How Far in Advance Should You Schedule Movers?

How Far in Advance Should You Schedule Movers?

Want to know when to schedule a mover for your move? The right answer is here! Based on when, where, and how you are relocating, the actual timeline of your move will be so much different.

How long before you relocate should you hire the moving company is one of the major questions consumers do ask when preparing for a move.

The simple answer is to book as early as you can, especially if you are moving in the summer months, which is the busiest moving season.

Generally, 2 months before the exact move date is the best.

Knowing when you are moving is important to sticking to a reliable moving calendar and creating a complete moving and packing checklist.

We will discuss how early you should hire a moving company based on different situations of any type of move. So, if you plan to move and yet to book your mover, stay close, this write-up will help you.

Book Your Moving Company As Soon As Now

Planning your moving process earlier saves you from tough surprises and expensive mistakes. The first step in arranging your move is to choose a convenient moving date.

One huge advantage of early booking is that you have a variety of moving companies to select from. You have time to compile moving estimates from different moving companies to determine the right option for you.

There are different benefits to the early scheduling of your move:

  • Lower cost: When you make advance scheduling of your move, your moving rates are often fixed from the beginning. This is cost-saving in general because the expense of paying for a hired moving company constitutes most of your moving budget.
  • Better organization: Choosing your preferred moving day enables you to focus on other parts of your move, like packing, arranging for transport to your new home, disposing of unwanted stuff, as well as other activities on your moving task list.
  • Preferred moving company: Booking will enable you to pick from the top moving companies nearest to you and makes sure that the right moving equipment is available for your specialty items.

Certain factors determine how far before your move date you should hire a mover. These factors are highly worth considering when booking your move.

Not doing so can cost you more on your move than expected or having to hire a mover that can’t provide for all your moving needs.

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Full Service Moving Companies

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How Soon Enough Should I Schedule For A Local Mover?

The best case, when moving shot distance, is to book your moving company at least 2 months before the date if possible, book your moving company 3 or 4 months before the day, especially if you are performing a peak-season move.

However, there are different scenario and they are as follows:

Booking Local Mover in the Same City during Summer

If your move is happening during summer, make an early booking. Normally, two months in advance of your move date. Worst scenarios, a minimum of 4 weeks, but understand that having just a month to your move means your choice of movers will be limited. Many good moving companies are booked out 2 to 3 months earlier.

Booking Local Move in the Same City during Off-Season

If your move is happening outside summer, then you can book whether two or four weeks in advance of your move date. Remember, even during winter, spring or fall, good moving companies will book up, so, make sure you try to give much notice.

How Soon Enough Should I Schedule for the Intrastate Move?

When you live inside the same state, but you want to relocate to another city, you want to submit the booking of your move as soon as possible. There is a recommendation that you book movers at least three months earlier, anytime possible.

However, there are different scenarios and they are as follows:

Moving to a New City in the Same State during Summer

Intrastate moves are moves in the same state without crossing the border and are not complicated, unlike state to state moves, so booking a moving company ten to twelve weeks before you move is enough.

Since there are fewer numbers movers who will move to a new city in the same state, you should let them know least two or three months earlier, especially for summer moves.    

Moving to a New City in the Same State during Off-Season

To move in-state outside the summer season, you can book between four and eight weeks before the exact move date with two months as the perfect amount of time required.

How Soon Should I Schedule Long-Distance Moving Company?

The right type of mover is required to move out of state. Some local moving companies will not move your goods across state borders. However, long-distance movers are often booked up far in advance.

Whenever you plan to move to another state, you should first book your moving company at least 4 months in advance. Waiting longer may limit your choices when you book your movers, especially if you are crossing to another part of the country. 

However, there are different scenarios and they are as follows:

Booking Interstate Mover during Offseason

Moving offseason will take your household belongings across the state line and require a minimum of 8-week notice. Also, the further you move, the lesser number of full-service moving companies are available to move your goods.

How Soon Enough Should I Book My International Mover?

