Sacramento Movers Discuss Hiring Professional Movers Versus Do-It-Yourself

These days saving money is often one of the primary concerns when moving. Hiring full service movers may seem out of your price range but the alternative is renting a truck and bribing your friends to help you. Many times people lament going for the rental truck and volunteer help after experiencing a chaotic move and damaged belongings. Your Sacramento Movers discuss each option.

Do-It-Yourself

There are several factors to consider for the DIY move. Start a list of expenses that you anticipate incurring in the DIY move.

• Are you prepared to package all your furniture and belongings to avoid damage being done to any of your items? You will need to make sure you can come up with enough boxes and packing supplies as well as furniture pads and stretch wrap to protect your furniture. You can often rent furniture pads at low cost from truck rental companies. Add this expense to your list.
• Can you come up with enough help on move day? In DIY moves most people persuade either family or friends to help with the heavy lifting. Keep in mind that if you go this route you should have a back-up plan in case your volunteer help falls through at the last minute. Also are you willing to bear the consequences if damage is done to any of your pieces? Another expense to consider is the bribe amount. Did you offer to buy beer and pizza for your friends if they would help you move? Add this to your list of expenses.
•  The next factor to consider is the cost of the truck rental, equipment and insurance. Get estimates on each of these and add these to the list of your expenses. Also add fuel for the truck. Determine if you feel comfortable with loading all of your possessions efficiently onto the truck as well as safely transporting those possessions from point A to point B.

When all is said and done, you may find yourself paying nearly as much for a DIY move as you would for a full service move. It’s always a good idea to calculate the expenses of a DIY move and get a few moving quotes from professional movers just to compare. DIY may still be the most appealing option to you with all expenses considered, in which case just make sure you pack everything securely, find reliable help, and are well prepared for the move.

Hiring Professional Movers

When going with professional movers for your move, consider a few options you have.

• If you are worried about cost, one cost saving tip is to do the packing yourself. If you go this route, be sure you have sturdy moving boxes and you package everything securely. If anything you packed is broken during the move, the movers will not be held liable for your packing job. If in doubt, just have the professionals handle the packing. If any damage occurs, they will be held liable and you may be able to recoup some of the cost of the item.
• Certainly one of the advantages of hiring a mover is that you can let someone else do all the heavy lifting. No sore backs, no need to beg friends to help.  Be sure you do your research and make sure the mover you’ve selected hires only background checked, drug tested workers and operates a drug-free work environment. The moving company should also be licensed, bonded and insured so that if any damage occurs they will be able to pay you. Also check reviews on Yelp to see what previous customers have to say about the movers.
• When hiring movers you will often be quoted an hourly rate, which includes the truck, workers, and equipment. However you will want to make sure there are no extra charges in addition to this rate. Many movers will charge double drive time, fuel charges, worker’s comp fees, some will even charge you extra if your home has stairs! Be sure to ask if any of these charges will be added to the bill. Be sure to call around and get a couple different moving quotes to compare.

If you’re still unsure which move would be best for you, try writing down your concerns and address those when calling around to get rates from full service movers as well as truck rental companies.

Our Sacramento Moving Company employs a staff of over 40 Full-Time Movers and Drivers, with a fleet of 10 trucks. We have performed home and business moving services in and around the Greater Sacramento area for almost 10 years. Sacramento Movers also offers packing services and we also sells boxes and packing supplies.

For more information call Carolyn Durkee, Marketing Coordinator at the Sacramento office at 916-852-7411 or visit us on our website at www.twomensacramento.com.