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Looking to hear some ballpark costs for a full-service move (packing, etc,) for a 5 bedroom home (3700 sq ft, about 11000 lbs of stuff). Move is from Vegas to Sacramento (850 miles), and we want to use a national carrier (United, Allied, Bekins, Atlas, etc.). Is this going to be in the $8-10K range, or closer to $15k? Would like to hear from those who've actually moved in the past 3-4 years and remember the total amount they paid.
Thanks
I've made two moves (going on three) with almost those figures (though ours was closer to 22000 pounds, 5BR, 4200sqft). Unfortunately, I don't have the costs as my employers paid for all of them. However, there is a web page (which I forgot but I've posted before - search my posts) which provides the estimate. Google for it. Many require you to login in or give an email but there is one that does not, look for it.
Moving from Las Vegas, Nevada to Sacramento, California Estimated Distance: 463 miles Estimated Weight: 22,500 pounds Estimated Cost: $11,900 - $12,900
We're just moving 200 miles, employer wil reimburse $5000. I know from past experience that isnt' much. That's shy I
m doing all I can to jetison anything we really don't want/need, especially heavy objects. Yesterday I donated a marble chess set to the goodwill, although I liked it,. it was very heavy.
We also got rid of most of our lawn and garden equipment (there again, heavy), just kept one mower and edger. We also sold a lot of old furniture to a junk dealer, it was stuff we really didn't want, anyways.
We're leaving the washer/dryer & fridge, they're old, anyways, the new place has a fridge, will get a new w/d there. Also, getting rid of much of kitchen stuff, old dished, pots and pans, just old junk anyways. Also got rid of a ton of books, they add to the weight. In the Internet age, you really don't need a ton of reference books, anyways.
This is one move we can't just have everything boxed up and moved on the company nickel, and actually I'm glad. It give me the kick I need to prune old deadwood.
Thanks for the helpful info and links. I can already see the problem with some fly-by-night "estimators" that give you preliminary online estimates: the weight is way off. On a few of these other sites, they said a typical 5 bedroom home would have household goods weighing 9,000-10,000 lbs...yet the link above gave 22,000 lbs. Now THAT seems a little high (last time we moved from a same size home, our weight was 14,000 lbs)...but, I'd rather be expecting a high figure. I assume the cost estimates don't include any hourly packing fees, supplies, or surcharges for 2-story homes, etc.?
I just moved approx. 12,000 pounds 350 miles (I did all the packing) and it was $4,100 (Allied Van Lines). I would think yours would probably run more towards $8,000 than $15,000. Reasoning: it's going to "cost" the same to load my 12,000 as it is your 12,000 (or the 12,000# of the guy who is moving 10 miles). You're going more than twice as far, but I think the loading/unloading is the larger part of the overall cost than the distance is.
Edit: I just re-read the original post and you wanted to include packing. Don't know what to tell you there - it's a very expensive part of a move. Years ago I worked for a moving company and I don't think we ever did packing except for military and corporate moves. Maybe a few where we did some breakables, but never a full pack job.
I just ran the numbers moving from zip code 94203 to 89103, with 11,000 lbs, transportation cost will run around $4200.00, plus any additional services, Add a full pack and the cost goes to around $6400.00, 11,000 lbs sounds low for that size of a home, I would guess weight should be between 15,000 and 22,000, make sure you have all companies come into the home to provide an accurate quote. do not take a phone quote or internet quote,
I think the important thing is to get a good, reliable moving company. Get some referrals, check the Better Business Bureau and check with your local city/county and see if they have a service similar to the BBB. Years ago I worked for a moving company and the guy who owned it was a real jerk. If there was a problem with the move his first response was to not take/return the calls from the customer. Nice. So while the company itself (Bekins, Allied, etc.) may have a good reputation the main part to be concerned with is the local franchiser (or whatever it's called).
Somewhere on this website is a link to the Movingscams website - check there and see what people have to say about the local movers.
Yes, you're right. I think our weight will be more in the 16,000-18,000 range. We have a weird set of possessions - not too much in real furniture, but have tons of books and "stuff". I guess my pack-rat tendencies always overrode my wife's desires for antique armoires, Louis XIV chairs, and beds with ornate headboards LOL. Last time we moved, we had MAYBE 15 major pieces of furniture, accompanied by around 300 boxes of books, documents, etc. Our moves are more like commercial office moves, especially since we do have our share of electronics! We seem to always throw the residential movers for a loop when they come to make their estimates.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jkwing
I just ran the numbers moving from zip code 94203 to 89103, with 11,000 lbs, transportation cost will run around $4200.00, plus any additional services, Add a full pack and the cost goes to around $6400.00, 11,000 lbs sounds low for that size of a home, I would guess weight should be between 15,000 and 22,000, make sure you have all companies come into the home to provide an accurate quote. do not take a phone quote or internet quote,
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