Hiring movers?

[reed1285]

Well we are finally under contract both on selling our home, and buying a new one. The last 3 years or so of my life have revolved around this, so needless to say we are ecstatic. October 9th is going to be an interesting day to say the least. We close on selling our house at one title company, then go to a different title company to close on our new house immediately after. The moving truck has to be loaded up and ready to go that morning before our sell closing. On top of that, we have two dogs, a cat, and a fish tank we have got to figure out what to do with in the midst of all that. We will probably board the dogs and cat for the day, but at this point I have no clue what we are going to do with the fish.

 

So, considering all of this, I am thinking of just hiring movers to take care of our stuff. I have never hired movers before and haven't the slightest as to what to expect. I need some info from you all, hopefully from ones that have hired movers before. Im not really sure how the whole process works. Should I just call several moving companies and get quotes from all of them? Should I start that process right now? I should note that there is a gun safe to be moved as well, I'm assuming they will charge extra for it, but the question is how much? What price range am I looking at here to have all my stuff including the gun safe moved to my new house about 25 miles away. $500-$1000? $1000-$1500? This just seems like one of those things that if you can swing the cash, it would be worth every penny. Any and all info you guys can give me on this subject I will appreciate. As well as your experiences with movers in general. Was it worth it in your eyes? Would you hire movers again or do it yourself?

Edited September 10, 2015 by reed1285

[Hiker]

That is an ambitious plan!

[crossfire]

Well we are finally under contract both on selling our home, and buying a new one. The last 3 years or so of my life have revolved around this, so needless to say we are ecstatic. October 9th is going to be an interesting day to say the least. We close on selling our house at one title company, then go to a different title company to close on our new house immediately after. The moving truck has to be loaded up and ready to go that morning before our sell closing. On top of that, we have two dogs, a cat, and a fish tank we have got to figure out what to do with in the midst of all that. We will probably board the dogs and cat for the day, but at this point I have no clue what we are going to do with the fish.

 

So, considering all of this, I am thinking of just hiring movers to take care of our stuff. I have never hired movers before and haven't the slightest as to what to expect. I need some info from you all, hopefully from ones that have hired movers before. Im not really sure how the whole process works. Should I just call several moving companies and get quotes from all of them? Should I start that process right now? I should note that there is a gun safe to be moved as well, I'm assuming they will charge extra for it, but the question is how much? What price range am I looking at here to have all my stuff including the gun safe moved to my new house about 25 miles away. $500-$1000? $1000-$1500? This just seems like one of those things that if you can swing the cash, it would be worth every penny. Any and all info you guys can give me on this subject I will appreciate. As well as your experiences with movers in general. Was it worth it in your eyes? Would you hire movers again or do it yourself?

Call a couple of moving companies and get some quotes. How many rooms do you have to move? are you going to pack all the small stuff? Moving companies are not cheap, all depends how deep your pockets are and how much you can do your self. If you can get some friends to help and you can pack it all in a rental truck 25 miles is a piece of cake. The closings will take up a lot of time, mostly a lot of paper work to be signed . Moving a fish tank is a pain in the butt. the bigger the tank the bigger the pain

Edited September 11, 2015 by crossfire

[TNWNGR]

A similar move about fourteen years or so ago set me back $1000.00 and was a total pain in the ass. So yeah it's possibly going to cost you more now. If you have good reliable friends and family with some pick up trucks and at least one good trailer I'd rent a U-Haul and do it myself.

[reed1285]

Yeah we are going to pack the small stuff like dishes, clothes, etc. id really just like the furniture, appliances, and gun safe moved, so all of it lol.


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[reed1285]

A similar move about fourteen years or so ago set me back $1000.00 and was a total pain in the ass. So yeah it's possibly going to cost you more now. If you have good reliable friends and family with some pick up trucks and at least one good trailer I'd rent a U-Haul and do it myself.

Thanks for the input.


