Moving tips???? (relocating, packing, long distance movers, movers)

[rockyroad]

I am thinking of relocating from Sacramento to Boston. Right now have a 4 bedroom house but lots and lots of stuff!!!! I want to get rid of most of it but when it comes to furniture I had just filled my house recently with "model home"" type furniture....bulky!!!
In Boston I probably will be in a condo, so I need help in the following

-Best way to sell stuff..(craigslist, auctions???)
-Any body know how much approx it would cost for movers to move a 3500sq ft home?
-Is it worth the time invested in selling and rebuying or just spend the movers cost.

Please advise...I have 2 toddlers and I need to take the easy way out.....Any experiences would be welcome.

I am thinking of moving to Brookline or Newton for the good schools

Thanks

[Pathwalker]

Originally Posted by rockyroad

I am thinking of relocating from Sacramento to Boston. Right now have a 4 bedroom house but lots and lots of stuff!!!! I want to get rid of most of it but when it comes to furniture I had just filled my house recently with "model home"" type furniture....bulky!!!
In Boston I probably will be in a condo, so I need help in the following

-Best way to sell stuff..(craigslist, auctions???)
-Any body know how much approx it would cost for movers to move a 3500sq ft home?
-Is it worth the time invested in selling and rebuying or just spend the movers cost.

Please advise...I have 2 toddlers and I need to take the easy way out.....Any experiences would be welcome.

I am thinking of moving to Brookline or Newton for the good schools

Thanks

Can't comment on what schools may be like in Boston, but I thought I'd give a shot at answering your moving questions.

Pretty much the best way to sell stuff you don't want is to simply have a yard sale. You COULD try eBay, but keep in mind there are hassles involved with packing up what you are selling, and you have to wait until the auction is over before you can know how much you'll get for it. Plus, you don't even know if the stuff will sell or not. It could take a while to go that route. You could try Craigslist. (It's free to post an ad.) You could set your prices that way, and even post pictures of your items. They may sell faster that way, I don't know. Just be careful that you don't get scammed with people sending you fake money orders or checks. Have them pay in cash, or wait until payment clears your bank first. Other than that, I'm not really sure how to get rid of stuff quickly. You could maybe check with local resale shops to see if they would be interested in buying your stuff, but they usually only sell items on consignment. Another option is to contact a manager of a self storage facility, and ask if they have the names of any shop owners that might be interested. It might sound like an odd thing to do, but when a storage facility clears out old storage units, they have to legally auction the goods instead of throwing them out. Usually there will be several shop owners that frequent self storage auctions with the interest of purchasing entire units of goods that they can resell. You could also contact a realtor to see if they know anyone who does estate sales.

Sorry for the long paragraph there.

As for moving costs, I can tell you that it cost me about $500 to move 80 miles, and I only had a 1 bedroom apartment full of furniture, boxes and assorted items. It's entirely possible you could end up paying several thousand dollars to move cross-country. It's up to you if you think it would be more beneficial to sell everything before you leave (bearing in mind how long that might take, and how much you might get for it all) and buy new once you arrive in Massachusetts. Also, keep in mind that sometimes movers have the property of several different customers on one truck. They might have to make a stop along the way, unless you pay for a special trip just for yourself. If you are able to drive a big truck, you could conceivably rent one yourself, and drive it to Boston. But that will still cost you quite a bit, though not as much as professional movers.

If you want my opinion, if there is stuff you don't plan on replacing, then try to sell it before you go. Or, just pitch it. You'd be surprised at how much stuff people keep that they don't actually use, and don't miss once it's gone. Then just pay for the movers to move the rest because it will cost you more to replace that stuff than to simply move it all.

[rockyroad]

Thank you so much for your helpful suggestions....I think I will sell some, donate and then dump the rest and just move a few things!!

[Pathwalker]

I certainly can't speak for everyone, but it's actually a bit liberating to let go of the material things you've held onto. If you have anything that is specifically sentimental to you, by all means keep it if you can. But other things can be replaced, and if it saves you 1000s of $$ on a move, all the better. You know, the funny thing is that all that stuff I moved from my apartment, I ended up giving away or pitching. I've moved so much in recent years that I just got sick of moving it all over, and decided the next time I move, I'm only taking the sentimental things (books, music, pictures, special knick knacks) that I can get in my car, and the rest is staying behind.

Good luck on your move!

[Urban Boys]

I am also considering a move to the Boston area from San Francisco.

I moved out here from Montreal, Canada, about 3 years ago and it cost me about $1.00 a pound.

I have recently sold a lot of items at a garage sale, I gave away lots to charities, and I am minimizing the furniture that I will move.

Does anybody have experience with the companies that bring the boxes to the street near your house, you load them up, and they ship it to your destination? Or is it better to go with a traditional company? Any ideas about cost?

Thanks,

[brokencrayola]

I am assuming you will need the money and maybe do not want to donate your stuff? It is getting much harder to claim donated stuff to Goodwill anyway. I would put an ad in your local Craigslist and local throwaway paper (Penny Saver, Nickle's Worth type), maybe have a well advertised yard sale (nice time of year now for sales), and try to narrow down some of your stuff.

Also, moving boxes and packing material is very expensive. Put an ad also in your local Craigslist and throwaway paper and see if anyone will give or sell you some of their old boxes etc. Summer is the peak time of year people move, so you may find someone that has just moved to your area that will have these items.

[harmonSmith]

I Moved my house . The building was of 1946 construction and remains 55’ long by 34’ wide. The structure weighed some 225 tons (450,000#), roughly half a million pounds, the two story, brick veneer structure had to be moved some 165’ from its original lot to another contiguous property and raised some 20’ higher than it had been. It was under the supervision of Wolfe. here is the picture of this move.
Historical Structure Moving: House & Building Raising and Moving - Wolfe House & Building Movers PA

[caturpilar]

Estate sales are great. You really do not have to move anything out to your garage or yard. Just price it where it sits.

[mrmoose]

i actually did this once and recommend it highly if you are not too emotionally attached to your furniture. Long distance movers are at best a hassle, at worse a tragedy waiting to happen.

1 sell all your big stuff and some of your little stuff If you want hire a college kid on a percentage basis to sell it or Craig's List or where ever and give him a percentage. Keep in mind that stuff like pot and pans if you are not particular can be bought at your local Wal-Mart for not much more than shipping your old ones would cost.

2 Anything small you want that won't fit on your car you simply UPS it to your new place.

3 Call up Cort furniture rental and rent everything you need for your new place

4 Go on Craig's List in your new location and buy furniture to replace the stuff you sold. Cort will remove stuff piece by piece for like $25 a shot.

[FashionD]

I will be moving from San Diego to Boston soon. Here's my story.

I have a few big items (i.e. 50" flat-screen LCD TV, Cal King bed, dresser, and dining table) that I do not want to part with...so, I've decided to have ABF drive a freight trailer across country for me. The cost they quoted me is $2,200 for all my items plus about 20 boxes full of kitchen items I've collected over the years.

I am driving my car across country instead of shipping it (which I got quoted $600 for) because I want to drive my dog with me instead of having him fly across. I've heard too many pet trauma stories of dogs flying. So, all and all, I can't say right now if I'm making a good decision, but total cost of moving, I'm looking at, is about $3k (not including new apartment first month, last month, and security!), but I'm just hoping to set up shop faster with familiar items (to lesson the homesickness as well) than spend months trying to find perfect new furniture and spending more money.