Need a moving company?

A full-service move involves hiring a moving company to come to your house, take your stuff, load it into a truck, drive it to your new place, and unload it for you.

Hiring a moving company is a big investment.  Depending on how much you need moved and to where, you can be looking at over $10,000.  However, there are a lot of reasons that you should bite the bullet and pay up.  Consider these factors when deciding whether to hire a moving company:

Experience

Moving companies have handled hundreds, even thousands of moves before, each just like yours and certainly some even more difficult.  They know the ins and outs of moving.  Here’s what they’re better than you at:

• Carrying your possessions – moving companies know how to carry everything from TVs to pianos, and when something is abnormally difficult to carry, they have the equipment necessary to move it safely and efficiently.

• Protecting and securing your possessions – moving companies have the supplies needed to protect your possessions from breaking or getting scratched, and they know how to load your possessions so they aren’t damaged during transit.

• Driving a moving truck – for those who have never driven a moving truck, it’s not like driving a car.  It more cumbersome, dangerous and stressful.  Moving companies are familiar with the pitfalls of driving a moving truck and know how to navigate the roads with them better than most.

• Unloading your possessions – loading your possessions is tough enough, but unloading them in an unfamiliar place is even more difficult.  Moving companies are used to loading and unloading in diverse environments.

Manpower

Can you lift and carry everything you own by yourself or with a little bit of help?  If not, or if you think it might be risky to your health or your possessions, you should hire a professional.

Furthermore, moving a mattress, a TV and a beanbag chair is one thing.  Moving a four bedroom house is another.  Even if you can lift and load each thing you own on its own, your body might not be prepared to load everything you own.

Moving companies have the manpower to load everything you own safely and efficiently, protecting your possessions, your biceps and your back.

Time Saving

Moving takes time.  If you live in a three bedroom house, for example, you will spend hours just packing your belongings into boxes, and that’s the easy stuff.  You’ll also need to disassemble furniture and larger possessions, protect them from potential damage, carry them to the truck and load them… then do it all in reverse once your arrive at your new home.  This process can take more than hours; it can take days.

If you have job or obligations that can’t be avoided, you might need to hire a moving company simply to avoid spending the time necessary to move.

Insurance

Moving companies automatically provide moving insurance for your possessions, and most will let you buy some additional insurance if you want to for a relatively low price.  If you move on your own, you will need to contact to a third party insurance company if you want to insure your stuff, and they won’t be giving you anything for free.

Learn about what to ask moving companies.

Return to: Choosing the Right Type of Move