When should you contact professional movers?

There are two types of people. Those who like to live in the present moment focused only on what they are doing and where. Enjoying their “now” and making the best of it. Then there are people who always plan ahead. Those that are always planning, thinking, and speculating for the future. Always prepared, not letting a single detail slip by. Regardless of which group you belong to, when it comes to relocating, you’ll need to reconsider your attitude. No matter if you’re moving from Philadelphia to New York, or a few blocks away, neither approach will do you good. You will have to maintain focus on the present and stay alert to successfully complete the move. Also, you need to plan ahead and contact professional movers in order to avoid future unpleasant surprises.

Needless to say, scheduling your move should be the top priority. You can’t do things such as making a moving checklist or taking care of your paperwork without knowing your move date. So first of all, you need to pick a convenient day, and then make your plans around it. Unless you’re organizing a DIY move with a few friends as your help, you need to contact professional movers. But, when should you do it? How early in advance do you need to organize skilled helpers to relocate you? This decision depends on a lot of different factors, and we’re here to explore them, and figure out the best time frame.

What determines the best time to contact professional movers

Logically, it is best to book your movers as soon as possible. Relocating is a complex and often prolonged process, meaning you need time to make sure everything goes smoothly. Scheduling a move early on gives you plenty of time to take care of the important tasks. This way, you will have a smooth relocation with little to no issues. So, it is best to schedule your move as soon as you get in touch with reliable Philadelphia movers. This still leaves the question of when should you contact professional movers? There are a few factors that determine this choice, so let’s go over them.

The moving date is one of the first things to consider

If you are moving during the peak season, it is good to contact movers well in advance, which is around 2 months before your chosen moving date. To clarify, the peak season is late spring, summer months, weekends, and national holidays. During these times, movers are in high demand, meaning that popular companies will be booked many months in advance. If you wait too long and begin your search a few weeks before the big day, your choices will be limited. Meaning that you will either have to settle for lesser quality or an inflated price. On the other hand, if your move is at the time of year which isn’t as busy, 4 weeks before the move should be more than enough time to secure a reliable and skilled team of experts.

The further away your home is, the sooner you should schedule

Naturally, distance plays a big role in organizing your time schedule. For a short move a few blocks away or across town, anything up to 2 weeks before the big day is acceptable. You shouldn’t have more than a few hours of work, meaning that your professional local movers will be able to easily fit you into their schedule. For an interstate move, roughly 4 weeks will be plenty of time to plan out the logistics. Then there is a cross country move, which demands a lot more attention and planning. Here’ you’re looking at around 8 to 12 weeks of prior notice, depending on the season. Long-distance movers need plenty of time to figure out the packaging and paperwork needed for moving between states. Lastly, for an international move, book your movers 3 to 4 months in advance. This requires even more paperwork and planning than a long-distance relocation.

The size and complexity of the move also dictates when to contact professional movers

The more items you have to relocate, the longer it will take you to organize everything. This needs to be taken into account since a large move requires more people and resources like packing materials and maybe even vehicles. Because of this, it is good to schedule your move earlier to give your movers time to plan and act. In addition, you should provide more notice to your movers in case you’re relocating sensitive items. Moving your piano or expensive art might need special transport or packaging, which demands more planning for the moving day. Your chosen movers need to ensure that all of this equipment is ready and available when it’s needed. Additional moving services such as packing and unpacking also need to be scheduled in advance in order for your movers to make sure everything goes smoothly.

To summarize

There are many things that play an important role in deciding when you should contact professional movers. The chosen date, the distance, and the complexity all need to be taken into account to find the perfect balance. But, to sum it up, the optimal time you’re looking at for booking movers is on average between 4 to 8 weeks prior to the move itself. This is, in most cases, more than enough time for both you and your movers to complete all the necessary preparation. For those special situations such as moving out of state or across the continent, you should provide as much advanced notice as possible. If you can be flexible when it comes to organizing your moving timeline, you will drastically reduce the time between booking your movers and the important moving day. Plan ahead and stay focused. Once you hire a team of professionals, you can rest easy, knowing that your move will be nothing but smooth sailing.