Congratulations on your decision to relocate! And while you are all excited, and anxious, about the upcoming changes, you need to make one great decision: hiring movers vs DIY. There are basically three options for you. You can do everything yourself A to Z, hire help, or get full-service movers.
Full-service movers
A lot of companies now offer full service moving. This great service means that all you will have to do on your moving day is supervise. Movers will show up at the time convenient for you, they will bring their packing and wrapping supplies, pack everything, load it on the vehicle, drive it to your new home, and unpack. Easy, right?
When is best to get full service
Hiring full service moving company is the best choice for those who are extremely busy, have to move quickly, or have their move paid for, for example, those relocating for a job. Also, it could be a lifesaver for a regular family with two working parents and small kids. Although, if you decide to move with kids, check out our tips here on how to relocate with kids and survive.
What to watch out for
Price – as you have probably guessed, the service of ‘being moved’ is not cheap. While it is hard to get a quote without knowing exactly how much stuff are you moving and how far, count on at least $1000 for moving one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. The price might vary based on the number of furniture pieces, the distance between location, truck access, stairs, and if your furniture will need to be disassembled and reassembled upon move.
Unpackable and unmovable. Most moving companies in NYC won’t touch your clothes, live plants, art hanging on your walls, your perishable food, valuable and sentimental items. The latter includes your financial documents, insurance policies, along with photo albums and laptops and cell phones. So as good as it sounds, you will still have to do some packing beforehand, and will most likely have to relocate all those things yourself.
Half and half
The most common practice is packing everything yourself, with some help from your friends and relatives, and then hiring a moving company to drive your things to your new place. This will definitely save you some money. The average cost of moving one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn is about $400-750.
When is best
This way of moving is best when you have some time on your hands. While packing a few boxes a day, you can take your time getting quotes from moving companies. You can ask your friends to help you pack, or even drive some boxes or items to your new home.
DIY move
You can do it, definitely. All you need is simply a plan. Start with getting packing supplies, pack it yourself – you can go room by room, or by items’ type. For instance, you can pack everything in your bedroom first, or you can first pack books from the whole house. Make sure you get your friends and family to help you – not only it will be faster, but it’s never a bad thing to have some moral support. Next, if you or your friends have a car – you can do multiple trips with it, you can rent a cargo trailer and hook it to your car. Or you can rent a pickup truck, a van, or even a big truck.
Why not
While DIY is a very popular and appealing option, you should really calculate if it’s worth it for you. You will definitely have to take a day off work to do it – is missing a day financially reasonable for you? Or will you schedule your move for after work hours or even weekend – then consider that most truck rental places charge more on weekends. Think if you are physically ready to be carrying all your belongings down and up.
While moving itself is a very stressful thing, there are ways to make it easier. Take your time and think about what is important for you, and make peace with your decision. Have a great move!
