Guide for moving to Spokane from Seattle

Moving from one city to another is a serious endeavor that requires plenty of preparation and proper planning. At the very least, you ought to inform yourself about what’s ahead in terms of finances, business opportunities, and costs of living. Luckily, you will not be alone in this venture, as your moving company Washington is here to help. On the other hand, it’s pretty understandable why people would want to move to a smaller place, especially in 2022. First of all because of the financial crisis, post-pandemic inflation, and the gas prices of fossil fuels. Now take a look at our guide for moving to Spokane from Seattle.

What to expect when moving to Spokane from Seattle

For one, expect not to have access to that great self storage Seattle so close by. Still, don’t worry too much, as professional moving companies have storage all over the state. Apart from that, Seattle is a bustling city with the special energy all large cities have. Spokane is thus not only smaller, but calmer as well.

All that aside, the thing that probably interests you the most is the financial aspect of your move. After all, it could just as well be the reason behind your relocation. Here is what you can expect:

• Your overall living costs will be 46.4% cheaper once you move to Spokane from Seattle.
• You will feel this difference the most when purchasing a home, as housing is by far the biggest factor in this massive difference. Namely, the median home cost in Seattle is $714,400, while it is $217,900 in Spokane, making for a 69.5% difference.
• Transportation takes second place, as the price difference is 33.7% in favor of Seattle.
• The only expense larger in Spokane goes to utilities. Expect to pay 13.7% more after you’ve moved here.

Spokane is the economic and cultural center of the Spokane metropolitan area. The city is also known as the birthplace of Father’s Day, while its official nickname is Lilac City. Spokane offers a plethora of opportunities for both young and older people. It has proven time and time again to be a great place for developing a career, as well as for settling down for retirement.

Getting ready for your relocation from Seattle to Spokane

The two cities have 279 miles (449 km) between them along Interstate 90. As this is quite the road to travel, it would be best to get it all done properly in one go. Whether you are moving your home or office, we strongly advise that you hire a moving company that will help you come to a successful end. Whether residential or office movers Seattle, coming across reliable professionals is not that hard anymore.

Creating a moving plan

No large project was ever completed without a proper plan. Ok, at least the majority of them. Still, when it comes to the safety of your goods, you don’t want to risk it. So, see that you take ample time to create a moving plan. It is best to pair the tasks and obligations with a time frame they ought to follow. That way, you won’t feel overwhelmed with chores, nor will you forget anything. You will be able to be on top of the whole situation, and react fast if something were to happen unexpectedly.

While every relocation is a story of its own accord, certain processes can be found in every such project:

• Gathering packing materials
• Packing your belongings
• Finding movers to help with transportation
• Sorting utilities at your new place and canceling them at your current home
• Sorting things at work and in school
• Unpacking at your new place

Tackling the packing process

This is the biggest, most time-consuming part of every relocation. The best way to make it as smooth as possible is to hire professionals to take care of it. However, if you would rather tackle it yourself, here are some things to keep in mind:

• The sooner you start the better – you will be able to devote ample attention and care to this important process.
• Still, don’t start packing your home 6 months in advance, as there is no need to live inside a warehouse months before you move.
• Start packing the items you use the least, and leave the packed boxes in the room you seldom visit.
• Boxes of various sizes will ensure you can pack your items properly, minding their safety. Heavy and delicate items are for smaller boxes. Don’t forget about cushioning materials. Light and large items are to be packed in larger boxes.
• Make sure to label every box. You can write its contents or the room they belong to. Make sure to leave notes as ”this side up”, as well as ”heavy”, ”handle with care”, and such.

So if you’re looking for the best moving boxes Seattle can offer you, look around and ye shall find. If you don’t have any luck or the boxes that you’ve found just don’t seem good or the size isn’t right, contact us and just to be sure if you haven’t already checked, check our blog section it has lots of useful and free tricks and tips for moving.

Decluttering before moving to Spokane from Seattle

This process is usually overlooked but it’s quite necessary to do it in the right manner. As we all know over years we collect plenty of unnecessary things that must be thrown out; just in case you’re a hoarder skip this part. There are numerous websites that you can visit online and find different techniques and methods. One of the most popular is called the 1-year rule, simply if you haven’t used an item twice or even once within a year, consider throwing it away or selling it. The second most common rule method is called the 20/20 rule, so if it’s worth under $20 you can throw it away since it’ll only create clutter.

