Moving House to Downsize: Everything you need to know

In this guide you’ll find:

• De-stress your House Move
• Costs for Removalists
• How to Save Money on Removalists
• Downloadable Inventory Checklist
• Finding the Right Moving Boxes
• Get Organised – Moving House Checklists
• Costs for Interstate Removalists
• Use Backloading to Save Money on Interstate Moves

Make Moving House a Stress Free Experience

There’s over 100 things you need to consider when moving house. From changing locks, to organizing your utilities and packing up your household items, it’s no wonder many people rate it as one of the most stressful experiences in your life.

“You can reduce your stress, save money and get top notch service with a Removalist Services Comparison & Booking website like Muval.com.au”

 

 

Top reasons to book a house removalist through a Removalist Comparison Website:

1. Free expert independent advice
2. Compare up to 10 free instant quotes
3. Local or interstate moves
4. Tried and trusted Removalists Australia wide
5. Filter by reviews, prices, availability
6. Book Online, on chat, or over the phone
7. No need to continually explain your move details
8. Get exclusive special offers
9. One stop shop for storage, car, pet transport & more
10. SAVES TIME

What costs can I expect to pay for Removalists Near Me?

Prices do differ from city to city and also season to season! With popular times to move being January – February, July – August and October to November. This price guide below is based on trusted removalists with 4+ stars from 1,000’s of reviews.

Location	Avg Price Per Half Hour	Avg Price for a 3 Bedroom House
Sydney Removalists	$61.50	$774
Melbourne Removalists	$64.29	$810
Brisbane Removalists	$74.57	$939
Perth Removalists	$76.75	$967
Adelaide Removalists	$55	$693
Canberra Removalists	$94	$1184

Source: Muval Local Removalists

“Actioning ANY of these money saver tips can save you hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars depending on the size of your move”

Top 4 Tips to save money on when hiring a removalist

1. Be careful of super cheap per half hour rates where the company might take longer to do the job. Sometimes you can actually be better off to request a third or fourth person and pay a little more by the hour but knock everything over in 4 hours rather than 8 (and not lose a whole day of your own time)
2. Removalists usually set their price by the half hour. If you want help reduce the price you can  disassembling furniture or get your goods down to easy to access garages or lower level floors. Every hour is going to cost you around $100 so you can splurge on the champers to celebrate finishing your move .
3. Always ask about added costs for tight streets or tight access as you can pay extra on the day if not highlighted up front before booking in your move.
4. For downsizing especially – do the purge. The less items you have to move, the less it will cost. Plus, anything  you sell prior to moving is just more money in your back pocket rather than paying someone to move it and THEN sell it.

“You want around 6 weeks to plan for a move, but handy tools and checklists will keep all those little details you often forget in control”

Make it easy with these essential moving house tools:

Being organized is the best way to make it easy for you to move without too much unwanted hassles. The recommendation is to give yourself at least 4 weeks to get everything in order. Whether you’ve got 6 months to plan or 6 days, use some of the tools and stay in control every step of the way.

Online Moving House Checklist & Calculator:

Most Removalists will want to know how much space you’ll need in their trucks. The best way to do this is with an online moving house inventory checklist where you can quickly calculate your total space required.

How much do moving boxes cost & how many will I need?

Residence size	Estimated cost of moving boxes
Studio apartment (Approx 15 boxes)	$60 – $80
1-2 bedroom apartment (Approx 30 boxes)	$99 – $110
3-4 bedroom house (Approx 50 boxes)	$150 – $200

We recommend checking out moving boxes blogs to get an independent view of the costs you might be up for and the different options available. Generally you’ll find about 20% saving if you buy in bulk! Learn more in this quick 1 minute video guide below:

 

“Use a checklist that doesn’t overwhelm you, it’s not rocket science, but getting the right order of things means no backtracking”

Essential Moving House Checklist:

Our helpful guide will keep you on track.

