By Dom Annunziata

• 43 million American move every year
• 50% of all moves take place between Memorial Day and Labor Day
• 11-The number of times the average American family moves in a lifetime

Of that 43 million 21 million Americans move for housing related issues. Most people are looking for a newer, more adequate size, or more cost appropriate home. Eleven million individual’s moves are family related, while 7 million are work associated.

There are many publications that list the “Best Places to Move”, or “Safest Places to Live”, and they are fun to read. With perhaps the exception of retirees, most Americans do not have the option of choosing to move wherever they wish.

Here’s an alphabetical list of the 10 cities honored by U.S. News as this year’s Best Places to Retire:

• Bella Vista, Ark.
• Boulder, Colo.
• Eden Prairie, Minn.
• Green Valley, Ariz.
• Issaquah, Wash.
• Long Meadow, Mass.
• Portland, Maine
• Punta Gorda, Fla.
• Reston, Va.
• Walnut Creek, Calif.

These do not necessarily coincide with another publication that lists the “best states” to live in:

• New Hampshire
• Minnesota
• Vermont
• Wyoming
• Virginia

Or the “cheapest places” to live:

• Oklahoma
• Texas
• Tennessee
• Arkansas
• Nebraska

Or the “most secure” large cities:

Austin–Round Rock, Tex.

• Des Moines–West Des Moines, Iowa
• Madison, Wis.
• Bethesda–Gaithersburg–Frederick, Md.
• Rochester, N.Y.

How people move is another issue entirely. There a three basic avenues people choose for these moves. Let’s examine them and the reasoning behind the choices.

Do-It-Yourself Move

If we assume that you do not have a large enough truck then you will need to secure one of the correct size. Also be aware of any special driver licensing.

DIY entails packing your items, packing the truck, driving the truck to your new destination, unloading the truck and then returning the truck to the rental agency in time so as not to incur late fees. This may sound like an ordeal, but single people rarely have so many possessions that throwing it in a rental truck is an problem. However, when you begin to add a second person and children this process can easily become more time consuming and difficult.

If age is on your side and you have healthy friends to pitch in on moving day, going the route of renting, packing and driving a rental truck may be a viable option. Once bad backs, weak knees and shoulders come into play, professional movers may begin to look more appealing.

Full Service Professional

First off there is no problem securing a truck. A full service moving company will come to your home, pack your items, pack the moving van, drive your possessions to the new location and unload the van. This option can greatly reduce your stress, but the cost will be increased significantly. A full service pro will figure out where to park the moving truck and secure potential permits they will need - a feature city dwellers will appreciate.

When using a full-service moving company, the time of year will impact your cost. If you’re moving between Memorial Day and Labor Day, it may be difficult to find a mover because of demand and movers are less likely to negotiate on costs.

Latest Trend
Believe it or not, but there is a third option that more and more Americans are learning about; it is called portable moving or self-service moving. The concept is simple. A storage container is delivered to you, you box your own items, you pack it in the container which you have for an extended period of time, and the portable storage mover drives the contents to the new location. You unpack your items at your leisure and the company returns, usually between two to four weeks, to pick up the empty container. This option is less costly than a full service mover and less of physical and logistic stress than the do-it-yourself move.
One of the leading portable storage companies in North America is Go Mini’s with over 200 locations in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Go Mini’s takes out all the stress in moving and your move can be handled with one phone call. Call 1-866-gominis today or go on line for a quote at www.gominis.com.

The bottom line is you need to weigh all the pros and cons of each moving type and determine which one is best for you, your family and your belongings.