By James Schulze
This article discusses the relocation trends of American consumers and how they offer continuous opportunities to moving companies. It also explains how companies can use different types of moving leads to grow their sales.
Housing has become significantly more expensive in the United States. Home prices remain high, mortgage rates have increased from their historic lows, and rents have risen across many markets. Yet, Americans continue to move.
The reason is simple: people don’t move only because housing is affordable. They move because their lives change. New jobs, family changes, retirement, relationships, homeownership, and the search for a lower cost of living continue to send Americans from one state to another. The global moving and relocation services market is valued at roughly $116.7 billion. It is expected to grow to about $150.2 billion over the next five years through 2031, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 5.2%. Growth is driven by housing shifts, remote work flexibility, and corporate relocation outsourcing.
For moving companies, those life changes create opportunity and continued demand for long-distance moving leads, aged moving leads, and moving inbound calls (read our blog, “What Are Moving Leads? A Complete Guide For Moving Companies”).
Higher housing costs can slow moving activity, but they don’t stop it
Higher housing costs certainly affect mobility. Homeowners with low mortgage rates may be reluctant to sell and replace their current mortgage with a more expensive one. Buyers face higher home prices and financing costs, while renters have experienced increasing rents in many parts of the country.
But housing economics are only one factor in a decision to move. A family relocating for a new job may need to move regardless of mortgage rates. Someone retiring may have planned an interstate relocation for years. A couple getting married may combine households. Parents may move closer to their children and grandchildren.
Housing costs can influence when and where people move without eliminating the underlying reason for the move.
Americans move for more than housing
Employment remains an important driver of relocation. A new position, promotion, transfer, or career opportunity can require someone to move hundreds or thousands of miles. Family changes also create moves. Marriage, divorce, children, aging parents, and the desire to live closer to relatives can all lead to relocation. Retirement creates another source of long-distance moves as Americans leave expensive markets, seek warmer climates, or move closer to family.
Ironically, higher housing costs can also create moves. Consumers may leave expensive metropolitan areas or states in search of more affordable housing and a lower overall cost of living.
And, there’s a new driver of moves: climate change. Driven by a 200% surge in Florida premiums and mass policy cancellations across the West and Southeast, skyrocketing insurance costs are forcing a new wave of American climate-related migration. Recent data from Redfin shows that 16% of relocating Americans now prioritize natural disaster risk over job changes, driving a net loss of over 63,000 residents from the country’s most flood-prone counties alone. As private insurers abandon high-risk zones, half of all U.S. homeowners admit they would consider moving states to escape escalating climate threats. Consequently, traditional sun-belt destinations are seeing population growth cool as families increasingly flee toward safer “climate havens” like Vermont and Minnesota.
The same housing-cost pressures that discourage one consumer from moving can give another consumer a reason to relocate.
Long-distance moves create valuable opportunities
Not all moves have the same economics for moving companies. At The Leads Warehouse, we focus on long-distance moving leads because interstate moves generally represent larger opportunities. A consumer moving across town has numerous options. Moving from one state to another is a much larger project and can create greater demand for a professional moving company.
For movers, the challenge is identifying these consumers at the right point in their decision-making process. That’s where aged moving leads and moving inbound calls can create two very different opportunities.
Aged moving leads match the moving timeline
Moving can be particularly well suited to aged leads because consumers frequently begin planning long before the actual move. Someone may request moving information before listing a house for sale. Another consumer may be waiting for a closing date. A family may know it is moving after the school year but begin researching months earlier. Someone accepting a new job may not yet know the exact relocation date.
A consumer who doesn’t book immediately isn’t a bad moving lead. The consumer may simply not be ready yet. That makes aged moving leads a timing opportunity. Long-distance, interstate moves typically require 2 to 3 months of total lead-time. Consumers need this extra window to coordinate real estate closings, arrange cross-country transport, and secure auto shipping if necessary.
The salesperson needs to determine whether the consumer has already moved, canceled the move, postponed it, or is now approaching the point where a moving company is needed. In moving, an older lead can become highly relevant when the consumer’s moving date finally approaches.
