Moving companies
-
My preference is to let them pack though there’s always a subset of things I want to pack and keep control of.
We’d probably get a second car moved because my wife hates driving distances. But if she didn’t mind I wouldn’t bother with the expense most likely. At least the distance you’re talking.
-
Oh, and they will come and estimate how much and how heavy your stuff is - they often can fit two or more moves on one truck - you don’t have to worry about that, they do it automatically. They section off the truck so all your stuff is in one place. The guy who drives the truck will hire local guys on either end to help him load unload - and it’s nice to have a cooler with gatoraid/water for them. I also bought them all lunch - pizza or burgers. And tipped them each at the end of the day.
What you absolutely do not want is for them to move your stuff to a warehouse and then on to another truck - the more times they load an unload your stuff, the more chances there are to break things, AND to lose things. When they unload, they will give you a checklist of the numbered boxes and furniture to make sure everything is there as they carry it off the truck. (Move as much of your “high value” stuff as you can yourself) And pay attention when they unload stuff - I had a couple of antique pieces broken that I didn’t notice until later.
-
Listen to @jodi ... that's what I would do if I have move.
When you get a quote from the moving companies, ask for a "will not exceed" figure.
Last time I used a moving company, they sent a representative out to my house to look around and wrote up a quote, and just to avoid surprises, there is number on it that says whatever happens, my cost will not exceed $X ... so even if the representative who inspected my house missed something and later the movers found something that's harder to move than expected, I would still be protected by that "will not exceed $X" figure.
You don't have an acoustic grand piano to move, right? I had my piano moved separately by specialists who actually know piano, apart from the general house moving crew.
-
Get Aqua to drive your 2nd car up...
-
@copper said in Moving companies:
If you haven't touched something for a few years you probably want to trash it or ebay it or donate it.
Those uhaul pods are a good idea; hadn’t thought of that. And yes, we are doing a very good removal of lots of unused items, it’s quite cathartic. Thanks!
-
@jolly said in Moving companies:
I'm just a Trump voter, so I'm not very smart, but my son traded sweat for money during his last move.
The company gave him x amount of money for moving expenses. He and I, along with his uncle, packed all of his stuff up and he rented a U-haul truck.
His wife drove his pickup, with a U-haul trailer. Stuff was divided out, so that immediately needed items were packed to be first out. Stuff that could be unpacked and let sit for a few days, was last out.
Yes, it was a pain, but he put about four grand in his pocket.
Thanks Jolly! And in all seriousness and to be crystal clear, I think you’re one of the smartest people I’ve ever (virtually) met, and respect your opinions that I (usually) agree with completely.
-
@mik My company is not paying, I’m working mostly remotely so this is a voluntary move. Good feedback, thanks!
We won’t have too much stuff...furniture is basically a toddler room’s worth, our bedroom, a couch and maybe a living room table or two. Otherwise just boxes of personal items (clothes, dishes, toys, etc). Over the last few years we’ve been slowly clearing out a bunch of stuff we don’t need.
-
@jodi said in Moving companies:
Oh, and they will come and estimate how much and how heavy your stuff is - they often can fit two or more moves on one truck - you don’t have to worry about that, they do it automatically. They section off the truck so all your stuff is in one place. The guy who drives the truck will hire local guys on either end to help him load unload - and it’s nice to have a cooler with gatoraid/water for them. I also bought them all lunch - pizza or burgers. And tipped them each at the end of the day.
What you absolutely do not want is for them to move your stuff to a warehouse and then on to another truck - the more times they load an unload your stuff, the more chances there are to break things, AND to lose things. When they unload, they will give you a checklist of the numbered boxes and furniture to make sure everything is there as they carry it off the truck. (Move as much of your “high value” stuff as you can yourself) And pay attention when they unload stuff - I had a couple of antique pieces broken that I didn’t notice until later.
Great info. I appreciate your time sharing it all!
