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Oftentimes, moving is considered one of the most stressful life events that people go through. Even if you're someone who is organized and a good planner, your move in Columbia can still be very stressful.
At certain times of day, busy streets and increased traffic might make navigating around in a moving truck more difficult, causing you more anxiety.
Reduce the stress with the help of our comprehensive list of the top movers in and around Columbia.
Making a short and sweet move? You might consider hiring a local mover that knows Columbia like the back of their hand. They are great for short moves, and they often have better short-notice availability and lower prices.
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One of the biggest questions people might have is how expensive their move is going to be. The usual hourly cost for moving in Columbia is as follows:
You will first want to figure out what type of mover is right for you. As shown above, whether you need a local or a national mover will depend on some of the details of your move. Movers can also be split into full-service and self-service. Full-service movers provide packing and loading services, which are a big stress-reliever if you hate packing boxes. A self-service mover will provide a truck and a driver, but you're expected to have all your items packed when they get there.
You can then explore to find movers near you that meet Maryland's mover licensing requirements. Other ways to research a moving company's credibility include reading online reviews and checking their rating on the BBB website. All of the companies on our list of Columbia's best movers are well-reviewed and picked by our expert team.
Once you've narrowed it down to a small list of companies to pick from, you can talk to them and get a free estimate. It is in your best interest to speak with at least two of the companies on our above list. Be sure to go through all of the services that you'll need, and to check that the estimate you get is a "binding estimate." Otherwise, it may be subject to change.
When moving to a new city, there are certain resources that are helpful to have:
The median house value in Columbia is currently approximately $451,618. In addition:
There is more tree coverage in Columbia than in 32% of the U.S. Other natural features of the area include:
Columbia's median income is around $105,815. Other stats about employment and education are:
84% of Columbia's 103,991 residents report being physically active. On top of that:
There are approximately 250 eating places around Columbia. On top of that:
If your move will have you going out of Maryland, or if you're going more than 50 miles, your best fit will likely be one of Maryland's national moving companies. These movers tend to have higher-capacity trucks, more experience moving between states, and better familiarity with multiple states' regulations.
International Van Lines (IVL), founded in 2000, acts as both a carrier and a broker for long-distance moves. They provide full-service moving, offering services such as packing and loading for customers to choose from. IVL has been operating in over 180 countries since 2004, helping customers worldwide put together custom moving packages to meet their unique needs.
For more than 20 years, Moving APT has focused on providing a top-notch interstate moving experience to customers across the country. From humble beginnings as a five-person crew in Florida, Moving APT has now served over half a million customers. They are fully compliant with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Founded in 1933, North American Moving Services now has over 500 agents across North America. The company provides both residential and corporate moves, and can assist with moves that are local, long-distance, or international. They offer packing, loading, and storage services, and everything they do is backed by 24-hour customer service.
American Van Lines was founded in Pompano Beach, Florida, but now provides long-distance moving across the U.S. The company has been offering a variety of full-service moving packages for over 50 years. American Van Lines has won one of Newsweek's 'Best Customer Service' Awards twice, in 2019 and 2021.
Allied Van Lines is an expert broker-carrier. This means that they can complete moves with their own team, or they can outsource to other carriers in an area where they don't offer direct services. A company representative can inform you about what options are available in your area. Allied Van Lines has over 90 years of professional moving experience.
JK Moving prides itself on the use of modern technology to help make moving fast and easy. They use tools like GPS tracking and climate-controlled storage to help everything go smoothly with your move. Since its founding in 1982, JK Moving has also prioritized the use of sustainable practices, such as recycling its materials. The company partners with the Race for Hope, Habitat for Humanity, and Fight for Children.
The top movers in Columbia are Swiftway Services LLC, Allied Van Lines, and Zip Moving and Storage, per our research.
Our list of Columbia's best movers is compiled using a number of weighted factors, such as:
For unusual, expensive, or oversized items, it is best to get in touch with the movers and ensure that they can move everything. We suggest that you do this well in advance, before you sign a contract, to make sure there are no issues on moving day. Some movers might charge an additional fee for moving items that are unusually large or require special care.
Make sure that you book a moving company far enough in advance of your move. If you've decided to go with a full-service moving company that has packing services, they will provide packing materials and labor — you simply need to be ready to pack up. If you are doing your own packing, make sure you get supplies and begin packing four to six weeks ahead of time. You'll also want to be sure that the house or apartment that you are moving out of is clean — clear out the fridge, make sure all storage spaces are empty, take out the trash, and so on.
On the other end of your move, confirm that you have keys to your new home. Pack essentials like a change of clothes, toilet paper, and medications in an easily accessible bag, so you're not forced to rummage through boxes during your first day in your new home. Finally, you should make sure that things like updating your address with your bank, mail forwarding, and updating your car's registration (if needed) will be taken care of within a reasonable time following your move.
When you decide to go it alone, you'll need to take care of all steps of the process: renting the moving truck, packing all of your things, loading boxes, and driving to your destination. A self-service moving company provides a truck and the people to drive it, although you'll still be responsible for packing, loading, and unloading everything. Full-service moving companies offer packing and loading services on top of supplying a truck and a driver.
Your best course of action when it comes to picking a company will depend on how much money you want to spend and how much work you want to do. Full-service companies will be the most expensive, but will call for the least manual labor on your end. Moving yourself is at the opposite end of both scales, and using a self-service mover will land somewhere in the middle.
We recommend contacting two or three companies from our list of Columbia's best movers to get price estimates. Then, you can compare estimates and decide which option is right for you.