6 - 8 WEEKS TO GO​	Task Complete​
Source moving boxes (start packing ASAP).​	▢
Start making lists of what you want to keep and what you want to purge.​	▢
Decide if you  need additional removals insurance, begin research and purchase.​	▢
Start purging by selling your items, donating or dumping.​	▢
Research & book flights or temporary accommodation required for long distance moves.​	▢
Decide if you need additional storage solutions, begin research.​	▢
Research, compare and book a removalist near you​	▢
2 - 4 WEEKS TO GO​	​
Give notice to your landlord if you are renting.​	▢
Make a list of where you will need to update your new address.​	▢
Book end of lease cleaners and gardeners.​	▢
Assemble your “Essentials Box” for moving day.​	▢
Arrange for disconnection of utilities and re-connection at the new premises.​	▢
Arrange any time off from work you might need.​	▢
Collect all the important paperwork together and pack separately.​	▢
Confirm all your moving out / connections bookings.​	▢
1 WEEK TO GO​
Clean out the fridge and freezer​	▢
Schedule a grocery delivery for the new house for when you move in​	▢
Unplug any large appliances not required​	▢
Disassemble as much furniture as possible​	▢
Dump any rubbish​	▢
Arrange to collect the keys for the new property​	▢
MOVING DAY​
Finish packing last minute items​	▢
Disassemble the last of the furniture​	▢
Complete your condition report if you are a renter​	▢
Remove any remaining food from the fridge or freezer and pack into an cooler if necessary​	▢
Provide the removalists with guidance and supervise the loading of the truck​	▢
Tidy and clean each room as you go, complete a final inspection of the old premises​	▢
Supervise the unloading of the truck and direct the removalists to arrange furniture and boxes​	▢​
Complete initial clean of new property and plug in appliances​	▢
Assemble furniture (or get the removalists to do it)​	▢
Unpack​	▢

 

Moving House Change of Address Checklist:

It’s all the little things that you forget that can cause surprises if you don’t update your address. Make sure you tick off these key things before moving over to your new place.

Item
Government Agencies
Australia Post	▢
Department of Human Services (Medicare, Centrelink, child support, Veterans’ Affairs)	▢
Australian Tax Office	▢
Transport Departments for car registrations and drivers licenses	▢
Donate Life	▢
School, Universities & Tertiary Bodies	▢
Utilities
Gas	▢
Water	▢
Electricity	▢
Mobile Phone	▢
Internet & Home Phone	▢
Security systems	▢
Financial Institutions
Banks & Financial Institutions	▢
Financial advisor	▢
Superannuation fund	▢
Mortgage provider	▢
Insurance companies (car, home, contents, pet etc.)	▢
Personal loan provider	▢
Health & Medical
Medicare	▢
Private health insurance provider	▢
Local GP	▢
Health practitioners	▢
Gym membership	▢
General / Everyday / Entertainment
Family and friends	▢
Employers	▢
Subscription services (netflix, spotify, magazine & newspaper, pay TV.)	▢
Motorway toll tags	▢
Pet Registration & Vet	▢
Local Library	▢
Loyalty programs and store cards	▢
Real Estate Agent	▢
Clubs & Extra-curricular activities	▢

“If you are heading interstate, you can save a lot of money if you can be flexible on your dates”

Expected moving costs for interstate removalists:

If you are moving further afar, pricing is a fixed cost based on how many cubic metres you are needing to move. So it’s important to make sure you get accurate space calculation for your move.  Otherwise, here’s a quick guide for what to expect when moving interstate between popular locations

Moving between Sydney < > Melbourne: Removalist Costs

The average cost of moving from Sydney to Melbourne is $100.21 per cubic metre. From Melbourne to Sydney, on average, is $108.61 per cubic metre.

Residence size	Price range
2 bedroom apartment	$2,245 – $2,806
4 bedroom house	$3,608 – $4,509

 

Moving between Sydney < > Brisbane: Removalist Costs

The average cost of moving from Sydney to Brisbane is $103.04 per cubic metre. From Brisbane to Sydney, on average, is $104.00 per cubic metre.