International moving season is not as easy as it is for other types of moves. Moving companies can be so much busy at any time of the year because international moves don’t go with a similar type of schedule and often seem difficult to be predicted.

If you are moving to another country, your booking must be done 6 months before, whenever you can. There are numerous things you will need to perform before your move, hiring the right international movers in advance is just perfect.

When moving to a new country, your moving company has to factor in certain things, like passing customs. You may need to make a booking of your move earlier, based on your destination country.

It is important to consult an international moving company immediately after you have a green light to proceed with your international move.    

Make an Earlier Booking If Moving Between May and Labor Day

The season will determine how far in advance you should hire movers. Winter months for professional movers are generally slow season. Booking 2 – 4 weeks in advance of your desired move date in this season is recommended.

When in the busy season from May to September, moving companies are normally booked up. Summer months are simply the busiest since the weather is friendly and it is the end of the school year. We recommend you book 2 months before your moving day during this season.

Tips To Decide Timeline for Booking

Longer Distance, Earlier Booking: 

Early booking of your move will also be affected by the distance of the move. Longer distance moves for instance require a lot of organization, long notice is therefore important. 

  • Local moves often involve less planning and therefore often take 4 weeks’ notice.
  • Cross country moves require 8 weeks of advance hiring.
  • Book your international moves at least 3 to 4 months in advance to enjoy your move reliably and affordably.

Large And Tough Moves Need Early Booking:

You also have to consider your move size and complexity before you book a move. When a moving company provides an in-home moving estimate, the number of equipment, as well as labor, is considered.

For larger moves, booking further in advance is important to make sure that the movers will be able to handle the size of the move. If you are moving any specialty items, like artwork, pianos, and antiques, you need to give your moving company an advance notice so they can assure you of the availability of the relevant equipment on the move date.

Here are other factors that affect the moving process:

  • Elevators
  • Long carries
  • Stair carries

These elements also must be considered when determining the difficulty of your move.

Do not make last-minute move booking:

If you, at any time, get faced with a last-minute move, your first step should be to first contact moving companies immediately. You should not just decide to make a last-minute booking of your move. You will have to go with poor-standard movers or might even get scammed by rogue movers.

But for emergency moving, act as soon as you can, make sure you book your mover. You don’t have many options as you get closer to your moving deadline. And based on the situation, a self-move might be necessary.

When making the emergency booking of your move, it is important to perform a background check by double-checking the USDOT number as well as checking their complaint history.

Things to Consider When You Choosing When to Schedule Mover

  • Moving distance: Moving further implies that you should book for the move earlier. If moving cross country, you should submit your booking exactly 8 weeks before the move (12 weeks for summer moves). Additional time is required by movers in Florida to arrange the pickup and delivery across states look for ways to arrange shipment, and handle various details linked with the state to state moving.
  • The move size: The number of things you need to move should also be a factor to consider when scheduling your move. A large move will require much time and resources (equipment and labor). So you need to book it a little further before the move date to ensure that your chosen movers can cater for your needs.
  • The complexity of work: Some moving jobs are easily accommodated by moving the company’s schedules than others. If you are moving special stuff that needs special transport mode, or special transport materials, it is always better to inform them before the move. Any extra moving services like packing services, movers should also be scheduled in advance so that the moving company has sufficient time to finish them and ensure everything is properly done.

Conclusion

It is important to book your long-distance moving company about four to eight weeks before the date so that your desired moving company has sufficient time to come up with logistics and make sure your move is successful.

Are you set to schedule a moving company now? Begin by obtaining a free moving estimate, as it is the first step to getting quality moving assistance and making sure your move is successful.

Adam Palme - Author
Adam Palme

Adam grew up in military family, which meant he moved more than 20 times before he graduated high school. The experience taught him a lot about adaptability (and loading boxes), which he leveraged into a career in the moving and storage industry 7 years ago. He’s been working in sales and customer service management for 20 years, and he uses his own experiences to write content about moving, storage, leadership, and teamwork. Outside of work, Adam enjoys coaching youth football in Miami and enjoying some beach time with his dog. Go Dolphins!

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