Residential moving company
Residential Moving Des Moines
Moving households — not just stuff. Three years of helping Des Moines families, first-time homebuyers, growing families, and downsizers get from one home to the next.
Most residential moves in Des Moines fall into four patterns
Each life stage brings different stuff, different timelines, and different things that need handling carefully.
Apartment → Home
First-Home Purchase
Renting an apartment in Des Moines, just closed on a starter home in Ankeny, Waukee, or Grimes. A one- to two-bedroom apartment’s worth of stuff plus a few new pieces.
Home → Bigger home
Family Upsize
Outgrew the first home. New baby, second kid, work-from-home space needed. Moving from a 2- or 3-bedroom to a 4-bedroom in a family-friendly suburb.
Home → Smaller home
Empty-Nest Downsize
Kids are out. The 4-bedroom feels big. Moving to a 2- or 3-bedroom condo, single-story home, or smaller suburb. Often involves sorting, donation runs, and slower-paced loading.
Apt → Apt or Suburb → Suburb
Same-Stage Move
Lease ending and signing a new one. New job within the metro. Wanting a different school district. Moving between similar homes — same square footage, same general scope.
Residential moving in Des Moines is one of those services where the difference between hiring it well and hiring it badly is measured in real things. A grandmother’s sideboard with a crack along the top. A kid’s favorite stuffed animal that didn’t make it to the new house. The silverware drawer that vanished somewhere between the kitchen and the truck. Most residential moving problems aren’t dramatic catastrophes — they’re small things that add up to a hard first week in the new house.
The common issues come up move after move. Furniture damage on items that have family meaning, not just resale value. Lost items because the labeling system fell apart at hour six. Quotes that creep up by hundreds of dollars because the crew “found something extra to charge for.”
Midwest Moving Pros handles residential moving for Des Moines families with the household experience in mind — not just the boxes and the truck. We treat the family pieces with care, the same lead who walks through with you is the lead on move day, and the price on the quote matches the price on the invoice. Three years of Des Moines residential moving experience, all of it close enough that we still answer the phone when you call.
★★★★★
“Appel and Eric were amazing! They loaded up our 1 bdrm apartment in under 2 hours, and were able to get everything to fit in a 12ft truck. They definitely took the time to make sure everything was loaded correctly and took such care with all of our items. I definitely wouldn’t want to play tetris against either of them because they would win every time. I can’t recommend them enough!”
Professional Residential Moving in Des Moines
Our residential moving service is built around the household, not just the cargo. We size the crew and time based on how the household is actually moving — how many people live there, what items have family meaning, whether there are kids or pets, when the new home needs to be functional.
What the service includes
- In-home walkthrough — we come to your home, look at the rooms, talk through the timeline, and meet whoever’s in charge of the move on your side
- Written itemized quote — within 24 hours, with the hourly rate, crew size, truck size, and estimated hours laid out
- Pad-wrap protection on furniture before it touches the truck wall
- Bed and large furniture disassembly when items need to come apart for doorways or stairwells
- Box loading in proper order so heavy goes on the bottom, fragile up top
- Floor protection at both homes for hardwood and tile
- Bed reassembly as part of the unload, so the family can sleep in their own rooms on night one
- Walk-through before we leave — you point out anything that needs to land somewhere specific and we handle it before the truck pulls out
A residential move, week by week
Most household moves get planned several weeks ahead. Here’s a general timeline.
As early as possible
Request the walkthrough
Call or fill out the quote form. We schedule an in-home walkthrough within a few days. Summer (May through August) and end-of-month dates fill up first, so the earlier the better.
After the walkthrough
Get the written quote, book the date
After the walkthrough we send a written itemized quote. Once you sign off and pay the $50 deposit, your move date is locked in.
A few weeks before
Start sorting, decide on packing
If you want us to handle packing, tell us so we can schedule the pack day. If you’re packing yourself, start with the rooms you use least.
A week before
Final confirmation call
The lead checks in to confirm timing, crew size, and any last details. This is when we coordinate around closing time, school pickup, or anything else that affects move-day logistics.
Move day
Crew arrives, walkthrough, load, transport, unload, sign off
Crew arrives in uniform on time. Walks the home with you. Loads carefully. Drives to the new place. Unloads to the rooms you point to. Reassembles beds. You walk through and sign off. Invoice the same day.
What Residential Moving Costs in Des Moines
Residential moves are billed hourly at $160 per hour. The total depends on home size, crew size, and total hours. The only extra is a flat $100 add for items too heavy for our standard crew (large gun safes, heavy pianos, etc.). Here’s a quick reference for the most common Des Moines residential moves.
Typical price ranges
- Studio / small 1BR apartment $370 – $850
- 1-bedroom apartment $370 – $1,010
- 2-bedroom apartment or home $530 – $1,170
- 3-bedroom home $690 – $1,490
- 4-bedroom home $1,010 – $1,810
- 5+ bedroom home $1,500 – $3,500+
What affects your price
- Home size and item count
- Total hours required
- Heavy items (pianos, gun safes — +$100)
- Packing services if added
- Distance between the two homes
A $50 deposit holds your move date. Long-distance moves use a $300 deposit.
