Everything You Need to Know About Hiring Movers

You finally got the house you wanted, the papers are going to be signed, you've figured out how to pay for it, everything's done except for one little thing: the move.

Moving was one thing when it was just you and three roommates just out of college. The main thing you had to worry about was getting the futon in a truck and not forgetting your clock radio.

Now that you've got "stuff," and possibly a significant other with "stuff," as well as a back that's not as limber as it used to be, you've got to call in the movers.

Moving and storage companies run the gamut, and even include upscale operations that will lift every single item from the deepest, darkest drawer of your old place, shift it safely into the new home, unpack everything and, for a fee, will even fill your refrigerator so you can just walk right in and have a beer.

Of course, you'll pay for that privilege.

Some companies with experience moving everything from artwork to baseball-card collections charge $3,000 and up for a local move (less than 50 miles).

Traditional moving companies like the familiar Bekins or Global will provide boxes (they're extra), help you fill them (for a fee) and load them up in their trucks for the ride. They're the usual services that will be brought in if your new employer agrees to cover your relocation costs. Depending on the services you need and whether you're going cross country or cross town, a full-service moving firm will charge anywhere from $500 to get you out of your studio apartment to a two-bedroom down the street, to $12,000 to haul the contents of your four-bedroom home to the other coast.