Assessing Your Move: Factors to Consider When Hiring Movers Or Doing It Yourself

As a locally owned and operated Texas moving company, we’ve heard “everything is bigger in Texas” more times than we can count, but that doesn’t always transfer to the size or distance of your move. Before you decide whether you’re going to hire professional movers or do it yourself, it’s crucial to know if you can, in fact, handle moving everything yourself!

To know what type of move is best for you, ask yourself:

• 🗺️ How far are you moving? Are you moving 10 minutes up the road or to another city? The distance will impact how many trips to make and how much gas you need.
• 📦 How much stuff do you have? Are you moving a few items out of your parent’s place to your new apartment for the first time? Or, are you uprooting your 4-person family from Dallas to a new single family home in Houston? The more stuff you have, the bigger a truck you need — or more trips you need to take to get all your things to the new place.
• 💲 What’s your budget? It would be great to always have a budget for professional help, but we understand that’s not always the case. Pay attention to how much it would actually cost you to move yourself then compare it to a professional moving quote. Don’t forget to also take into account the time and effort it would take to move yourself.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Do you have friends or family who can help? We don’t always have friends or family nearby, or better yet, willing to help move for some pizza and beer! If your social circle isn’t willing to pivot and help you move, a professional mover might be your new best friend.
• 🖼️ Are you moving fragile or heavy items? If you have a lot of fragile or heavy items to move, it can make things more difficult to move yourself. Sometimes the added expense of hiring movers is worth it to get your valuables from point A to point B safely.
• 🗓️ When do you need to be moved out by? Depending on where and when you need to move, you may not have the capacity to move yourself.

Hiring A Moving Company Vs. Doing It Yourself

Now that you have all of the details about your move, let’s break down the pros and cons of either doing it yourself or hiring professionals to move for you.

DIY Moving: The Good, the Bad, and the Backbreaking

So, what is the appeal of DIY moving? For most people, it’s the cost savings, but we’ve broken down some more specific pros and cons for you below:

Pros of DIY Moving

• 💰 Cost savings for local moves. If your move is small, meaning you only need a small to medium size rental truck and can take a few short trips, you can save a lot of money moving this way. Otherwise, if you are moving an entire house worth of stuff and require packing supplies and a larger truck, the added costs and the hassle of doing it yourself might outweigh the cost.
• 📦 Flexibility in timing and packing methods. By packing yourself you have full control over what you pack, how, and potentially when you bring it to your new space. This is sometimes important for people who are protective about their personal items and have the free time.
• 🕹️ Total control over the process. Moving yourself means you can choose when to move and in what way works best for you and your schedule. Sometimes professional moving companies can be booked out and might not have the day or time you really want.

Cons of DIY Moving

• 🤕 Physical strain. One back injury and you’ll be paying for it the rest of your life. This is especially important if you have a lot of heavy items and very little muscle.
• 📓 Logistical challenges. It’s not always easy getting your friends and family to be where you need them to be, and more importantly, when! Sometimes moving yourself means multiple trips, multiple people, and more boxes than you can count.
• ⌚ Time-consuming and potentially overwhelming. The longer the distance, the more stuff you have to move, the more trips you might have to take, the more expensive a rental truck will be, and the more of a headache.
• 😭 Damages to home and items. You’re more likely to damage your items or home by trying to lift or carry items that are too heavy or that you’re not used to moving. A professional mover has all the equipment, shrink wrap, and pads to move items safely and protect the areas the items are moving through.

Professional Movers: The Pros and Cons

Why should you hire the pros? While some focus on the cost of hiring professional movers being too high, there are a lot of pros that go into making that expense worth it in the long run.

Pros of Hiring Professional Movers

• 💪 Convenience, because the movers handle the heavy lifting so you don’t have to. You don’t have to lift a finger if you don’t want to. It’s a luxury to have the grunt work of moving taken care of for you.

• 📦 Expertise in packing and transporting fragile or valuable items. You don’t all know the best way to move a giant, expensive print, nor do you always have the equipment right for protecting and moving a sofa or flat-screen TV. Professional movers take care of this for you.
• 💰 Insurance and liability coverage for peace of mind. If you break your own stuff, you’re just out of luck, but while professional movers nary damage your things, accidents happen, but in this case, you’ll be covered!
• 🏎️ Speedy moves. A move that would take the average person two days (or even two weeks!?) takes professional movers a couple of hours.

Cons of Hiring Professional Movers

• 💸 Higher cost for any size move. The cost of hiring professional movers will depend on the distance, volume, and any additional services (e.g. packing) of your move. However, you’re also paying for peace of mind and saving time.
• 🕹️ Less control. Hiring professional movers means you don’t have a complete say on when or how you move. While booking ahead for a move helps guarantee the moving date and time you want, sometimes that’s not always possible.

