Today, the Earth’s north-south axis is tilted 23.5 degrees related to the sun. Hmmm, what? OK, perhaps easier stated, summer is officially here. June 21, the first day of summer, the ole’ summer solstice and yep, that means moving season is now in full swing. And hence, it is a good time to start focusing on moving blogs again.
RelocateAmerica understands that moving is generally considered to be a stressful life event and a huge piece of the relocation pie. There is something challenging about mobilizing all of one’s stuff, putting it into boxes and watching it disappear behind the door of a trailer or other storage device. As with many stressors, the more we understand, the better we can adequately reduce them. While getting educated on the moving process is an important step to take to lessen the stress, before even entering into that realm, a great place to start is to understand your own needs and expectations of the moving experience. This goes beyond the “Hey, I just want to move my stuff from Point A to Point B” sort of insight.
Start first with the holy trinity of time, effort and money. Specifically, how much of each do you want you to dedicate to the move? And remember they are interconnected and frequently a question of exchange, for example, the famous trading time for money exchange. Everyone is busy or at least, we all look like it. So time is a premium. In regards to effort – packing, loading, unloading and driving each take a lot of work and usually more than we anticipate. Cost, probably the most important consumer decision point is the equalizer. The cheaper it is the more likely we tend to be willing to work and commit our time for that exchange. Be sure to understand the true “cost” of the different options- fuel, mileage, liability, storage etc as well as its impact on your time and effort.
An additional method to examine your needs and expectations is to consider how you do projects. Are you a do-it-for-me or a do-it-yourselfer? If you tend toward having things done for you, a full service professional moving company such as Allied , North American, or United is right up your alley. If you paint your own walls and fix your own leaky toilet, a do-it-yourself move may be the right call, especially if you are good at bribing your friends and family to help you. A middle option is a self-service move. This is where you pack the container and your selected company picks it up and drives it to your new location. This option has picked up considerably in popularity over the last few years.
To sum it up, full service moving companies will provide more service and require less of your time and effort. A do-it-yourself move will offer less service and require more time and effort. Typically, full service moves are more expensive than do-it-your selections. The self-service model falls in between full and DIY options in regards to cost, time and service. Once you understand your needs and expectations related to time, money, effort and service, you can make a much better and more satisfying moving decision.