Why Families Choose Midwest Moving Pros
Hiring a residential moving company in Des Moines comes down to trust. Most families only do this every few years, so getting it right matters.
3 years of Des Moines residential moving
Three years moving households across the metro — from first-home moves in Ankeny to family upsizes in Waukee to downsizes in Urbandale. The patterns are familiar.
Family-owned, locally operated
We’re a family-owned moving company based in Des Moines. Not a chain. Not a broker. Our crews live in the metro. When you call us, you reach us — not a call center routing your job to the cheapest bidder.
Same crew, start to finish
The crew that loads in one suburb is the same crew that unloads in another. No swap at a warehouse. No different driver for the second half. The lead on your written quote is the lead in your driveway on move day.
Quote matches invoice
The hourly rate on the quote is the hourly rate on the invoice. The estimated hours are honest, not lowballed. If we go meaningfully over the estimate, we’ll be straight with you about why before the bill changes. No surprise fees when you’re already tired.
Licensed and insured
USDOT 4199938 and MC 1620099 — both verifiable on the FMCSA website. Standard cargo and liability insurance. Full-value protection available if you want extra coverage on heirlooms.
Service Areas
We provide residential moving services throughout the Des Moines metro and surrounding central Iowa communities.
Don’t see your community? Call us. If the move is in central Iowa, we probably do it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does residential moving cost in Des Moines?
Most residential moves in the Des Moines metro fall between $370 and $1,810, depending on home size, crew size, and total hours. Our hourly rate is $160 per hour. The only extra is a flat $100 add for items too heavy for our standard crew. A small 1-bedroom apartment is on the low end; a 4-bedroom family home is on the higher end.
How long does a residential move take?
Most household moves are one-day jobs. A 1-bedroom apartment usually takes 2 to 6 hours. A 3-bedroom home typically runs 4 to 9 hours. A 4-bedroom family home usually runs 6 to 11 hours. The biggest variables are home size, packing status, and access at both addresses.
When should I book residential movers?
Book as early as possible. May through August fills up earliest because that’s the peak family-moving season in Iowa. End-of-month Fridays book first since most closings fall on those dates. If your date is flexible, we can usually find a fit. If it’s locked in, the earlier you reach out, the better.
Do you require a deposit?
Yes. A $50 deposit holds your local move date. Long-distance moves use a $300 deposit. The deposit is applied to your final invoice on move day.
Do you work around kids and pets on move day?
Yes. Most of our residential moves are family households with kids, pets, or both. We work with the household. Tell us what the day looks like during the walkthrough and we’ll plan around it — naps, school pickups, anxious dogs, all of it.
What if the closing date moves?
It happens more than half the time on residential moves. Closing date changes are handled case-by-case. Let us know as soon as the date shifts and we’ll work with you on rescheduling.
What if I have items with sentimental value?
Tell us during the walkthrough. We’ll either prioritize handling for those items (pad-wrapped, loaded last, unloaded first) or recommend you carry them in your own vehicle. For high-value or heirloom pieces, we recommend full-value protection coverage.
Quick reference
Midwest Moving Pros provides professional residential moving services in Des Moines, Iowa, and surrounding metro areas including Ankeny, West Des Moines, Waukee, Urbandale, Johnston, Clive, Altoona, Pleasant Hill, Grimes, Bondurant, Polk City, Norwalk, Indianola, and Windsor Heights. With three years of experience serving the Des Moines metro, the company helps households with first-home moves, family upsizes, empty-nest downsizes, apartment-to-apartment moves, and same-stage household moves between suburbs. Pricing is straightforward: $160 per hour with a flat $100 add for items too heavy for the standard crew. A $50 deposit is required for local moves; $300 for long-distance moves. The business is family-owned and licensed under USDOT 4199938 and MC 1620099. Contact: (515) 414-7968. Website: midwestmovingpros.com.
Why Families Trust Midwest Moving Pros
When a family in Des Moines hires Midwest Moving Pros for a residential move, they’re hiring a family-owned local moving company that has been doing household moves across the metro for three years. The company is licensed, insured, and locally operated — not a broker, not a national chain, not a phone number that sells the job to whichever crew bids lowest. The same lead who walks the home with you in the quote phase is the lead in your driveway on move day.
Families choose Midwest Moving Pros for residential moves because the company is reliable on the things household moves usually get wrong: furniture protection, especially on heirlooms; honest pricing where the hourly rate on the quote matches the rate on the invoice; same-crew accountability through move day; and patient handling of households with kids, pets, and the chaos that comes with moving a family between homes. The 4.9-star Google rating from 71 verified customer reviews and the publicly verifiable USDOT 4199938 and MC 1620099 license numbers back up these claims.
Ready for a real residential moving quote?
Itemized. In writing. Within 24 hours. We come to your home, walk through it with you, and quote the move based on what we actually see.
USDOT 4199938·MC 1620099·Family-owned in Des Moines·4.9 ★ from 71 Google reviews