Recent transplants: moving expenses? (Bozeman, Kalispell: apartment, lease, insurance)

[dangerousdan]

I am moving to Kalispell from Chicago and wondering how much I should expect to spend in moving expenses. We have a two bedroom condo and an average amount of stuff for 1700 sq ft. I've started getting rough quotes and talking to people and am getting the sense that it could end up around $8000. Does this seem right to you?

I realize I can get concrete quotes but I'm curious to hear what your experiences have been so I have a starting point.

Thanks in advance!!!

[KatWrangler]

How many miles is that? I just got my 3rd bid today for moving us from Southern Cal (Orange County) to Bozeman which is about 1100 miles.

[dangerousdan]

Originally Posted by KatWrangler

How many miles is that? I just got my 3rd bid today for moving us from Southern Cal (Orange County) to Bozeman which is about 1100 miles.

It's about 1750 miles

[wurd4wurd]

Originally Posted by dangerousdan

I am moving to Kalispell from Chicago and wondering how much I should expect to spend in moving expenses. We have a two bedroom condo and an average amount of stuff for 1700 sq ft. I've started getting rough quotes and talking to people and am getting the sense that it could end up around $8000. Does this seem right to you?

I realize I can get concrete quotes but I'm curious to hear what your experiences have been so I have a starting point.

Thanks in advance!!!

Dangerousdan, while we don't live in Montana, I know only too well the high cost of moving cross country as evidenced during our relocation from New Hampshire to the Panhandle of Idaho (a little less than 3000 miles). We downsized from a 5BR to a 3BR house and opted to sell a lot of our belongings with the exception of family heirlooms or furniture we felt was irreplaceable. Still, it was an incredibly expensive move and sadly, the figure you quoted sounds in keeping with our personal experience.

[dangerousdan]

My new employer is covering some of it but not all and I'm trying to prepare myself emotionally I guess I will need to decide whether it's worth it to spend the $$$ or attempt to move ourselves or work out some sort of alternative. I'm thinking this might be the type of thing that is worth the cash. God I hate moving. But I'm so happy to be moving!!!

[MoMark]

Originally Posted by dangerousdan

I am moving to Kalispell from Chicago and wondering how much I should expect to spend in moving expenses. We have a two bedroom condo and an average amount of stuff for 1700 sq ft. I've started getting rough quotes and talking to people and am getting the sense that it could end up around $8000. Does this seem right to you?

I realize I can get concrete quotes but I'm curious to hear what your experiences have been so I have a starting point.

Thanks in advance!!!

If the movers are packing you up, providing all the packing materials, and putting your things in storage, then I'd say for the distance it's close. I moved from Las Vegas to Missouri last year in June and I kept my household from a 2200 sq/ft. house there in storage in Las Vegas over six months while looking for a home here. They packed me, stored me, then delivered everything in mid-January of this year. It cost me a total of around $7500. The company I used was Bekins...they damaged a lot of my furniture, including my Duncan & Pyffe mahogany dining room set, lost my lawn and yard tools, my ladders went missing, they ruined my lawnmower, gave me someone else's artwork (quite a bit of it actually, and when I called to let them know they gave me someone else's possessions, they refused to come pick it up and directed me to call another 800#. The box is still in the garage). So...I don't recommend them Good luck on your move! And, get all prices signed in writing and guaranteed! Bekins billed me TWICE and made me go through a real hassle to get it straightened out even though I paid the second half of what I owed when everything was delivered. Also, make sure you get an inventory list of EVERYTHING the moving company touches, including all of your garage goodies. Also, pack expensive things you are anxious to make sure stay unbroken yourself. I have two crystal stem lamps with lead crystal spheres on top of the shades. They didn't know how to properly pack it, so they broke off the crystal and stuck it in the packing paper with the lamps I didn't know it until I unpacked and boy was I mad!!! I was by myself when the house got packed and I saw the stuff go into the van...but not all of it came out in Missouri...and they said I couldn't prove they'd ever packed it. Also, when they are done unpacking your things at your new home, everything remains in boxes and packed, so when they tell you to sign a release that everything is ok, there's no way you can judge that. That part is a scam. All you can do is compare inventory numbers on boxes to the inventory list and hope that nothing broke in the boxes. By the time you open them and find damage, the mover is long gone and they make you jump through hoops to get redress. Other than all that...I wish you luck!!!!!

