Finding a new apartment can be super exciting, but the act of moving is usually pretty dreadful. Boxing up all your belongings can be a chaotic and stressful process, and so is moving these boxes and your big furniture pieces from your old place into your new digs. Moving can be exhausting and a huge time-suck, and it’s almost impossible to do it all yourself.
Most people will try to recruit a friend or two help them move, with pizza and beer as the prize, but that’s not exactly rewarding for a day’s worth of hard and sweaty work. Many folks will simply opt for professional moving help, but may balk at the expense. Moving is already expensive enough — do you really need to add the cost of hiring movers on top of that? This article will help you decide if hiring movers is the best decision for you.
Pros of Hiring Movers
Less work
If you hire movers, you’ll have less work to do. Exactly how much less work you’ll do depends. Do you want your movers to take your already-packed belongings and furniture from point A to point B? Do you want your movers to pack your belongings for you? Do you want your movers to unpack them at your new apartment? Keep in mind that movers offer more services than just delivering your boxes and belongings from your old apartment to your new one. Read through the options and choose wisely.
Less time spent moving
When you hire movers, you don’t just hire people who are strong enough to carry your heaviest furniture pieces and boxes. You hire people who are experts in moving. This means that movers can get your objects out of your old home and into your new apartment in far less time than you likely can.
Movers are also experts in stacking objects on dollies and arranging them in moving trucks in ways that drastically cut the number of trips you’ll make from your old home to your moving truck (and from your moving truck to your new home). What might be a day-long move on your own can take just a few hours in the hands of capable movers.
Less damage to your belongings
If you move on your own, you might accidentally tear a corner of your mattress on a staircase, dent a wall as you move a heavy dresser through your front door to your room, or drop a heavy box and damage the objects inside it. Movers are far less likely to do so. They’re experts in not just quick, organized moves, but getting heavy, unwieldy objects into your new apartment without damaging either your belongings or your home. All items are properly wrapped in moving blankets, bubble wrap, shrink wrap, and other protective materials as needed. Movers will get that long, heavy kitchen table from your moving truck to your kitchen without making a mark.
Cons of Hiring Movers
It’s expensive
Generally speaking, hiring movers will run you no small sum of money, especially if you’re moving long-distance. You’ll have to decide whether you’re able and willing to put down a few hundred (or, over longer distances, potentially thousands) of dollars on professional moving help — and if you’re living on a budget, you might need to save money however you can. It is worth noting, though, that movers you purchase through a moving equipment rental company may charge significantly less than independent moving companies.
You’ll have less control
Not knowing precisely where your belongings are and in what condition they’re being kept can be stressful. This relinquishing of control can cause some people massive amounts of anxiety.
If you hire movers for a long-distance move, your belongings will likely be in the hands of people whom you don’t really know for days on end. Even over shorter distances, some people may want to full control over not just how their belongings are arranged in their moving truck, but how they’re brought into their new apartment. Consider how much you trust other people before hiring professional movers.
If you’re willing and able to spend money on hiring professional movers, you might find that your dollars are well worth the time saved. If you’d rather do it yourself, you’ll be far from the first person to go at it without professional help. If you do find yourself getting stressed during your move, just remember how cute your new apartment will look when you’re done moving and unpacking!
