If you find yourself moving at the last minute, you might find yourself struck with panic. Is there time to do everything you need to do? Depending on how much time you have, you might need to find a way to outsource some tasks; however, there are always ways to save money and time! In this handy article, we’ll go over the top ways to make your last-minute move stress-free (for you and your wallet).
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Contents:
Why you need last minute movers?
Wondering how you got yourself in this situation? It’s probably one of the following reasons:
- The wrong choice with the initial moving company – 65%.
Unfortunately, some movers offer way too low price in an effort to reserve a job. But on the pick-up day, they do not arrive because of one of the following:
- They have better paying jobs on that day and they choose them.
- They reconsider and realized the dollar amount they promised is not enough for them.
- You reserved with the broker and broker can not find mover at the rate they promised.
You’ll want to consider the difference between working with movers or brokers for your long-distance move. If not, just make sure you pick one of the 10 best long distance moving companies!
TIP: for the last-minute move usually you will not be able to schedule an on-site estimate
- Your living situation suddenly changed – 16%: Perhaps you’re getting married; perhaps a relationship is ending. Perhaps you bought a new house quickly, or perhaps a roommate suddenly needs your room. The list of reasons why you might have to move quickly might be endless! The thing to concentrate on now isn’t the past—it’s what to do next.
- You got a new job and need to move ASAP – 4%: Most of the time, employers will give you as much notice as they can in order to ensure that you’re able to have time to figure out your living situations. Other times, you won’t have that luxury. If your new job tells you that you need to be in a new space quickly, you might not have any other choice.
- Family Emergency – 15%: You might have found that you need to move because of an illness in the family, or to be closer to those you love. It might seem overwhelming to have to do such a large move at the last minute, but never fear! Moving with kids, pets, or with older members of your family might be more difficult, but don’t worry! There’s a way to make it all happen, frustration-free.
A guide to help you on how to hire last-minute movers
- Professional movers will know how to get the job done.
- A mover is figuring out how to optimize space in his truck.
When you’re looking to hire last-minute movers, you likely don’t have much time to work with! This means that you need to figure out ways to make the most out of your time, and you need to have proven strategies for finding the best of the best that you’re sure will definitely work.
In these cases, it’s important not to stress. We know – when we say not to stress, that’s maddening! However, if you’re frustrated, you’ll be much more likely to make avoidable mistakes or even get ill. The first step is always to take a deep breath! Remember that if you’re taking the time to go over a few extra details on the front end, your future self will definitely thank you.
Once you’ve ensured that you’re doing okay, follow these steps to hire last-minute movers you can count upon.
1. Look For Referrals.
Before you turn to the vastness of the Internet for answers, start small. The Internet can be misleading, and it can definitely be overwhelming. It’s a good idea to start with advice from people you know.
Start by asking people in your community who have recently moved who they decided to work with. Their review will carry a lot of weight, as it won’t be written by the company itself! Then, make sure to ask specific questions about their experience. You’ll want to know everything, from price to cleanliness, timeliness and more!
Once you’ve decided that a company someone you know is worth pursuing, wrap up your conversation by asking if your acquaintance has any referrals with that company. Referrals are discounts that a previous customer can give a future customer, in order to increase organic marketing. Many different moving companies do referral programs, and it’s always worth it to ask!
2. Look for believable moving quotes.
When you’re looking for last minute movers, you’ll still want to put in the time to select more than one mover to request a quote from. This will take a few extra minutes, but it will allow you to compare and contrast the numbers you are getting. You’ll also be able to see things like whether the movers you want to work with quote too low or too high, as well!
When you’re getting quotes, make sure to ask that everything on the quote be properly itemized, and ask for how long the quote will be in effect. (Some have expiration dates that you don’t want to pass!) Take time to go over each of the quotes from each of the movers. If you find any discrepancies, call up your prospective mover and ask them to issue you a new, corrected quote.
One last thing: You never want to pick the lowest quote. This might seem like a time-saving strategy, but in reality it’s likely a recipe for disappointment and even disaster. Poor quality moving companies will try to get your attention (and your business) with a very low quote before upping the bill later on, giving you substandard service, or even refusing to give you back your items until you pay more money.
3. Utilize reputable review sites.
When you’re doing research about movers online, make sure to stay on reputable review sites, such as Yelp. In some cases, moving companies and brokers will create their own review sites, just so that they’re able to rank 5 stars somewhere! Additionally, as you’re going through reviews, you’ll want to make sure that there are no movers who note that they will be using a rental truck, instead of a truck they own themselves.
Especially if you have fine furniture, it’s a good idea to make sure that your future movers are well-equipped to handle anything! Pay close attention to previous customers’ accounts of how their belongings were treated.
4. Check the moving company’s license.
In order to ensure that the moving company you’re working with is legitimate and has all of the permits that they need in order to legally provide moving business, ask for a copy of their license. If they do not want to give it to you, or if they give it to you and it does not stand up to research, then do not choose that moving company.
On a similar note, especially if you are going with a last minute move, it’s likely in your best interest to choose to work with a moving company instead of a moving broker.
