Moving--timelines, headaches, reminders, etc

[nidena]

This thread is inspired by Knee Deep in Water Chloe

I moved to a completely new state in January 2020.  The worst part of moving, for me, was finding people to help you move that won't break your stuff.  My stuff didn't get broken but it did get damaged a bit and they just didn't care.

The other difficult part was all the details to remember: making sure to get my mail forwarded (which, BTW, only lasts for so long because the USPS process expires after so many months; I recommend "refreshing" your address change for a good year after you move)

What was your biggest headache moving?

What are some lessons learned?

[Deleted]

Choose your mover carefully and try to be on the premises when they're packing and moving.

My last 3 moves were with local companies that were part of one of the major franchises. Two were local moves and one was from NJ to KC and paid for and arranged by my employer. The guy who came out and quoted the business was always pleasant, earnest, said all the right things to give you confidence in their work. The people who DID the work were something else.

They will not move liquids or plants. That's a common rule and I expected that. The packers, though, tended to "forget" to check spaces. Examples: the drawers under the stove, built-in benches along the wall of a finished basement that had storage under the seats (and my then-husband's entire record collection), anything you store under beds, contents of garden sheds. Once the packers are done, the movers come in and if small items such as records, clothing, board games, etc. aren't boxed, they get left. The last move, having learned my lessons, I was there when they packed and kept following them around with the vacuum, checking to see if they'd cleared everything out, They didn't send enough people to pack and just left everything under the kitchen sink. When I pointed it out, the packer said they don't do liquids. Scouring powder, latex gloves, and a whole lot of other things down there were NOT liquids.

Don't bother paying for "unpacking". Unless it's a VERY expensive move, where they take things out and put them on shelves and in cabinets, unpacking means they open boxes and the contents on the floor.

The usual advice: pack a box of essentials such as TP, a few dishes, changes of clothing, etc. so you have them immediately when you move in. Don't trust them with valuable or fragile items. Be careful what you do with valuables; my SIL had her jewelry stolen from their parked car during the move.

And be kind to yourself. It's a stressful time even if the move is for a happy reason.

[bookkeeper]

My moving tip is to sell most of your furniture.  DH and I have moved a lot and I like moving cash instead of a bunch of furniture than may or may not fit in the next place.

Last move, we had 92 plastic totes full of our stuff.  Each tote was labeled with a number and the contents.  I kept a notebook with a list of what was in each tote as I packed it.  I packed in totes because we put our stuff in storage at a friend's empty rental home.  Mice were a possibility and the plastic totes were more secure than cardboard boxes.

When unpacking, I like to put all the boxes in the garage and bring one in at a time to unpack.  That way I don't have so much clutter to work around.  

As you pack your stuff, put all your personal information such as tax returns and medical records in a suitcase that you keep with you.  You don't want to deal with identity theft on top of moving.  Keep a few hand tools in your car.  You will need a pliers and a screwdriver right away to put your bed together and hook up the washer and dryer.

If you have a large piece to move, like a piano or wardrobe, and it is a difficult wiggle to get in the house, you can take a video of how you got it in to help you get it back out.

[Sharon]

I'm in the middle of the moving process and will be moving a 4 hour drive from my current location.  So far I'm moving things a van load at a time every weekend to a storage unit.  As part of the offer process I get 7 days after closing on my current home before the new owner takes possession.

My packing/labeling system isn't ideal and I'm not getting rid of as much stuff as I should.  One of my labels reads 3rd shelf of yellow bookcase.

While I hope to have most of my crap moved to the storage unit I'm wondering if I will be able to get movers to move the rest.  This would include the freezer, washer and dryer and my bedroom and living room furniture.  This would include a piano.  While my DSIL is a wonderful man who helps me out a lot he has indicated that perhaps I should pay someone to move the piano.  I don't fault him for that.

[Sharon]

One thing I encountered this time, which was new to me, was being in a bumpable status.  The offer on my new place was contingent on selling my current house.  The owners accepted the offer, but until my house was sold they were free to accept an offer from someone else who wasn't contingent on selling their house (cash buyer, home already sold, first time buyer).  I only had to be given one days notice. 

As part of the counter offer it stated that my home had to be on the market within 4 days, that was the planned day to go live on the market.  I wasn't allowed to accept an offer on my home that was contingent on that person selling their home without my sellers consent and my home had to be under contract within 21 days.

I got lucky and had a full price offer within 4 days.  The inspection on the home I'm buying is Monday.

[seriousthistime]

I'm not selling right now, but I am buying a place close to family.  It was a word-of-mouth deal, no realtor involved, so we had to get attorneys to handle the paperwork.  The sellers are SO easy to deal with, and SO nice!  I am grateful for that. 

