If there’s one thing we can tell you for certain, it’s that the moving process is complex, and there is quite a bit that goes into completing a move yourself. When you move, there is an infinite number of arrangements that you need to make, but one of the biggest is whether you will hire professional movers or control the move yourself. The general misconception with hiring professional movers is that it simply costs too much relative to just doing the work yourself, and people will rent a moving truck, grab a couple of friends, and think that all that stands in the way of their home move is a day of hard work. But, have you ever thought of what goes into the cost of moving yourself? It’s not that simple, believe us. Professional movers, portable storage units, and rental truck providers offer a lot of options and services to make your move run smoothly, whether you want to hire professional movers to do all the heavy lifting or you want to do most of the work yourself. When it comes to home moving, there’s one question that people always tend to ask when deciding between hiring professional local movers and doing it themselves – how much does it cost? Decide how much you can afford for your move and how much work you want to do. Then, choose the moving option that works best for you for a stress-free move that doesn’t go over your budget.
When moving, you’re dealing with other stressful decisions such as which furniture to move, what house to buy or rent, and which realtor to trust. Adding another factor into the equation will make these other decisions just more difficult to ponder. This article might prove helpful to highlight the costs of both options and help make the process more straightforward. When you’re facing the dilemma of hiring local movers or moving yourself, start by determining your priorities. What matters more—your money or your time? Hiring professional movers usually cost more (depending on your move), 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, as well as 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 help or wrangling in friends or family. Deciding between hiring professional movers and renting a moving truck and moving by yourself 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. In order to help you make the best choice we have highlighted the most important parts of both options.
- Moving on your own-DIY move
It certainly seems less expensive to hire a moving truck than professional affordable movers to handle your relocation. However, be sure that you are figuring everything into the final cost of the move. Many people forget to include toll costs, packing materials, the cost of their time, and almost always the cost of fuel into the total for renting a truck. When those things are taken into account, renting a cheap truck isn’t always the bargain it initially seems to be. Start by checking out this comparison of rental truck companies to get an idea of the costs and terms of renting a moving truck. And remember, when you get a guaranteed price on the Unpakt website you know exactly how much you will pay and what will be included in the price, and you will know whether is really better not to hire professional movers.
So, first and foremost, you’re going to need to rent a moving truck and will need to get one that is going to be able to handle all of your belongings. However, it’s not as simple as throwing everything onto the truck and transporting it. You’re going to need to purchase or rent at least some of the following on your own:
-Fuel for the moving truck – potentially multiple times
-Moving equipment that might include: straps, ropes, stretch wrap, moving dollies, furniture pads
-Packing boxes and packing supplies
Can you picture yourself driving your rental truck off the lot and onto the highway with some degree of comfort and confidence? Unless you’re a professional driver or professional mover, the answer is probably no. These are big, heavy vehicles that are harder to steer and require much more caution while braking, turning, merging, and most other aspects of driving. Now imagine you’re also exhausted from packing and loading the truck before you’ve even hit the road. Unless you are not traveling a great distance and can fit your belongings into a pickup, a van, or other types of smallish truck it might be better to call in professional movers.
Before you even complete the move, you’re going to need to spend days even weeks packing up all of your belongings and trying to figure out how to organize your items. And professional movers Chicago can do it in a day. On a moving day, there could be multiple trips involved from your old home to your new home as you transport your belongings. There’s a good chance that if you and your friends are not professional movers yourselves, trying to move your own belongings will likely result in the damage of some of your items, which can become pricey as you try to repair them down the road. This also means that you might not be trained on the proper moving techniques, which can easily result in injury and future trips to the doctor. This provides even more stress in the moving process and creates a miserable experience.
