Moving cross country, Yikes!
May 7, 2018 10:09 AM Subscribe
We are moving from Los Angeles to Southern Maine and boy is it getting a bit intense around here and would love some feedback on a few things:
Our house just went into escrow a few days ago, when can we feel it is "safe" to start packing and getting ready to move cross country. There are no loan contingencies, but the realtor is always of the mind "anything can happen"
We dont have a home yet in Maine, we are looking and know we will eventually find what we want. The short term plan is to stay at a relatives who has an entire empty house at our disposal, but that is in Bangor and we are eventually moving to the Freeport area. Our children are enrolled in school there starting Sept.
If we dont buy before then we will have to rent in the Freeport area.
Both my wife and I have had iffy stuff happen with cross country movers, so I would love some guidance on finding a mover that will get or things there intact and I assume keep them in storage for the time that we are in Bangor? (a month or so)
We are planning to get rid of both our cars in LA before leaving. I used Shift for my last car deal and loved it. One car is on a lease which is about to end and the other is not worth transporting.
We have two kids 5 and 8. My wife is working full time on a very time consuming project and will continue to be working through this period. She needs access to solid hard lined internet.
My 93 year old mother is living in a memory care place near me in LA. We will be moving her as well to the Freeport area. So my general plan is:
1. Find a mover
2. Meanwhile my sister on the east coast is finding a suitable memory care home (did you know that Maine has the highest cost of assisted living joints, almost every place we have looked at is double what we are currently spending.
3. When we feel it is "safe to do so, buy plane tickets.
4. pack the house
5. Deliver cars to Shift as late in the game as possible
6. Travel to Bangor
7. Rent car(s)
8. Hopefully find a home in the Freeport area, if not get a rental and have our furnishing delivered there
9. Come back to LA and get my mom and move her to a new place in Freeport area
Our house just went into escrow a few days ago, when can we feel it is "safe" to start packing and getting ready to move cross country. There are no loan contingencies, but the realtor is always of the mind "anything can happen"
We dont have a home yet in Maine, we are looking and know we will eventually find what we want. The short term plan is to stay at a relatives who has an entire empty house at our disposal, but that is in Bangor and we are eventually moving to the Freeport area. Our children are enrolled in school there starting Sept.
If we dont buy before then we will have to rent in the Freeport area.
Both my wife and I have had iffy stuff happen with cross country movers, so I would love some guidance on finding a mover that will get or things there intact and I assume keep them in storage for the time that we are in Bangor? (a month or so)
We are planning to get rid of both our cars in LA before leaving. I used Shift for my last car deal and loved it. One car is on a lease which is about to end and the other is not worth transporting.
We have two kids 5 and 8. My wife is working full time on a very time consuming project and will continue to be working through this period. She needs access to solid hard lined internet.
My 93 year old mother is living in a memory care place near me in LA. We will be moving her as well to the Freeport area. So my general plan is:
1. Find a mover
2. Meanwhile my sister on the east coast is finding a suitable memory care home (did you know that Maine has the highest cost of assisted living joints, almost every place we have looked at is double what we are currently spending.
3. When we feel it is "safe to do so, buy plane tickets.
4. pack the house
5. Deliver cars to Shift as late in the game as possible
6. Travel to Bangor
7. Rent car(s)
8. Hopefully find a home in the Freeport area, if not get a rental and have our furnishing delivered there
9. Come back to LA and get my mom and move her to a new place in Freeport area
Movers can get very booked this time of year, because a lot of people move in the summer, so I would be most concerned about finding movers with availability. How long is your escrow? When you do have to turn over the keys? This would be the part that worries me the most... everything else is just logistics.
posted by Automocar at 10:48 AM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Automocar at 10:48 AM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
When booking a mover, ask about the driver's rating. The driver, on a cross country move is the most important person. Some mover drivers only do trade shows or move high value items. Those have the best ratings. It also depends on whether or not you are taking an entire truck or part of it. When we moved SF to NY, we actually put both our cars in the moving van. They built a platform over them and put many many boxes above the cars and some furniture in the back on the bottom. It was actually really interesting to watch them pack the truck. Depending on how much you can afford or are willing to pay, having the movers pack your kitchen and breakables is worth its weight in gold especially if you are going into storage first. That is essentially like a whole other move. We had a company paying for the move up to a certain amount that was more than enough to do it right so to speak.
Your kids are older than mine when we did the cross country move (mine were 1,2 and 3) but have something out (not packed) that gives them comfort like a blanket, a stuffed toy or a favorite baseball glove. There is a lot of unknowns in kids young like yours when they move. Some routine or comfort will help.
posted by AugustWest at 11:04 AM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Your kids are older than mine when we did the cross country move (mine were 1,2 and 3) but have something out (not packed) that gives them comfort like a blanket, a stuffed toy or a favorite baseball glove. There is a lot of unknowns in kids young like yours when they move. Some routine or comfort will help.
posted by AugustWest at 11:04 AM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: We have a 45 day escrow. We also have a two week lease back option after that. I called the AAA Consumer Relocation Dept which helped us last time we moved and I thought was a pretty good way to start.