5. Check the moving company’s insurance.
Most larger movers will have their own insurance, but it doesn’t hurt to check! Insurance is mandatory in most states, and it’s important for you as well. If the mover makes a mistake, breaks something of value, or fails to provide any services paid for, insurance will step in to assist and make things right. However, this only happens if the mover has legitimate insurance!
As with the license, if the moving company refuses to give you proof of insurance, do not work with that moving company.
6. Take the time to ask pertinent questions about the services you will be paying for.
When you’re working to coordinate a last minute move, it may be the case that you don’t have much time to work with. In this situation, it can be compelling to make assumptions and to take the moving company’s word for it! However, this will not work for you in the long run. Taking the time to ask about the moving company’s cancellation policy, the offered moving insurance options, and any military or senior discounts may take extra time, but it could end up saving you a lot of money.
7. Trust your instincts.
At the end of the day, if you’re dealing with an emergency move, you don’t have time to make mistakes. If you’re reading through a description of what a company offers with typos, if you’re looking at a website that doesn’t look very professional, or if you’re reading through a received quote that seems just too good to be true—it probably is! Put down the quote and walk away. Paying a little extra for some peace of mind is the best thing you can do for yourself, so invest in your sanity—and leave anything that looks sketchy behind.
10 Tips How to prepare for a last-minute move
Wondering how to prepare for a last minute move? If you don’t have much time, you might think that you might not be able to prepare at all. However, that’s just not the case. Whether you have one day or seven, one hour or one month, there are some things that everyone who’s moving should prioritize so they’re able to move with finesse!
Here are our top tips on how to prepare for a last-minute move:
1.Hire the right movers for your bulky or delicate items. If you happen to have a hot tub, piano, pool table, or pieces of fine art, you’ll definitely want to make sure they’re taken care of appropriately. This may take a little bit more time and a bigger investment, but the alternative is that your items aren’t taken care of the way they should be—and they arrive dented, broken, or not at all!
2.Ask your movers for a fixed rate. Often, movers will charge by the hour, with an ‘it’ll cost what it’ll cost’ mentality. Sometimes, if you ask up front, they’ll give you a good deal on a fixed-rate move. It never hurts to ask!
3.Move yourself as much as possible. Consider how you’ll be getting to your new home: Are you driving? Flying? It likely depends on how far it is! If you’re driving, consider renting a trailer and moving as much of your personal items yourself as you can.
- Making sure all of your items are packed up nicely will make moving in to your new home easier
- Belongings are packed up in cardboard boxes.
4.Prepare a path through your home for the movers. Especially if you’re paying by the hour, anything you can do to expedite their experience will be worth it.
5.Ask the movers to just quickly wrap your furniture. High-quality commercial moving experts will come equipped with furniture padding and more to make sure that nothing shifts during your move. If you’re not worried about your furniture, ask them to quickly wrap it instead. This will save you time and money.
6.Cancel your current subscriptions, and reroute your mail. This is one of the things that has to get done in your move, but can be forgotten (particularly in a last-minute scenario).
7.Exchange your coins. If you have large jars or cans of pennies and other small change, take that to a grocery store and exchange for cash or credit.
8.Get rid of heavy or old appliances. Got a computer that’s collecting dust in a corner? Find that you no longer use your weight sets? Put those on the curb so your movers don’t have to deal with them.
9.Find friends and family you can stay with during your move. Instead of booking hotel rooms along the way, find an acquaintance with a couch you can sleep on. It’ll save you money!
10. Finally, schedule an energy inspection of your new home. Your new home might not be as energy-efficient as it needs to be—and leaking energy will cost you a lot over your time in that home! The best time to do it is when the home is empty, so taking the time to schedule that now will pay off in several ways.
The benefits of choosing last-minute movers over DIY move
Even when you’re planning a last-minute move, it can still be a good idea to choose last-minute movers (and pay the requisite fee) instead of attempting to take care of the move yourself. When you’re thrust into a last-minute move situation, it’s very likely that there are physically more things to do than you can actually handle. Outsourcing any work which can be outsourced will allow you to focus on the things which you need to take care of yourself.
Here are three more upsides of choosing last-minute movers over DIY movers:
1.Professional movers can save you a lot of money. It may seem counterintuitive, but if you choose to work with name-brand movers who know precisely what they’re doing, you may end up saving money (even if you have to pay a heftier moving fee!). They’ll be prepared to use all kinds of furniture protection and state-of-the-art technology to make sure that your items are not going to shift or break during your move, and to make sure that nothing gets lost.
2. When you’re working with last-minute movers, you’ll find that the packaging process with professionals is much more efficient. When you’re trying to pack up your home yourself, it’ll be very easy to get lost in the details, or distracted by memorabilia. When you’re working with professionals instead, it’s easy to find that they’ll be able to wade through even the messiest and most disorganized of houses with ease, because they’re removed from the situation.
