Relocating: Removal Companies vs. By Yourself
It has always been a complicated task, moving all your possessions from one place to another one, but as an experienced Vancouver realtor, I have gained valuable knowledge on how to take care of this tricky issue. Nevertheless, just as in any similar case, experienced people can help you with some advice that will make this problem easier. In our series of texts we have prepared for you, you will be able to learn all about different aspects concerning the move: the price, the insurance aspects, how to choose among all the professionals, and that is not all of course.
The topic of our first article will be how to decide if you can move using only your own resources, or if it would be better to hire a professional company. Among the crucial issues are the amount of money, time and labor you have available from your own resources.
Before you start to make any decisions, try to jot down and estimate how many things you have to move, and think about the following topics:
– How long will you need for packing?
- Are you able to deal with the furniture?
– Do you have any special, expensive or heavy things, like pianos or art collections, that would need special assistance?
– Is there anyone from your family members or friends living in the vicinity, who could help you over the weekend?
– For the moving, you will need a big vehicle – do you trust yourself driving something like that?
– Can you accomplish the whole moving process over the weekend, or will you need to take some days off from work?
All these questions have to be considered and depending on the answers, you will know which method is the best for you.
In general, there are three alternatives:
1. Full-service movers
There are plenty of companies out there that will be able 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. Costly as it is, this is the number one method for those with no friends or family 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 stuff needed. You just let the do their work, that’s all you have to do.
2. Self-service movers
This way involves some level of activity on your side. The level of service provided may be various in each company. On the one hand, there are companies that in principle rent you the vehicle with a chauffeur, while packing, loading & unloading is entirely up to you. On the other hand, the service may involve help with loading & unloading, which you will appreciate particularly in regard to the heavy furniture. This way of moving is the right one for the ones who want to have more control over the whole process. And of course it is much cheaper than 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. Before going for this way, there are many aspects to be considered, like the amount of your belongings, the distance, the number of friends and family willing to help you and other things. This is a great way to go for people moving from a small apartment or house. Nevertheless, in case you are moving from a 5-bedroom house and far away, we would recommend you to use some professionals. Whatever way you pick, it’s never too soon to start budgeting. So in our next article, we will concentrate on the costs of moving.
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