Do you have a big move on the horizon? Whether relocating to a new address in the same city or moving plans across the country, you must plan ahead. Relocating isn’t just about packing and unpacking your stuff. It’s a lot more than that, even when you have a group of friends or family helping you out. It’s still risky to do it yourself. That’s why you should decide early if you need a packing company.
If you’re getting ready to move into a new place and want to make the most of it, why not hire a moving company to help you out? They can help you plan, pack, unpack, and settle in – all without any hassle!
Do you want to learn more? Great! Keep reading for 13 reasons to hire a packing and moving services company for your next move.
1. A Packing Company Has Professional Movers
Packing your stuff yourself might sound like a great way to save cash. However, if you don’t do it right, it could cost you more time, wasted energy, and stress.
Professional movers know everything there is to know about moving. They know what it takes to get from one door to another while adhering to a timeline and arriving as a team.
They also know how to get your oversized couch through a narrow doorway faster than you can!
Professional movers have one set of objectives: getting your items packed, loaded, delivered, and unpacked.
2. It’s Cost-effective
If you need a cheaper way to move your stuff, hiring professional movers might be the way to go. If you hire a moving company, they’ll be able to load and unload your stuff and use their expertise to pack and move it safely. Invest in hiring a moving company as a cheaper option over renting a truck and hiring local movers.
The cost of moving by yourself will vary depending on a few things. If you’re comparing the cost of moving by yourself, keep these factors in mind to get an accurate estimate of your moving costs.
- distance
- total items
- type of transport
- incidental costs
- packing materials
- equipment rental fees
- gas
When cost is an issue, there are ways you can work moving services into your budget.
Start Decluttering
Do you have weeks or months to prepare for your move? If so, start decluttering your home. Use the time to reduce the number of items you need to move.
Sell, donate, or dispose of items you no longer require or use. Decluttering beforehand will reduce the time, money, and stress you’ll need packing and transporting your belongings to a new home.
Collect Packing Materials
Instead of investing in expensive packing materials, consider using free materials such as newspapers, blankets, or towels to protect fragile items.
Ask family, friends, and local businesses for unused boxes and packing materials from Amazon and FedEx deliveries. Local grocery stores are a good source of used boxes.
Flexible Moving Dates
The date of your move can have a significant impact on the cost of your move. Moving on a weekday or off-peak day can save you money. Moving on a weekend or during the peak season can be more costly.
Making moving plans early can give you more flexibility in selecting your moving date. You may even be able to take advantage of off-peak rates.
Additionally, some professional movers offer early booking discounts to help you save on rental costs.
3. Provide Trucks and Moving Equipment
The type of moving truck will depend on the move you are planning. If you’re planning to do a DIY move, you’ll want to ensure you have the right truck for the job.
Even when you’re not planning a DIY move, you’ll need to understand the moving truck the movers will use. That way, you can ensure you’re getting the best moving truck for your relocation needs.
Here’s a list of moving vehicles you can choose from for your relocation:
Pickup Truck
If you want to move small loads, make a partial move, or move a few things, the pickup is the way to go. Professional movers doing local jobs might use a pickup truck for small jobs.
Cargo Van
Cargo vans are excellent for smaller places like studios or one-bed apartments. Moving services might use a cargo van to transport boxes containing household items and small pieces of furniture like end tables, nightstands, and chairs.
Ten Foot Truck
The 10-foot truck is excellent for smaller apartments, but you can also move contents in a bigger studio. It’s super fuel-efficient and has features that make it easy to load and unload.
Fourteen Foot Truck
Professional movers use dollies and other equipment to load and unload large furniture. This size truck is suitable for a 2-bedroom house or large 2-bedroom apartment. It also has a low deck, making loading and unloading easy.
Depending on the details of your move, you may want to rent a dolly if you’re moving boxes outside the moving services. Manually moving boxes places you at risk for a back injury.
Fifteen Foot Truck
Typically, any 12- to 15-foot truck suits a 2-bedroom house, larger apartments, and townhouses. It comes down to how much furniture and boxes you need to move.
When working with professional movers, don’t base the truck size on the unit’s square footage. You can have a big place, but a bedroom might serve as a nursery or home office.
Seventeen Foot Truck
This type of moving vehicle has extra space and is suitable for large residences such as a 3-bedroom house. Remember your outdoor furnishings for a lanai and pool area when deciding on a truck.
Twenty-four Foot Truck
These are very large moving vehicles and can carry the contents of a 4-bedroom house. While deciding on truck size, think about the garage, attic, and basement. Do you have items stored in these spaces that you’ll need to move?
Twenty-Six Foot Truck
If the 24-foot truck isn’t big enough for your home, you have another option in a 26-foot truck. Again, this type of moving vehicle is suitable for 4-bedroom or larger homes.
