Is It Better Value to Pay the Experts When Moving House?

Chris Cervera is the Operations Manager at Two Men And A Truck. He’s been moving people in and out of homes for over 15 years.

But as it turns out, moving was a very different experience from the other side.

“Moving sucks,” he said.

“I don’t want to do it again. It’s much easier moving someone else than moving yourself.”

Chris moved from a two-bedroom apartment in Maroubra, to a two-bedroom apartment in Five Dock with his girlfriend.

Despite having offers of help from co-workers, Chris decided to tackle the task himself, with a little help from four friends.

“I wanted to experience it myself,” he said.

“I also wanted to save money, but the time cost means that you’re not really saving money.”

So how long did it take an experienced removalist to move?

Chris estimates he packed boxes for around three hours each night, for eight days.

“The packing was horrible – it was tedious and boring,” he said.

He also took a day off work to transport all his furniture and possessions to the new place. That took nine hours.
Then there was another four hours of cleaning.

In total, the move took about 37 hours. That’s a FULL working week!

Chris agreed removalists would have been quicker, and professional packers would have been more efficient and reduced the time having to live in chaos from a week to a day.

So how would he do it differently?

Chris says next time around, he’ll be happy to pay for removalists, a packing service, and cleaners.

“Next time I move I’m going to have Two Men And A Truck do it for me. There’s no way I’ll do it again,” he said.

“If you value your time, it’s better value to pay the experts.”

But thankfully, there was some joy in Chris’s move.

“I liked unpacking, it’s the one time it’s all fresh and you have things exactly where you want them,” he said.

“And it’s exciting moving to a new area. It’s a completely different environment – I’ve had to find new shops, restaurants, and the fastest way to get to work.”

Chris’s tips for moving:

• Moving is not as easy as you think
• Be organised and have a checklist
• Get packers, don’t skimp on services