Around 12% of people in the US move each year. While some of those tens of millions of people will do it all on their own, some will use a moving and storage service.
It’s a little nerve-wracking to trust all of your worldly possessions to the care of complete strangers. While you can replace clothes or bookshelves with ease, heirlooms and mementos often prove one-of-a-kind.
That means it’s important to know what to expect from a professional moving company ahead of time.
Let’s jump right in.
Pre-Move
A professional moving service will want to schedule the move well in advance of the move date. This helps them ensure they’ll have trucks and movers available. You should start calling around at least 2 months ahead to get quotes and lock in a service by around 6 weeks out.
Most movers offer packing services. While you aren’t obligated to use them, professional packing service benefits include:
- reduced risk of personal injury
- reduced risk of property damage
- less stress from not having to pack
Some people choose to pack some or all of their own belongings as a cost-saving measure. Most movers won’t guarantee against damage to property you pack yourself.
The Move
On moving day, the movers pack and load your belongings onto the truck, or just load the belongings you packed.
They handle the transport to either your new home or to a storage facility. If you need to stay in an apartment until you finish closing on a new house, for example, you’d want to store most of your belongings. Once your house is ready, the movers retrieve your belongings from storage and deliver them.
Once the movers arrive at your new home, they’ll unload your belongings. Some movers will also do some unpacking for you for an additional fee.
Climate Controlled Storage
Some of your belongings, like ceramic dishes, can tolerate getting stored without climate control. Many of your belongings, however, might suffer in the high heat, extreme cold or drastic changes in humidity.
Wooden furniture can warp, split or twist under those conditions. Books will grow mildew or mold. Old photographs will fade as the paper and ink deteriorate.
Photos and other delicate possessions do best in moderate humidity with temperatures below 75 degrees.
A good moving and storage service offers storage that meets these needs.
When in doubt, ask the company for details about their storage facilities.
Parting Thoughts About Using a Moving and Storage Service
A good moving service will let you know ahead of time what they need from you.
They’ll want a move date and preferably a time of day anywhere from a month to two months in advance. They’ll ask if you need packing or storage services, as well as a duration for any storage.
Once the details are settled, most of the work falls to them. They’ll pack and load or just load your possessions. Then store or deliver them as agreed.
William B. Meyer, Inc. has over a century of moving experience. If you need help moving to your new home or relocating your corporate office, we’re always happy to provide a quote.
