5 Essential Tips for Preparing for Professional Movers

Moving to a new home is an exciting chapter in life, but it can also be filled with stress. Whether you're relocating across the country or just across town, packing, transporting, and unpacking your belongings can be overwhelming. Hiring professional movers can significantly ease the burden, as they handle the heavy lifting. You can even opt to pay them extra to help with packing and unpacking your things!

However, proper preparation is crucial to ensure your move is efficient, stress-free, and not more costly than necessary (as many movers charge by the hour). Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of working with professional movers.

5: Understand What Movers Can and Cannot Transport

Professional movers have restrictions on what they can move. Many companies maintain lists of items they won’t transport due to safety concerns, such as household chemicals, paints, and liquids. They also exclude items like cash, important documents, photographs, pets, food, and medicine for liability reasons. If you need to transport these items, you'll have to pack them yourself and arrange for their transport separately.

4: Create a Packing Strategy

Before moving day, decide whether you or the movers will be in charge of packing and unpacking your belongings. If you’re packing, ensure you use plenty of padding such as bubble wrap, blankets, or newspaper. This is essential because if any items you pack get damaged during transport, the movers might not be held responsible. Make sure you have enough boxes, and label them with your name, the destination room, and the contents to keep track of where everything should go in your new home.

Once everything is packed, try to sort the boxes based on weight to make loading easier for the movers. Keep boxes away from doorways to allow for clear passage, and avoid placing heavy items on top of furniture that will be loaded into the van first.

3: Ensure You Have Insurance

Whether or not you decide to use the moving company’s insurance, it’s important to protect your belongings financially. Accidents can happen, so it’s wise to have backup coverage in case something breaks or gets lost during the move.

Moving companies provide a variety of insurance options. Two of the most common are by the pound and comprehensive. By the pound insurance is more affordable but provides limited coverage. For example, if your antique dining table gets scratched during the move and requires repairs, this type of coverage will only reimburse a certain amount based on the table’s weight, which may not cover the full repair cost. Comprehensive insurance, while more expensive, will cover all damages and losses.

2: Provide Drinks and Snacks

Movers often have very tight schedules, particularly in the summer when many people are moving. They usually don’t have time to take a lunch break or run to the store for a drink, so it’s wise to have refreshments readily available. Opt for portable snack options, such as energy bars, and offer a variety of drinks to keep them hydrated. If it’s particularly hot, ensure that each mover has a few bottles of water or sports drinks, as they’ll need extra hydration to stay energized throughout the day.

1: Set Aside Cash for Tips

After a long day of hauling your belongings, movers often have more work ahead, especially in the case of a long-distance move. They may have to travel a great distance to your new home or transport items for multiple households in a large semi-trailer, making several stops along the way. Moving is physically demanding work, so it’s important to have cash ready to acknowledge their hard work, particularly if they’ve handled everything efficiently and carefully.