Organizing a house move closely resembles a strategy game – you make a decision and things play out in a certain way, differently from what they would have if you had decided otherwise. A single decision can, therefore, change the entire course of your move and spell all the difference between success and failure.
This is all the more true for the really important choices that determine how the rest of your move will go – like whether to hire movers or perform a DIY-relocation. This is the first and most essential decision to take when planning a house move as it defines your entire relocation strategy – you need to make the right choice or your move may meet with disaster.
But how can you make the right decision when there’re so many pros and cons to both options? How to know when it’s worth hiring movers and when it’s not?
Baffling as it may seem, the dilemma can be easily solved – it all depends on your particular circumstances and relocation needs. Here are a few examples of when it’s a good idea to hire movers and leave your relocation in the hands of the pros:
Long distance moves
Moving across the country is very different from moving across town – you need to not only pack your items, load them on a moving vehicle, and unload an hour or so later at your new home, but also take your belongings all the way to your far-off destination.
Your items will have to spend several days on the road and someone will have to drive the moving truck for miles on end. You won’t be able to just make a second trip if your things don’t all fit in the moving vehicle or call your friends to help you unload at your new house or apartment. You won’t be able to complete your move over the weekend and be at work on Monday morning.
See also: How to plan a long-distance move
A cross-country move takes a lot of time and effort (not to mention all the possible risks, enormous hassle, and emotional stress it involves) – you can’t manage on your own, not unless your possessions fit in a couple of bags and suitcases.
So, when moving long distance, professional movers are your best bet – the experts know how to pack your items so that they survive the moving process safe and sound; what routes to take to your final destination; how to drive safely in adverse weather and avoid traffic jams and road accidents; etc. They will deliver your belongings intact and unscathed – and on time.
You won’t need to worry about driving the moving truck and will be able to fly to your new city – you won’t have to take time off work or miss important appointments; you won’t be exhausted by the long haul and will have the energy to explore your new surroundings and get to know your new area. Best of all, you’ll have the chance to prepare your new home by the time your items arrive and will be able to get your life on track quickly and effortlessly.
Professional movers will make your intrastate relocation safe and easy – they’ll take care of your move from start to finish (or will do most of the work for you) and will reduce both the physical strain and the emotional stress of moving. You will need to pay for their services, of course, but you’ll get what you pay for – experience, efficiency, safety, and peace of mind. So, movers are definitely worth it when moving cross country.
Related: Why hire professional movers?
Large and heavy items
A self-move may be a viable option if you’re moving without furniture, appliances, and other large household items, but it is certainly not an option for a large move – you and your friends, no matter how strong and enthusiastic, can only carry so much.
You won’t be able to take the contents of a three- or four-bedroom home out of the property and load them on the moving vehicle in a day. Most likely, you won’t be able to do so safely at all – there will be lots of large furniture pieces, bulky electrical appliances, and various awkwardly-shaped items that are very difficult to lift and carry. You may easily drop a heavy piece or bump it against a door or a wall, breaking the item or damaging the floor, door, or wall. You may strain your back, sprain your ankle, or pull a muscle when hauling weighty items around. Worse still, you may trip and fall, causing yourself a serious injury.
Related: How to prevent accidents and injuries when moving
Professional movers are trained to use safe lifting techniques so that they don’t hurt themselves during a move. They have rich experience in handling all kinds of household items and know how to safely squeeze a bulky piece through the doors and along narrow hallways and steep staircases. The pros use specialized moving equipment (moving dollies, moving blankets, furniture sliders, furniture straps, etc.) that makes their work safer and faster – they’ll load the moving truck in record time, pack it tightly to optimize the available space (needless to say, the movers will have determined the right size moving truck for your needs), and secure your items inside so that they don’t get damaged during transit.
Using professional moving services saves time and reduces the risk of accidents, personal injuries, and damage to your home and your belongings. It’s not a luxury, but a necessity when moving big and heavy items or relocating a large household.
Specialty items
However difficult it may be to move a queen-size bed or a large plasma TV, it’s even harder to relocate a pool table, a grandfather clock, or a valuable piece of art. Specialty items need special care – specialized packing materials, specific packing techniques, careful handling, etc. You can’t provide them with good enough protection to ensure their safety during transit or handle them properly to prevent damage to their delicate surfaces or fine mechanisms. You need professional help.