Aged moving leads require persistence
Aged moving leads are available at a relatively low cost per lead (CPL), allowing moving companies to purchase significant lead volume (read our blog, “Moving Lead Prices In 2026 – What Companies Should Expect To Pay”).
But volume requires the right infrastructure. Companies need a dialer, CRM automation, effective scripting, clean caller IDs, and a consistent follow-up process. SMS can also be effective for reactivating consumers who previously expressed interest in moving. Asking whether the consumer is still planning the move can turn an older lead into a new conversation. To properly utilize SMS with aged moving leads, standard tech practices including A2P and 10DLC registration are critical.
Scripting also matters. If a company experiences low response rates, it doesn’t mean they purchased “bad leads.” It could be driven by a weak message the consumer is not responding to.
The advantage of aged moving leads isn’t simply lower lead cost. It’s the volume. A larger database allows the company to continually look for consumers whose timing has changed. The right person, wrong time situation can eventually become a right person, right time conversation.
Moving inbound calls capture active consumers
Moving inbound calls represent a different level of consumer intent. Instead of a salesperson contacting a consumer from a data record, the consumer initiates the call because they are interested in a long-distance move.
At The Leads Warehouse, our long-distance moving inbound calls use a 30-second buffer. This allows the consumer’s intent to be established before the call becomes billable.
How the buffer is used is critical. The agent should quickly determine whether the consumer is looking for a long-distance move and whether the opportunity meets the company’s requirements. At The Leads Warehouse, our suggested opening for an agent taking inbound moving calls is to immediately ask, “Are you calling in for a quote for a long-distance move?” Once that is established, the salesperson can transition into the normal sales process.
Deliverability is critical for inbound calls
A high-intent consumer has little value if the call doesn’t reach a salesperson. Moving companies miss calls. Agents become unavailable. Routing technology can fail or block calls. Capacity settings can prevent additional calls from being delivered. That makes deliverability a critical component of moving inbound call campaigns.
Companies should monitor:
- Answer rates
- Routing
- Agent availability
- Close rates
- Revenue per call (RPC)
- Cost per acquisition of a customer (CPA)
Inbound calls, which are more expensive than an aged lead, provide an interested consumer. The moving company’s technology and sales team still need to convert that opportunity into a booked move to maximize profitability and revenue.
Match the marketing to the sales operation
Aged moving leads and moving inbound calls require different sales operations. A moving company with outbound dialing capacity, CRM automation, and disciplined follow-up may be well positioned to work aged moving leads. A company with experienced closers and reliable call-routing technology may perform better with moving inbound calls.
Many moving companies can use both lead types. Aged moving leads provide volume and pipeline opportunities. Moving inbound calls provide immediate conversations with consumers who are actively seeking a long-distance mover. And moving inbound calls that do not convert immediately create an internal aged leads list for the moving company to follow up on later when the timing is right.
The right strategy is the one that produces the best customer acquisition cost for the company’s sales operation.
Conclusion
Higher housing costs can reduce mobility, but they cannot eliminate the life events that cause Americans to relocate. People will continue changing jobs, starting families, retiring, buying and selling homes, moving closer to relatives, and relocating in search of lower costs and new opportunities. For long-distance moving companies, those changes create continuous opportunities. Aged moving leads allow companies to build pipelines of consumers whose timing may change. Moving inbound calls provide direct conversations with consumers actively considering a long-distance move.
The Leads Warehouse has worked with lead buyers for more than 20 years. We provide aged long-distance moving leads and consumer-initiated moving inbound calls, helping moving companies reach consumers who continue to relocate despite higher housing costs. Are you ready to talk about how you can grow your moving services sales pipeline?
About the author
James Schulze is the President and CEO of The Leads Warehouse, a marketing data company with over 20 years of experience in bringing lead generation solutions to companies selling into the home, automotive, financial, insurance, health and life, and legal sectors. He works directly with clients to optimize conversion strategies and ROI across multiple verticals.
Connect with James Schulze on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-l-schulze
Read additional market analysis and commentary from James Schulze on Substack:
https://jameslschulze.substack.com
If you would like more information on how you can grow your moving services sales, give The Leads Warehouse a call at 1-800-884-8371 or visit our website at https://theleadswarehouse.com.
