If you are used to moving households by yourself, it can be hard to picture hiring a professional mover. However, in this stage of your life, a DIY move may not be the way to go. DIY moves can often end up with you on the receiving end of a lot of grief, not to mention the potential for injury. You may want to call in the pros for this one.
If you’re dead set on a DIY move, take this as a precautionary tale. There can be a lot of suffering before, during, and after that you may be able to spare yourself from. Here are some of the ways your life can suffer during a DIY move. Beware, there may be some upsetting content.
1. With DIY Moves, You’re Liable
When you take on the burden of a DIY move, you’re also taking on the burden of liability. When you move without professional assistance, everything is on you, from the condition in which your passengers arrive to the conditions in which your possessions arrive.
When you hire reputable movers, your belongings are insured to arrive at your destination without damage. If they don’t, the burden is on the company. Be sure to do your homework first to find out which type of coverage you’ll need for your move and which companies offer that coverage. You don’t want to find out your possessions aren’t covered after the damage is done.
2. You Could End Up In the Hospital
The last thing you want after you move is a souvenir knee injury. Moving heavy objects by yourself – now what can go wrong with that? Even if you don’t sustain serious damage, there’s always a chance of an unpleasant scar forming or a pulled muscle. Professional movers know how to lift things, and they also know a bit about leverage and positioning and are more likely to come away unharmed.
3. DIY Moving Will Drain Your Time
If there’s one thing that can never be made up for, it’s lost time. No matter how long it takes you to search for a good moving company, it can never add up to the time it takes for a DIY move. Even if you save time looking for a good moving company, you still need to arrange for a moving vehicle, then it takes days to pack up your stuff, which moving companies can do in an instant. In fact, when you put it all together, it may be fair to say that a DIY move is a bit of a waste of time.
4. You’ll Lose Money
When you’re moving you need to expect the unexpected. What may start out as a list of expenses that looks something like this:
- Truck Rental
- Equipment and Labor
- Fuel
May end up looking more like this:
- Liability for injuries acquired during the move
- Taking days off to pack and move
- Your own personal injuries
- The additional cost for the towing you will probably need when your truck breaks down in the middle of nowhere.
- Cost of meditation sessions needed to reduce the stress of the move.
Add that up and the cost of moving with professionals ( anywhere from about $2,000- 4,000) looks like the better deal. Of course, you can count on everything going smoothly, but don’t say you weren’t warned.
5. Your Friends Could Flake
They say a friend in need is a friend indeed, and the last thing you want to do is call those people that you haven’t called in years, and ask them to do you a solid like helping you move. A person that needs to move has a big red flag over his head. Once word gets out that you’re planning on a DIY move, you can plan on listening to a lot of voicemail messages. Plus, if one of your friends ends up injuring himself not only will the cost of healthcare be on your shoulders, so will guilt that will last you a lifetime.
6. DIY Planning
If you’re like most people planning for a DIY move may not be your strong suit. You’ll need to find the best route to get you to your destination, estimated times of departure and arrival, and figure out how to properly load a truck.
However, there are some people who are experienced with all this stuff, and they’re called professional movers. Professional movers have been there and done that, and they’ve actually pulled off moves without a hitch, not something commonly achieved on a DIY move. With a professional moving company, the only thing you have to plan on is not having to plan for your move.
7. You’re Stress Levels Will Go Off the Charts
Making major changes is always stressful, and when you’re organizing a DIY move, you’re going to add to that stress exponentially. Bad enough that you’re preparing to make some big adjustments in your lifestyle, you’ll also have to deal with the logistics and expense of a move. Add that to your current duties and you might find yourself losing sleep.
Everyone wants to cut down on stress. Give yourself a break and let a professional mover take over the reins. Think of it as a gift to yourself and your wellbeing. Here are some helpful tips to ease your moving anxiety from the professionals at Colonial Van Lines.
8. Long Drives are the Worst
If you’re doing the moving, chances are you’re doing the driving, and when you’re moving long distances, driving can really make you “lose your drive.” The never-ending roads, the gas stops, the cramped shoulders and aching eyes, the crying kids in the backseat, the infrequent naps with your head on the steering wheel; it’s not a pleasant situation: never mind the possibility of your vehicle breaking down.
Long drives can also be dangerous. Even if you’re not pulling those all-nighters, after spending hours on the highway, no one is performing at their peak. Plus, according to studies, driving is bad for your health. Sitting for a prolonged period of time is bad for you and driving is stressful in and of itself.
If you want to keep your drive, the best advice is to lose your drive: the drive that you make when you move. Don’t let DIY moves sap your strength, your money or your sanity. Don’t endure the agony, let the pros handle it. Call us today for a free quote and save your sanity from a DIY move. Now that is priceless.