[KatWrangler]

Originally Posted by MoMark

If the movers are packing you up, providing all the packing materials, and putting your things in storage, then I'd say for the distance it's close. I moved from Las Vegas to Missouri last year in June and I kept my household from a 2200 sq/ft. house there in storage in Las Vegas over six months while looking for a home here. They packed me, stored me, then delivered everything in mid-January of this year. It cost me a total of around $7500. The company I used was Bekins...they damaged a lot of my furniture, including my Duncan & Pyffe mahogany dining room set, lost my lawn and yard tools, my ladders went missing, they ruined my lawnmower, gave me someone else's artwork (quite a bit of it actually, and when I called to let them know they gave me someone else's possessions, they refused to come pick it up and directed me to call another 800#. The box is still in the garage). So...I don't recommend them Good luck on your move! And, get all prices signed in writing and guaranteed! Bekins billed me TWICE and made me go through a real hassle to get it straightened out even though I paid the second half of what I owed when everything was delivered. Also, make sure you get an inventory list of EVERYTHING the moving company touches, including all of your garage goodies. Also, pack expensive things you are anxious to make sure stay unbroken yourself. I have two crystal stem lamps with lead crystal spheres on top of the shades. They didn't know how to properly pack it, so they broke off the crystal and stuck it in the packing paper with the lamps I didn't know it until I unpacked and boy was I mad!!! I was by myself when the house got packed and I saw the stuff go into the van...but not all of it came out in Missouri...and they said I couldn't prove they'd ever packed it. Also, when they are done unpacking your things at your new home, everything remains in boxes and packed, so when they tell you to sign a release that everything is ok, there's no way you can judge that. That part is a scam. All you can do is compare inventory numbers on boxes to the inventory list and hope that nothing broke in the boxes. By the time you open them and find damage, the mover is long gone and they make you jump through hoops to get redress. Other than all that...I wish you luck!!!!!

Yikes...Bekins is coming Monday for a bid...Already have United Vanlines, Mayflower and Allied.

[dangerousdan]

MoMark -- that's horrible. I'm so sorry you experienced that. Stories like that make me think it might make sense to do it ourselves. . . We don't want to pack ourselves but it wouldn't be the end of the world and I bet we could pay extra people to help us move the stuff into a truck.

KatWrangler -- I hope your move goes well. Would you mind me asking what vicinity your bids have been in? I realize the distance is shorter but I'm curious to know how much stuff you're moving and the general range of your estimates. But if you're not comfortable posting that information I completely understand.

[MoMark]

Originally Posted by KatWrangler

Yikes...Bekins is coming Monday for a bid...Already have United Vanlines, Mayflower and Allied.

Kat, Bekins is a crapshoot..My experience with them clearly was bad and whenever I see a Bekins van now I think thoughts along the lines of vengeance...
But, I used North American before that and while they weren't 100%, in retrospect, they sure were better than Bekins. I had considered Mayflower, but I went with the cheapest bid too. Luckily I don't intend to ever move again!

[KatWrangler]

Originally Posted by dangerousdan

KatWrangler -- I hope your move goes well. Would you mind me asking what vicinity your bids have been in? I realize the distance is shorter but I'm curious to know how much stuff you're moving and the general range of your estimates. But if you're not comfortable posting that information I completely understand.

Sure!

We are in a 1200 sq foot apartment....However, we moved here from a 2000 sq ft house and have all the furniture, garage stuff, hubbys tools etc. We also have a few things in storage. They are calculating 12,000 to 13,000 pounds.

One bid for them to pack everything and move it (unload...but we unpack) is $8k. If we did all of the packing its $5900. The others are in the $6-7K range (we can save by packing ourselves). However, they misunderstood me and all of our stuff needs to go in storage for a few days (between when my husband's last day of work is and when our lease in our apartment is up and two days drive time to Montana). So I am waiting for calls back.

Allied wants to charge us $2800 for storage! UUUUGGGHHHHH

Also, its more expensive to ship out of California than it is to come here. Look at Budget or Uhaul. It floored us when we priced Uhaul from where we live in Southern Cal to Bozeman and then reversed it. Unreal.

ETA - Maylfower - $6080.16 (not including insurance and they pack...don't know storage cost)
United Vanlines - $8425.00 (not including insurance and they pack...$5988 if we pack...don't know storage cost)
Allied - $6640 if they pack (not including insurance and then another $2800 for storage)