Professional Movers or Friends and Family?
Posted by Foreclosure Prevention in House and HomeIf you have to move all your things from one place to another one, you will probably experience it’s not easy at all, but as an experienced real estate agent from Vancouver, I have gained valuable knowledge on how to manage this problematic issue. Nevertheless, just as in any similar case, experienced people can help you with some advice that will make this task easier. In order to help you, we will publish a series of articles about all the various aspects of a move: how much it costs, how the insurance works, how to choose the right company, and much more.
In our first article, we will focus on the crucial decision concerning moving: can you do it yourself, or is it better to get a company to help you? First think about your own resources – how much money, time and labor can you use for the moving? These are the most important factors.
Before you start to make any decisions, try to write down and estimate how many things you have to move, and think about the following problems:
– How much time will you need you to pack everything?
– Can you manage the furniture?
- Have you any unusual, expensive or heavy items that need special assistance, such as pianos or the collection of art?
– Is there anyone from your relatives or friends living nearby, who could help you over the weekend?
– For the moving, you will need a large vehicle – do you trust yourself driving something like that?
- Will you manage to realize your move over the weekend or will you have to take some days off work?
All these questions have to be considered and depending on the answers, you will decide which option is the best for you.
Generally, there are three options:
1. Full-service movers
There are plenty of companies out there that will be able to help you with the entire operation, including packing your belongings, loading them onto the vehicle, driving it down to your new location, unloading and unpacking it. Pricey as it is, this is the number one option for those with no friends or relatives available to help with moving or simply with no time getting involved yourself. You can expect the company to provide all the packaging material, straps and all the necessary stuff needed. You just let the do their work, that’s all you have to do.
2. Self-service movers
Some involvement will be expected from you too, if you choose this way of moving. Every company may be supplying a different level of service. Some companies just rent you a truck with a chauffeur, and you have to take care of the rest yourself: pack, load, unload and upack. On the other hand, the service may include assistance with loading & unloading, which you will appreciate particularly in regard to the heavy furniture. This way is mostly preferred by those who enjoy having more control over the whole process and it is naturally considerably cheaper when compared to the full-service.
3. Do-It-Yourself
You can save a fortune if you decide to deal with the whole moving process all by yourself. In any case, first think about some questions: how many things you need to move and how far, how many people are able to help you, and so on, before you make any decision. This alternative is the number one for people moving from a flat or a very small house. On the other hand, when moving from a large home across a long distance, it is probably better to hire some professional help. Whatever way you choose, it’s never too early to start budgeting. Therefore our following article will be about the money involved with moving.
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