What a Retirement Move to St. George Actually Costs

A great many people retire to St. George, and most plan the move around the moving company's estimate. That figure is usually a modest share of what the transition actually costs, and the surprises come from elsewhere.

Here is a fair account, from a company whose own bill is only one line on it.

Just-In-Time Moving works throughout St. George and Washington County.

The move itself

Driven by weight and volume over distance. This is the number you can most easily reduce, and downsizing before the move is where the saving is: every item you decide against costs to pack, to carry, and to deal with at the far end.

Getting the estimate early is useful for a reason people miss. Knowing what the shipment costs turns the question of what to bring from a guess into arithmetic.

The costs that are usually larger

The gap between selling and buying. Temporary housing, storage, or holding two properties. This is frequently the biggest single line and it is the one least often budgeted.

Furnishing. Nearly everybody buys something. A downsized home needs different pieces, and people underestimate this consistently, particularly if they sold furniture rather than moving it.

Setting up the house. Window coverings, which matter more here than most places. Cooling, if the system is older than it looked. Landscaping, if the garden needs converting.

Two vehicles moved, if you are not driving both.

The ongoing ones worth checking first

Not moving costs, and they affect whether the move works.

Cooling through a St. George summer is a real household expense, and considerably more than heating costs in a cooler climate. Ask a seller or a neighbour what a July bill actually looks like.

Water, in a desert, particularly with any lawn.

HOA fees, which in newer developments here can be substantial and are easy to overlook when comparing houses.

Insurance, which may differ from what you paid elsewhere.

Where the real savings are

Downsize before you move, not after. Handle it in one hauling visit rather than transporting things you will dispose of anyway.

Avoid midsummer if you can. It is the hardest and slowest time to move here, and hours cost money.

Be flexible on dates.

Get the estimate before deciding what to sell.

Ours is free and in writing, and we will tell you honestly what we think the job needs.

Call (435) 862-3080 or email office@movingjustintime.com.