Millennials Trust Friends And Family When Moving Home. Boomers Prefer Professionals

Moving homes has always been one of the most stressful events in people’s lives, mainly because we rarely do it. In fact, 43% of people in the UK last moved homes more than ten years ago, but they still vividly remember the stress and all the problems that came along with the process. 

One of the biggest causes of stress might be linked to the way people tend to move. It’s generally a generational thing, as Millennials prefer to ask friends and family, while boomers often call professionals to do their removals. That’s the conclusion from a nationwide survey conducted by Fantastic Services, one of the biggest and most loved home service companies, which specializes, among other things, in removals. The research has shown that only about a third of millennials would look for a professional moving crew, while 63% would rely on themselves, friends and family to do the job. On the contrary, around 52% of those aged 55+ will hire a removal company to move their stuff. 

Why is there such a difference? 

While it’s easy to attribute this massive difference to the generational gap, the facts might lie elsewhere. For starters, those aged 18-34 are most probably dealing with their first home move, while older generations are on their second or third move. In addition, 14% of young adults confess that they never moved homes. In comparison, only 4% of boomers do the same, showing that boomers have a far better understanding and experience with moving homes than the younger generation. Moreover, the average age at which Brits typically buy their first home is 32 years, meaning that younger people are most probably switching between rental units. Naturally, this would mean they have far fewer belongings, which explains why 11% of them use public transport for moving homes, while only 2% of boomers do the same. Living in a private home allows you to gather much more stuff, which is harder to move. 

Of course, fewer items to move means that there is less need to spend additional cash on professionals. Moreover, younger people, in general, are more mobile, strong and physically capable of moving an entire home by themselves. Though there are exceptions, the older generation prefers to save their joints and lower backs the trouble.  

What are the effects?

The most noticeable effect of using professionals over friends and family is reduced stress in several notable aspects of moving. According to Fantastic Services’ survey, one of the biggest problems of moving homes is the stress of packing up one’s belongings. Regardless of age, method of transportation and who’s helping, all agree this is the most stressful part. Those aged 18-34 admit to panicking over this aspect 67% of the time, while those aged 55+ do it 66%. Here those aged 35-54 find it most stressful, as 76% feel uncomfortable at the thought of packing up their belongings. 

On the other hand, when it comes to worrying about damaging one’s belongings, those who use professional help are far less stressed. 62% of millennials find this aspect stressful, while only 46% of boomers feel the same. These results match the 63% of millennials who prefer to enlist friends and family help and the 48% of boomers who do the same. Naturally, when you’re moving homes once every 22.7 years (on average), you have little to no experience in packing, securing and moving fragile property. Professionals, on the other hand, do it daily. Furthermore, they ensure your property, and even if something gets damaged, the company will cover it. This gives those who entrust their moving to a professional company a piece of mind. 

Why boomers prefer professionals.

If you ask all who hired a professional removals crew why they chose to do so, everyone will have a different reason. However, the Fantastic Services survey shows a clearer picture. In general, boomers don’t argue when moving homes. Only 17% of them had ever begun an argument, while with those aged 18-34, this is a common occurrence (65% of them get into an argument). 

Furthermore, only 5% of people who get into an argument do it with the company they hired. On the other hand, 20% get into a fight with their partners, 13% fight with their families, 9% quarrel with their neighbours and 7% with friends. Millennials, who are much less likely to hire professionals, tend to argue more. 35% will fight with their partners, 27% with family, 21% with neighbours, 15% with friends and only 9% with the company they hired. Boomers are much more level-headed. Only 8 per cent get into an argument with a spouse, 6% with family, 6% with neighbours, 3% with the professional company they hired and only 1% with friends. This comes to show that friendships are much more precious than anything else when you get older. 

What can we learn?

It’s almost always a good idea to take a page out of the elderly’s playbook. After all, even if some of their understandings are outdated, they still have an experience that we can use and not break our heads instead. Statistics have shown that following the boomer’s way when handling home moving is definitely for the better.