Thinking of moving? You have a lot to prepare, and, depending on the size of your house and the amount of stuff you would like to move, days of work are ahead of you.
When it comes to moving out, there are many cost-effective and efficient options to take into account, beyond the “do-it-yourself” method. Whether it is now or later, the following ten reasons will convince you that hiring a professional moving service is the best choice for your next big move.
- You Avoid Injuries
The most common injury experienced during the moving process is back strain. This can be anything from a muscle pull to a slipped disc, all uniquely uncomfortable and painful. Even a minor back injury can lead to later health issues like sciatica and constant discomfort in simple sitting and standing positions.
Many will say that this is easily avoided by proper lifting form. Remembering this while moving is key, but it is usually after many boxes that this happens. The problem presents itself when fatigue sets in, and the small, light box you thought you could grab suddenly got much heavier.
All it takes is one wrong move while leaning over to get that box, and, boom: that sharp pain means you are immobile and out of commission for who knows how long. Other common injuries experienced in the moving process are joint sprains, often in the ankles and wrists, and muscle strains in the knee and shoulder areas.
This can all be avoided by hiring professionals, who are specially trained to move your things and avoid injuries while doing so. Why take a chance on getting hurt? Hire professionals and let them take the risk!
- You Can Check a Few Items Off Your List
If you have ever sold or purchased property, you know how detailed and time-consuming the process can be. After dealing with the realtor’s requirements, there is a lot of paperwork to be done, and often agreements between buyer and seller about minor changes to be made, before the property changes hands.
Then, after finding a buyer, and selling, there are suddenly more problems! Now the concerns become making any necessary changes to the property, taking care of outstanding bills, and changing your address, just to mention a few.
In addition to all of those responsibilities, moving everything yourself can require at several days, if not more. This could mean time off work and money lost. Hiring a truck or a U-Haul can also use up most of the money you were hoping to save. Moving on your own is another worry to add to an already busy schedule.
Professional movers do this every day, and will ensure your belongings are transported safely, so there is nothing for you to worry about.
- You Can Find Trustworthy Companies to Help
Uncertainty is not something you should face during a home move. Years of gifts, memories, and valued possessions are not easily replaced if they become lost or damaged. Moving companies gain business based on reputation, and those companies that are unreliable quickly become well-known to the public.
However, packing and moving companies are possible to find. Do your research and locate a company that has not only the experience, but also excellent user ratings. Many companies offer everything from local and long distance moving to secure storage. They will even pack everything for you, and they bring their own boxes!
Dependability is a critical trait in a professional moving company, and often more reliable than that friend who promised to help and showed up late, or not at all. Good, accredited companies, rigorous training, and background checks are required for all of the professional movers.
- Someone Else Will Take Care of the Inventory Process
Your valued possessions that hold the memories of a lifetime must be carefully accounted for so that nothing is left behind. Moving companies recognize the necessity of taking an inventory. For homeowners who handle the transportation themselves, this is another task to add to what often seems like an overwhelming list of things to do. It is often overlooked, too.
A good inventory covers every detail of every item. Everything from the location an article was taken from, to the condition it was in before moving. Ensuring accountability and honesty is a promise professional movers make when they enter your home. A good professional moving company will take care of all the many detailed and demanding issues related to the moving process and do them all for you.
A professional inventory provides you with a tool to ensure that all your possessions are properly accounted for without your having to do the inventory yourself. You can check off each item as it is delivered to your new home, note any damage, and ensure that nothing is left behind.
- The Process Will Go a Lot Quicker
Several scenarios often surface during the moving process, all centering around how fast you can get the year’s-worth of accumulated “stuff” out of your home. You just sold your house, but you need to be out quickly. Maybe there is a foreclosure in the neighborhood, something that may adversely affect the price of your property. Maybe you have promised the buyers a quick move out and in turn are receiving an advance or a higher payment.
If you have children, you want them in school and settled as quickly as possible. Getting in your home fast will help you accomplish this. Whatever your reasons are for needing a quick move, professional movers base their business around efficiency. After all, speed is the only way they can truly run a business.
