Whoever says that making mistakes is better than not doing anything at all must not have attempted a self-move.
To err is bad but to err during one of the most difficult transitional periods in one’s life is even worse. Even small innocent mistakes due to negligence or lack of knowledge can sometimes come at a much higher cost simply because the circumstances that have led to any wrong assumptions, gross underestimations, or plain blunders are special – as special as a house move itself.
Arguably, the biggest mistake when moving on your own is to underestimate the difficulty level of your self-move. There are too many influential factors, variables, and unknowns involved in a residential move – so many that they can easily discourage you to attempt a self-move at all.
Just glance through our Unabridged Moving Checklist with more than 120 moving tasks to complete before, during, and after the move and you’ll understand why hiring professional movers has proved to be the preferred method of moving valuable household items and personal possessions from Point A (your current home) to Point B (your new residence).
But fear not, for we have the answers!
Take a closer look at the top 10 self-moving mistakes to avoid when moving by yourself. Err not for a smooth, mistake-free house-moving experience on your own.
1. To assume Do-It-Yourself moves are always cheaper than hiring a pro mover
Many home movers believe that organizing a self-move is ALWAYS cheaper than hiring a professional moving company to handle the hardest parts of their moves.
And while that common belief in favor of self-moving tends to be true under specific circumstances:
a local move that stays within 100 miles,
availability of good friends ready to provide timely assistance,
previous relocation experience in organizing and executing a Do-It-Yourself move, and
a relatively small home with not too many household items in it,
anyone who feels confident that they can bring their own moving adventure to a successful end shouldn’t forget about the score of hidden costs of moving on your own.
A poorly judged self-move from a financial standpoint can really put the squeeze on a family (budget).
Often referred to as forgotten DIY costs, it would be a clear mistake on your part to fail to take into consideration their significant role in shaping up your self-moving budget.
So, whenever you’re faced with the truly puzzling dilemma of whether to move by yourself or hire movers, don’t make the common moving mistake of not including the following hidden DIY moving costs:
packing supplies,
moving equipment,
additional moving insurance,
road tolls and taxes, fuel, food, and lodging on the road,
possible fuel surcharge and cleaning charges.
Also, you should never rule out less likely but still possible self-moving costs such as property damage and personal injuries /due to moving inexperience/, as well as mechanical breakdowns or road accidents /due to bad luck/ while driving the big rental truck toward your new home.
Therefore, having considered all of the commonly forgotten costs of moving out on your own, in the end, it may turn out that you haven’t saved as much money as you would have liked with your self-move, or even worse – you have lost money due to poor judgment.
2. To underestimate the time required to organize a self-move
Regrettably, Time will turn into your Archenemy the moment you decide to move house without any professional assistance.
Due to insufficient moving experience and more often improper organization, most home movers find it really hard to take care of all the tasks before they run out of time. Interestingly enough, a number of failed house moving attempts can come as a result of sheer underestimation of the amount of time required to plan and execute a smooth move.
I still have a lot of time until moving day – it’s too early to start the preparations anyway.
Have in mind that overconfidence can really hurt your chances of having a successful house move.
Avoid the moving mistake of underestimating how much time you need to put your relocation affairs in order. The solution? Create a moving calendar as early in your DIY move as possible.
Without a doubt, such a personal Moving Timeline will be your best weapon to defeat your enemy and emerge a winner from that heart-pounding race with the clock.
Gather all the move-related tasks in one place, distribute the moving jobs in a manageable way until your move-out day, and prioritize them so that the most important ones get completed even if you should fall behind schedule.
Yes, it won’t be long until you realize the unmatched power of your personalized DIY move to-do list – your time will be 100% organized and each completed task will make you will feel more and more confident that you can actually make it on your own.
Unless you’ve managed to secure a pickup truck or other suitable moving vehicle from a good friend of yours, the next important task of your DIY moving adventure is to rent a moving truck of the right size. In fact, this very step is crucial for the success of your endeavor.
