Did you know about 11% of people in the United States move every year? Some choose to hire movers while others do it themselves.
The decision to hire professional movers often comes down to how much time and money you have to devote to moving.
Are you still on the fence and searching online for “cheap movers near me?” You need this breakdown of the advantages and disadvantages of hiring professional movers.
12 Pros of Hiring a Professional Moving Company
A professional moving company does more than just move your belongings from one place to another. Check out these 12 other ways that hiring movers makes your life easier.
1. DON’T NEED TO RENT A TRUCK
Most people own vehicles too small to move their whole home in one trip. That means multiple trips over several days or renting a truck large enough to hold their possessions. Even if you own a large truck, you’ll likely need to make more than one trip for furniture and other oversized items.
Have you ever driven a big box truck before? If you do not have experience driving large, heavy vehicles the idea of renting a truck might cause some tension.
Hiring movers means you don’t have to worry about any of that.
2. MOVERS HAVE THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT
A professional moving company also has all the right equipment needed to make a move quick and painless.
Do you have dollies and moving pads or blankets? What about ratchet straps and ropes to secure items?
All of these tools make moving much safer and easier. If you don’t have them on hand, you’ll either have to buy them or go without.
The former will mean you spend money on equipment you maybe won’t ever use again. Or you put yourself and anyone helping you at risk of injury as well as your possessions.
Professional movers come with all of this equipment and other specialized tools like stair-rollers. Stair-rollers allow you to roll heavy objects down the stairs instead of having to carry or slide them.
3. AVOID GETTING HURT
Moving to a new home requires a lot of bending, lifting, and twisting. People who suffer from back issues, knee pain, neck problems, or other medical issues risk making their condition worse.
If you do not do a lot of physical activity, you can easily hurt yourself because you don’t have the strength to move properly. All it takes is one wrong move and you can end up in permanent pain for the rest of your life.
4. A MOVING COMPANY HAS INSURANCE AND LICENSING
If a professional mover does get hurt while moving your belongings, you do not need to worry about being liable.
Their licensed employer has insurance to cover their injuries. It does not cover you, however, so stand back and let the movers do their job if you decide to hire someone.
Most moving companies also carry insurance in case of damage to your possessions. That means if they drop something and it gets broken, they will compensate you for the cost of repair or a new purchase.
Is anyone going to pay for you to buy a new television if you and your friend drop it while carrying it out to the car? Not likely.
5. DON’T WASTE TIME PACKING
Dread the thought of packing up your home? You don’t have to if you hire a moving company that also offers packing services!
Professional movers will bring all the packing supplies you need with them on moving day. You won’t have to spend time running out again and again for more boxes and packing tape. They even have special packing materials for oddly shaped items.
You also won’t need to spend days or weeks packing up your home. A team of movers can pack up and move an entire house with several bedrooms in a matter of hours.
6. UNPACKING SERVICES
The only thing worse than packing up before a move is unpacking after you arrive in your new home. It can be fun to figure out where everything goes and make it look homey, but most of the time it’s just a pain.
Some professional moving companies offer unpacking services as well as packing services. Often you can even choose to have one without the other and customize the services to your exact needs.
7. SAFELY TRANSPORT OVERSIZED, AWKWARD, AND FRAGILE ITEMS
Moving fragile items like artwork, dishes, and televisions takes experience and care. You may care about your grandmother’s authentic Tiffany lamp, but that doesn’t mean you know how to transport it correctly.
This is especially true if the items are also oversized like a grand piano or awkward like a life-sized sculpture.
Professional movers have the experience of moving hundreds, if not thousands, of awkward and fragile items. They know the exact packing materials and tools they need to do it correctly.
8. NEVER LOSE ANYTHING IN THE PROCESS
Hiring professional movers helps you avoid losing any small bits or belongings during the move. They can create a detailed inventory of every item they pack away for you. That way you know the location of everything you own and the box it’s packed in.
You also do not risk losing any boxes or belongings during the transportation process. Professional movers know how to secure furniture so it will not roll around or fall out of the truck.
Boxes packed into a large box truck are much less likely to end up on the ground than ones stacked in your pick-up truck.
9. YOU SAVE MONEY IN THE LONG-RUN
Moving is expensive. It doesn’t matter if you’re moving yourself or with the help of movers. You might think you save money by packing up and transporting your home on your own, but often that isn’t the case.
The cost of packing supplies, renting equipment and moving trucks, gas going back and forth between locations, etc. all adds up. That doesn’t even factor in the loss of time (either your free time or time at work) and the energy that goes into a move.
Professional movers give you one fixed price and guarantee to start and finish on a certain day. Even if it costs a little more money upfront, it will save you in the long run.
