Should You Move Your Stuff Yourself or Hire Help After Selling Your Home?

After you sell your house, you get to pay off your mortgage and find a new and exciting place to live. While there's often a lot of anticipation involved in this process, there are stressful parts beyond just having to get a new mortgage loan -- namely, having to move to a new home.

If you're like most people, you have a lot of stuff to call your own that's going to have to be relocated. You'll need to make a decision about how to handle this process, which usually involves either hiring a mover or trying to do it yourself.

So, how should you make this choice? Here are some questions to ask yourself to help you decide.

Are you physically capable of moving your stuff?

The first question you have to ask yourself is whether you are physically capable of moving all your possessions -- including heavy items like mattresses and dressers and dining tables.

If you are not strong enough to handle moving these large items, then you will have no choice but to hire a moving company unless you have friends or family who are willing to step in and who you are comfortable asking.

How much money can you spend on the move?

Hiring professional movers is very expensive. According to U-Haul, the average cost of hiring two movers for two hours ranges from $211 to $354 depending on the state. If you don't have a hefty checking account balance, you could easily end up spending several thousand dollars on a move -- especially if you have a lot of stuff or if you must move your items over a long distance.

The cost of hiring professionals is a huge downside. But, if you aren't physically capable of moving all your items, you may have to pay for help for at least some of them. You could potentially save money by doing most of the packing and moving yourself and just bringing in the pros for the things you can't manage on your own.

How much time can you spend on the move?

You're going to have to spend a lot more time moving yourself compared with if you hire professionals to come in and do the job. Consider whether you're able to do this. If you have a lot of work commitments or small children, it may not be worth it.

You should also think about the value of your time. If you can work and make more money per hour than you'd pay the professionals, you may as well do your job and let the movers take care of the tough tasks of packing and relocating your possessions.

How far are you moving?

The length of your move is important too. If you are moving over a long distance, it will cost more to hire professional movers. But, it may be more worth it to you if you don't want to pack and load a large truck. If you are relocating just down the road, you may want to handle things yourself if you can take over items over time and if you can drive a smaller truck and just make more trips.

By considering these issues, you can decide what makes sense for you. In most cases, DIY is the way to go if you have the strength to do it and are short on cash, but hiring a professional makes sense if you can afford it or are incapable of moving your items on your own.

If you must hire a professional, consider trying to do as much prep work as you can to save on costs. And whether you're doing it yourself or bringing in the pros, try to downsize as much as possible and declutter, because the less you have to move, the easier and cheaper it will be.