When renting a moving truck for your self-move, size does matter.
Choose a vehicle with smaller storage space and you will probably be forced to either make multiple trips to your new home and back or rent a larger vehicle – both options will prove to be rather bad from a financial standpoint.
On the other hand, if you opt for a much larger rental truck, you will end up paying more for additional storage space which you don’t actually need. You’ll even risk damaging your goods on the road if they are not well-secured inside the moving vehicle.
Although both truck rental scenarios can burden unnecessarily your DIY moving budget, it’s always better to rent a vehicle with a larger capacity than to have to leave some of your household items behind.
To avoid a self-move mistake when choosing a moving vehicle, ask qualified experts at reputable truck rental companies for assistance before you make up your mind.
Here’s a brief approximate calculation of truck rental capacities so that you have a preliminary idea of what to expect.
Pickup trucks: ideal for small loads, partial house moves, or home improvement projects.
Cargo vans: ideal for college moves, partial moves, or moving a studio as part of a local move.
10-12 ft. trucks: good for moving out of studios or smaller apartments, as well as college moves of all types.
14-17 ft. trucks: the medium range of truck rentals is ideal for moving 1-2 bedroom apartments, offices, and smaller houses. Not surprisingly, these moving vehicles are always in high demand.
20-26 ft. trucks: perfect for cross-country relocation of all household items found in big 3, 4, or 4+ bedroom residences.
4. To think that moving trucks are just bigger cars
Another self-moving advice to help you stay out of trouble is to avoid the assumption that a moving truck is nothing more than a larger car, so loading a moving truck properly and driving a moving truck safely all by yourself shouldn’t be much of a problem for you.
Nothing beats the satisfaction of loading a rented moving truck by yourself.
You need to be aware well in advance that choosing a rented truck of the right capacity won’t amount to much if you fail to utilize well the loading capacity of the vehicle.
One of the more serious mistakes when moving on your own is to delude yourself that you can load the rented vehicle in the best possible way just because you’re the indisputable Tetris champion among your friends. The truth is that even if you have amazing tile-matching skills, maximizing storage spaces requires excellent planning, a fair amount of creative visualization, and a touch of previous experience.
Load your safely packed and properly labeled moving boxes first and stack them vertically at the back of the truck. Next, place your bulky and heavy furniture pieces, and make sure you strap them really well to the side walls to minimize any movement during transportation.
Finally, load your protected kitchen appliances and disengage the truck’s loading/unloading ramp. Use packed boxes full of non-fragile items /clothes, blankets, shoes, etc./ as filling materials to fill any remaining spaces inside the storage space.
Also, think about whether you’re really up to the challenge of driving a huge moving vehicle by yourself. If you decide you are, keep an eye out for specialized road signs, especially warning signs for clearance and weighing stations.
Make sure you minimize the number of distractions while you’re driving to your new address, including talking on your mobile phone or texting while the vehicle is in motion. Have a trusted companion with you to make the moving trip more pleasant and assist you whenever necessary.
5. To assume any moving boxes you find are safe for packing
Mistakes when moving by yourself can appear unexpectedly and come virtually from anywhere so you really need to be vigilant at each step of the house-moving process.
In order to cut moving costs, you should seriously consider getting your hands on free moving boxes – after all, why should you pay good money for something when you can get it for free?
The cost of one medium box is about $1.50 and that’s not too bad. But the problem comes when you do the math: the average number of boxes needed to pack a house is roughly 60, so you’ll need to pay about $100 for boxes only.
In reality, the price will most likely be higher since specialized boxes such as wardrobe boxes cost much more, and you may end up needing more than 60 cardboard containers to pack up your things for moving.
