Self-Moving vs. Hiring Movers: 5 Questions to Help You Decide
One of the most challenging decisions you have to ponder when you're ready to move to a new place is whether to do it yourself (DIY) or hire professional movers.
If you value perfection and simplicity, hiring professional movers could suit your needs. However, if you operate under a tight budget and have all the energy and time, a DIY move might work for you. There's more to moving than the budget and simplicity. Here are five questions you should seek answers to before deciding to self-move or hire professional movers.
How Far is the Move (Local vs. Out of State)?
The question of distance is critical in deciding whether to do it yourself or contract professional movers. Here's an understanding of local moves (short distance) vs. out of state (long-distance) relocation:
Local Move
A local move is considered a short distance across town or relocating to a new city/town closer than 100 miles from the current residence. Here, you have the option of doing it yourself, or with the aid of your family or friends. For a local move, think about the hassle of coordinating help, risking damaging the household items, and having to make multiple trips with small vehicles - is it worth it? You might be surprised to learn that a professional moving company can get the job done more efficiently, and stress-free.
Long Distance and Out of State Moves
As the name alludes, this is a long-distance move to another part of the state where you currently live, or to another state. Is it appropriate to hire professional movers in this case? Downright, Yes! Moving with a big, unfamiliar rental truck across the country for hundreds of miles can be stressful, time consuming and expensive. A professional moving service has teams to efficiently handle the labor of loading and unloading, the equipment and experience to safely move your home, and provides insurance against unforeseen events. Save yourself the stress and hire a professional mover for help moving furniture and other household items when moving long distances.
Can You Handle the Stress of Moving?
Getting yourself in a position to choose between self-moving, hiring movers, or renting a truck is already stressful, let alone sweating the technical details like knowing how to load a moving truck. Are you willing to endure the stress of organizing, packing, and moving all those heavy items?
Managing the time needed to execute the many tasks involved in a move, budgeting for the move and worries about the potential damages to your items and home are common stressors. Be sure you take care of yourself during this time, get plenty of rest, ensure you are staying hydrated and have snacks on hand while you work.
Still finding yourself overwhelmed? Hiring a professional mover to offload the stress of packing, labor and transport with insured services can be invaluable for your peace of mind.
How Much Large/Heavy Furniture Needs to be Moved?
Another crucial factor to consider is the amount of items (volume and weight) you're planning to move. Let's look at the bearing small loads have on your moving decision versus bulky loads.
Small Loads
If you live in a single room, small apartment, or have minimal furniture in your home, then a self-move can sound easy enough. Evaluate the sizes and weights of the boxes and furniture you will need to move against the labor and transportation available to you. You may determine you do not need a full-service mover, but you can find a full range of moving services to create a solution to fit your needs for a fast and efficient move.
Large/Bulky Loads
It goes without saying; relocating with every household item, from furniture to kitchenware, requires adequate professional planning and execution. And it doesn't matter whether it's a long- or short-distance move; even if you're moving to a neighboring city, doing it yourself means you'll make several trips to finish, and this may be quite costly in the long-run.
How Quickly Do You Want to Move?
Has your current landlord presented you with a move-out date? Did your home sell faster than expected? If yes, how fast is the deadline approaching? These questions will help you determine if you have ample or limited time to move.
Limited Time
It’s almost impossible to gather all your household items, dispose of or donate the ones you no longer need, prepare all the necessary packing materials, and disassemble all your furniture in less than one week. If this is your case, hiring moving experts to pack and move all your belongings is the best way to go.
Sufficient Time
If you have three or more weeks before hitting the move-out deadline, you should be able to gather, pack, and move all your stuff by yourself. Other factors like distance and volume/weight will still influence your ultimate decision. You may have all the time in the world, but if your household items are heavy, excessive, or you're planning to move out of state, a professional moving company is a good option.
The Cost of Renting a Moving Truck vs. Hiring Movers
When moving DIY style, it's crucial to set up a moving budget. In addition to the obvious moving expenses (boxes, moving truck, etc.), you’ll want to budget for expenses like buying food and beverage while on the road, and hotels for overnight stays if moving long distance. You also want to brace yourself for non-monetary costs like taking time off work and the total time it'll take to accomplish the mission.
Renting a Moving Truck
The average cost for renting a truck can range widely based on the factors of your move. Additionally, the responsibility of filling the truck's gas tank is yours. From our experience, a gallon of gas can propel the engine for 8-15 miles, so you can calculate the total cost of gas based on your new home's location.
Hiring Movers
How much does it cost to hire movers? Typically, the rates vary from one company to another, also influenced by factors like distance and seasonality. Be sure that you understand the pricing structures of companies as you get quotes.
Hiring a mover can be surprisingly affordable once you have determined what you need. Full-service relocation can be costly but save you time and headaches. You can find many cost saving options by hiring only labor to load your moving truck or do a partial pack to fit your budget.
Over to You
Now that you've learned what it takes to self-move or hire a mover, what's next? If you have what it takes to take up full responsibility, labor intensity, and stress, doing it yourself or renting a truck would suit you. On the flip side, if you want utmost convenience, comfort, and peace of mind, you should consider hiring professional, full-service movers.
At College HUNKS Hauling Junk and Moving, we take pride in applying top-level honesty, flexibility, and knowledge in our service delivery. Get a free quote today for stress-free moving services and junk removal.