Moving suggestions

[Nancy Hummel]

My parents live in Florida. They are in their 80’s and have decided they would like to be closer to me. They are at a point where they can live independently but need emotional support along with assistance in managing finances, medications etc.

They are moving to Colorado in the next couple of months. They have buyers for their house and have a place to live in Colorado. They will be moving some of their furniture and personal items but not the whole house. I am doing most of the organizing, purging, etc. My thought is to determine exactly what is going to Colorado and have it packed/moved and I will deal with everything that is left. We are not closing on their house until after they have moved.

Does anyone have suggestions/advice for an economical long distance move? I want someone to pack for them. They can’t do it and neither can I. There are no exact time constraints. We are very flexible. Thanks.

 

[Philpug]

When I moved west, I used the guideline if it was worth less than $1.00/lb get rid of it and start fresh. I used moving company and it seemed to work pretty well, my stuff took about 2 weeks or so to get here. Estate companies will come in and take what is left and pay you pennies on the dollar...25-30% but for some that is worth the effort of not having to sell it yourself.

 

[BS Slarver]

Nancy, first, we wish you luck with luck with moving your parents.
After 25+ years in the Catskills we are in the final planning stages of a cross country move to big sky.
I echo Phil’s thoughts on ditching some / most stuff that is easily replaced. See if the buyers of your parents place have any interest in buying any furniture, even for pennies on the dollar or free to avoid either moving or holding a yard sale.
As owners of a storage facility and warehouse space, do yourself a favor and leave it behind if it’s just being brought only to be put in storage. Fees add up quickly and most times
people struggle coming to terms with disposing of the belongings that they paid to move and then paid to store, have them make a clean break from Fla !
Our plan is to get a local moving company to help pack it up, we will do the drive and a local moving company will unpack here in Big Sky.
In your case you just need to find a UHAUL driver, a friend, younger relative on summer break from college etc.
In our estimatiing we will be less than 1/2 of the 10k from the lowest quote that we received. The major shippers estimates are very open ended and will only get more expensive once our belongings are actually weighed.

 

[Nancy Hummel]

Thanks! I agree with your suggestions about ditching as much as possible. I have already started that process. I have already completed round one of purging and am going back for a week in July for round 2. We bought a house in Glenwood Springs and are buying some of the furniture from the sellers so we do not need much of their furniture. We will have the house set up when they arrive. My dad wants to drive out here but I have serious concerns about that. I am considering having their car shipped.

I have no problem getting rid of stuff. Most of their stuff is more Florida than Colorado so it will either be sold or donated.

 

[Mendieta]

Does anyone have suggestions/advice for an economical long distance move? I want someone to pack for them. They can’t do it and neither can I. There are no exact time constraints. We are very flexible. Thanks.

Having moved several times, including once with a full house of furniture and two kids, I can't agree more with the fact that moving presents an opportunity to get rid of a lot of stuff. That, sometimes, costs a little money, in that someone needs to come in and take it. But it's well worth it. Now I see your update, that you are working on that, already.

My other suggestion is that you consider eventualities.Meaning: accidents, etc. I would go full insurance if possible. That means that you would be using a professional, fully insured company (assuming they are good at it). I would try to keep the cost low by moving less stuff, but I always worry that I might be saving 3 grand on the moving, but exposing myself to 300k in a lawuit, or 10k in repairs of something goes wrong and there is no insurance. Just a little perspective ...

 

[graham418]

My dad wants to drive out here but I have serious concerns about that. I am considering having their car shipped.

I don't know what kind of shape your parents are in , but they may enjoy a road trip. My grandparents did it well into their eighties. My father, who is now in his eighties, and in good shape , still driving , now ships his car to Florida and back every year. It is relatively cheap , and saves a lot of mileage on the car . He loads it up with all his clothes and golf gear before it goes on the truck.

 

[Nancy Hummel]

I don't know what kind of shape your parents are in , but they may enjoy a road trip. My grandparents did it well into their eighties. My father, who is now in his eighties, and in good shape , still driving , now ships his car to Florida and back every year. It is relatively cheap , and saves a lot of mileage on the car . He loads it up with all his clothes and golf gear before it goes on the truck.

I think my dad is on the edge. He finally sold his Honda Gold Wing at age 82. He is now 87. However, his cognitive functions have declined significantly in the last 6 months. I am on the fence with this one.

 

[SShore]

Use a reputable moving company. DO NOT TRUST quotes you get off of the internet. Most of the companies you find on the internet are not moving companies, they just give you a quote sign you up and then pass it along to someone that actually moves you. What often happens is they get your stuff to the new location then inform you that the cost is two or three times what you contracted for and you have to pay before they will deliver.

When we moved to Montana from Atlanta, we used Atlas Van Lines. They were reasonably priced, packed and moved us and the whole process went very smoothly. I would highly recommend them, even if they are more expensive than the cut rate operations.