Scoring free moving boxes is great but you shouldn’t make the self-moving mistake of accepting just ANY boxes that you get your hands on. Think about the safety of your valuable belongings and get free cardboard boxes that are:
CLEAN. Inspect each box carefully and reject it if it’s not perfectly clean. Cardboard boxes are used for storing or transporting all sorts of things, so be extra picky when it comes to cleanliness.
DRY. Wet areas or visible signs of water damage will reduce the sturdiness and durability of a cardboard box. Make sure all free packing boxes you get are 100% dry.
STRONG. The free packing boxes you find should be able to withstand the weight of the things you pack inside them. Think about the safety of your items and accept nothing but strong cardboard containers in visibly good condition.
6. To assume you were born with expert packing skills
Packing up an entire home for moving is anything but child’s play – it is an arduous process that tends to take up more time and energy than planned and expected.
One Leaning Tower of Do-It-Yourself, two Leaning Towers of Do-It-Yourself…
In an effort to save up money, most home movers choose to pack all their household items into cardboard boxes by themselves.
But unless DIY packers are well familiar with some fundamental rules when packing a house for a move, the entire packing operation could prove to be a huge waste of their time and efforts.
Don’t make the serious self-moving mistake of disregarding any of these 5 essential DIY packing rules:
DIY packing rule #1: Inventory your entire home and reduce the number of all your earthly possessions to their minimum. Why? Because the more goods you take with you to your new home, the more time you will lose packing them in moving boxes and the more money you will waste on their illogical and senseless transportation.
DIY packing rule #2: Start the packing process as early in your preparations as possible even if it seems like you have plenty of time until moving day. Pack up at least a couple of boxes a day so that you avoid the stress-filled last-minute packing craziness.
DIY packing rule #3: If you feel like time has run out and you won’t finish packing up your home in time, don’t hesitate to ask good friends for assistance. In some cases, hiring experienced professional packers is also a viable option.
DIY packing rule #4: In addition to your operational moving calendar, devise a master Packing Timeline as well and stick to it. Begin the packing process from the most difficult rooms to pack /garage, basement, attic, tool shed, kitchen/ and move to the easier ones /bedroom, bathroom/.
DIY packing rule #5: Introduce a good level of safety in your packing process: always double tape the bottoms of all cardboard boxes regardless of their current condition, don’t make the moving containers heavier than 50 pounds, and make sure you lay clean sheets of paper on the inside before starting packing up a box for moving.
Take a look at our revolutionary Packing Checklist that will teach you how to pack up your home quickly and safely in exactly 60 steps.
7. To assume you can protect your things better than professional packers
Another common mistake when moving without movers is to assume that you’re the only one who knows how to protect your items in the best possible way simply because you’re the one who owns them.
Such an assumption is fine for non-fragile and non-special household items such as clothes, bed linen, shoes, and books. But when it comes to very fragile items (china, plates, glasses, electronics, artwork, etc.) or special items (piano, grandfather clock, pool table, hot tub, etc.), then your best option is to bet on professional packers who have years of experience in handling highly delicate household items.
It’s possible that you feel uneasy and nervous when complete strangers are touching your things but the truth is that their extensive experience helps them keep things safe as they know where to add more packing paper and how to wrap fragile objects in bubble wrap to safeguard them throughout the move.
Full-service moving companies offer packing as an add-on service, meaning that you can request it from the pros for an extra fee. But before you discuss with your mover the necessity of that additional moving service, make plans to pack whatever you can by yourself to save money.
8. To think house moving safety is hugely overrated
As a matter of fact, effective self-protection is a major concern in every single self-move attempt. In contrast to professional movers, DIY movers don’t always know what specific steps to take to guarantee their safety and the safety of everyone else involved in the house move, including pets, of course.
One of the best pieces of self-moving advice you can ever get is to never turn your back on safety when moving by yourself to another city. Stay safe by taking advantage of the following 3 house-moving safety principles:
Safety principle #1
Still think Moving day safety is overrated?