A moving company can give you a date and time for when all of your possessions will arrive at your new home. Prompt and professional service is often a guarantee of many companies. In addition, it is likely they have mastered the “pivot!” far sooner than you or your friends will be able to do so.
Ever seen the infamous Friends episode where they try to move the couch? Once you have seen it, you will understand why it might just be better to invite those friends to the new place after the move.
- Time is Money
This is something people often forget to include in their budget: their time. Time is the most valuable thing we have. It is harder to earn and much easier to lose. One bad injury sustained while moving puts you in an ER or a doctor’s office. That costs time and money. This leaves you unable to work and immobile for who knows how long. Time off work means the “do it yourself” method was another costly mistake.
An injury is, of course, the worst-case scenario, but not completely uncommon. You may have rushed the packing process, skipped the inventory, and now are left with an excess of boxes and not enough space. You could put everything in a storage unit, but that will cost you, monthly.
Even in a situation where the time to money relationship is less direct, your time is still worth something. The hours you could spend tracking each box or searching for something you lost could easily equal the money you did not want to spend on a professional moving company.
If you factor in your time, you can save money by hiring the services of a professional moving company. You can use a free cost estimator to determine your savings of hiring a reliable moving company compared to spending your own valuable time making all the preparations and doing the actual moving yourself. If you do so, you will find that the smart and cost-effective choice is to hire a professional moving company.
- Professionals Have All the Right Tools
How exactly do you move a large table down a narrow staircase with sharp turns? Getting it up that staircase is a different process from taking it down. Many older apartments do not have elevators or fire escapes that could make the job easier.
Professional movers have the training, skills and, just as important, the right tools to enable them to smoothly and efficiently move your furniture. Often people do not realize that items like a large table or a bed frame need assembly and disassembly. Without the proper tools, you could spend countless, frustrating hours, possibly damaging these items.
Movers will usually conduct an assessment of your items to ensure they not only have the proper equipment, but also the right sized vehicle to move everything with. They will also assess things like the staircase, landings, and size of the doors leading out of the house, and determine the best way to remove your furniture.
How do you know that U-Haul you just rented will not require additional trips? It calls for a experienced eye and considerable patience.
Professional movers come prepared with the right tools for taking things apart, and putting them back together in your new home. Even if you do not opt for the packing service many professional movers offer, they will have much-needed tape, boxes, or paper, should you need extra materials. Save the frustration, and many supply trips, by hiring a little help.
- Movers Insure, So You Can Rest Assured!
What is the best way to pack and move an expensive lamp, or a vase that has been in the family for decades? Do you trust yourself to move something like that if you barely touch it when it is out in the open? Many people do not even trust themselves to move their most valuable items.
A broken item is always painful, but at least the pain of cracking that vase can be eased with money for a replacement or repair. Avoid the added burden of making sure every item arrives safe and sound by hiring movers to do it for you. They will do the most to ensure your items stay safe, but rest assured there is always a safety net. Be sure to ask about their coverage options when shopping around for movers.
- You Will be Using Brain Instead of Brawn
Remember that list of things you have to do before enjoying your new home? It requires considerable time spent planning every detail of your new life. If you really think it through, doing all of this in an efficient manner requires time you will not have if you are also doing the physical labor. Not many people would enjoy moving all of those boxes directly after signing the papers.
It would take some pretty good friends to spend all day moving things out of one house and into another. You would need to be an even better host by providing them with refreshments and kinds words. Meanwhile, you should be taking care of the transfer of your phone and getting to know your new neighborhood and town.
You should be smart about it and spend a little money, so you can spend your time doing the sorts of things you like to do and the types of things that will help you and your family adjust to their new home.
- You Will Enjoy the Move
Time spent anywhere means that, for a particular period of life, you made roots. You made a house, apartment, condominium, or townhouse into a home, and that is important.
Time spent running around, ensuring every item is packed away safely and ready to go is time lost in the whole process. The end goal is a new home, but an organized and planned move from your previous home is just as important.
Final Thoughts
Anyone can move things out of a house, but not everyone can do it in a way that is safe, secure, and professional.
These ten reasons for hiring a professional moving company will convince you that moving yourself is not a very smart thing to do. Leave your move to the professionals and use the time and money you will save to help you and your loved ones adjust to their new environment.