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[Lumber_Jack]

We chose to just hire labor. So we packed, rented and drove the truck ourselves. All they did was load and then unload the truck. I went through movinghelp.com. You pick how many hours you need labor (they give estimates) and you can pick from a long list of real reviews of movers. The prices vary among companies and number of movers needed. When we moved from JC to Nashville we obviously used two separate companies for load and unload. We paid about $250 on each end including some tip we electively gave them. About 1600sf of stuff. The good thing about moving help is they act as a third party contract. All money goes through them and the movers don't get paid until you give them the "payment code". If you're not satisfied you don't give them the code and file a complaint. Although for all four times we've used them we never had a complaint. You also pay $5 fee that is refunded when you give a review of your movers. So it generates real reviews from users. The safe might be extra but once you hire through moving help the actual movers call to schedule specifics and you could probably pay them separately for the safe. They do have a "piano" fee of like $125 which maybe you could apply to the safe. Anyway it may not be what you're looking for but it worked great for us

[bud]

. Edited September 28, 2015 by bud

[Sam1]

We used all my sons moving company to get from Knoxville to Brentwood, then from Brentwood to Fairview.  Extremely reasonable on price, they took care of everything and didn't mess around.  The guys were worked hard and were respectful the both times.  If you do pay someone to move and they have a location near your place, consider them.

 

Not sure on the safe though, we didn't have one at the time of moving.

 

As for the process, they asked how many bedrooms, how many flights of stairs they have to deal with, how many big screens, dressers, dining tables etc... all the large stuff.  Guess that was so they could determine what size truck to use.  The move from Brentwood to Fairview estimate was $800, that included two workers box/load everything and unload where we wanted.  The guys worked so fast, they got done 2 hours early so they only charged $600~.   As cheap as it is to move, don't think I'll ever move anything myself again.  It would take at least week to pack everything up, then driving back and forth & renting a truck for the big stuff, then paying for labor like lumberjack, or getting friends to help and having to unpack and move everything again is just not worth the time.

[reed1285]

We chose to just hire labor. So we packed, rented and drove the truck ourselves. All they did was load and then unload the truck. I went through movinghelp.com. You pick how many hours you need labor (they give estimates) and you can pick from a long list of real reviews of movers. The prices vary among companies and number of movers needed. When we moved from JC to Nashville we obviously used two separate companies for load and unload. We paid about $250 on each end including some tip we electively gave them. About 1600sf of stuff. The good thing about moving help is they act as a third party contract. All money goes through them and the movers don't get paid until you give them the "payment code". If you're not satisfied you don't give them the code and file a complaint. Although for all four times we've used them we never had a complaint. You also pay $5 fee that is refunded when you give a review of your movers. So it generates real reviews from users. The safe might be extra but once you hire through moving help the actual movers call to schedule specifics and you could probably pay them separately for the safe. They do have a "piano" fee of like $125 which maybe you could apply to the safe. Anyway it may not be what you're looking for but it worked great for us

Thanks. Gonna look into this.


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[runco]

We decided to not sell our previous home, and bought a new place.  I didn't want to go through what you are describing and basically having a gun to my head on both the selling and buying, and then the pressure of moving.  I was ambitious, thinking I could move all of our stuff in a day + the safe.  Well it took 2 weeks, little by little, and I had my own 16 foot enclosed trailer.  That safe was by far the hardest.  Now I am cheapo, but reflecting I should have used a service, but I don't trust anyone with my stuff, especially a group of men that knows that I have a large safe.  I did over stretch a tendon or something, and it has taken me 6+ months to heal.  So if no worries, flushed with cash, and can handle stress well, have fun!

[gregintenn]

That is an ambitious plan!

Nothing can go wrong here, huh? :cool:

 

I hope all goes well for the o.p..

[Jeb48]

Better think a lot higher unless you have a very small house.  My Mother InLaw moved a 2 bedroom apartment 2 years ago 4 blocks and it cost her almost a $1000 and had no extras like a gun safe.  My move was 700 miles so that adds a lot. We did all the packing they did all the loading and unloading. 1400 sqft house was over $8000. That included a small gun safe. Not sure what triggers an extra cost but since the empty safe could be moved on their dolly it was just another piece of furniture. I move all the guns and ammo.

 

Two kinds of movers those that charge by the hour and those that charge by the pound. My MIL did by hour I did by pound (I didn't have a choice because of the distance).

 

Another not cheap but workable system is the pods, they drop off a pod or two you fill them and then call them, they move to the new location and you unload at your leisure.

[TripleDigitRide]

I spent about 10 years working for my father's moving company, before he decided to sell it. Even with all of my experience, I always hire movers. I'm extremely tired, so I don't have time to leave a verbose response, but I can share a bit of advice.

