We all like to save a dollar or two where we can. One way we like to go about it is with some good old Aussie DIY. If you’ve ever moved, you’ll know professional home removals come with a price tag, especially if you’re moving interstate or to another city.
Like many Aussies before you, you’ve probably considered doing it yourself to save a few dollars. However, DIY home removals carry more risk and potentially a much higher cost than hiring removalists. Let’s take a look at the costs of doing a DIY move…
Upfront costs for home removals
Aside from your labour, which isn’t free, but we’ll come to that next, you’ll have a reasonable outlay of coin to prepare for your move. Hiring a truck comes at a cost. Doing multiple trips in your car uses lots of fuel, especially doing trips under heavy load. Then there’s packing materials, safety clothing (read our article about moving injuries if you think you don’t need this), and equipment costs such as hiring trolleys. It all adds up.
Your time is valuable
We like to assume we’re saving money by doing the labour ourselves, but our time isn’t actually free. If you have to take time off work to manage your move, that eats into your holiday pay, or becomes money not earned if you’re a wage worker or taking leave without pay. It’s worth noting that removalists do much more than carry furniture and boxes. Cleaning, unpacking and assembly services are some of additional tasks we provide that won’t eat into your time. The old adage in business is keep doing what you do best and pay professionals to do everything else.
The cost of an accident
A common issue we see with DIY home removals is people put themselves under pressure to get the job done as quickly as possible, usually for the reasons stated above, i.e. you’ve taken time off work, or the truck hire is an hourly or daily rate. Haste often leads to accidents, especially if you’re not used to packing, carrying and moving heavy or large items.
Accidents result in personal injury and damage to your belongings. Both will cost you money. Depending on the seriousness of the accident, the cost could outweigh hiring removalists, because…
Insurance
There are very few, if any at all, insurance providers who will cover you for moving insurance if you’ve packed your own boxes and are managing your own move. Removalists can secure moving insurance at very reasonable rates, providing you with peace of mind if any accident takes place, including damages to items in transit or storage.
More bang for your buck
When you weigh up the cost of hiring a professional versus doing home removals yourself, it’s easy to see how your costs could blow out. When you factor in all the additional services a professional removalist has to offer, your hard-earned dollars go a lot further. Plus, every quote we provide for a move comes at a fixed price, so you’ll know exactly how much your move will be at the outset.
Want to see how well your money will be spent? Contact us for a quote.