Hiring Movers vs. A DIY Move – What’s Right For You?

When it comes to relocating, you have to make many choices. Will you hire a realtor? What type of house will you buy? Which furniture will you take with you and what new things will you buy? These are tough decisions that you need to ponder carefully.

Another tough choice is between hiring local movers in St. Augustine or handling the move on your own. This decision should depend on the distance you’d have to cover, your budget, your move’s complexity, and your personality (to some extent). Having friends helping you out with the move can make things easier.

However, many folks can not carry heavy items and aren’t physically fit to move furniture up or down the stairs. In this case, you might have to hire movers. Luckily, you won’t have to make this decision on your own. We are here to help you out.

Some people manage to pull off a successful DIY move, but this doesn’t mean you don’t consider hiring a moving company. In this guide, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of both options so you can make a well-informed decision. If you’re looking for residential moving services in St Augustine, visit Minorcan Moving & Storage today.

Relocating By Yourself

Pros

Total Control

The most obvious and essential pro is having complete control over everything related to the move. When you move everything yourself, you’re managing and dealing with everything. The entire process is under your control—from choosing the transport to moving the boxes.

You can choose to handle the boxes yourself, which will ensure that nothing is stolen or damaged in the moving process. Additionally, a DIY move allows you to choose when to begin and complete the relocation process.

You can delay the move if the weather suddenly becomes problematic or any other issues pop up. You won’t have to commit to the move because you won’t be worried about the movers. You can also protect your belongings better if the road conditions are bad. How the furniture and boxes are loaded will also be in your control.

Save Money

If you’re on a tight budget, you can choose to DIY the move and save money. Whether long-distance or right next door, you would have to incur certain moving expenses like choosing a moving truck company.

However, renting a moving truck can help you save thousands. You won’t have to spend much money on fuel, going back and forth. Moving companies in St. Augustine have huge trucks which can carry your belongings.

Packing However You Want

Similar to the previous two pros, when preparing for your move, you won’t have to worry about moving and packing everything perfectly. Local movers in St. Augustine would pack and perfectly seal all your boxes before loading them onto the truck.

But if you’re moving by yourself, there is no need to put your lamps or plants in boxes. You can get everything on the truck or your car and move. You won’t have to box up all your clothes, blankets, or pillows. Just pack everything the way you want.

Cons

Doing The Heavy Lifting Yourself

This is the worst thing and certainly a con about DIY-ing a move. You would have to move everything, including all the heavy items, by yourself. Unless you have people in your friends or family with strong shoulders, all the burden of lifting and moving things will fall onto you.

Lifting big, bulky pieces of furniture is not fun. If there, you would have to move them downstairs, and if you’re inexperienced, you would need help.

Otherwise, you would damage your furniture or even the walls while lifting the furniture. You might be able to get the job done if it’s just one bedroom’s furniture, but moving five separate bedrooms won’t be easy.

Extensive Planning

A DIY move will take a lot of planning. Don’t get confused—you will still have to plan your move when you hire professional residential relocation services. But, when you’re coordinating everything and managing an entire move all by yourself, the planning is extensive.

You would first have to get boxes, pack everything, and then figure out the details and logistics of moving it from location A to location B. This isn’t where your planning stops—you would also need the plan to move the items in the moving truck and then get everything safely to the destination.

Unexpected Problems

Unforeseen situations and problems can always arise. Anything unexpected can happen—your couch could get stuck in the staircase door. Luck might not always be on your side; in this case, the assistance of reliable local movers would surely be something you wish you had. You would end up wasting valuable time trying to fix a situation.

Hiring Movers

Pros

No Heavy Lifting

The most important advantage of having professionals onboard is that you won’t have to move anything by yourself. You can leave all the heavy lifting to them. After all, they are trained movers and have been hired for this reason.

If you choose a credible moving company, your worries will go away. Lifting and carrying everything will no longer remain your burden. Need to carry that heavy couch down the stairs? The experts will do that and more.

Heavy lifting can easily strain your muscles. Instead of risking an injury, scratching your new floors, or running after your friends to help, you can focus on other aspects of the move and finish important tasks. Let the professionals handle everything.

Efficient Move

Let’s assume you’ve chosen one of the most reliable moving companies in St. Augustine. They would have experienced movers who can be trusted to do an efficient job. Unlike the friends or family members you would ask to help, the movers are under contract to show up on time and help you out.