The sticking point on the deal is the sellers finding a place to move to.  The deal is contingent on that. They do need more space and do want to move. I have faith they will find a place to buy and the deal will actually go through. 

I have only just begun to figure out what to do.  When I moved 2,000 miles to my current place, I used a POD, had my handyman and his friend load it up, and I unloaded most of the boxes and my DS came down to help me unload the big stuff. Before I moved, I got rid of stuff, including mattresses and box springs (posted for free), and dining room furniture, extra sofas, and a whole bedroom set (sold on consignment) so I really pared down my big items. I bought new mattresses/box springs here.  I would likely try to use a POD again when the time comes.  I just don't know when.  Since the new place is in a location where I'm familiar with the options (including estate sales and the consignment stores) I am thinking I will buy stuff there, little by little when I happen to be there, and when it comes time to sell this place, I will figure out what to take and what to do with the stuff I don't want to take. 

Here, Nextdoor.com and BuyNothing Facebook groups have a lot of nice stuff for free or reasonably priced.  I'm not sure how it would be at the place where I'm going. 

I have NEVER had the luxury of a move where a moving company packed my boxes. 

I have found the local moves are the worst because they can be done little by little. As a result, they take forever. There is a certain satisfaction that goes with the closing of a truck's or POD's overhead door.  It's either in there or it doesn't go. 

[seriousthistime]

I'm going to tag Artemis Windsong here.  I think she is a snowbird so she may have some experience in this area. 

[flamingo]

I've moved a lot. My biggest piece of advice is to purge as you go. Think about when you last used something, will you use it in your new place, where will you put it in your new place. If I don't have good answers for those questions - out it goes. When we moved in July, we filled my SUV with stuff to donate as we were packing. So far, except for a few small things (tweezers, can opener) we haven't missed anything we purged. And we are ruthless about purging.

I agree with the PP who mentioned selling most of your furniture. At least, if you are making a big, long move, it can make sense. We sold most of our furniture in July and it really saved us some money (plus, it was older stuff AND it wouldn't have fit well in our new place). But, we move 1500 miles away, so hiring movers was to move furniture was pretty cost-prohibitive.

I also like to pack in plastic tubs/bins. I buy the clear ones so I can see what's in there. Sometimes I'm motivated to label them, sometimes not. But at least the clear bins you can see what you randomly threw in there! I'm more of a "pack what fits" not "pack what makes sense" person, so sometimes my hair dryer ends up with my iron and my pots and pans b/c that's where there was room for it.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

My biggest suggestion is to not assume that full pack movers will cost a lot more than the others.

When I emptied my apartment in KY to move to WA, I priced out a full service move, along with a POD and UHaul.  When you added everything in comparably, the price between the 3 was within 10%.  Paying the additional for full service was worth the hassle of worrying that movers/packers not showing up, going out to buy packing supplies, etc.

We also had to get everything done….including driving nearly 2000 miles in a week. The only glitch we had was my sister decided that she couldn’t come down and help, take family furniture sHe wanted.   As a result, I had to find someone to put a trailer hitch on my car and rent a small uhaul trailer to get stuff up to her.  

[Artemis Windsong]

Oct 14, 2021 11:30:24 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

I'm going to tag Artemis Windsong here.  I think she is a snowbird so she may have some experience in this area. 

The easiest snowbird is a fully furnished rental.  Then I only take enough cloths for a week and personal items.  Pack up and leave.

We bought a 920 sq ft. villa.  It was unfurnished.  Some friends recommended a low cost furniture store. We got 2 bedrooms and living room for $1,000, delivered.  We did have to buy kitchen stuff. 

We replaced the kitchen range with a used one ($200) from a rental we had been in.  The old range was put on the street and marked free.  It was gone in 2 days.  The replacement range was switched out last year for my friend's range when she upgraded.  Free.  This year, the same friend saved us a love seat and upgraded recliner for free.  I don't know how we will get it from her storage place to our villa.    The couch we have will be placed out for free or taken to good will.

Since we bought, there is no packing other than clothes.  We used to take 2 sets of golf clubs.  We have since bought used so they stay there.

If we want new clothes, we buy 2nd hand.  H. has better luck than me.  To hand off old clothes, there is a spring clothing drive for donations.

If we sell the villa, it will be sold furnished with kitchen stuff.

We have had no discussion of our northern state house. 

[seriousthistime]

I'm impressed, Artemis Windsong.  You make it seem easy.  How long have you had that place? 

