: Movers often won’t insure boxes you pack yourself, but these may be covered by your homeowners policy.)

(3)   The day you decide you’re moving, start selling, throwing away or donating stuff. The more you purge, the less you’ll pay to move. Things you donate to charities can give a tax deduction -- more savings!

(4)   Bubble wrap is costly. Cushion breakables with bed linens, towels and clothing that you’re moving anyway. Newspaper is good, too, but ink can smudge. 

(5)  Pack odd size and fragile items like sculpture separately and take them yourself.

(6)   Lots of books? Shipping them using the special book rate via the U.S. Postal Service could be cheaper than paying a mover.

(7)  Before you pay to move large pieces of furniture, measure the doorways and hallways of your new home to make sure the stuff will fit.

(8)   Tell the mover what you’re moving yourself so it’s deducted before you get the quote.

Brillant recommends getting at least three quotes and checking social media reviews and the Better Business Bureau for customer testimonials or complaints. If your move is business related, keep all receipts for federal income tax deductions. You need to meet certain tests to qualify such as the distance from the new home to the new job, and did you move within one year of the date you started the new job?  Bonus advice: Carry your valuables and important papers with you.

Brillant started his company 10 years ago after a group of friends helped a friend move. “Everyone gave up part of their weekend. Nobody got hurt. We didn’t damage walls or furniture. Miraculously, only a few dishes got broken. But at the end of the day everyone traded moving day stories– how hard it is to line up helpers, the hassle of borrowing or renting a truck, the various injuries, the fun things you could have been doing instead.  That night I had an epiphany – a Brilliant idea: Create a moving company that did it all while treating customers and their belongings the way they would like to be treated. The rest is history.”                                (continued…)

Recently, Brilliant Move teamed up with 1-800SHIPPING.com to offer door-to door shipping to any destination around the world, with hassle-free Customs clearance; and a personal shipping agent from start to finish. Brilliant Move is a Member of the American Moving & Storage Association (AMSA).

Visit Brilliant Move’s new website is http://brilliantmove.net. Jean Brillant can be reached at jean@brilliantmove.net  / (617) 514-4052.  

Attention, Editor: For photos and/or to arrange an interview, please contact Stan Hurwitz: 508-269-0570 /  stanhurwitz@gmail.com .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             - By Stanley Hurwitz  / 508-269-0570                                                                                                                                     stanhurwitz@gmail.com     

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