Good movers provide a wide range of specialized services (custom crating, hoisting, piano moving, etc.) to ensure a smooth relocation and keep specialty items safe and sound during the entire moving process. They know which items need special care; what packing supplies are necessary to ensure their optimal protection; how to handle them safely and efficiently, etc. Professional movers have the advanced equipment and expert skills required to take proper care of your cherished possessions. And they even offer full value protection so you can rest assured that if something happens to your belongings during the move, you’ll be compensated for your loss.
Hiring professionals may not be cheap, but it’s a worthy investment – your specialty items will arrive at your new home intact and unscathed and your entire relocation will go as smooth as silk.
Lack of time
As already mentioned above, moving requires a lot of time – you cannot plan and perform a house move overnight. It takes at least two months to properly organize a relocation, especially if it’s a cross-country one. Sometimes, however, you may not have months, not even weeks before the move – you may need to move out on a short notice (because of a new job in a different city, a breakup, etc.) and not have the time for moving preparations.
In such a case, hiring professional movers is your best option – they’ll take care of all the aspects of the arduous relocation process and will complete your move with enviable speed and efficiency. You’ll find yourself in your new home before you know it.
See also: How to organize an emergency move
In other instances, you may know about your forthcoming relocation well in advance, but not have enough time to commit to moving preparations (you may be busy at work, have pressing issues to deal with, etc.). Here again, you can count on professional movers to take care of your relocation needs – they’ll do all the work for you, so you can focus on other important matters. What’s more, you’ll know that your move is in good hands (the pros will complete the job in the safest and most efficient way possible) and won’t need to worry about anything.
And even if you have the time to organize your relocation, prepare your items for shipment, and complete all other necessary moving tasks, you may not be able to afford spending several days on the road to drive to your new, far-away city. In this case, you can hire movers to only transport your belongings to your new home.
Either way, professional movers will save you a lot of valuable time and unnecessary stress – without the hassle of moving everything yourself, you’ll have the time and energy to get settled into your new home, stay on track at work, and adjust to your new life.
Relocation allowances
If you’re moving for a job, your new company may offer relocation assistance to relieve the financial burden of moving. Relocation packages typically cover moving costs and temporary living expenses, as well as some other relocation-related expenses, such as home-hunting, travel expenses, vehicle shipment, etc. Your employer will reimburse you for the cost of hiring professional movers, so you won’t pay a penny.
There is no reason not to take advantage of this benefit, so you should definitely use professional moving services when offered financial relocation assistance.
Related: How do relocation packages work?
No one to help you
Moving is not a one-man job – you need as much help as you can get. If you can’t count on family or friends to lend you a hand with your move (because they’re all far away or none of them is physically strong enough to do heavy lifting, etc.), you need to hire professional moving assistance. The experts will do all the work for you (or as much as you want them to) and will ensure your smooth and successful relocation.
See also: How to ensure help on moving day
So, when to hire movers? Consider your available time, the distance of your move, the number and type of items you have for moving, and the cost of using professional help vs. the cost of moving on your own (and do not forget that the money you spend for experienced, trustworthy moving services pays off in extra time, peace of mind, and success). You’ll easily find out if it’s worth hiring movers or not.
I like how you mentioned the professional movers will make your relocation safe and easy. In the past, a lot of people have gotten hurt while moving our stuff. It would be nice to hire a company to move everything for us in safety when we relocate in a few months!
I liked how you mentioned having a lack of time to get everything situated for yourself. My friend was talking about how she needs to move, but can’t fit it in her busy schedule. I don’t know if she’s thought about this option before, but I think that it would be the best one for her situation.
I’ve been thinking of moving for a little while, but I’m not sure if I should hire a moving service or not. It was helpful when you mentioned that hiring a mover can be beneficial as they will have the physical strength needed to move. What are some important qualities I should look for in a moving company?
I’m glad you pointed out that it’s best to hire professional movers if the move requires large or heavy items, since a moving service will have knowledge of the proper safe lifting techniques to use. My husband and I want to move closer to his work, and we have quite a few heavy items we want to take with us. I think we’ll take your advice and protect everyone’s safety by hiring movers.
I liked what you said about hiring movers when you are low on time. My husband and I have been thinking about hiring movers for our next move because we are so busy. It would be great to have some of the things we need to get done off of our plate.