Plus, the moving company will have the right tools, equipment, and supplies for the entire process. From packing, loading, and unloading your belongings, their efficient work will save time and make this task easier for you.

Less Stress

Moving is stressful—as we mentioned, you would have to plan everything from before and take care of everything on moving day. Hiring movers will save you from additional moving-day stress. It will save you time, and while it may seem like something you’re paying a good amount of money for, it’s a cost-effective way of handling your move.

Additionally, if you hire a moving company, you won’t have to drive giant moving trucks. These trucks can be notoriously tricky to drive. It’s a real challenge to maneuver a giant vehicle down fast-traffic highways. Driving a trailer isn’t any easier. Plus, loading a truck and then driving it stresses most people out before a move.

Cons

Less Flexible

Professional movers are often beyond your control. Once you’ve chosen the time and pickup date, anything else the movers do is not up to you. It’s up to them how they load your things onto the truck and move.

Sometimes, moving companies also have multiple stops on the way, and you would have to wait a while for your belongings to arrive at your new home. While you can take certain steps to ensure a timely move, like hiring Minorcan Moving & Storage, working with professionals doesn’t always offer you complete flexibility.

Can Be Expensive

According to Forbes, the cost of an average moving company can range between $800 to $2,500. Some estimates may be according to a flat rate, hourly rate, or both. The hourly rate will also be per worker.

Many moving companies also quote you rates without adding the cost of a furniture dolly or moving trucks. If you’re moving down the street, choosing hiring professionals for the job will be costly for you. However, for moving out of your state, it’s recommended that you choose the moving company wisely and compare the quotes.

Requires Trust

If you don’t know your movers personally, and chances are that you won’t, it can stress you out. They’ll be handling your precious belongings, which can be a little nerve-racking. This is why you have to make sure that you’re researching everything in detail before choosing a moving company.

Make sure you’re doing your homework, reading all the reviews online, and check the ratings given by a company’s customers. This will help you choose the right residential moving services in St. Augustine. At Minorcan Moving & Storage, we can ensure a safe and smooth moving process.

Hybrid Move

A hybrid move is a great way to ensure you have enough flexibility while also hiring professionals for help. Whether you’re moving nearby or out of state, moving will cost you money.

Instead of spending so much money on fuel and renting a truck, you can choose a moving company. You don’t have to hire professionals for anything and can still DIY the move. A hybrid move will ensure that your planning is cost-effective.

You can always ask your friends or family to help you and treat them with free food. However, we recommend hiring professional movers in St. Augustine for moving-day tasks and labor. Plus, not everyone wants to do the heavy lifting that could result in potential muscle strain, back pain, injuries, broken belongings, and lots of stress or frustration.

When to Hire Movers?

You won’t have much time before learning that you’re going to move and the actual moving date. During this period, you would have to pack, find a reliable moving company, get everything sorted, and then carry out the move.

To make the process quick, efficient, and smooth, find a moving company on time and then schedule everything according to the dates you’ve given them. If you have packed everything, the movers in St. Augustine will help you unpack when you reach your new home. For a hybrid move, this is great because you can take their help when needed and DIY other things.

What Will the Movers Help You With?

Hiring local movers doesn’t mean you have to take them up on everything they can help you with. If you have already disassembled the furniture, the movers lift it and load it onto the truck. They can help you reassemble the furniture when you reach your new home.

Supplies for Packing

There are certain things you will need for your move. Of course, boxes and tape is a must. But there are additional suppliers required, like moving blankets, ratchet straps, and dollies. If you don’t want to buy these things, you can ask the moving company to bring them. They will have the right supplies and manpower.

Made Your Decision? Hire Minorcan Moving & Storage

If you’re considering hiring local movers to help with your move and storage in St. Augustine, you’re making the right choice. At Minorcan Moving & Storage, we offer various services, including international, commercial, and residential moving and storage services.

We ensure a stress-free move for you with ample storage for your belongings. You can rent out our storage units, where your items will be safe and protected. We can better guide you about our moving and storage services in St. Augustine, Florida if you give us a call.

With our 2-in-1 residential moving and relocation services, you won’t have to worry about anything during the moving process. Our residential movers will take care of everything and pack, load, unload, and organize all your belongings into our moving trucks.

At Minorcan Moving & Storage in St. Augustine, client satisfaction is our promise and priority. Our cost-effective services and timely communication will guarantee a smooth moving process. We’re a family-owned business, and you can reach out to us today to learn more.