I recently helped a friend make a semi long distance move. My friend was moving a 4 room apartment into storage into a garage about 150 miles away. We ultimately decided that doing a UHaul move would be the most economical choice, as my friend would shortly be moving again and would have to pay for two moves would be costly.
I started by getting quotes from various companies about doing the entire move.
Being a REALTOR, I called my go to movers, Bresnanhan’s Moving out of Plaistow NH. I have personally used them and recommended them numerous times to my buyers and sellers. Bresnahan’s quote was about $1200-1500 with out seeing the place. Fairly reasonable and I knew I could count on them.
Than local mover to close to the starting point gave me a guaranteed quote of $1800 after filling out an extensive form of items.
Finally several national companies that contract local movers were contracted and I seemed to get quotes between $1200-1300. I did not get the best feeling because I felt I was just dealing with a middleman. I felt this was not the way to go.
The UHaul Move
Out of curiosity I called to see what a UHaul rental would be and received a quote for $139.00 for a two day truck rental for a 150 mile trip. Turning 50 this year, the thought of hauling furniture up and down stairs was too much . I asked you UHaul if they had labor that could be hired for my UHaul move. Luckily, they have a whole section of contacts to contracted labor on their website. Though we did not use additional services you could hire people to pack as well as do a final clean!
Quotes started at $150 to $230 for two man labor crews for 2 hours. We decided on a two man crew for 3 hours at $290. At the final destination we were just offloading from the back of the truck into a garage. We just recruited some friends and family members so we did not hire labor on the back end.
My Overall Experience of My UHaul Move
My overall experience was outstanding. The truck was ready when it was supposed to be. The on location person on site was very helpful. From choosing the right truck size and knowing what else we may need their advice was spot on. They recommended renting furniture pads and a dolly, which I did not think of myself.
On a side note, UHaul has every type of moving box imaginable. The boxes are the cheapest I could find and they will allow you to return any unused boxes!
Much to my surprise the hired labor was outstanding! 2 men showed up, a few minutes late but we will call it on time. They hustled. More importantly they expertly packed the truck. Nothing could move around as the items were packed so tight. They were done in just over two hours, were polite and did their job. We did not lift one finger at the starting point.
All said and done the UHaul move cost about $530, excluding packing supplies, but including labor, gas, insurance, and rental. I definitely would consider UHaul again for a small move.
My UHaul Move Perspective as a REALTOR
As a REALTOR, who has watched many home buyers move, with many trying to save a buck by renting a truck and recruiting friends, I highly suggest hiring at least some of the labor. These guys knew what they were doing and they were fast. Items were packed perfectly in the truck and nothing was damaged. Often I see self packed trucks either not packed efficiently so many trips need to be made or packed poorly and items fall over and get damaged.
Another thing I noted was that buying the boxes from UHaul, there was a uniformity to the boxes that made them very easy to pack into the truck. U can pick up boxes at a location or order online. A 1-2 bedroom packing kit includes 55 boxes and packing tape for about $125.00. It certainly beat trying to pull together all these oddball box sizes from dumpsters and local stores.
If you are trying to save money on a move consider renting a UHaul and contracting some labor. Often loading the truck can be difficult due to time constraints and you can save money on the back end having family and friends help with the unloading. I did check the reviews from the contract help and they were marginal to good. At the end of the day my experience was excellent, we didn’t break the bank or our backs.
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