10. MOVE TO A NEW STATE OR COUNTRY
Are you planning to move to a new state or country? Packing up your possessions to move a long distance requires more care and attention than a short move. Especially if you need to pass through customs into another country.
Hiring a moving company means you do not need to worry about a thing. You can even choose to ship your car and fly to your new location instead of driving!
11. FOCUS ON OTHER PARTS OF MOVING
The best part about hiring movers, other than avoiding the annoying and stressful process, is focusing on the other important parts of moving.
If you have young children, they probably feel unsettled and need extra comforting. Even older children will feel strange leaving their friends behind.
Moving because of job comes with lots of paperwork and other responsibilities. Not to mention the standard tasks of turning off and on electricity, the internet, and other utilities. You also need to change your address with the USPS and financial institutions as well as for your driver’s license and voter’s registration.
12. DON’T BOTHER FRIENDS AND FAMILY
Have you noticed friends and family cringe upon hearing you’re moving? They probably feel sympathy for the difficult process ahead of you. They also likely fear you asking for help.
Hiring movers means you do not need to enlist family members, good friends, or that random coworker you talked to once at a Christmas party to help you move. Why put close personal relationships at risk to save a few dollars?
Those are just a few things you can focus on instead of packing and moving your goods when you hire a professional moving company.
3 Cons of Hiring Professional Movers
Hiring professional movers comes with a lot of positives. But are there any negatives? Here are three things to keep in mind when hiring professional movers.
1. TRUSTING STRANGERS
Hiring movers means strangers will need to be in your home and touch your belongings. That can make some people feel uncomfortable. Especially if you have lots of valuable items that someone might want to steal.
A moving company doesn’t want their employees to behave inappropriately or steal any items because that means bad reviews. Bad reviews lead to fewer jobs and going out of business. So, you can take comfort in the fact a professional moving company hires movers who are just that, professional.
2. SET MOVING DATE
Another thing to keep in mind is that once you schedule movers to arrive on a certain day, they will be there. It doesn’t matter if you’re ready for them or not.
Movers must keep to a set schedule. That means they will show up at your home on the day you decide and expect to start moving or packing right away.
If you don’t know when you plan to move for sure, you may want to hold off on hiring a moving company.
3. CONVENIENT, BUT PRICEY
Movers make the stressful, exhausting moving process convenient and easy. It just comes at a price. So, how much are movers?
The cost of hiring professional movers varies based on the services you need, how far you need to go, and several other factors. All these things also impact how much time, effort, and money you will need to spend when moving on your own.
It’s important to take into account all of this when making a decision. Often the added cost of hiring movers ends up outweighing the hassle of doing it yourself.
How Much Do Movers Cost?
Are you wondering how much does it cost to hire movers? It varies from state to state and depends greatly on the specifics of your move.
LOCAL MOVE COSTS
On average, the cost of a local move with a team of two movers is about $80 to $100 per hour. The longer it takes to move your items, the more your move will cost.
Most homes take between two and five hours to move completely. So that would put the cost of your move between $160-$200 on the low end and $400-$500 on the high end. Keep in mind, that does not include the cost of additional services like packing or packing materials like boxes and peanuts.
You can also try to calculate it yourself with this online moving cost calculator.
LONG-DISTANCE MOVING COSTS
Long-distance moves typically cost much more than local moves. You can expect to pay at least $5,000 for moves of more than 1,000 miles or if you cross state lines.
That number can go as high as $10,000 depending on how much you need to move and how far you need to move it.
Hiring Movers vs Doing It Yourself: Do Professional Movers Make a Difference?
So, does hiring a professional moving company really make a difference?
Moving yourself means you get to move on your own time. You also get to choose the exact type of boxes and packing material you use. That could mean blankets and clothes instead of paper and peanuts.
Hiring movers means you do not need to pack or unpack if you don’t want to. You also do not have to worry about keeping track of all your belongings, lifting heavy things, or driving an overloaded vehicle.
If something unexpected happens, professional movers have the expertise to solve the problem quickly and efficiently. But you pay for that knowledge and convenience.
In the end, it’s up to you to decide.
Find Reliable, Cheap Movers Near Me in Chicago for Automobiles
The benefits of hiring movers outweigh the costs when you’re busy and do not have time to deal with the stress. You can focus on your family and your work, so you don’t miss a beat during the moving process.
Are you sick of searching for “cheap movers near me in Chicago” to transport your vehicle? Then look no further!
The friendly and professional movers at Nexus Auto Transport can take care of all your automotive moving needs.
Contact them by phone or online for a free quote today!
