Moving On Your Own vs Moving with Professional Movers
Reading Time: 8 minutesIt’s time for you and your family to move. You are thinking about everything you have to do before the time comes. When moving, you are dealing with many stressful decisions such as what house to buy or rent, which furniture to move, what items you should pack, what you should get rid of.
The most difficult decision is definitely whether to move on your own or to hire local movers. This article might prove helpful to highlight the pros and cons of both options and help make the process more straightforward. To make the move more organized, you can always make a list of the tasks you need to accomplish, with or without the help of local packers and movers. You can make a daily list, weekly, monthly lists, etc. Prioritize what is most important to you and keep that at the top. You can also mark how long your estimated time to completion is, and depending on the time of day when it can be accomplished.
After completing your planning and notes, you can decide on what you will want to move and what you should get rid of. Most of the time, it is best not to take everything with you. This presents a good time to have a garage sale, donate to an organization, such as a church or center, and give items away to family and friends, or people in need.
When you’re facing the dilemma of hiring local packers and movers or moving on your own, start by determining your priorities. What matters more to you—your money or your time? Hiring Long Beach professional movers usually costs more, but it takes less time and effort; on the other hand, renting a truck may be cheaper, but it comes with the added stress and physical exertion of loading and unloading your belongings. Also, there are hidden costs you may not have considered when making your moving budget.
Many of us are just incapable of moving heavy furniture around and cannot do so without either professional movers or wrangling in friends or family. Deciding between hiring packers and movers and renting a moving truck and moving on your own are the two most common choices that people will have when moving. Surely renting a moving truck comes at a lower price tag but the added stress and exertion must also be considered, and while the initial cost may seem tempting there are several hidden costs you might be overlooking.
Luckily, nowadays there are hybrid methods between the two, and you can hire professional movers to help you only with your specific needs. To help you make the best choice we have highlighted the most important parts of both options.
MOVING ON YOUR OWN
PROS
Saving money
If you don’t have much extra cash after buying your new home or apartment, moving without hiring professional movers could save you some money. If you have some help from friends, you should be able to get your furniture moved for less. Unless you are moving from a small apartment, you’ll probably need to rent a moving truck nearby. You should have at least a few options to choose from, don’t settle for the first you see.
Controlling your move
If you do things on your own, you will have complete control over how things are done. You can pack in your own time, taking extra care of your fragile possessions. But do you really know how to do it better than professional movers? DIY moves give you more flexibility, allowing you to move when it best suits you and the situation. Keep in mind, however, that trying to do it on your own when you have a lot of stuff won’t be an easy task. Also if you have a big family, consider one more time if moving on your own is the best option for you.
CONS
Planning your move
Taking care of your move yourself is going to require more planning. It isn’t quite as simple as just renting a truck and transferring your belongings to the new place. You need to consider how to pack the truck and the order to load your items. If you get this wrong, you could find that when you unpack, items have been broken because they were incorrectly placed in the truck. One of the biggest moving mistakes is not planning properly.
Hard work
One of the most significant downsides of moving on your own is its hard work! Moving your bulky furniture is going to be a tough job if you aren’t used to it, and most people aren’t. You will likely need help to move those larger items of furniture, and it can be easy to underestimate the amount of work needed. If you have to move items up or down a staircase, you could quickly run into problems that will slow down your move. There will be a greater chance of damaging walls as you maneuver furniture through doorways and downstairs. If you have a lot of items to move, will you have enough help from friends to make it possible? Are all of your friends able to help you the exact day you need to move? You need to bear all of this in mind.
Extra expenses involved
Will you have enough time to move all your furniture to the new place? If you don’t, there are going to be extra expenses and stress. You will have to pay extra fees if you don’t return the rented truck at the agreed time. Besides, the cost of renting your moving truck could be higher than it first appears. You will usually have to pay for the miles you drive as well as the gas you use. On top of that, you may need to hire extra equipment, like dollies, to help your move. So think twice when thinking about moving without professional movers.
MOVING WITH PROFESSIONAL MOVERS
PROS
Local movers will save your time and energy
Long Beach professional packers and movers are dependable and they will spare you a lot of your time and money. That way you won’t have to be absent from work and you will have time to say goodbye to your old neighborhood. Residential movers will deal with everything and you won’t have to worry about a thing.
Packers and movers help you with heavy liftings
Hiring Long Beach packers and movers to do the whole thing – load, transport, unload (some will even pack!) – is costly but easy on your back. Since you’re not a professional, you might not know how to lift properly and you could hurt yourself. Aside from that, moving is a whole new level of tiring. Once you’ve got everything inside, you still have the nearly endless task of unpacking, arranging furniture, and making your new place feel like home. So it’s up to you if you want to be tired of that, or be fresh and ready to unpack.
Your belongings will be safe and insured
Unfortunately, when moving your belongings, accidents can happen to everyone. For this reason, a smarter move would be to hire Long Beach packers and movers to do the job for you as you will not only lessen the risk of your favorite painting being torn. In case of any mishaps, your belongings will be insured. After all, keeping your possessions safe is the number one priority for all local movers and it would be quite reasonable to rely on a professional when moving out or in.
Local movers have the right equipment
In addition, you should be aware that some tools are essential for a smooth move, and professional movers will most certainly have what’s needed for a successful move. This will eliminate the need to rent or buy equipment that you’ll probably use only once. Professional movers will have all the right packing and moving supplies.
You will avoid injuries
You need to be aware that packing and moving heavy items is not an easy task. If you are not a professional mover, you could easily injure yourself. The friends you planned to invite to help you with the move, are not professional movers either. So, if you hire Long Beach packers and movers you won’t risk injuring yourself. Our local movers are trained professionals who know how to pack and move your belongings in the right way.
CONS
Professional movers can be expensive
If you don’t move only down the street or if you don’t have only a few boxes of stuff, local movers can be a bit expensive. You need to be prepared that regardless of whether you are moving nearby, the cost of hiring professional movers can be past your desires. That is why you should get in touch with a few local movers. That way you can find residential movers that suit your budget.
You cannot control the moving
When you are moving on your own, you are your own boss and you have complete control over your relocation. In this case, you can just choose the moving date and consent to the contract, and acknowledge their terms and conditions. Besides, when you sign a contract with local movers you can’t change the moving date.
It may look to you that moving and packing all of your belongings is not that hard, but believe us – it is! Time can sometimes be very limited to finish all the preparations regarding your move. And of course, people would usually need a moving truck and professional movers to get their belongings to a new place. Some people do come to friends for help in moving and there is nothing wrong with that. If you are moving just a few boxes, that won’t be a problem. But for more complicated moves, like moving an entire home, moving with a big family, or even internationally, it pays off to hire Long Beach professional movers. They really go a long way to ensuring a safe and stress-free move.
Of course, both DIY moves and hiring Long Beach local movers have their advantages and disadvantages. It really depends on the distance you’re moving and how much money is in your budget. If you’re trying not to spend too much, moving on your own is the obvious choice. However, you can’t unload an entire moving truck all by yourself.
Your friends may be willing to help you load it, but if you move too far away you’ll be stuck with a full truck and a backbreaking task ahead of you. In that case, it would be best to hire local movers to unload only. Bear in mind that booking early is essential. Get more than one moving quote and make sure you get in touch with Long Beach packers and movers. Our residential movers are trained professionals who will make your relocation as easy and possible! Just get your free moving quote today!