Hire a Moving Company or Do It Yourself? How to Determine The Answer

While hiring a moving company can be a blessing for anyone who doesn't want to burden their friends with manual labor, it can also be another expense you may not want to indulge at what it likely to be an expensive time. On the other hand, there are a number of benefits to letting a professional company handle the heavy lifting, as anyone who has ever moved using a rental truck can tell you. Regardless, there are times when either choice might be appropriate. Here are some things you can do to help you make your choice.

Belongings

For someone considering hiring a moving company, the amount of stuff there is to actually move will surely be a prime factor when making the decision. If you have a couch, a bed, a TV, and little more, you are probably going to be better off just getting some friends over and making a few trips to the truck. If you have a house filled with belongings and furniture from wall to wall, however, you might be making a big mistake by trying to handle it all yourself. Keep in mind that rental trucks get more expensive as you go up in size as well, and they aren't that easy to drive when they get past a certain size.

Distance

If you're moving into another apartment in the same complex, you might get away with not even renting a truck. It might take multiple trips and the help of some sturdy friends, but it could be far less expensive to just handle it yourself. If you're moving any further than that, however, distance becomes a real consideration. Fuel isn't cheap these days, as you may have noticed. And a large truck takes a great deal more fuel than your economy vehicle. On the flip side, a moving company is going to have pricing meant for people who are going long distances, which is the most common type of move.

Get Real Quotes

Don't compare the concrete prices you can find on truck rental websites with your imagination about how much you'll be charged by a moving company. Call around and get some real quotes that you can use to directly compare pricing. The costs shouldn't mean everything when it comes to making the decision, but it's another factor in the equation. Without the proper figures, you're comparing apples to oranges and making an uninformed decision. If you make the calls, you might find that hiring movers isn't as expensive as you thought.