Relocating: With Professional vs. Friends and Family
If you have to move all your belongings from one place to another one, you will probably find out it’s not easy at all, but as an experienced real estate agent from Vancouver, I have gained valuable knowledge on how to manage this complicate issue. As with everything, there are always some experiences proven by years of practice that can help you to accomplish this difficult task successfully. So we have prepared a series of articles about all the different aspects of moving, including the cost, the insurance, how to choose among the professionals and other issues.
In our first text, we will focus on the key decision concerning moving: can you do it yourself, or is it better to get professionals to help you? First think about your own resources – how much money, time and labor can you use for the moving? These are the most important aspects.
Before you decide how you will organize your moving, we recommend that you write down and determine how much stuff you will need to move, and then think about the following questions:
– How long will you need for packing?
– Can you deal with the furniture?
- Have you any unusual, expensive or heavy items that require special attention, such as pianos or the collection of art?
– Is there anyone from your family members or friends living nearby, who could give you a hand over the weekend?
– For the moving, you will need a large car – do you trust yourself driving something like that?
- Will you manage to realize your move during the weekend or will you have to take some time off work?
All these questions have to be asked and depending on the answers, you will know which method is the best for you.
In general, there are three options:
1. Full-service movers
There are plenty of companies out there that will be willing to help you with the whole operation, including packing your belongings, loading them onto the vehicle, driving it down to your new location, unloading and unpacking it. Expensive as it is, this is the number one method for those with no friends or relatives available to help with moving or simply with no time getting involved yourself. You can expect the company to take care of all the packaging material, straps and all the necessary equipment needed. You just let the do their work, that’s all you have to do.
2. Self-service movers
This method involves some level of activity on your side. Each company may be supplying a different level of service. On the one hand, there are companies that only provide you the vehicle with a chauffeur, while packing, loading & unloading is entirely up to you. On the other hand, the service may involve assistance with loading & unloading, which you will appreciate particularly in regard to the heavy furniture. This method is great for clients who feel they need to control the whole process more, and naturally the price is also much lower than in the case of the full-service.
3. Do-It-Yourself
You can save a fortune if you decide to deal with the whole moving process all by yourself. In any case, first think about some questions: how many things you need to move and how far, how many people are willing to help you, and so on, before you make any decision. This is a good way to go for people moving from a small flat or home. Nevertheless, in case you are moving from a 5-bedroom home and far away, we would recommend you to hire some professionals. Whatever method you decide for, it’s never too soon to start budgeting. So in our following article, we will focus on the costs of moving.