Should you Hire a Moving Company This Time

Have you thought maybe this time you will hire movers? But it feels like a daunting task. How do you know who to trust with your belongings? How do you know which companies are legit? Can you fit movers into your budget?

We’ve hired movers on a few occasions. We’ve hired movers to load the moving truck and then we drove across the country. We’ve hired movers to load, move, and unload our items. Some companies were legit, national companies. Others were college students looking to make some extra money. And others were somewhere in between.

Major Factors to Help Know When to Hire Movers: Time, Energy, + Money

When it comes to moving, we must find a balance between time, energy, and money. If you don’t have time to move, you must find the energy and money to make it happen quickly. If you don’t have the energy to move, you must find the time and money to pack up your belongings and move them to your new home. If you don’t have the money to move, you must find the time and energy to move. As you plan your move, what do you have available among time, energy, and money?

Deciding whether to hire movers or not can take time and effort. Here are some factors to consider that can help you make the best decision for your situation:

The size and complexity of your move

Suppose you’re moving a large household with lots of furniture and belongings. In that case, it might be worth it to hire professional movers. They will have the experience and equipment necessary to move your items safely and efficiently.

Or, if you are moving with many large items, it might make sense to hire a moving company to help you out. Large furniture, artwork, and other furnishings can take a lot of work to pack and store properly in a moving truck. Having someone else handle large or heavy items can decrease stress.

Or your move isn’t a straight drive from point a to point b. In that case, a moving company can handle the logistics of a more complicated move. When we moved to Kansas City, we lived in a furnished Airbnb for six weeks until our apartment was ready. The moving company we hired could hold our belongings from our Seattle apartment until we were ready to move into our Kansas City Apartment.

Had we moved independently, we would have had to pack up our belongings and drive cross country. Then unload our items into a storage unit for six weeks. Then rent a moving truck again to move our belongings from the storage unit to our apartment. With all of these moving parts, we saved time and money by hiring a moving company.

The distance of your move

If you’re moving long-distance, hiring movers may be more cost-effective than renting a truck and driving it yourself. Professional movers can also provide additional services like packing and unpacking to make a move less stressful. If the thought of plotting the route to your new home, packing a moving truck, driving it a long distance, and figuring out how to unpack it in your new town seems overwhelming– hiring movers may ease your mind.

Other factors include overnight stays, gas, insurance, mileage, time of year, and safety. All of which can increase the cost of a self-move if not planned efficiently. Finding hotels to accommodate a moving truck be tricky in some areas. Moving during the winter can be difficult if you move through areas impacted by winter weather. A driver for a moving company may have more experience to make this journey quicker and safer.

One move, we hired a moving company to take our belongings, and it would take two weeks for them to arrive with our stuff. So, we drove cross-country in our SUV and visited National Parks along the way, making it a memorable vacation. And we didn’t have to stress about lugging our belongings to our new home.

If you can swing it, let the moving company move your belongings while you get yourself and your family to your new town.

Your budget

Hiring a full-service move may be out of the question if you’re on a tight budget. You will have to be more creative with the moving process. You can hire movers to complete a portion of the move, like loading a moving truck you’ve rented. Or, you may need to rely on friends and family to help you move.

When our budget was tight, we hired movers to load our rental truck in San Francisco. Then we drove the truck to Seattle, where we hired a different set of movers to unload our truck. We had big furniture and were moving to the 19th floor of a building. Hiring help gave us peace of mind that the move would happen more quickly than if we did it on our own.

We have yet to try this, but you can rent a pod-like unit that gets dropped off at home. Then you pack and load it yourself. Then the company comes by, picks it up, and delivers it to your new home, where you will unload it yourself. We had a hard time getting permits to allow pods when we were living in very urban areas, so we have yet to be able to try this method of moving. But I’ve heard great things about pods.

If you do decide to recruit friends and family to help, offer to buy a meal as a thank you. Keep expectations low and remember the goal is to get your items from the moving truck into your home.

Your availability

Hiring movers can be a good option if you have a busy schedule and can’t take time off work to pack and move your belongings. They can handle your move’s logistics, leaving you free to focus on other things if you have a lot of things to factor in, such as children, pets, plants, and large pieces of furniture; hiring movers can help with these logistics.

Your physical abilities

Moving can be physically demanding, especially if you have a lot of heavy furniture or items. Hiring movers to avoid injury or strain may be worth it if you have physical limitations. The cost of an injury while moving may be more than hiring someone to move for you.

As a Physical Therapist, I’ve seen hundreds of patients who injured themselves while trying to lift heavy or awkwardly shaped items. I always advise people to leave it to the professionals to load and unload items too big for a dolly.

Your level of experience

Hiring professional movers can be a good investment if you’ve never moved before. They can provide guidance and support throughout the moving process, making a move less stressful. We’ve encountered issues like parking permits, and our moving company was able to help us sort this out with the city to avoid any traffic tickets.

By considering these factors, you can make an informed decision about whether to hire movers or not. Remember to get multiple quotes from different moving companies and ask for references to ensure you find a reputable and reliable moving company. Here’s a little cheat sheet with questions you can ask a moving company to help determine if they are a right fit for you.

Looking to make your move even easier? With inventory trackers, tasks to prepare your new home, moving day planning sheets, budget trackers, and more, check out Move Mama Move Relocation Planners, created to help make your move more simple.