Hiring Movers Vs. Doing It Yourself
Time has come for you to say goodbye to your home, pack up your belongings, and move. Maybe it’s for a new job or because you just want a fresh start; no matter the reasoning, now you’re thinking to yourself, “How in the world am I going to get all my things there!?”
These are a few things to consider when deciding what is the best option for you.
1. Physical Ability & Safety
When your items and belongings are all put away right exactly where they belong, they don’t look like much. However, when time comes to try and lift that gun safe and then move it down from the second story to the first … or move that extra beautiful hutch you inherited from your great grandmother, you may start questioning if moving yourself is the best option. If you are not strong enough to lift your items, it would be worth checking in with your local moving company to discuss options and pricing. Professional movers know the best and safest way to move items to not only do it in a manner that is safe for them, but in a way that is also going to best protect your household goods.
2. Stacking/Loading
Being strong enough to load is half the battle. The next thing to consider is if you’re able to wrap, stack, and load your items properly. Professional movers are trained on loading tiers in a way that is going to keep your items from breaking and moving during transit. If you are concerned about how to load your items in your truck/trailer, call your local moving company to ensure your items are loaded in a way that will keep them from breaking during the move.
3. Pricing
A big consideration when considering whether to move yourself with a U-Haul truck/trailer or hiring a moving company is going to be the price. Ultimately, you’re going to be asking yourself, “How much is this going to cost me?” This is going to heavily depend on how much weight and/or cubic feet your items are going to take up. Moving companies may charge based on weight while others charge based on space. This is something to discuss with your local moving company to decide. Some may offer you multiple options to pick from a dedicated truck, which means that you will not be sharing space with anyone else and that truck will only hold your items. Other may offer you the option of co-mingling, which means that you would be loaded in a truck or 53′ trailer that has another person(s)’ items in there as well.
When you’re calculating the cost for you to move yourself, please consider the following things.
4. Timing
Another thing to think about when considering whether hiring a moving company is a good fit for you is how soon you want to receive your items. Depending on where you’re moving to can heavily determine your transit time as well as what option you decide upon. Let me put it this way … if you move yourself, you decide how many hours in a day you want to drive to arrive to your destination. If you hire a moving company and choose a dedicated truck option, which means that you are the only person in the truck, they will go straight from pick up to delivery. If you choose a comingling option, which means you’re sharing a truck and/or trailer with other people’s items as well, it could be weeks before it arrives. So when considering whether you want to move yourself or hire a moving company, it is important to think about how soon (or late) you want your items delivered.
5. Stress & Planning
The last point that I’ll bring when considering whether to hire a professional moving company is how much planning you want to do. When you are moving yourself, you have to plan where you’re staying each night, scheduling labor to help you load/unload on either side, driving safely, as well as making sure your items arrive without damage. When you hire a moving company, they are there to help take the stress off your shoulders and execute the moving process on their end, leaving you to focus on making your new house a home!
There are plenty of items to consider and weigh when deciding if a professional moving company is the right choice for you and your family. If you are asking yourself if you should hire a moving company, give us a call! We would be happy to walk through the many options available to best suite you.