A few experienced movers can do in a few hours what will take you and your friends all weekend to accomplish. This is assuming you have any friends when moving day rolls around.

Save yourself a lot of money and headache by being as prepared as possible. When you pack, use boxes, not trash bags. Use boxes with tops/lids. Do not pack boxes with crap hanging out of the top. Do not pack boxes too heavy. Clearly mark all boxes so there's no trying to figure out where they go in your new home.

Disassemble beds and other furniture. Roll up and tie cords for TV's, lamps, etc. Do no leave dresser drawers full of clothing and other crap.

Keep everything as organized as possible. I always try to place all boxes along the walls, in as few rooms as possible. I generally try to keep them as close to the door as possible, but not in the way. The less the movers have to walk around searching for stuff, the better off you'll be.

Keep your children and pets out of the way.

Many companies will charge an additional fee for a safe, depending on its size and location. Ask about this when you're getting quotes.

I would always suggest hiring a minimum of a 3 man crew, unless you have a very small amount of stuff. A three man crew costs more by the hour, but you generally save money in the long run. While one is packing the truck, the other two are busy carrying stuff. There is a lot less time being wasted.

As far as money goes, it really depends on how much stuff you have, how organized you are, the distance between the old and new homes, how much walking the movers will need to do between your home and the truck. On average, most local moves cost less than $1000. My last two moves were about 1200 square feet worth of stuff, and both times I paid about $400. One of those was from a second floor apartment to a home about 30 minutes away.

Bottom line, be as prepared as possible BEFORE the movers arrive.

If I can be of any more assistance, don't hesitate to ask. Hopefully I'll have had some sleep before then.



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[WarPig]

I moved a lot in the past 7 years. It was on the government dime most of the time, a huge perk when moving because those 2 months get tight quick. I rented a uhaul on the one I had to lay for and asked for assistance. For like $400, 2 pizzas and a 12pk those guys had me out of my old house and in a new one. And damages were insured. You cant beat it. This was in CO so I cant refer anyone...but we packed up the small stuff and they loaded the small and large stuff and unloaded within 5 hours with 3 dudes and my wife and a few girls. I was in a sling at the time which is why i went with this option. I will never move my own stuff again.

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[reed1285]

Nothing can go wrong here, huh? :cool:

 

I hope all goes well for the o.p..

Yeah yeah, I know. Unfortunately its just what has to be done. These guidelines are actually what my realtor told me to do. We HAD to sell our house before we could buy a new one. We needed the funds out of the equity we have in our current house, in order to help for the down payment on our new place. We could have moved already, but I didnt want to pay two mortgages until our house sold, which for all I knew at the time, couldve been another 5 months. This is one of those "gotta do what you gotta do" scenarios that pop up in life from time to time. On the other hand, we are getting what is pretty much our dream home, so that makes it not so bad!

 

I spent about 10 years working for my father's moving company, before he decided to sell it. Even with all of my experience, I always hire movers. I'm extremely tired, so I don't have time to leave a verbose response, but I can share a bit of advice.

A few experienced movers can do in a few hours what will take you and your friends all weekend to accomplish. This is assuming you have any friends when moving day rolls around.

Save yourself a lot of money and headache by being as prepared as possible. When you pack, use boxes, not trash bags. Use boxes with tops/lids. Do not pack boxes with crap hanging out of the top. Do not pack boxes too heavy. Clearly mark all boxes so there's no trying to figure out where they go in your new home.

Disassemble beds and other furniture. Roll up and tie cords for TV's, lamps, etc. Do no leave dresser drawers full of clothing and other crap.

Keep everything as organized as possible. I always try to place all boxes along the walls, in as few rooms as possible. I generally try to keep them as close to the door as possible, but not in the way. The less the movers have to walk around searching for stuff, the better off you'll be.

Keep your children and pets out of the way.

Many companies will charge an additional fee for a safe, depending on its size and location. Ask about this when you're getting quotes.

I would always suggest hiring a minimum of a 3 man crew, unless you have a very small amount of stuff. A three man crew costs more by the hour, but you generally save money in the long run. While one is packing the truck, the other two are busy carrying stuff. There is a lot less time being wasted.

As far as money goes, it really depends on how much stuff you have, how organized you are, the distance between the old and new homes, how much walking the movers will need to do between your home and the truck. On average, most local moves cost less than $1000. My last two moves were about 1200 square feet worth of stuff, and both times I paid about $400. One of those was from a second floor apartment to a home about 30 minutes away.