A lot of local movers Seattle will tell you to use these methods only if you don’t have enough time for the best method. The most famous method and one preferred by my post people are the six-box method. As the method suggests you can pick six (more or less) categories or boxes and label them for a different purpose. So you’ll have something like:

• keep or move for items that you’ll be moving with you;
• sell is usually a category for garage sales or eBay, Craigslist;
• recycling is different from the trash because you can make some money out of it;
• donate is used for foods and other things that don’t fit in other categories but may be useful for people in need;
• trash is simply for throwing away things that you don’t need;
• storage or portabox storage Seattle is a great option for things that don’t fit into any other category.

The best thing about this method is that you can customize the number and purpose of categories.

Going about unpacking

Lastly, after you have finalized moving to Spokane from Seattle, the time for unpacking will arrive. If you find that the process will take too much of your time and nerves, do not restrain from turning to professionals for assistance. Again, there is no one better to handle this all than the people who have been trained, and who do it daily. Still, if you opt for DIY unpacking, avoid feeling the pressure of handling it all in one day.

Rather take the time to make this new place a true home. Find the perfect place for every item, and devote some thought to the whole process. Some of the best moving services Seattle can offer to you only have unpacking within them. But be careful when choosing the right movers, since nowadays there are many scammers out there. While moving to Spokane from Seattle is a big bite to chew, planning and getting to know as much about the city before relocation will help tremendously. Nothing will lower your stress more than knowledge and good things to look forward to. So, take a deep breath, and try to focus on the positive aspects of this relocation.

Again, this is for people who will prefer life in a bit of city, but for those of you who are moving for some peace, Spokane is the right pick. Maybe the biggest disadvantage to this big city would be that there are no big shopping malls or at least in large quantities. But nowadays you can get by Amazone prime almost anything, and like in other cities you have decent places where you can do your shopping; for compulsive shoppers, yes it’ll be challenging.

DIY move when moving to Spokane from Seattle

DIY moves especially 260 miles can be quite exhausting but some people are up for the challenge so why not. So if you’re thinking about moving everything yourself from scratch that’s a tough job. It’ll require a lot of planning, nerves, stress, potential dangers, etc. if you want to know more about be sure to check the pros and cons of a DIY move. We’ve already discussed the packing part. Now you’ll just have to buy all the supplies, pack them tightly and hope nothing will break.

Because if it does it’s your fault and if you didn’t insure anything you’ll have to cover 100% of the damage done. So think about this, plus you’ll have to drive to Spokane from Seattle which isn’t that close. Not to mention that you’ll have to know how to pack things in the truck, actually in which order. Okay, now on the other side you’re going to save some sort of money? Yes, we understand that a lot of people think that they’ll save a lot of money but will they?

Think about it this way, you’re going to spend days, weeks working after work, spending time on finding the right supplies and packing it all up while reading blogs and watching YouTube tutorials? Just think about the old quote time is money, so why not spend that time earning more money, while pros do it for you? In the end, it’ll be probably the same or maybe even cheaper, depending on your current job of course. Think in terms of hiring Washington movers so you can study more for your exams or fail exams.

Hiring the pros

Now the biggest difference may be the price that people are talking about these days but is it?  The fuel prices have gone up, the winter of 2022 is coming and the FED has started increasing interest rates, which means that it’ll be more expensive to borrow money. If you want to take a loan it’ll be more expensive. The real pros can pack a three-bedroom house for two to three hours, do you think an average person can do that? They can also pack everything with as low a chance to zero as possible of breaking anything; plus they’ll all properly label items they’ll sort them and preserve them in boxes.

It’ll take about an hour or an hour and a half to unload a full truck of moving items, can you do it not to mention that you’ll have to store all the items in the right order? Also, professional movers will know how to navigate streets and corners when to avoid traffic jams, etc. Likewise, when moving from Seattle they’ll know how to get through the city with a truck full of supplies with a minimal chance of breaking anything. Furthermore, once they start unloading things, they’ll have to carry them from the ground floor up.

So even if you had someone helping you back in Seattle you probably don’t know anyone in Spokane. New neighbors might help you but maybe they’re too busy or just minding their own business. Think about exploring the city of Spokane or spending time thinking about unpacking, and breaking, plus everything is insured. So think again about DIY moving vs hiring Seattle movers and you will have your answer.

