Once you have located your new home, now comes the fun part – moving. Whether you are moving two streets over from your current home, from one side of town to the other side, or clear across the country, you have two options for moving – using professional movers or doing it yourself. Professional movers come in many different forms. There are those on the less expensive end of the system, consisting of two to four people with a truck, all the way up to the executive level of packing and using a huge semi-truck to delivery your belongings. Usually, what you pay for is what you get.
Most moving companies provide sturdy, reinforced boxes. The cost of these boxes is included in the amount quoted for the move.
Professional movers use padded blankets to protect your furniture. These blankets are secured with rope or bungee cords to ensure no damage occurs.
If you are doing the packing, make sure you carefully mark each box, specifically pointing out to the movers the boxes that contain fragile items.
In most cases when using professional movers, you do not have to worry about the weight of the boxes in that they know how much to pack and use dollies.
If working with professional movers, one semi-truck may contain several households so your belongings may not be the first on their route. Talk to the movers and determine when they are targeting arrival at your new home. Keep in mind that traffic, construction, weather, can all be factors in delay.
For this reason, it is important to have phone numbers and e-mail addresses for not only the movers but also the main office should your belongings not arrive on time. In addition, make sure they have phone numbers where you can be reached as well. If the schedule shows arrival for 5:00 p.m., have someone at the house from 4:00 p.m. until the truck arrives.