The option period is gone and the home as passed inspections, now it is time to think about how you will be getting your items from point A to point B. The good news is you have tons of options nowadays. The bad news is you have tons of options. Below is a breakdown of the different types of moves you can make.
Think about two things to make your decision easier: your budget and how much work you personally want to do. You can do it all yourself for cheap or not touch a thing and have a professional do it for you.
The DIY Move or The “Friends-And-Family-Move”
The first type of move is to “simply” do it yourself. You do all the packing, loading, driving, unloading, everything. If done correctly, this can be the cheapest move you can make with the tradeoff of being the most labor-intensive.
5 hidden traps of a DIY move
– Not being realistic: Many people underestimate how much stuff they really have. What looks like a half-a-day job becomes a week-long ordeal.
– Looking past the hidden costs: Consider your time as a cost in a DIY move. Depending on your job, you might have to take time off work, or if it takes too long, miss your timeline.
– Not getting a big enough truck: The larger the truck, the more expensive it is to rent. But not nearly as expensive as making two trips or returning the truck for a bigger one. Make sure you estimate correctly.
– Not being safe: No, you cannot carry the fridge by yourself anymore. Another hidden cost is your health and the days of soreness that follow. Be safe and also check with your insurance company to make sure you are properly insured.
– Assuming your friends and family want to help: Just because your friend has a truck and you offer pizza in return for help, doesn’t mean they want to help. Also remember, especially if you are moving across the country, that if your friends help you pack up, you will need someone to help you unpack.
Supplies and Equipment
You will need to bring your own equipment and supplies for a DIY move. Check out the supplies section below to know what you need to purchase.
You have many options for truck rental. The most popular options are U-Haul, Penske, and Budget. If you have a smaller move, you can also rent trucks at Home Depot.
As you are booking your truck, think about how and where you will be returning the truck to the rental company. Smaller companies might make it more difficult to return the truck at a different location than where you rented it. In town moves, this will not be as big a deal, but if you are tired after a long day of moving, the last thing you will want is to drive across town again.
Hired Labor Only Moving
This is a newer type of move that is becoming more and more popular with technology. You can rent the truck yourself and hire helpers to load the truck, go with you to your new home and unload (depending on the distance) the truck at your new residence.
Hiring labor to help is a perfect mix for those willing to put in some work and don’t mind driving the moving truck yourself.
Check out a HireAHelper for a free resource to find all the available Labor Only companies in your area.
Full-Service Move
The full-service move is perfect for those who want to do as little heavy lifting as possible. This is also the most popular type for cross country moves. Full-service moving companies will load your packed belongings and furniture onto the truck, drive it to your new home or storage unit, and unload it for you. Some companies will even pack for you too!
Moving Containers
Moving containers are like a mobile storage unit. The container company will deliver your container to your current home, and you pack it up. They will come to pick it up and deliver the container to your new home. Then you can unload your items at your convenience and have a mini storage unit outside your home as long as you need it.
This is perfect if you need a storage unit for a short period but do not want to pack your things up multiple times.Two companies you can check out in this space are PODS and Zippy Shell.