It may seem tempting to try to save money when moving locally by renting a truck and moving yourself. Are the hassles and stress that come with moving really worth it to try to move yourself and does it even save money are two important questions to ask. If you’re on a really tight budget and can spend a lot of time and effort, moving yourself might be the way to go. If not, hiring the professionals might be a better investment of both time and money. Following are some things to consider when you are deciding whether to hire a professional moving company or move yourself.
How Much Time Do You Have To Move
If you haven’t had much time to plan your move and need to move in a short amount of time you will find peace of mind by hiring movers. You will no doubt be stressed and have a minimal amount of time to prepare for your move. If you are very busy and don’t have time to devote to packing movers can help pack and unpack your items as well. Moving yourself will take more time both on moving day and preparing for the move in advance. If you can spend a lot of time and effort on the moving process, moving yourself might be the way to go. If not, relax and hire professional movers.
What is Your Moving Budget
If you’re on a really tight budget moving yourself might be more cost effective. If not, hiring professional movers might be a better investment of both time and money. Keep in mind if you’re short on cash many movers, such as Under One Roof, accept credit cards. Even with renting a truck there will still be other costs associated with moving yourself to take into consideration when planning. Other costs include gas and mileage; truck rental insurance; equipment needed for moving day such as dollies, hand trucks, shrink wrap, tape, padding and wardrobes (for residence to residence moves Under One Roof provides free use of wardrobes on moving day); and food and drinks to supply any friends that help you with your move.
Professional Movers Have Moving Expertise
Moving companies have expert movers and know how to easily move furniture having done it many times before. Compare this to whether you and your friends have the strength, stamina and knowledge needed to move your items. Look at the size of your move, the space involved moving them and how difficult your items are to move.
There will be significantly more work involved and expertise needed moving a four bedroom house as opposed to a small college dorm room. If multiple floors or a long walk are involved for your move can you easily carry heavy items without denting walls, dropping items or breaking anything, including yourself. As part of licensing requirements professional movers in Illinois are required to have workman’s compensation insurance so if an employee is injured at your location while they are moving their medical costs are covered. If you or a friend helping hurts themselves (or you hire unlicensed movers) medical treatment will be your responsibility. Professionals, such as Under One Roof, have the knowledge to navigate items on stairs, tools to disassemble and reassemble most items, and are also experienced at moving difficult and unique items such as antique furniture and artwork. Movers also come equipped with proper moving equipment and the expertise needed to properly arrange items safely in the truck.
If you ultimately decide that hiring professional movers is the best option, be sure to hire a licensed mover. In Illinois for local movers this can be verified by checking with the Illinois Commerce Commission or Illinois Movers' and Warehousemen's Association.
Blog authored by Michelle Mathena, President of Under One Roof, a local moving company in Chicago. Michelle has over 20 years of experience in the moving industry. Under One Roof has had thousands of satisfied customers since 1982.