 

[Ken_R]

Having moved twice in the last 2 years including a move from Puerto Rico to Texas I have to recommend to get rid of as much stuff as possible. Also, I shipped my car from Jacksonville Fl to El Paso, Texas and it was the best choice. I would much less want my parents exposed to such long highway driving.

 

[Ron]

Since I own a company that deals with corporate moving services and handle about 10000 moves year, I can tell you the industry has changed dramatically in the past year. The major van lines have dramatically increased their rates on small moves (5000 pounds and under) and the worst time to move is between May through September. It’s called Peak Season and there are specific surcharges that will apply while labor shortages and burned out employees are real issues. Feel free to pm me to discuss.

In general, get rid of anything you havent used or are heavy that you don’t value. You are paying by the pound (essentially) so items that are heavy cost the most to move. Consider if it’s just better to replace those items with new.

Be very careful with “containerized.” Shipments where your goods are packed at origin and either palatalized and shrink wrapped or packed into small containers. They are then transported to a local moving facility and await a truck that will Transport them at a later time by “common carriers” to your destination. In the summer it’s chaos in the moving industry and there is a higher percent of damage as well as them literally losing your shipments. The movers cannot track them as they say and they don’t have total control over them once they are picked up by an outside carrier.

“Insurance”. I could give a dissertation on this but I won’t. . Your home owners policies do not cover you and replacement value protection from movers isn’t insurance. Your actual coverage is not as great as you think. If you pack items you are pretty much out of luck for any kind of repairs or replacements if damaged. Technically a mover is responsible for any items they deem as safe for transport but good luck on that. Those items will be labeled as “PBO” packed by owner so there won’t be any record of what was packed in the cartons.

Inventory sheets are the legal record of what your are moving, they should detail what’s being moved. For instance, a tv or appliance should list the make and model number and try to see if you can get the mover to attest that it was in working order before it was loaded (they don’t have to). Also, ask if they will at least label the inventory sheet with a description of items you pack. Again, they don’t have to. They will also use descriptions of the condition of all furniture liked scratched, worn, chipped, etc. make sure you agree with these descriptions. Don’t allow multiple lines on a inventory form to describe items. For instance, a bed frame should only be entered on one line. This is a red flag! It pertains to weight calculation so don’t allow it.

Paperwork. Do not under any circumstance sign blank forms or sign any document unless you understand it in totality. Keep copies of every inventory page, bill of lading or Accessorial forms and the signed cost of services form along with the “cube sheet” which is the form used when estimating your move cost

Weight tickets are the main control document. You have the right to witness the weighing of your goods and to request a reweigh if you feel the tickets are invalid. This is the most important part of your move as far as your costs are concerned. It’s one of the most common billing errors that my company finds.

Understand that there are actually few laws that protect consumers in moving. You really need to understand the rates used for your move and to see them in writing before you agree to use any mover. Major van lines are typically better since there is at least a corporate entity behind your local agent that can come to your aid in the event of a service failure.

Estimates are estimates and regardless of what any mover tells you, legally, none are truly guaranteed and be careful of “binding estimates”as they typically involve marking up the estimate by 20-30%. “Not to exceed” is a better route. However, a mover can contest your fixed or agreed to rates by simply saying you added items to your move or added services not included in the estimate. Keep a copy of the “cube sheet” which is the form used to estimate the weight of goods being moved and the services required. All movers can give you a copy of this form and it should contain a list of items not being moved as well.

 

[coskigirl]

Ron nailed most of the nightmare issues around moving.

I've done lots of short moves and a couple of long moves. My best success for a long move was using ABS U-Pack services. It looks like they now offer cube moves as well but at the time I did it I was responsible for loading my goods into the trailer within an allotted space allowance at their terminal. They drove it cross country then I picked it up at their terminal on the other end. It was a pretty small amount so that worked for me. For larger moves they will drop the trailer at your location for loading and unloading. You still have to provide the muscle on either end but I've hired moving labor through Uhaul (without renting their truck) a few times with good success. They have lots of reviews so picking a balance of cost and reputation was easy. In the end it's kind of the best of both the self move and full service move options.

 

[Ron]

ABE is pretty good. just make sure you know where they are dropping off your goods!

the issue in the industry is the labor, Just a warning. be very careful with who you are hiring. Keep in mind that nearly all labor supplied by moving companies are day laborers or contract labor, they may not have any experience at all in moving. the best labor will go to service corporate relocation moves first. Be very clear about the mover having insurance and who is responsible for any damages they incur to your home or property or if moving into a apartment/condo complex!

last warning.. you can request that any labor supplied be background and drug checked but that's no guarantee who will show up.

 

[Ron]

@coskigirl said "Ron nailed most of the nightmare issues around moving".


