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View Full Version : Moving across the country--some basic questions:


youtalkfunny
03-28-2005, 09:20 PM
Any help that anyone can give with any of these questions, I would appreciate it:

--Obviously, I want to go to my destination before the moving truck gets there, so that I can find an apartment or house to rent. The moving truck needs an address to go to. I plan on flying in to house-hunt, and want to synchronize when the apartment will be ready, with when the moving truck arrives. My question is: when the prospective landlord asks, "When can you move in?", would he rather hear "Next week" or "In about a month"?

--Anyone want to guess how much moving will cost? It's about 1500 miles (Memphis to Boston), and our stuff isn't too heavy (a lot of cheap pressboard furniture, nothing heavy like tools or such). We're in a three BR apartment now, my wife and three little kids. We lost everything in a fire a couple of years ago--so we don't have years worth of junk piled up.

--Please don't suggest U-Haul, or those deals where I load the truck. I've got a bum knee, and that's not happening.

Thanks again for any help.

Evan
03-28-2005, 09:25 PM
Can't you find a place before you pack all of your stuff into a truck?

KJS
03-28-2005, 10:27 PM
I am an apartment manager in Seattle, not sure if Boston is different.

If the place is vacant, they will want someone in there right away, so don't hestitate to say ASAP. That said, if I don't rent a place before the tenant moves out, it usually means the next month is a wash. That means if I get someone in before the end, cool. If they can't move in until the 1st of the next month, that's OK. Waiting around for someone to move in for a portion of the month is not worth the risk. So he or she would rather hear "next week" probably, but don't say that off the bat unless that is when you really want to move in.

This is all worthless if the housing market there is really tight right now. If it is, they will go for exactly what they want, which is having the fewest amount of days without a tenant. In that case, you better stick with "I can't move in until the 1st but I can start pay rent for next week on".

KJS

Forbin
03-28-2005, 10:51 PM
Most of the larger moving companies also have some storage spaces for situations like this, and the truck you watch them pack your stuff in is not necessarily the same one that drops your stuff off. They come get your stuff, and it travels across the country, but at some point it stops and sits in a holding facility. Once you have a destination address you let them know what it is, and they work out which truck of theirs will take the stuff from storage to your place, and when it will do so. Moving to a big place like Boston, the national lines are sure to have a storage facillty (or two or three) relatively close, so chances are they'll pick up your stuff and drive it all the way to near Boston before storing it.

If you expect to move and grab a place right away, you might not even need to store it. You just tell them to take it to Boston, and that you'll call them with the final address in a few days.

With moving an entire family, wouldn't it be easier to fly out and find a place first? I didn't mind packing up and moving from Vermont to California without a place already picked out, but I didn't have a wife and 3 kids to worry about. I'd assume you have far more things to consider (safety, school districts, yada yada yada) that would constrain your search.

For a cost estimate, check out this calculator (http://www.homefair.com/homefair/readart.html?art=bc_moving).

hunterking
03-28-2005, 10:55 PM
don't fall for going with the guys that give you the cheapest estimate...they ALWAYS subcontract the job out to a 3rd party and ALWAYS add at least $1000+ to the estimate once they have your stuff in their truck, plus they will ALWAYS take much longer than they say they will...

hunter

youtalkfunny
03-29-2005, 12:48 AM
[ QUOTE ]
Can't you find a place before you pack all of your stuff into a truck?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's funny, I thought I made that clear. But since more than one of you ask, I guess I didn't. Sorry.

I need to set the mover's date as far in advance as possible. Let's say I tell the movers to drop my stuff off August 15. My question was, which dates should I be apartment hunting?

I got my answer. Thanks, guys.

(No guesses on how much it'll cost?)

thewarden
03-29-2005, 06:34 PM
I'd say start looking for a place now. The housing market in Boston is tight,tight,tight. Between all the students that infiltrate the city and the fact that the city seems to want to slow down development of any affordable housing, the occupancy rate was at something like 98% when I was living there 4 years ago and I strongly doubt it's gotten any better. Good Luck.

Forbin
03-29-2005, 07:23 PM
[ QUOTE ]
(No guesses on how much it'll cost?)

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
For a cost estimate, check out this calculator (http://www.homefair.com/homefair/readart.html?art=bc_moving).

[/ QUOTE ]

youtalkfunny
03-30-2005, 02:23 AM
That calculator says $6000-8000.

Anybody ever pay that much, to move anything anywhere?

BTW, I'm not moving into the city, but the suburbs (where 93 meets the NH line, that neighborhood).

Thanks again to all who reply.

Forbin
03-30-2005, 06:57 PM
As a single guy with a one bedroom apartment it cost me about $2500-3000 to move my stuff from VT to CA. I probably had more than the average amount of random crap, but I also drove my car out instead of shipping it. If I check their estimate for what it would cost me right now, it's pretty close (figuring in that it was a number of years ago). So your estimate doesn't sound too far off for a family of 4 with multiple rooms. If you're really curious they'll generally come look at your stuff and give you a free estimate.

youtalkfunny
03-31-2005, 05:24 AM
Couldn't I just buy all new stuff for $6000-8000?

OK, here's my plan, please point out any flaws you notice:

Those "U-Load" movers say that they'll haul the stuff for about the same price you'd pay to rent a truck. The truck estimates I've got online run about $1500.

So I'll hire these guys for $1500, then find some day workers to load/unload my stuff. That should get the whole thing done for under two dimes.

Opinions?