[Artemis Windsong]

seriousthistime This will be our 4th winter owning.

It was definitely not easy because my H. was in the hospital for a week right after the house inspection was done and in the middle of getting the funds together.

We did celebrate Christmas in our new Christmas box.

[Artemis Windsong]

A friend recently found out her duplex has been sold. The neighbors moved out in September. Now she's moving to another town to be with her son. This thread is very timely.

So far, her friend has helped her give a lot of her yarns, trims, fabrics to different organizations. She put some items on the boulevard for free.

When younger, her exH. was in the military so she moved, with kids, frequently.


I know she is sad leaving her friends and needs help finding an affordable rental in a nice part of town.

[seriousthistime]

Don't even mention yarn!  I haven't counted how many new skeins of yarn I have, not to mention the partial skeins for works in progress (abandoned for now, will get back to them at some point I hope).  Other than storing yarn skeins, though, they are easy to move and can even be used for cushioning in boxes with breakable items.  

I also have way too many throw pillows. They, too, are good for cushioning between items in the POD or moving truck, as are extra bed pillows. In my house each bed gets two pillows per twin bed, four for full, queen, or king. I have a few extra in case someone needs to sleep on the couch.

Here's a tip for moving day. Remove the light bulbs from the lamps!  They are too fragile and make quite a mess if they break. 

I always move the TVs in their original boxes if I have them.  If I don't have the boxes, I move the TVs separately in my car. 

[busymom]

Having moved twice in the last 3 years, the first suggestion I'd make is take a notebook, and make lists.  Like, who I need to contact about the move (insurance companies, banks, credit card companies, etc.). And, I had a master list of what was in my moving boxes/totes.  I posted on each box/tote which room it belonged to:  kitchen, bath, master bedroom, DS's room, etc., and numbered each box/tote.

This is definitely the time to make large item donations to charity.  If you have the time, go through your things, and decide what to keep, throw, or donate.  We had a great moving company (2 Men and a Truck), but they weren't cheap, and by getting rid of stuff we actually pared our stuff down from 2 trucks down to one.  Moving is NOT cheap.

Do you have anyone you know in your new community who can advise you on good insurance companies, etc. there? Also, get a heads up on what the cost of living is in your new community. Best wishes on the move!   

[sesfw]

I should pay someone to move the piano. I don't fault him for that.


This is the biggest reason I have a Roland digital piano.  150 lbs vs 750 - 1K lbs.

[nidena]

I echo the sentiment to get rid of as much as you can.

I did that when I moved in 2019.  The only furniture that moved with me were my mattress set, dresser, hope chest, lingerie chest, childhood armoire, a step tantsu, and an oak entryway table.

I got rid of the couch, love seat, favorite single sleeper chair, dining room table, TV cabinet, coffee and end tables, and my corner desk from Pottery Barn.  As stated by someone else: I didn't know what would fit in the new house.  All the items were more than a decade old so I felt like I had definitely gotten my money's worth out of them.

I also got rid of all the little things that I knew I could replace in time once I moved.  My neighbor ended up with dozens upon dozens of votive candles.  lol

All the appliances stayed with the house, too.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

I'm very nervous about my plants. The last time we moved, I think it was only four or five pots. Now it's at least 40. I'm concerned my husband will actually tell me I have to leave them.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

This idea of not taking all of the furniture with us is intriguing. Now that I think about it, I could get rid of my oldest couch and potentially sell the one I most recently bought. There are three I'd take with me for sure.  I'll have to contemplate that. I also don't need to take on of the kid's beds. It's at least 15 yo at this point, and not in fantastic shape. It wold be silly to move it and then get rid of it or-- worse--actually keep it. 

[TheOtherMe]

Since I'm a spreadsheet person, I made a spreadsheet when I moved here from Colorado. 

One sheet was everything I had to do in Colorado to get prepared.  The other sheet was everything I had to do at this end.  

It helped keep me organized and I knew what was remaining.  

[jerseygirl]

My aunt and uncle always left old furniture and bought new when they moved. But honestly their house looked like a furniture store with all the brand new furniture

[stillmovingforward]

Oct 16, 2021 17:37:07 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

This idea of not taking all of the furniture with us is intriguing. Now that I think about it, I could get rid of my oldest couch and potentially sell the one I most recently bought. There are three I'd take with me for sure.  I'll have to contemplate that. I also don't need to take on of the kid's beds. It's at least 15 yo at this point, and not in fantastic shape. It wold be silly to move it and then get rid of it or-- worse--actually keep it. 

