The following information is based on years of first hand experience. At All Pro Movers, our objective is to provide you with a more cost-effective way to move professionally. Depending upon the size of your job, the tips below could save you tens, hundreds, or even thousands of dollars. We provide you with this insight because we continually strive to keep the customer's bill as low as possible while providing a much higher caliber of service. In fact, saving money is the basis for the Self-Help Moving System. We take pride in providing "the best movers in town for the lowest total move cost." As a rule, the lower the bill is and the better the movers are, the happier the customer will be.
The Truck
Even if the only thing you want to pick up on moving day is the telephone, you will always save money by renting your own truck (by the day), and hiring All Pro Movers to do perform the labor aspect of your job (by the hour). The Self-Help Moving System is an inherently more cost-effective way to move.
Packing
The number one money saving tip for any local job may seem obvious. Pack all your belongings yourself. Of course, if you would like your movers to do everything from packing to unpacking, All Pro Movers will be happy to provide that service. Our crews are well trained in all aspects of professional moving. But if you are willing and able, you can shave many hours off your moving bill by having everything boxed up and ready to go when the movers walk in.
Packing tips can be found on most moving web sites. Here are some basic rules to follow. Pack heavy things in small boxes, light things in big boxes. No glass on glass. Leave clothes in drawers but remove anything that may spill, break or explode. Label fragile boxes "Fragile!". At All Pro Movers, we treat every box as though it is fragile, but other moving companies may not abide by this rule. Pay close attention to packing advice if you are not an experienced packer, as most movers will not insure the contents of boxes that you have packed yourself.
Pack EVERYTHING. Do not leave small unpacked items anywhere unless they are not to be moved. Small unpacked items can take up a tremendous amount of time, (especially if there is a long walk to the truck), as they are difficult to carry in volume. If you have things that will not be moved, try to group them together in one location and tell the movers, "This stuff stays." If you have items that you would personally like to move, try to do it prior to your move date.
Being Prepared
Movers generally spend a fair amount of time disconnecting / reconnecting and disassembling / reassembling various items. Each All Pro Movers crew arrives with a full set of hand tools to perform these tasks when needed. However, many of these things can be easily addressed by the customer before the movers arrive, and will shave more time off your bill.
Disconnect washer and dryer. If you cannot manually drain your washer, we will be happy to do it for you. Please have a bucket handy. Remove mattresses and box springs and lean them against a wall. Disassemble all bed frames. If you have more than two bed frames that are similar, label them to avoid confusion during reassembly. Remove all mirrors from dressers. Pack all hanging clothes in boxes or drawers (please do not overfill drawers with clothes). Disconnect and pack VCR and disconnect TV. Remove all loose wooden shelves and place them in the bottom of the piece or against a wall. We will handle your glass shelves for you if you would like.
Boxes
If you are willing to shuffle boxes around before the movers arrive, you should stack them by size when possible (small box pile, medium box pile, etc.) along a wall near the door that the movers will be using. Do not place boxes on furniture. Do not place boxes in the hallway or anywhere that may inhibit access to the large pieces of furniture or impede the flow of traffic. Boxes should be out of the way, yet easily accessible.
Feel free to leave the boxes in the room in which they were packed. If you would like them to be moved to a corresponding room in your new house, please label them accordingly. If you have more than 75 boxes to be moved to specific rooms, we highly recommend the color-coding method of labeling. Purchase small adhesive colored dots and place them conspicuously on your boxes. Each room should have its own color (i.e. red dot boxes go to the kitchen, green dot boxes go to the master bedroom etc.). This method is by far the quickest and most accurate way to get many boxes to many locations without error.
The best way to check if you are truly prepared is to walk through your house and look at every piece of furniture and every pile of boxes. Ask yourself, "Is it ready to go? Can the movers walk in, pick it up, and go?" If everything is ready to go, then you are ready to go.
SUPER SAVINGS
Many of our customers are fit and willing to perform most or all of the light labor, yet seek professional help to move the larger, more dangerous pieces. The Self-Help Moving System allows you to do as much or as little of the work as you would like to do. All Pro Movers are frequently hired to do what we call BSO (Big Stuff Only). Besides saving you money, renting your own truck has another advantage that you may want to explore. Typical truck rental allows for 24 hours of truck use. If you are serious about saving money, you may elect to hire All Pro Movers to come and professionally move only the large furniture. After our crew leaves, you have your own truck to move all your smaller items and boxes yourself at your leisure. Call your friends and order some pizza with all the money you just saved. Your friends will be much more excited about helping you move if they know that all the big stuff has already been moved and that the pizza is on the way. Enjoy the day.