First of all, learn how to avoid personal injuries when moving house. To think that the heavy household items found in your home are no match for your physical strength is a clear sign that you’re headed for painful troubles.
Use your common sense at all times and plan your actions with safety in mind before you actually start working on a particular moving task.
Keeping your house move accident-free from start to finish is your top priority, so make sure you get your gray matter to work before flexing up your big muscles.
Safety principle #2
Of all mistakes when moving yourself, one of the most common ones is underestimating the importance of moving equipment. Yes, practicing proper lifting techniques will contribute greatly to an injury-free DIY relocation, but you can’t do without some ultra-useful pieces of moving equipment either.
Even if you’re blessed with inhuman physical strength, rent an appliance dolly (an L-shaped two-wheel handcart) to wheel out safely your heavyweight kitchen appliances and furniture pieces.
Also, get hold of some moving straps if you really intend to do most of the heavy lifting together with your trusted buddies.
Safety principle #3
While resolving the dilemma of whether you should hire professionals or move by yourself, you should also think about the well-being of your soon-to-be old home. Don’t make the serious DIY mistake of assuming that your house is immune to damage but take the necessary precautionary measures to avoid burdening your self-move budget with costly repair work.
Prevent property damage by investing in protective furniture blankets and moving pads, as well as carpet film protectors and/or plywood sheets. Furthermore, consider disassembling your furniture pieces to their components before attempting to take them out of your home as they are.
9. To assume your friends are obligated to help you move
Find a way to let your good friends know how much their moving help means to you.
It’s fair to say that no DIY move is possible without the timely assistance of good friends willing to sacrifice their time to help you move.
And yet, the fact that you have great friends to hang out with or do silly stuff together doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll be lining up to come to your aid.
Don’t make the mistake of assuming that your pals will surely be there for you – tight work schedules, family-related responsibilities, previous commitments, and a score of other external factors may prevent most or even all of them from giving you the helping hands you need during this tough transitional period of yours.
To have a really good chance of receiving non-professional assistance exactly when you need it the most:
REACH OUT to your pals as early as you have decided to move house by yourself;
ASK them for help face to face but if that’s just not possible, consider taking advantage of the power of social networks;
BE honest with them and tell them exactly what you have for moving and how long you plan to use their services so that they can include you in their plans;
DON’T BE quick to judge those of your friends who cannot come to your aid for one reason or another. Instead, show the expected understanding;
DON’T RELY entirely on your friends’ help but do whatever you can yourself to additionally speed up the process;
MAKE sure you distribute the moving tasks properly among your pals and take into account their strengths and weaknesses while doing so.
Tradition says that one of the ways to thank your friends is to treat them to pizza and beer but there are various other worthy ways to show your gratitude and appreciation.
Along with home-made personal thank-you cards, small thank-you gifts, or even funny certificates /for example, STRONGEST NON-PROFESSIONAL MOVER/, make sure you don’t forget to assure them that you will repay the favor whenever they might need your moving assistance.
10. To think that finding a good mover is too much hassle
Soon enough, you may find yourself in a dilemma: should you organize a self-move or hire professionals to take care of the move for you?
In such cases, it’s easy to make the mistake of thinking that finding a good moving company is too difficult and you don’t wish to go through all the hassle of having to research each company and then having to choose the worthy one – the mover that you can actually trust with your prized possessions.
In reality, finding a reputable, experienced, and affordable moving company is easier than you think: use our Moving Cost Calculator to get in touch with several pre-screened moving companies that are properly licensed by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and adequately insured.
After the initial contact, you should request in-house surveys from those movers so that they can provide you with accurate cost estimates in writing. Once you have the estimates in your hand, you only need to compare the prices and the conditions to pick the winning bid.
Before you make up your mind, it’s always a good idea to also read what customers had to say about each company in the form of moving reviews.
*At MyMovingReviews we will connect you with a professional moving company. Please note that we may not be affiliated with
and you may be speaking with another licensed provider.
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