Moving involves making a lot of decisions. Perhaps the most important one is whether you hire professional movers for the job or simply ask some friends to help you relocate. You’ll need to think about which solution is the best for your situation. Some moves are going to be more complicated and are better done with the assistance of pros, but many others can be handled just by a few friends with a rented truck. If you’re debating whether you should hire professional movers or do it yourself, here are some things you should consider when making that decision:

Whether You’re Moving Locally or Across the Country

If you’re only moving a relatively short distance, such as within the same city or to a surrounding town, you probably won’t have much trouble finding friends who want to help you out. But if your move is a long distance one, few people will want to spend the entire day on the road with you. Therefore, if you’re moving to another state, getting a team of professionals to help you makes more sense.

By hiring a licensed and insured moving company, you’ll also have the peace of mind knowing that everything will arrive to its destination safely. Moving companies know how to handle long distance moves and will be happy to do the job for you even if you’re moving thousands of miles away from your current home.

How Much Stuff You’ll Be Moving

The main factor that will determine whether it’s best to hire movers instead of moving on your own is how big your move is going to be. The more you have in terms of furniture and other belongings, the bigger the job will be. If you’re only moving a small studio apartment, it might be possible to rent a small truck and get the move done with just one or two friends helping you. On the other hand, if you’re moving an entire three bedroom home, hiring the services of professional movers is recommended.

Whether You Have Valuable Items

If you’re only moving a few boxes of clothes and some secondhand furniture you bought at a garage sale, you can trust your friends to do the job right, as there’s not much that could go wrong. Things are different if you have valuable items that require special attention, such as expensive appliances or pieces of art. If you have high value items, you’ll want to hire professional movers.

They can supply you with cheap moving boxes that will help better protect your items during the move. They also know the best techniques to use when packing and handling items to prevent damage. Another big advantage of using a professional moving company is that any legitimate mover will be insured in case an item is damaged during the moving process.

How Much You’re Willing to Spend

Moving isn’t always cheap. Even if you opt for a DIY move, you’ll have to pay to rent a truck and purchase the moving supplies you need. There’s also the cost of gas, which is a bigger consideration if you’re moving a considerable distance away from your current home. Depending on how much stuff you have to move and how far your new home is, hiring a moving company can end up being worth the price.