Moving unusual items

You should also think about moving unusually large, old, or complex items. If you’re moving something like kitchen cabinets, tables, etc. if you have some power tools and a phone you can DIY that. You can simply use the internet to find blueprints or instructions for that specific piece of furniture; after that, you’ll disassemble the furniture piece by piece and use the phone to record the process. This is why tech is the major helper in the DIY industry as well as the professional industry.

If you’re disassembling something small with a drill, that’s fine; but if you need something bigger, that’s where the pros will need to stop in; or someone close to you is a mover or has a bunch of heavy lifting equipment and a truck. We have disassembled a piano for transport covered, so if you want to try it you’re in luck. Our company has moved some of the most unusual things. For example, we’ve had experience in moving the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI); they’re now located in Armory Building in South Lake Union if you want to visit it.

We’ve also moved an exhibit “Son of Heaven” which involved moving a lot of 1,000-year-old items and also packing them. Not to mention that we moved a piano by cranes like in old cartoons and movies and also a whole airplane! So if you have some of the more iconic or unusual things you can contact us and we’ll know how to do it if you don’t want to test your luck with it.

After you’ve done with the moving you can enjoy a nice meal in Spokane

Upon your arrival, you should head to some local grocery stores just to explore the neighborhood. Nowadays you have Google maps so do a little research yourself. You’ll probably also need something to it so try finding the best restaurants in your neighborhood. If you want a grab of good old American food visit Wooden City, they’ve got some great chicken sandwiches, pizzas baked over wood, burgers, etc. On the other hand, if you want one Chinese restaurant that stands out from the rest that’s Gordy’s Sichuan Cafe. While Mizuka is a great restaurant for Vegetarians and people who prefer organic food.

For fine dining, you’ll have to visit Wild Sage American Bistro, it’s a combination of American and Asian cuisines; we recommend you try their famous Green Goddess Chop. Now if you’ve arrived early you should visit Frank’s Diner on an old train. It’s a time experience and they’ve got the best Frank’s Breakfast Combo. It’s a family restaurant, so give it a try. If you’re interested in artisan options then you should head to The Flying Goat; you’ve got to try their Fairview pizza it’s something out of this world.

For stake lovers, we highly recommend the Clinkerdagger which is located in The Flour Mill shopping mall. This restaurant has got it all, but try Cajun Fettuccine and Oven-Roasted Chicken Dijon. Cochinito is a must for people who like Mexican and Spanish cuisine, if you’re hungry order Full Taco Meal it should do the trick. We’ve coved most of the cuisines, and there’s plenty more so give it a Google or Yelp search before you go on an eating spree.

A final thought on moving to Spokane from Seattle

Moving from Seattle to Spokane will be tough for some people. But don’t look at it that way. We understand that you’re moving from a metropolis to a smaller city, but if you can’t change it try and accept it; plus you’re moving to a beautiful city with over 229, 000 people in it. You maybe won’t have a Mcdonald’s on every corner, but it’s fine you’ll have everything like in your previous city. Plus you can order anything that you need online. On the other hand think of it in terms, that you’ll have everything almost like in Seattle but you’ll save a bunch of money, especially in 2022 and 2023. The only thing that’s maybe expensive by a small percentage under 10% are utilities because of the current fossil fuel inflation; everything else is way cheaper.

Thank you for reading our guide on moving to Spokane from Seattle. We hope that you found it useful and we hope that you’ll have a great time in Spokane. Trust us it’s a beautiful city with a great vibe full of lovely people. If you’re raising a family or looking for the best Washington locations for retirement, you’ve hit a jackpot. If you need any help with moving you can call us anytime or book a move through the website. On the other hand, if you’re someone who wants to try a DIY then take a look at our tips and tricks in the blog sections. We’ve covered a lot of moving and packing topics so you can have a great moving day and an easy and stress-free relocation.

Why Choose Us

History

Hansen Bros. Moving & Storage is locally owned and operated by the same family for four generations, since 1890. We have a well-established reputation for service quality and reliability with a high percentage of repeat household and commercial clients.

Professionalism

We’re a certified ProMover by the American Moving and Storage Association with A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, voted “Best in Western Washington” in 2009 and from 2011 to 2016 by KING5. Our company is fully licensed and insured and member of WMC and AMSA.

Value

Hansen Bros. Moving & Storage provide free, no-obligation in-home estimate and competitive rates, including low minimum rates for shipments moving under 300 miles. We’ve set a refund policy for unused packing materials and three Puget Sound locations to help clients save on travel fee costs.