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Self-Moving Services: Get the Basics and Compare Companies
When you're starting to plan your move, it can feel like you have only
two options: either pay a professional mover to box up your home and hope
they don't tack on hidden fees before returning your belongings or rent
a truck yourself, do all the heavy lifting and then get behind the wheel
for a long, long drive.
If neither sounds appealing, you're in luck. A new form of moving, self-service,
has been growing in popularity thanks to its common sense approach. With
self-service movers, you pack your belongings and they do the hard driving.
Check
out America's top self-service moving companies.
The Skinny on Self-Service Moving
The concept behind self-service moving couldn't be simpler. After you've
made arrangements with a company, they drop off a large, weather-resistant
crate (or two, or three, depending on your needs) in front of your home.
You pack your things inside, lock the crate up and the company's truck
comes to whisk it away. Once you've arrived at your new place, the company
drops off your crate and you start unpacking.
Because self-service movers leave you to take care of the packing and
unpacking, you save on the hourly costs of having a moving crew wrap and
stack your furniture (though for an extra charge, some self-service companies
will help you box up your stuff). The price of a self-service move is
assessed by the number of crates you use and how far you need them to
go. Though crate sizes vary by companies, average ones can hold about
3000 lbs. Generally, making your move with a self-service company will
be less expensive than hiring a full-service mover and slightly more expensive
than doing it with a U-Haul. However, depending on how much you spend
on gas, tolls and other expenses, going with self-service could be the
cheapest of your three options. Some amount of insurance coverage is factored
into the price of your self-service move as well, though more is often
available if you're moving valuables.
In the end, you can't put a price on peace of mind. If you go with self-service,
you won't have to worry about your rental truck breaking down in the middle
of nowhere, and because all your belongings are in a single box, they're
much less likely to be mixed up with other shipments, lost or damaged.
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