Also, moving and packing is labor-intensive, so if you decide against hiring professional movers you’ll need some help. We know the old joke about finding a friend with a truck to help you move, but when it comes to moving, you don’t want to do it alone. You’re going to need to recruit a couple of friends to help you move, which means buying food and drinks to keep them happy all day long while they help you move your home. This means calling in lots of favors from friends and relatives. If you don’t have too many belongings and nothing particularly valuable or fragile to move your friends might well suffice. If you do have a considerable inventory to transport and some of it is quite valuable or irreplaceable, think twice about not hiring professional movers. Good friends are not necessarily experienced local movers and are almost always not insured for damages that may incur during a move. If your best friends drop your flat-screen TV, will you sue them for compensation? Not likely! Professional movers can save you a lot of stress and you might be surprised how affordable full-service moving can be.
- Hiring professional movers Chicago
Organizing a move, it’s not something that happens in one day, there’s a lot more time involved. All this time can be saved by working with professional affordable movers, and you can use it more effectively to offset the costs involved. That many people who have side gigs will have to be neglected and cost them money while they’re using the spare time to manage a move. Spend your and money more wisely on more important tasks.
If you talk to enough people who have managed their own moves, it’s unlikely that you will find stories where some injury hasn’t occurred. And I’m not talking about conjuring up images of pianos falling from high-story buildings. But if you live in a large city, moving happens all the time. If you work in the industry you will walk around keeping one eye upwards as you might have to deal with someone’s negligence or ill-preparedness. Watching some amateur-hour mistakes and injuries that happen when people move is enough to ensure this is never something you do.
Although most licensed local movers are legally obliged to provide a level of liability coverage, this coverage is minimal and won’t cover the cost of replacing any damaged or lost items. So always look for more comprehensive insurance coverage from local movers you are hiring. Also, having already paid the professional movers, your costs don’t end there, offering a gratuity to every member of the moving crew is standard. A little research reveals that $5 an hour is standard across the industry.
To conclude, professional local movers can do everything related to your move, including packing your boxes, moving items from Point A to Point B, and unpacking your belongings at your new house. This option will likely cost the most but involve the least amount of stress and work for you. You can save on costs by packing yourself. Despite costing more upfront, professional movers will do everything related to a move. This will reduce the amount of work and stress involved.
So, moving is for sure one of the most complicated tasks we will have to complete in life, simply because of the number of individual tasks required to get it done. There is a lot to plan and so many things to decide when moving, and it all begins with one initial question – “Will I hire professional movers, or will I handle the move by myself?” Choosing whether you should hire local movers or plan a DIY relocation is a dilemma almost anyone that has ever moved was faced with. The very first thought that probably came to your mind is that by moving on your own you will be able to save money and cut costs on your packing expenses. However, on the other hand, hiring reliable and reputable professional movers Chicago can save you much valuable time and make the whole relocation stress-free. Pros and cons can go back and forth. However, you need to focus and make an informed decision when it comes to self-moving vs hiring professional movers.
There are many advantages and disadvantages to both options, and it is important to weigh all the factors involved before deciding on something. In this article, we provided you with some insight into which move is right for you. Whether you decide to move by yourself, get some additional help, or hire professional movers to do it all, choosing a way to move should be about what makes the most sense for you. Consider your budget, schedule, and preferences so your move can go as seamlessly as possible. The decision to move yourself or hire professional local movers is unique to your personality, needs, and the specifics of your move. If you are moving long-distance or you have a large home, a DIY move will be much more difficult. Also, if you have children and many other responsibilities to focus on, hiring local movers will make the process a much easier and less harried one. However, if you are single, on a budget, have a small home or apartment, and just a few pieces of furniture to transport, a DIY move may be better suited for you. Before making the decision, it is important to contemplate your circumstances and what is most important to you–safety, control, scheduling, ease, and cost are all important factors to consider when deciding if a DIY move or a professionally-handled move is the right move for you. We hoped we helped you even a little bit when it comes to deciding between professional movers and DIY move. If you decide to go with local movers, Winnetka Movers are the right choice for you. Get your free moving quote today, and see why are we the best affordable movers out here!