Of all the moving trucks, the 26-foot truck is the largest an individual can rent. However, professional movers could have access to a semi-trailer.
Common equipment that professional movers use includes the following:
- Appliance Dolly
- Two-wheel Dolly
- Four-wheel Dolly
- Back support belts
- Hoisting straps
- Pallet Jack
- Portable ramps
- Piano board
When considering the cost of moving yourself and hiring movers, consider the rental rates for these types of equipment. You also want to ensure you have basic tools like hammers, screwdrivers, and pliers.
4. They Can Offer a Moving Checklist
A packing company might offer you a moving checklist. The checklist can be a paper document or access to an app. It’s used to help you stay organized and on track.
The handy checklist has a timeline and to-do items. If the mover uses an app, they can send you reminders ahead of significant milestones for the move. The ultimate goal is to ensure you’re ready on the day they are scheduled to arrive.
5. GPS Technology
With the tech we have now, it’s easy to make almost any move hassle-free. Some technologies make moving easier, whether you’re looking to hire one of the top long-distance moving companies or need help moving your stuff to your new place.
When using professional movers, ask if they use GPS. Long-distance companies have experts who can handle these kinds of moves, but GPS tracking can make a big difference. It’ll show the driver the best routes to get to their destination quickly, so they can ensure their customer’s stuff is on time.
Other technology to inquire about includes digital payments, a website booking portal, a moving calculator, and hi-tech moving equipment.
6. Inventory System
Unless it’s a local move, your movers will usually inventory what will get moved before they put it all on the truck. They’ll come through the house and put a sticker with a number on each item they’re moving.
Also, expect a record showing the description, condition, and any pre-existing damage.
7. Licensed and Insured
When relocating, it’s essential to ensure your stuff is safe. Moving insurance covers losses or damage that happens to your stuff while you’re moving through carrier liability insurance.
Most moving companies offer this type of coverage at different levels. Increased coverage is usually extra, so you must include it in your budget. You also want to ask professional movers if they are licensed and bonded in the city where they do business.
8. Provide Costs Up Front
Before signing a contract for moving services, you and the company should have agreed on the cost and terms of service. Unless your requirements change, the company should honor the quoted price.
There may be items in the TOS that address hikes in gas prices or the need for additional trucks and personnel.
9. Custom Packages to Choose From
Professional movers want your business. As such, they may offer custom packages that reduce the cost of their services.
When researching costs, ask if they have packages or incentives that match or beat competitor prices.
10. Protects Others From Injuries
Utilizing professional movers goes a long way in protecting yourself financially. As we indicated above, movers should be licensed and insured.
Getting family and friends to help with the move comes with the risk of someone getting injured on your property or in a truck you rented. You could be liable and sued. Plus, your friendship may get ruined over the incident.
11. They Provide the Packers
Outsourcing the painstaking job of packing all your stuff is a big decision. Most people that choose to DIY packing do so for privacy reasons. Plus, it’s less expensive.
The issues you may run into are numerous. What happens if you don’t finish packing by the time the movers arrive? Or, say you pack the items, but the boxes aren’t secure or too flimsy?
Packing items yourself may seem like a great idea in the beginning. Still, you may not have the skills of a professional packer.
Packing Services
The good news is you can hire a moving company to pack for you. The average cost of a moving company is determined by the amount of stuff to pack, the weight of the boxes, and the amount of packing materials used.
Remember, if you choose to hire a moving company, they might pack up your stuff and hold it for a few days or a few weeks before delivering it and unloading it. That’s why it’s best to pack items like clothes, medications, and important documents yourself and keep them with you.
12. Experience in Long Distance Moves
You may think moving is as simple as renting a truck and driving to your new home. Think again. Driving a heavy load is much different than a few pieces of luggage in the trunk.
Professional movers have experience in long-distance moves. They know the laws in each state regarding speed limits, weigh stations, tolls, and more.
Plus, they are conditioned physically and mentally for long hauls and driving big trucks.
13. Peace of Mind
Oftentimes there’s a toll on your time and energy when you plan and execute a move. It ends up costlier than the move itself. That’s why professional movers stay booked and busy. Not only do you need to ensure you have reliable help, but you also need to make sure everything runs smoothly.
You can budget for movers, but you can choose to protect your peace of mind and eliminate most of the stress that comes with moving.
Are You Planning a Chicago Move?
A packing company ensures you have the manpower you need. You won’t have to worry about family and friends flaking on you at the last minute.
If you’re planning a move in or out of Chicago, consider Moovers Chicago. They are a local full-service moving company rated one of the top ten movers in Chicago.
Request a quote today or give us a call at 773-474-2691.