Moving is a stressful thing – most obvious statement of the century. We’ve all done it, or at least most of us have, and we all know it’s no easy task. Not only is it hard on the brain, it’s hard on the back and hard on the wallet.

A common strategy we take is to ignore the fact we’re moving until two days before the moving truck arrives, which is when we decide to scout out liquor store boxes, throw our belongings in them, and wonder what happened when we get to point ‘B’. The more organized species out there actually take the time to label and seal their boxes, sometimes even with colour coded sticky notes.

That’s all dandy when everything you own fits into a dorm room, but as your life progresses you start possessing things of value, like pianos and china and marble tables. Inviting your friends to help you and renting a squeaking truck is fine only if you’re willing to risk the damage that may end up costing you more than you anticipated.

A professional mover is well worth the investment. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for, and if you’ve paid for a $30 truck and recruited a bunch of free friends, you can guess how well your move is going to go. Here’s a list of some of the things a professional mover will save you:

Time: this is money, essentially. Consider what you are worth per hour. Is it worth your time to spend days organizing your life into boxes when you could be producing an income? A mover can take care of these stresses for you. Not only that, on the day of the move, your movers will have equipment handy that you may not have to make the transportation easy and efficient. They also do this for a living, so they’ll spend less time figuring out how to get the couch through the door.

Money: in cash terms, this is what you save when you know your dishwasher and bunk beds are being unhooked, unscrewed and moved correctly, by trained professionals. One crack on a chair leg and you can say goodbye to your dining table set. It’s not worth the risk.

Security: moving companies come with insurance policies and safety standards that will give you peace of mind in case anything catastrophic happens.

Health: trained movers are experts at moving heavy items, and you may not be. A serious injury can have you out of work for months for simply picking up a heavy item incorrectly. Slipped disks, sprained muscles and broken bones can actually happen, and they happen often.

On the one hand you may be paying more to have professionals do the job of moving your household, however there are ways you can keep the cost within your budget. For example, packing your belongings yourself and having them ready to go on moving day will save the movers a lot of time. Unplugging your electrical appliances and bringing lighter furniture, like lamps and side tables, downstairs can also help. You can negotiate the price, keeping in mind that seasonality can affect the quote you get. If budget is an issue, try to plan your move in the fall, rather than in the spring, and shop around to get the best quote from a reputable mover.

Author Bio: Lorne W. MacInnes is a managing partner of Ferguson Moving & Storage Ltd. They are one of the oldest movers in Vancouver and are now offering Burnaby Moving and Storage. http://www.fergusonmoving.com

Category: Advice
Keywords: burnaby, vancouver, storage, moving, professional, movers