3. Ultimately, when you decide to work with professional last minute movers in a sudden emergency move situation, you’re choosing to save valuable time. When you’re facing a last minute move, time is your commodity of choice! Saving time can help you save money, and it can certainly make the process much easier for you to go through as you complete your local or cross-country move.
5 Tips for saving money in an emergency move
Even though you’re in need of a last-minute move, that doesn’t mean that you have buckets of money to spend on your relocation! When you’re looking for ways to save money, even when you’re working with hired professionals who are working as fast as you can, there are still a few ways that you can save money. Follow these tips for the best ways to make sure that moving bill is as small as it can be when it comes time to pay your movers!
1. Don’t pick the smallest quote. This may seem counter-intuitive, but movers who offer you bottom-dollar prices aren’t always acting with your best interest at heart! Instead, decide to work with a mover who’s given you a reliable quote, and is quoting you a price that’s more in the middle of the range.
2. Go through your home quickly and donate as much as you can. Even if you have only hours before the movers show up, go through your home with a trash bag and get rid of anything you no longer need. If you have friends and family nearby and available, ask them to do the same thing. Even if you’re able to get rid of only a few pieces of furniture and a small amount of clothing, those are fewer pieces and items that need to be moved by professionals. Anything that you can move instead of them will represent less money that you have to pay!
3. Use a referral. When you’re looking at quotes and sourcing information from movers, it’ll definitely be in your best interest to work with a mover that’s already assisted someone you know. Whether you work with a specific referral service or you just mention their name during the process, the fact that you are already a part of the moving company’s network will make them much more likely to serve you with utmost integrity.
- A couple watching as two movers handle their packing
- A moving truck is about to pull away!
4. Don’t opt for any unnecessary features. When the movers are trying to get your business, they will likely try to up-sell you on various extra services, such as white glove delivery, extra tracking, and more. Unless these features are absolutely necessary, decide not to use them. You’ll save a lot of money, and likely time as well.
5. Don’t spend money on food. When you’re looking for ways to cut costs out of a last minute moving budget, save yourself some money by opting to eat out the contents of your refrigerator and freezer instead of buying a lot of fast food. This might mean that you have to be a little creative in regards to what you’re actually eating during this time, but it’ll be worth it when you’re able to afford your move with a little extra to spare.
Things commonly forgotten during emergency moves
When you’re getting ready for an emergency move, it can be easy to forget that you still have to handle all of the projects and details that people with more lenient timelines have to handle in the space of a few minutes! This means that there are a few things which people tend to forget during emergency moves. Fortunately, we’ve done the research for you and discovered the things commonly forgotten during emergency moves. Make sure to add these to your checklist and take care of them early on! Then, you’ll be all set for your last minute move.
- Don’t forget to turn on utilities at your new place. This is often as simple as a phone call or filling out a form on a website, but it’s important to do so you have access to water, Internet, and electricity at your new home. Even if you think it’s going to be available—for example, if you’re moving into a place with roommates or if you’re moving into an apartment—it’s a good idea to call and check, so you aren’t surprised by any less-than-standard situations. You should pack an extra phone battery and flashlight in your bag when you move anyway, just in case.
- Don’t forget to clean up your old home. No matter what the circumstances are under which you’re leaving your old home, you don’t want to leave it in shambles. If you’ve outsourced the moving and packing processes to last-minute movers, you will have the time to clean everything up instead. This will ensure that you don’t anger the people who will be moving into your house next. If you have a security deposit down on your apartment, cleaning it out will ensure that you get it back.
- Don’t forget to pack a first night essentials box. When you’re moving, it can be easy to concentrate exclusively on getting items out of your old home; it can be equally easy to forget that you’ll be spending time in a new home very shortly! You should pack one box, backpack, or bag full of the things you’ll need immediately upon getting into your new home: A fresh change of clothes, toothbrushes and toiletries, technology and chargers, and perhaps even a pillow or a sleeping bag to make a potential night without furniture more comfortable. After you’ve packed this box, it’s a good idea to make sure that you bring it with you: Don’t put it in the truck with the movers! Instead, put it in your car, or use it as your carry-on if you’re flying to your new home.
- Leave a review for your moving company. While it might not seem like it does much, taking the few minutes required to leave a review for your moving company will let them know what is quality service, and what isn’t! Even if it doesn’t directly impact your experience with the moving company, it’ll help the next customer who does their research. That pay-it-forward attitude is precisely the thing that might help you next time around, if you find yourself moving again.
Forgetting any of these items might not impact whether or not your move happens, but they can make your move a lot easier and more stress-free! Make sure you add them to your to-do list up front and you’ll be good to go.
Bottom line
When you find yourself in need of a last minute move, it can be easy to think that you’re in trouble—or that you necessarily have to spend a lot of money in order to navigate your emergency move! With help from your research, referrals from your community, and more, you may find that you don’t have to worry about the expense as much as you think! The primary first step is to relax. If you’re not relaxed, then you’re going to have a hard time making good decisions! Secondly, even though it takes a little bit more time, don’t hesitate to go all in on the research. Spending a few extra moments to find the perfect last minute moving company for you might make all the difference in terms of your experience—and your wallet.