I don't even HAVE 3 coaches! Or 5 pots of plants. I'm watching this space to see how you do it 

[Sharon]

I hauled another load of stuff over to my storage unit.  My daughter is a tetris genius when it comes to filling the unit.  There isn't any wasted space and it goes clear to the ceiling.  I will head over with load #2 for the weekend tomorrow.  This load has some of the shelving from the garage and some of my yard equipment. 

Traffic was so bad that the drive over took 5 hours Friday night, comes home today it a little less than 4 hours which is the norm.  The rafters are empty and the attic is almost empty.

[Artemis Windsong]

 

Oct 16, 2021 19:11:44 GMT -5 stillmovingforward said:

Oct 16, 2021 17:37:07 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

This idea of not taking all of the furniture with us is intriguing. Now that I think about it, I could get rid of my oldest couch and potentially sell the one I most recently bought. There are three I'd take with me for sure.  I'll have to contemplate that. I also don't need to take on of the kid's beds. It's at least 15 yo at this point, and not in fantastic shape. It wold be silly to move it and then get rid of it or-- worse--actually keep it. 

I don't even HAVE 3 coaches! Or 5 pots of plants. I'm watching this space to see how you do it 

Take enough furniture so you have something to sit/sleep on.  H. was needing a new recliner.  He shopped several days before he found one that was in stock.  Every where else was 6 months on order.  The same is for appliances.

[taz157]

Oct 16, 2021 22:47:47 GMT -5 Sharon said:

I hauled another load of stuff over to my storage unit.  My daughter is a tetris genius when it comes to filling the unit.  There isn't any wasted space and it goes clear to the ceiling.  I will head over with load #2 for the weekend tomorrow.  This load has some of the shelving from the garage and some of my yard equipment. 

Traffic was so bad that the drive over took 5 hours Friday night, comes home today it a little less than 4 hours which is the norm.  The rafters are empty and the attic is almost empty.

My DH is the Tetris genius with packing anything. Are you moving closer to your DD and her family?

[Sharon]

Oct 17, 2021 9:32:24 GMT -5 taz157 said:

Oct 16, 2021 22:47:47 GMT -5 Sharon said:

I hauled another load of stuff over to my storage unit.  My daughter is a tetris genius when it comes to filling the unit.  There isn't any wasted space and it goes clear to the ceiling.  I will head over with load #2 for the weekend tomorrow.  This load has some of the shelving from the garage and some of my yard equipment. 

Traffic was so bad that the drive over took 5 hours Friday night, comes home today it a little less than 4 hours which is the norm.  The rafters are empty and the attic is almost empty.

My DH is the Tetris genius with packing anything. Are you moving closer to your DD and her family?

Yes.  It will be a 20 minute drive instead of a 4 hour drive over a highway that is known for getting shut down with snow and ice in the winter.

[Sharon]

To add to the list of things to take care of before moving.

1.  I cancelled the annual fall tree treatment.  That will save me $140 this year.

2.  I still need to cancel my pest control people, they come quarterly so there is time on that.  I'm waiting until the inspection is completed on my house.  If anything is found I believe it would free or greatly reduced price if they needed to come out for some reason.

[nidena]

I took note of all my magazine subscriptions--there were a dozen or so--and called each customer service line directly since USPS doesn't do a great job of forwarding magazines.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Oct 16, 2021 19:11:44 GMT -5 stillmovingforward said:

Oct 16, 2021 17:37:07 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

This idea of not taking all of the furniture with us is intriguing. Now that I think about it, I could get rid of my oldest couch and potentially sell the one I most recently bought. There are three I'd take with me for sure.  I'll have to contemplate that. I also don't need to take on of the kid's beds. It's at least 15 yo at this point, and not in fantastic shape. It wold be silly to move it and then get rid of it or-- worse--actually keep it. 

I don't even HAVE 3 coaches! Or 5 pots of plants. I'm watching this space to see how you do it 

lol! My current house is 2050sf. 
We have one 8-piece sectional that includes a chaise piece in our great room, one love seat in our bedroom, and our living room has one regular couch, one love seat, and one oversized chair w/ oversized ottoman. 

[stillmovingforward]

Oct 17, 2021 10:51:02 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

Oct 16, 2021 19:11:44 GMT -5 stillmovingforward said:

I don't even HAVE 3 coaches! Or 5 pots of plants. I'm watching this space to see how you do it 

lol! My current house is 2050sf. 
We have one 8-piece sectional that includes a chaise piece in our great room, one love seat in our bedroom, and our living room has one regular couch, one love seat, and one oversized chair w/ oversized ottoman. 

I have 1,500sf but its a funny shape. With the hardwood floors and lack of furniture, my kids learned to skate in the house!