Senior Movers in Sacramento
Downsizing a house of thirty years, or moving a parent into a retirement community or assisted living. Published hourly rates, a quote you can get online without a phone call, and a crew that doesn't rush the part that matters.
always on time
Moving a parent is not the same job as moving yourself
A senior move usually involves more furniture than the new place can hold, more history than the boxes suggest, and a family trying to organise it from somewhere else. The logistics are the easy part. What changes the day is pace — a crew that treats it as a two-hour job and starts stacking is the wrong crew.
What we handle on a senior move
- Full or partial packing — everything, or just the kitchen and the breakables.
- Furniture disassembly and reassembly — beds, wall units, anything that has to come apart to clear a door.
- Storage between dates — for the gap between a house selling and a new place being ready.
- Heavy and awkward items — safes, pianos, recliners, gun cabinets.
- Fine art, china and fragile pieces — handled and packed separately.
- A free estimate online, by video, or in person — whichever suits.
Not sure how many hours your move will take, or whether your building's rules will slow the day down? Send us the two addresses and roughly what's moving, and we'll tell you straight — no site visit, no sales call.
Owned by movers, and the crew is ours
Every crew member is a Smoove employee — background-checked, trained and certified before they work a job, not labour hired that morning. That matters more on a senior move than on any other kind, because the person carrying a lifetime of belongings out of a house should not be a stranger to the company that sold you the job.
We are licensed, insured and bonded: MTR0192675 with the California Bureau of Household Goods and Services, USDOT 3810402 with the FMCSA, and up to $1,000,000 in general liability cover. Both numbers are public records — check them before anyone comes to the door, with us or with anyone else.
How the day runs
- Price it. Online in a few minutes, or by video, or in person. All three are free and none of them commit you to anything.
- Clear the access. If the destination is a retirement community or assisted living, we sort the lift booking, the dock window and the certificate of insurance before the day — not on the morning.
- Pack. Everything, or just the breakables, depending on what you booked. Boxes get labelled by the room they are going to, not the room they came from.
- Protect the property. Floor runners, door-frame and wall protection go in before anything moves. Both ends.
- Load and deliver. Furniture wrapped in pads, anything that has to come apart taken apart.
- Put it back together. Beds reassembled and furniture placed where it goes before we leave, so the first night is not spent on a mattress on the floor.
- Take the packing away. The boxes and paper leave with us.
Further reading
How to prepare furniture for movers · A guide to local moving costs · The questions to ask before hiring movers
What it costs
The same published rates as any other move: $149 an hour for two movers and a 16ft truck, $179 for three movers and a 26ft truck, $225 for four, $265 for five. One flat $99 covers truck and fuel, whatever size we bring.
The hourly rate already includes packing and unpacking, furniture disassembly and reassembly, moving pads, unlimited wrap and tape, floor and door-frame protection, free use of wardrobe boxes, TV unmounting, and taking the packing materials away afterwards. Stairs and long carries are included too — there is no stair fee.
Charged separately: packing supplies such as boxes and paper, $200 for any single item over 250 lbs, overnight storage, custom crating for antiques, and double drive time if the two addresses are more than 10 miles apart. That is the whole list.
Downsizing usually needs fewer movers than a full household move, not more. Get an instant quote and you will see the number before anyone commits to anything.
What we need to know before the day
Three things decide how the day runs.
What is going and what is not. The sorting is the slowest part of any senior move, and it goes far faster if those decisions are made before we arrive.
Where it is going. A private home, a retirement community or an assisted living facility — communities often have loading dock hours, lift bookings and certificates of insurance that need arranging in advance.
Whether anything goes into storage rather than straight across.
Tell us those three and the estimate holds. Someone is available seven days a week, 8am to 8pm, if it is easier to talk it through.
Arranging it from out of state
Most senior moves are organised by an adult child who does not live nearby. You can price the whole job and book it online without a phone call, and change the details in your account afterwards — which means you are not trying to reach a sales line from a different time zone to find out what it costs.
If you would rather someone looked at it properly first, an in-home estimate is free and we can walk you through it on video at the same time.
Related services
If a whole house is being emptied, see house moves; if the destination is a flat or a community apartment, apartment moving. Most senior moves include full packing, and many need storage for the gap between the sale and the move-in. For a piano or a safe, see piano moving and heavy item moving. China, artwork and anything irreplaceable is covered under fine art and delicate items.
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FAQ
How much does a move cost in Sacramento?
Rates start at $149/hour for two movers and a 16ft truck, $179/hour for three movers and a 26ft truck, $225/hour for four, and $265/hour for five. Add a one-time $99 flat rate for truck and gas, whatever truck size you need. You price the job yourself online — pick your crew, date and addresses and the quote comes back in minutes. No in-home visit, no sales call.
What’s included in the hourly rate?
Labour, a clean fully-equipped truck, and every tool the crew needs — hand trucks, dollies and straps. Furniture disassembly and reassembly. Loading and unloading. Secure wrapping in moving pads, with unlimited stretch wrap and tape. Floor, wall and door-frame protection. TV unmounting and custom packing. Free use of wardrobe boxes. Packing and unpacking service. Removal of packing materials when we’re done. Basic cargo protection for your household goods. Taxes and transaction fees. Stairs and long carries are included as well.
What isn’t included in the hourly rate?
Six things, all of them listed up front: the $99 flat rate for truck and gas; packing supplies such as boxes, paper and bubble wrap; a $200 handling fee for any single item over 250 lbs (piano, gun safe, pool table, treadmill, massage chair); double drive time when your two addresses are more than 10 miles apart; overnight storage; and custom crating or speciality handling for antiques and delicate pieces.
Do you charge extra for stairs or a long carry?
No. Stairs and long carries are part of the hourly rate — there is no stair fee, no elevator fee and no long-carry fee. A third-floor walk-up takes longer than a ground-floor unit, so the clock runs longer, but nothing is added on top of it.
Why is drive time billed at double?
Double drive time is standard for California household goods moves: the travel between your pickup and your delivery is billed at twice the hourly rate, because it also covers getting the truck back. Smoove only applies it when the two addresses are more than 10 miles apart. Closer than that, you aren’t charged for it at all.
Do I need an in-home estimate to get a price?
No. You can price the whole job online in a few minutes. If you’d rather show us what you have, we’ll walk through it with you over video, or come out in person. All three are free, and none of them commit you to booking.
How many movers do I need?
As a rough guide: two movers and a 16ft truck for a room or one-bedroom; three movers and a 26ft truck for a studio or two-bedroom; four for a house or three-bedroom; five for an office or commercial move. A bigger crew costs more per hour but finishes sooner, so the totals are closer than the rates suggest. If you’re between two sizes, size up — a second trip costs more than the extra mover.
How far in advance should I book?
Four to six weeks gives you the widest choice of dates, and it matters most at month-end and over summer weekends, when the calendar fills first. Short notice is still workable — book online and you’ll see live availability rather than waiting for someone to call you back.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. Smoove holds MTR0192675 with the California Bureau of Household Goods and Services and USDOT 3810402 with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and carries up to $1,000,000 in general liability cover. Basic cargo protection for your household goods is included in every move. Both licence numbers are public records — look them up before you book, with us or anyone else.
Who actually shows up on move day?
Our own employees. Every mover is background-checked, trained and certified before they work a job — we don’t hire labour that morning and send it to your house. Smoove is owned by movers, which is why the crew standard is the part we’re strictest about.
What areas do you serve?
The Sacramento region and the Bay Area — more than 70 cities, from Auburn and Elk Grove through to San Jose and Walnut Creek. We also handle long-distance and interstate moves originating in either region.
Learn more before your move
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