Hire a Mover or Move Yourself?
Whenever people have to relocate, they must weigh the benefits of movers and decide whether it’s better to move yourself or have professional movers take care of everything. Do-it-yourself (DIY) moving saves money and hiring a mover lowers your stress levels. Before deciding whether to move yourself or hire a mover always make a thorough list of the pros and cons of each option. Here are some tips to help you decide which option makes the most sense for your relocation:
- Establish how far you are moving. If it’s across town, it’s probably cheaper to move yourself.
- Make a room-by-room inventory of the contents of your home, room by room.
- Decide what you will move and what you will leave behind. You never know how much you have until you have to move it.
- Estimate the volume of your belongings (usually in cubic feet) and imagine how they will fit in the square footage of your new place.
- Consider your resources; including your budget, your health, and what friends, family members, and vehicles you have available to help with the move.
- Call to find out how much it will cost to rent a truck or van large enough to haul your belongings. Remember to factor in the cost of gas, especially if you are in for a long-distance move as it can really add up!
- Call several recommended moving companies and ask for estimates. It never hurts to shop around.
- Decide if you want to share the job with a moving company, have movers do it all or do it all yourself. However, remember that most movers will want to do their own packing.
Tips & Warnings
- Your current or new employer may cover or help with moving costs.
- Keep a record of all costs, as moving expenses may be tax-deductible.
- If you pack everything yourself, you may save money with the movers, but it depends on how they prefer to handle things.
- Think about hiring some part-time help if moving yourself.
- Be sure you have enough help on both ends of the move.
- If you use inferior materials or equipment in your move, broken objects may end up costing you more than the movers would have cost.
- Shop around carefully before choosing movers and equipment. Be wary of fly-by-night operations!
Truck rental companies estimate that you can save as much as 50 percent by renting and driving a truck yourself, rather than relying on a moving company. But those savings must be balanced against how much help you can rely on, your physical condition, whether or not you want to risk the loss of irreplaceable items handled by amateur movers, and many other considerations. Ultimately, you have to decide whether it’s worth it to deal with a mover’s pros and cons or go with DIY moving. No matter which method you choose, though, it’s always better to have a plan in place ahead of time.