Preparing to move requires a lot of time, as well as exceptional planning skills. How you prepare for your move will greatly determine how easy or challenging your move will be. Thus, you will need to make a lot of decisions to make sure that you have a seamless move.
One of the greatest decisions that you’ll need to make is choosing between hiring packers and DIY packing. Each of these two options has its pros and cons, and this is what we shall focus on in this post.
Hiring professional packers
These are people who specialize in packing moving boxes. Most professional movers offer packing services as an extra option or as an incentive to their clients. These professionals will walk through your home together with you, before starting the packing process. This allows them to assess what should be packed and what shouldn’t. Typically, professional packers will charge by the hour, and this something you should know to budget accordingly.
Pros
Helps you save time
The professionals from Torex Moving Company from Toronto agree that professional packers can save you valuable time. This is particularly true when you have a lot of things to pack, and you don’t have the time to do so. What might take you several weeks or months to pack; professional packers can accomplish it within a few hours or a day.
They will pack your items professionally
Professional packers normally follow certain methods and procedures when packing to ensure that your items are well packed. Besides, they have the necessary training and skills needed to pack your delicate items to prevent them from being damaged. In case you have several fragile, valuable, or oddly-shaped items, professional packers will ensure that these items are packed well, using the correct materials.
Lower chances for your items being damaged
Since your items will be professionally packed, there’s less possibility to become damaged or broken when moving. This is more important, especially if you are moving across the state, where the risk of mishaps is high.
Cons
They are costly
Since most moving companies provide this as an additional service, it’s bound to cost you extra money. The cost for the packing services will depend on several factors, like the number of items that you have, the time needed to pack them, as well as the packing supplies needed.
Lack of control
Yes, professional packers might be trained to pack household items. However, they might not do it according to how you like it. At times, they might mix your things, in a manner that will confuse you when you start unpacking.
Trust issues
Most people have a challenge in letting strangers pack their items. It takes a lot of courage to allow strangers to handle and pack your delicate items. There’s the fear of theft, or these items getting broken. While you cannot guarantee that the packers are ethical and honest, hiring packers from a reputable company can reduce the chances of misconduct by the packers.
DIY packing
If you’ve ever moved before, then you know how slow and tiresome the packing process is. Unlike with professional packers, you will need to source the packing supplies needed. Then, there is the packing process, which is time-consuming, but this will depend on your belongings. DIY packing requires one to create a packing schedule, and stick to it. Besides, you must exercise a lot of caution when packing fragile and delicate items to avoid damaging them.
Pros
Gives you more control over the moving process
If you prefer controlling your packing and moving process, DIY packing will be the better option than hiring professional packers. This is because you can determine how your items are packed. However, if you hire professional packers, and you wish to remain in control, you should supervise the packing process, and advise the packers how you’d like your items packed.
Saves you money
As indicated earlier, hiring professional packers is costly. So, if you are moving on a tight budget or you want to save money when relocating, DIY packing can save you a lot of money. By choosing to do DIY packing, you save money to cover other things, like extra moving costs, school tuition for your kids, or real estate costs, among others.
You are less vulnerable to losing your items
DIY packing reduces the chances of losing your items due to damage or theft. While most professional packers might have high levels of integrity and honesty, you might still end up losing one or two things.
Cons
Time-consuming
DIY packing consumes a lot of time, and there’s no doubt about that. When moving, you will need to dedicate most of your time to pack your belongings safely. Although you might have the freedom to choose the amount of time you’d like to spend packing, you’ll still lose a lot of time that you could have spent doing other things.
A higher risk of damaging your items
Yes, you can be very careful when packing your items. However, there’s a possibility that you are not experienced in packing things safely and efficiently. Since you don’t have the much-needed experience, you don’t know the correct techniques required to pack different items. Besides, you are not conversant with the risks that your items face when relocating.
No liability
Lastly, your moving company will not be liable for any damages that happen when you pack your items.