Hiring Movers vs. Moving Yourself

Determining the best plan of action for completing your next move requires serious decision-making, as you coordinate packing up your old home and transferring your life to a new place.

Inevitably, you’ll come to a crossroads of a major decision: Should you hire professional movers, or should you tackle the move yourself?

There’s a common misconception with home moving that renting a truck and doing it yourself is significantly cheaper than paying a professional moving service. When hiring professional movers, you’re paying to let them handle all the hard work. If you decide to take the DIY moving route, all areas covered by professional movers now fall onto your shoulders, and this requires plenty of planning, purchasing, and physical labor on your end.

Below, we’ve highlighted some of the key areas to consider when deciding between doing it yourself or hiring professional movers.

Professional moving equipment

When hiring reputable movers, they’ll come equipped with all of the necessary professional moving equipment needed to complete a damage-free move.

Choosing to do the move yourself means you now are responsible for acquiring the proper moving equipment needed to move belongings up and down stairs, around tight corners, and in and out of both moving trucks and homes.

Understanding the time needed to complete a move

One overlooked area of home moving is the time it takes to actually complete the move. When hiring professionals, you’re hiring team members who live and breathe moving; they know how to quickly and efficiently navigate the move to get the job done right.

Doing it yourself can present different hurdles and challenges if you’re not experienced in moving, and this can add up timewise. The longer the move takes, the longer you’re going to need to pay for the moving truck you’re renting, your own personal time you could be doing other tasks as you settle in, and the longer you’ll need to rely on the help of others.

Keeping your belongings and yourself safe

The main goal of any move is to keep your personal belongings safe and damage-free during the process. Hiring professional movers is your best bet when it comes to eliminating damages, as they’re the most experienced in lifting, moving, loading, and unloading traditional home items.

If you’re moving by yourself, you’re now tasked with keeping everything safe on your own, and your personal items aren’t the only thing at risk. Moving is a very physically demanding task, and picking up couches, mattresses, or appliances is not something which should be taken lightly. If you’re not prepared with the proper moving equipment and lifting techniques, you run a serious risk of injury – which can add up money-wise down the road with medical costs and treatment.

Who is helping you move? 

There’s a good chance if you’re opting for the DIY moving route instead of hiring professional movers, you’re enlisting the help of friends or family.

We’ve all been there: someone reaches out and asks for help with their move and in exchange, they offer to provide food and beverages throughout the day to make it worth your while. This involves plenty of uncomfortable texts and phone calls asking for help, figuring out availability, and determining a way to properly compensate people for their time. It can be quite the process!

Why hire professional movers?

Hiring professional movers is the safest, most efficient option for completing a damage-free move. When hiring professional movers, you’re taking the stress out of moving by eliminating the need for you to do any of the heavy lifting, loading, and unloading involved with your relocation. Moving can be tough, but using trained professionals can get the job done in a timely fashion while limiting disruptions and damages to your life and your belongings.