Residence size	Price range
2 bedroom apartment	$2,308 – $2,885
4 bedroom house	$3,709 – $4,637

 

Moving between Sydney < > Adelaide: Removalist Costs

The average cost of moving from Sydney to Adelaide is $138.67 per cubic metre. From Adelaide to Sydney, on average, is $125.00 per cubic metre.

Residence size	Price range
2 bedroom apartment	$3,106 – $3,883
4 bedroom house	$4,992 – $6,240

 

Moving between Sydney < > Perth: Removalist Costs

The average cost of moving from Sydney to Perth is $215.55 per cubic metre. From Perth to Sydney, on average, is $179.65 per cubic metre.

Residence size	Price range
2 bedroom apartment	$4,828 – $6,035
3 bedroom house	$6,898 – $8,622

 

Moving between Brisbane< > Melbourne: Removalist Costs

The average cost of moving from Brisbane to Melbourne is $105.87 per cubic metre. From Melbourne to Brisbane on average is $132.29 per cubic metre.

Residence size	Price range
2 bedroom apartment	$2,963 – $3,704
4 bedroom house	$4,762 – $5,953

 

Moving between Brisbane < > Adelaide: Removalist Costs

The average cost of moving from Brisbane to Adelaide is $141.43 per cubic metre. From Adelaide to Brisbane on average is $150.57 per cubic metre.

Residence size	Price range
2 bedroom apartment	$3,168 – $3,960
4 bedroom house	$5,091 – $6,364

 

Moving between Brisbane < > Perth: Removalist Costs

The average cost of moving from Brisbane to Perth is $201.25 per cubic metre. From Perth to Brisbane on average is $189.81 per cubic metre.

Residence size	Price range
2 bedroom apartment	$4,508 – $5,635
4 bedroom house	$7,245 – $9,056

 

Moving between Melbourne < > Perth: Removalist Costs

The average cost of moving from Melbourne to Perth is $178.54 per cubic metre. From Perth to Melbourne on average it is $144.79 per cubic metre.

Residence size	Price range
2 bedroom apartment	$3999 – $4999
4 bedroom house	$6427 – $8034

 

Moving between Melbourne < > Adelaide: Removalist Costs

The average cost of moving from Melbourne to Adelaide and vice versa is $104 per cubic metre.

Residence size	Price range
2 bedroom apartment	$2339 – $2924
4 bedroom house	$3760 – $4700

 

Moving between Melbourne < > Hobart: Removalist Costs

The average cost of moving from Melbourne to Hobart is $159.77 per cubic metre. From Hobart to Melbourne on average it is $155.53 per cubic metre.

Residence size	Price range
2 bedroom apartment	$3578 – $4473
4 bedroom house	$5751 – $7189

Is your location not listed? Search interstate removalists quotes for any location in Australia.

“If you haven’t heard of Backloading… You’re missing out on seriously big savings for interstate moves”
 

How to save money  when booking interstate removalists with backloading:

Backloading is when you book the available truck space on a truck that’s already booked with a primary load. It often means you may have to be slightly flexible on your pickup and delivery dates & times, but in turn it usually means big cost savings! Another benefit of backloading is that moving trucks are always available. Moving this way can allow you to take advantage of truck space if you need to move on short notice.

With a booking platform like Muval you can take advantage of their wide network of backloading removalists to find a suitable truck that can backload your items. Save yourself the time of calling dozens of companies to find one that can accommodate your backload.

“Don’t want to have to fill in more forms… you’ll find a 10 minute phone call will have all your questions sorted!”

Compare, Book & Save for your downsizing move on Muval.

It only takes 2 minutes to get started and whether you want to call (1300 168 825), chat online or just get quick online removalist quotes – when you compare the options available on Muval you can be sure you are getting the very best service with the best Removalists all in one spot to make your move a success rather than a stress.

Click Here To Download Your "Moving House To Downsize" Guide Now

Please note:

Any prices or information here is valid at the time of publishing and is expected to not change with too much variance. Please ensure you check the most up to date information via the links or businesses provided before making any decisions about your move.