Cost Comparison: DIY Vs. Hiring Movers

While it’s easy to say that professional movers cost more, what’s the real price tag? DIY moves can oftentimes be just as expensive (if not more!) depending on how far you’re moving, how much stuff you have, and how many valuables you need to move yourself.

We’ve broken down the possible costs for each option:

DIY Moving Costs

• Truck rental: $150–$500 (local).
• Additional moving equipment (optional): $40-$100
• Gas and mileage: Varies.
• Packing Supplies: $50–$200.
• Protective moving equipment (optional): $5-$50

These costs can vary depending on the distance and the amount of stuff you need to move. While you could pay as little as $100 for a rental truck, with little gas requirements and utilize your own packing supplies, DIY moves can range upward of $1000s of dollars if you need to travel long distances or take multiple trips.

Don’t forget about the time it takes to move yourself, for some, time is money!

Professional Mover Costs

• Local moves: $500–$2,000
• Long-distance moves: $2,000–$7,500

Remember, you’re not just paying for the mover’s time, truck, and equipment. You’re also paying for peace of mind and your valuable time back. We might be biased, but a stress-free move is truly priceless.

💡 Pro Mover Tip: Compare at least 3 moving quotes to find the best deal for you!

Comparing Professional Moving Companies

It’s important to acknowledge that professional moving companies tend to provide a low hourly rate, but will surprise you with a bunch of hidden fees. Make sure to ask about added fees or be aware that just because the hourly rate you were quoted was lower, doesn’t mean your overall cost will be.

Below is a comparison of the different fees we at Einstein Moving Company include in our hourly rate compared to our nearby competition.

	Einstein Moving Company	Other Guys
FREE Moving Quote
Background Checks
Verified State Licenses
Additional Coverage
Taxes & Insurance Included In Your Base Quote
Assembly & Disassembly Fees Included In Your Base Quote
No Additional Credit Card Fees
No Additional Fuel Surcharge
No Weekend Upcharge Per Hour
No Charge For Stairs Or Heavy Lifting
No Cost For Protective Moving Supplies (shrink wrap, pads, bands, etc)
No Deposits or Cancellation Fees
Actual W2 Employees (no subcontractors)
$2,000 Damage Coverage
Award Winning Service and Claims
2-Hour Arrival Window Or Your Move Is Discounted
Meet Your Movers Feature
Carbon Offset Initiatives

Tips to Save Money on Your Next Move

Do you want the best of both worlds? Well, here are some tips to help you save on your next move:

• Try your best to pack most of your items yourself.
• Choose to move during off-peak seasons or mid-week for more availability and sometimes lower rates.
• Declutter before moving to reduce the volume of items needing to be moved.
• Consider hiring movers for only a few of your heavy items and moving the rest of your stuff yourself.
• Research around for other budget-friendly labor services if you can’t afford professional movers.

The Emotional Toll of Moving: Is DIY Moving Really Worth The Savings?

We love to save money, but at what cost is the added stress, time, and backaches of moving yourself?

Before some of our movers started working at Einstein Moving Company, many moves took place without professional help. While it might be a fun time when you’re in your early 20s moving from a small room in your parent’s place to a new apartment with your friends, a slice of pizza and a beer don’t cut it when you’re over 30.

More often than not, people who have chosen to move with Einstein Moving Company have shared how it was a better experience than a move that took them weeks to complete, leaving them too exhausted to unpack.

When there are so many options for choosing a moving service, it can be overwhelming at times. Upon reading the claims made by [Einstein Moving Company] to meticulously care for the customer’s belongings and doing everything possible to ensure a smooth transition, we were convinced we had found a good choice — AND WE WERE SO CORRECT! I cannot emphasize how much our movers helped to keep Einstein’s company promises. The doors were protected with blankets to safeguard against any damage to the furniture. All of the furniture was well wrapped and carefully secured into the moving truck. They were diligent and efficient both loading and unloading. They also helped to assemble any items and furniture that needed it, and positioned everything according to our wish. My experience with Einstein was one of absolute relief in choosing the right HELP not just the right movers. If you’re feeling overwhelmed about moving; do yourself a favor and hire Einstein Moving Company. They will treat you like friends and care for your belongings as if they were their own. — Alec T.

The upfront cost of hiring professional movers may be high, but the peace of mind can be priceless. Professional movers can be the one thing standing in the way of broken dishes and a flatscreen TV that doesn’t want to turn on anymore.

Convinced to book with a professional moving company?

No matter how you choose to move, preparation is the key to success. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation quote!