4k

Op - its not the size of the house but the amount and weight of your furniture and if you want them to pack you and unpack you.

Whatever you decide - GET THE INSURANCE. do not be cheap.

Also we are spending at least $200 on packing supplies. Plus things like utility start up fees, etc. And you probably need to plan to tip the movers - not sure how much.

No reason not to call a few movers. They should be able to give you a ballpark range over the phone.

We are doing a local move in another state and it will be $130/hour for 3 guys and they estimated $800-1000 for the move out/move in (very little travel time though). That's with us doing all the packing. Our house is bigger but sparsely furnished (its a summer house) so maybe equivalent in terms of effort?

Distance moves are of course different, and with a small load like that they will probably try to combine your load with others which can make the delivery take longer.

We're moving in about a year, and I'm trying to save moving costs - costs for actual movers, and all ther other incidental BS that you shell out when you move. Anyone have a ballpark on how much it would cost to move a 1200sqft house about three hours away? I'm trying to figure out how much to start saving for this purpose each month, but it seems to early to actually call a moving company to actually ask for a quote.

Thanks in advance.