Not even close! The stories I could tell you......... Most insane business ever with little legal control or protection to the consumer. It's literally why we are in business.

 

[Pequenita]

I moved across the country a few years ago. I balanced economy with convenience - sold some of the larger pieces of furniture (bookshelf, 2 dining tables, end table); trashed the IKEA dresser that was already falling apart; moved the mattress, bed, sofa, desk, and was grateful to have them ready upon my arrival. I self-packed the non-breakables, e.g., the few books I wanted to keep, photo albums, clothes, etc. I purged a lot of other stuff. Paid for the moving company to pack the kitchen. I had a couple of high value pieces and paid extra insurance for those. Shipped my car on open transport. I carried my passport, deed, car title, etc. on my person. Overnighted other "important" but not irreplaceable documents that I would need upon arrival to a friend in my new location. Hopped on a plane a couple days later and went for a vacation, and my car arrived earlier than expect, which was great!

I don't know if my moving company is in your parents' area. I highly recommend them, so if you're interested in learning who they are, please PM me. Your stuff is put onto pallets and moved from point to point on their company's vehicles - no common carrier in the middle.

 

[Ron]

Also, "cube" moves are typically move csot based on the space (cubic feet) or a specific container size. this can be a good option but be careful in that items like rugs couches kayaks and other longer items wont usually fit in these containers. Items that weigh little or are bulky could end up costing you a lot. When moving by "density" or cube (same thing) heavy items wont cost you more but very bulky items will now be more costly. Just know how you are being charged!

 

[Philpug]

Tricia got lucky with her move. She bought an enclosed trailer im Michigan, packed it solid, moved and sold the trailer for what she had in it. If that is a possibility, take a look into to.

 

[Ron]

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I don't know if my moving company is in your parents' area. I highly recommend them, so if you're interested in learning who they are, please PM me. Your stuff is put onto pallets and moved from point to point on their company's vehicles - no common carrier in the middle.

which company is doing this? there's a bit more to this method of moving. glad your went well! Van lines are really franchises so even though you use a major van line agent there is almost always several different agents involved, this means that even if you "book" your move with your local agent, in all likelihood, that agent will have very little to do with your move unless its within their hauling limits and they register your move as a "self haul" and put on of their drivers on your shipments. Who you book your move with is very important and you should ask them if they are willing to put in wrting who will be involved in your move. If they register your move as open in the "system" they could literally never touch your goods. Typically, the parent corporate van line serves as a travel agent where they put together multiple loads to completely fill to each truck to capacity. An origin agent, hauling agent and destination agent can all be different agents from the same van line but have nothing to do with each other beyond being part of the same van line. Its all very complicated on how it really works. A good agent will use their crews (still contact labor) to pack, load and transport your goods on their "equipment" with their drivers. That usually doesnt happen on COD, small moves.

 

[Pequenita]

Gentle Giant. Also, to @Ron's point about not knowing who is going to show up - I spoke with the movers on both ends and chatted with them about how long they'd been with the company, etc. I felt very comfortable as a solo woman in their presence. I've a number of friends who worked with the company as movers in the late 1990s.

I don't doubt that I probably paid a little more for the move, but that's also why I did 75% of the packing and purged the heavier furniture.

 

[Jim Kenney]

Not meaning to be negative as your parents may have many great years ahead, but since your Dad is age 87 and I have dealt with end of life issues with two sets of parents in that age range in recent years I would not just down-size, I would pretty much liquidate everything that either 1) other family members won't take personal possession of or 2) can't fit in your parents car trunk. I would settle them in the new place by having it fully furnished before they get there keeping in mind that the new place may very well be a relatively short destination before they go into an assisted living type of facility (and some of those can be very good), leading to another round of downsizing if that hasn't already been accomplished. When my folks finally gave up their long time single family home I was surprised at how little of their excess belongings were wanted by my siblings. Their real estate agent helped remove (throw away) excess items. I was executor of their estate. Only china, silverware, a few paintings, and about five other things were desired by family members. My parents had wisely distributed some of their valuables years before. You are doing a beautiful thing to help them. When they finally pass you will have no problem with closure because you were there for them at this time of need. I can't emphasize how important it is for you and them to be located fairly close (~within 20 miles) so you can easily keep an eye on them and advocate for them with their medical, financial and social needs.

 

[Bad Bob]

I end up on a number of 6+ month jobs far from home. Normally rent a house/apartment and furnish it locally (thrift stores and yard sales here I come). Think collage apartment. You can make some amazing buys. I am pretty brutal about getting rid of stuff; if it doesn't fit in or on the SUV it doesn't go home.

When the project is over I'll post the stuff on Craigslist or the like for a week; what doesn't sell is donated back to a charity based thrift store for the tax write-off. Many of those thrift stores will even come pick it up.