Bottom line, be as prepared as possible BEFORE the movers arrive.

If I can be of any more assistance, don't hesitate to ask. Hopefully I'll have had some sleep before then.



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Great tips, thanks for all the advice! We have only moved once in our life, and that was back when we were living in a one bedroom apartment, without a kid, into the house we are in now. We didnt have much stuff to move either, so that move wasnt to bad. Now we have A LOT more stuff, and a 5 year old, so this one is gonna be tough. Your advice was well received!

[peejman]

I paid just under $400 to move a thinly furnished 2 bedroom apartment across town 8 years ago, and I think I got quite a deal.  The rest of our stuff from our 3 bedroom house had been in storage for months during the transition. 

 

Get a POD or rent a storage unit.  Start moving all the little stuff you can live without for 2 months into storage.  You'll be functionally camping in your house for the last week or so before the official move, but it'll be worth it.  Then the movers only have to mess with the bulky/heavy stuff that you can't handle on your own. 

 

Board the critters for a couple days or even a week.  It'll be worth it to not have them under foot during the chaos.

 

I don't know how big your aquarium is, but I'd try to find a friend to board the fish with for a couple weeks.  Yes, that means moving the whole aquarium twice (which is a pain, I have one too), but again, it's one less thing to mess with through the transition. 

[KaNaPaPi]

I would suggest packing the boxes yourself, then going on craigslist to hire some people to load and unload the moving van for you.  Moving companies are TOO expensive for me, unless my employer is paying the move.

[bersaguy]

I would suggest packing the boxes yourself, then going on craigslist to hire some people to load and unload the moving van for you.  Moving companies are TOO expensive for me, unless my employer is paying the move.

Trusting people on Craig's List is like opening your door to thieves in my Opinion. You don't know who your allowing in your home. Use licensed and Bonded insured movers and bite the bullet so to say. Safer in the long run with gun safe involved...........jmho

[Patton]

I highly recommend Fox Moving Company. They have moved me a few times for very reasonable prices.

Edit: Fox was recommended by a friend of mine that used to have his own little moving company. He told me that a good general rule is $200 per room for in town moves and add $200 for the transportation. Bulk items run the price up accordingly. These places all charge by the hour and most 3 bedroom homes can be moved for $1000. Edited September 13, 2015 by Patton

[Jonnin]

the fish... there is no good answer.   I gave away some of mine, and sold some back to a store that I had a good relationship with, then emptied it all and moved it all, and bought new fish.   The other option is to move it FAST by itself somehow...  method 1 is to set up a new home for them at the destination with everything ready to go, and then haul the critters over.   Method 2 is to try to break down and set up all of it in one day -- even more difficult for salt water due to the fragility of those fish.    Its hard even across town.   Going long, long distances is nearly impossible.   Ask your fish store if you try to move them live ... you can buy drugs that calm them and help them to survive the trauma.  Worse, for salt water, it is highly recommended you keep at least 1/3 to 1/2 the old water for them.  That is a lot with a big tank!
 

Edited September 13, 2015 by Jonnin

[Dustbuster]

Get a 24 ft u haul, pack all your junk as tdr mentioned, hire the bell hopps college movers get 4 kids at less than 50 per hr, have them grunt stuff in and out. Am moving my office this way should be less than 600 including truck kids and beer.. Don't need friends on this just mass and speed!

[Lumber_Jack]

Whoever you get just make sure they have insurance

[reed1285]

Im conflicted between renting out a 24ft uhaul for a few days, getting some friends to help, and not being as rushed, or hiring movers. I guess it wont hurt to get a couple quotes anyways. I can guarantee you that if I do hire they will have insurance, I tend to have bad luck anyway, and thats just what I need, for some nut off the internet to drop my tv or something else valuable and break it and be screwed. That or have them steal something. 

[TripleDigitRide]

Make sure you get a full explanation of the insurance coverage they are providing. Moving companies are only required to reimburse you 10 cents/60 cents per pound. That mean if they drop your fancy big screen TV, they can put the pieces on a scale and write you a check for only a few dollars. The minimum requirements may have changed in the last 15 years, but I don't imagine it would be by much, if at all. Additional insurance coverage can usually be purchased through the moving company.

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