Moving from one house to another can be a complex process, especially when you have many belongings. In most cases, you will need a helping hand with some tasks, such as packing and truck loading. Suppose you have a tight schedule or cannot handle the moving process for one reason or another; you will need someone else to do it on your behalf.
If you want to move successfully, ensuring your items get to your destination intact, you will need professional help from movers. So, who are movers, and what exactly do they do? If you have this question, keep reading to know who movers are and what services they provide to their clients.
Who are Movers?
Definition: movers are people or companies that help individuals or businesses move their belonging from their residing or working location to another. They do all the relocation work, including packing, loading, and transportation. They also unload, unpack, and arrange the items in their new house or office. Some also provide cleaning services for homes, offices, or storage facilities such as warehouses.
What services are offered by movers?
A moving company will do everything involved in relocation, including:
1. Packing and unpacking
Full-service movers supply the packing materials, including boxes, tapes, bubble wraps, and bags. They will also provide furniture blankets to ensure the safe transportation of your furniture. Once they have the packing material, they pack everything, ensuring fragile items such as artwork and glasses are safely packed.
They will also offer unpacking services and arrange all the items in their rightful places. Once they are done with unpacking and arrangement of your possession, they get rid of the packing materials to avoid leaving you with a pile of garbage.
2. Furniture disassembly and reassembly
If you lack the expertise to disassemble furniture for transportation, you must hire professional help. Movers have the necessary equipment and the know-how to dismantle and reassemble furniture. A mistake in the disassembling of the furniture can make it impossible to reassemble it back.
3. Loading and offloading
Truck loading is not easy, especially when dealing with furniture and appliances. Some of them are heavy or need careful handling. In this case, moving companies hire skilled individuals to ensure items are loaded and unloaded safely.
4. Transportation
Once you have surrendered your relocation work to full-service movers, it becomes their responsibility to choose the suitable transportation mode to get to your new location. Whether they use a truck, pickup, or van, the most important is to receive your possession in their perfect condition. In this case, they might use a different means to transport fragile items.
In addition, movers will provide shuttle services if your new destination is inaccessible due to poor roads or weak bridges. In such a situation, they will use other means, such as hiring smaller vehicles to ferry your possession. You might, however, incur an extra cost in this case.
5. Provide pulley rigging system
Some houses have narrow stairways or door frames, making moving your furniture challenging. Special equipment is required to hoist furniture and other heavy items through the windows. Although you can improvise, full-service movers can provide you with stable ropes and a functional pulley system.
6. Installation of appliances
Suppose you have lost your appliance installation manuals; it is best to let a moving company take care of the installation work than mess with your appliance’s electrical wiring. Having them install your washing machines, dryer, dishwasher, and more saves you time. It also makes your new home fully functional.
7. Storage
People sometimes decide to move to smaller homes; in such cases, their possessions might not fit in their new homes, hence the need for storage services. The advantage of storing your items with a moving company is that they offer safe storage for all types of goods, including fragile ones. You can also hold your possession with a moving company while still looking for a suitable home and have to vacate your old house.
How to Find Movers
The fact that you allow strangers to handle your possessions is enough to be careful when looking for movers. As much as you need to move, it is crucial to ensure the movers are trustworthy and reliable, among other qualities. Check out how to find movers when relocating.
1. Referrals
Getting referrals from family and friends is the safest and most reliable way to find movers. Other people who can refer you to reliable movers are real estate agents. Since their daily work involves helping people find ideal homes, they are in a better position to link them with trustworthy movers.
2. Consider Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Research better business bureau-accredited moving companies, especially the top-rated ones. Read customers’ reviews and testimonials before reaching out. You have a reason to keep looking if a company does not have a strong online presence. Also, better business bureau accredited companies will always ensure quality services since they have a business reputation to protect.
3. Single out nearby moving companies
Every neighborhood has several moving companies that help residents when they are relocating. If you are trying to find movers, it would be best to single out the local movers by requesting the moving cost upon sharing your destination. While the companies try to offer competitive prices, an extremely lowly priced company is a red flag of a moving scam. Legit movers should provide you with a written quote.
4. Consult federal and government authorities
Most states have compiled a database of legit movers with their addresses, contacts, and complaints related to their line of work. If you want to look for trusted movers, this database can help identify reliable companies within your area. Once you have identified a moving company, it would be good to visit their offices in person to discuss business.
Summary
Movers have simplified the moving process and reduced the stress involved with it significantly. You only need to identify a trusted moving company and are sorted.