I can see why hiring a moving service is a great idea. I love how you said that they can help with large items. We’ve got a piano, so hiring a pro for that would be great.
I liked that you said that one situation when you should hire movers is when you are moving across the country. I would imagine that moving across the country would be challenging in making sure that you have everything packed and can transport it all in one trip. I would consider hiring movers to make sure that we wouldn’t have to make more than one trip and to ensure the safety of our belongings.
I can see how not worrying about driving a moving truck for a long move would be a benefit in terms of not being exhausted, having an opportunity to explore the new area, and being able to prepare the house before the items arrive. My husband and I are moving back East from the Midwest, and we’ve been wondering how we want to approach the move. Neither of us loves long drives and hate loading/unloading boxes, so hiring a moving company sounds like a great alternative for us! We’ll have to look for good moving companies in our area!
It makes sense that some movers are capable of handling short notice moves if the situation calls for it. My wife and I need to move out of town to take care of a family member and do not have a lot of time left before we need to leave. I am glad to hear that we can hire professionals who will help us move on such short notice.
Thanks for mentioning that we should try and pack everything before the movers come because most movers charge on an hourly basis. My in-laws have been planning on moving soon to be near our kids. Thanks for sharing the tip to pack everything beforehand!
Thank you for stating that professional movers are trained to use safe lifting techniques so that they don’t hurt themselves during a move. I am really old and have a bad back, so I’ve been thinking about hiring movers to help my family and I move so I don’t have to strain my back. I will definitely take all of your great advice and information into consideration when deciding if I should hire movers.
Thank you for stating that you should hire a moving company if you don’t have a lot of time. My husband just got a new job that requires us to move. I will definitely keep all of your many benefits on hiring movers in mind when deciding if it’s a good idea.
I’m glad to know that a good mover will ensure a smooth relocation of our things by knowing which items need special care and the necessary packing supplies. This was one of my main concerns because my mom is moving to a different house and she has delicate furniture and artwork. My brother suggested we should all do the moving ourselves but now I’m sure that it’s best to hire a team of professionals. Thanks for the tips and a great read!
It’s good to know that professional movers are trained in safe lifting techniques that help them to move heavy things like appliances. My wife and I are looking to move our current washer and dryer down to our basement while putting a new washer and dryer on the main level. I will be sure to look for professional appliance movers in my area so that the task can be done without anyone getting hurt.
I’m glad you mentioned that moving companies will have the proper specialized moving equipment to move large and heavy items safely. My husband and I will be moving to a luxury home next month so we can have more space to live and entertain. Reading your article helped me see why we should hire a speciality moving service for our larger items, like our hot tub and piano!
I loved that you mentioned hiring a moving company will help you to complete your moving process efficiently and stress-free. My husband and I are thinking about moving to another city, and we are looking for advice to plan it properly. I will let him know about the benefits of hiring a moving company to help us with that problem.
I appreciate that you explained the benefits of hiring a professional moving contractor. I like how you mentioned in the article that there are items that someone would like to pack in a special way, or it has to be handled specially. As a figure collector, I have a lot of very sensitive items that I’d like to move from one state to another. This part convinced me to hire a mover for my big move.
I like how you said that professionals can ar trained to move large furniture. My husband and I are planning on moving into a new home in a couple of weeks and we have a lot of heavy furniture that we can’t move on our own so we wanted to know if hiring professional help would be beneficial. I really appreciate you helping me learn more about the benefits of hiring movers.
I liked that you mentioned hiring a moving company if you are thinking about living in another state will be the best option to avoid all the difficulties. My sister is moving to another state, and we are looking for advice to help her. I will let her know about the benefits of hiring a moving company to help her.
It caught my attention when you explained that hiring professional movers will help eliminate unnecessary stress for us during the relocating process. My husband and I will need to move to a new apartment after our lease gets up at the end of this summer. Thanks fOr helping me understand why it’d be with the cost to hire professional removalists to help with the process!
It’s valuable that you point out that hiring a moving company can help you avoid injuring yourself when you’re trying to transport your furniture to a new home. My wife and I need to move to a new house in a few weeks, so I’m thinking about hiring a moving company to help us. I’m going to look for a good local moving company to use.