As far as questions? I am really looking at general feedback, things we may not be thinking about or...? I dont know. Just know that when I need answers, I come to MeFi!
As far as memory care, we are currently looking at Sedgewood Commons because they accept MaineCare and that will be something we will need within the next 24 months. Also my moms state is very back and forth. She is being accessed as needing two person transfer which most places seem to also access as "nursing care" but she is also extremely strong willed and at times very present.
posted by silsurf at 11:05 AM on May 7, 2018
As far as questions? I am really looking at general feedback, things we may not be thinking about or...? I dont know. Just know that when I need answers, I come to MeFi!
As far as memory care, we are currently looking at Sedgewood Commons because they accept MaineCare and that will be something we will need within the next 24 months. Also my moms state is very back and forth. She is being accessed as needing two person transfer which most places seem to also access as "nursing care" but she is also extremely strong willed and at times very present.
posted by silsurf at 11:05 AM on May 7, 2018
I add that finding the right moving company need not be a local search. I learned about driver ratings from a friend in SF whose family had a moving company in Montana that did a lot of high profile moves. If you are taking a full truck, anyone can arrange it.
posted by AugustWest at 11:07 AM on May 7, 2018
posted by AugustWest at 11:07 AM on May 7, 2018
There's always stuff you can begin packing, since you're moving sometime this summer for sure. I'd start with organizing and packing your storage areas, then doing all necessary cleaning and culling room by room. You'll need access to a lot less than you think -- like, when we moved when I was a kid during summertime (we moved cross country a lot until I was 13), my folks packed the kitchen early and we just ate picnic style & gorged on fruit for a few weeks. This may or may not be applicable for your situation, but it was novel and fun for me as a kid. Made it an adventure.
To set up a mover, find three with decent reviews in your area and get estimates. Sometimes they can do this over the phone and will ask you detailed questions about what's in each room, so be sure to be home when they do this. Sometimes they'll send someone to your house. Ask about whether the move is a flat rate or how much the final cost can change. Movers will be able to arrange storage either on the California side or the Maine side at a daily or monthly rate. Be sure to ask about flexibility in dates to your end location.
As you're packing, pack like with like and label EVERYTHING. Depending on your personal fixation, I'd probably code each box and have an excel spreadsheet. Write your last name on ALL SIDES of the boxes, as sometimes boxes get shuffled on the truck.
Pack a box with stuff you'll need for cleaning the new place and clearly label it. Even if the new place is spotless, you'll want to clean -- I think that's some sort of nesting instinct. Pack another box with the immediate bedding and towels you'll need your first night in the new place, and clearly label that one, too. On moving-in day, pretty much all you'll want to do is make the beds, take a shower, and get some rest because moving in is mentally exhausting.
With kids, let them help pack and plan extra time for doing so. Each should have a suitcase or a box with clothes, a comfort item, and some toys or books to leave out and bring with you on your drive to Main. Everything to leave out should fit in that box. Let them direct that process while you guide them.
My last move, I had color-coded tags for each item so the movers could just glance at the color and know exactly which room to set things in. They'd even unload the truck by stacks for each room. It worked beautifully and saved them a ton of time and energy. You could use colored stickers. It's not necessary but I wish I'd been doing that all along.
posted by mochapickle at 11:10 AM on May 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
To set up a mover, find three with decent reviews in your area and get estimates. Sometimes they can do this over the phone and will ask you detailed questions about what's in each room, so be sure to be home when they do this. Sometimes they'll send someone to your house. Ask about whether the move is a flat rate or how much the final cost can change. Movers will be able to arrange storage either on the California side or the Maine side at a daily or monthly rate. Be sure to ask about flexibility in dates to your end location.
As you're packing, pack like with like and label EVERYTHING. Depending on your personal fixation, I'd probably code each box and have an excel spreadsheet. Write your last name on ALL SIDES of the boxes, as sometimes boxes get shuffled on the truck.
Pack a box with stuff you'll need for cleaning the new place and clearly label it. Even if the new place is spotless, you'll want to clean -- I think that's some sort of nesting instinct. Pack another box with the immediate bedding and towels you'll need your first night in the new place, and clearly label that one, too. On moving-in day, pretty much all you'll want to do is make the beds, take a shower, and get some rest because moving in is mentally exhausting.
With kids, let them help pack and plan extra time for doing so. Each should have a suitcase or a box with clothes, a comfort item, and some toys or books to leave out and bring with you on your drive to Main. Everything to leave out should fit in that box. Let them direct that process while you guide them.
My last move, I had color-coded tags for each item so the movers could just glance at the color and know exactly which room to set things in. They'd even unload the truck by stacks for each room. It worked beautifully and saved them a ton of time and energy. You could use colored stickers. It's not necessary but I wish I'd been doing that all along.
posted by mochapickle at 11:10 AM on May 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
I agree with mochapickle about coding each box and logging in a spreadsheet (I prefer Google Sheets because you can share it with family members, and access from any device. It sounds overly anal, but it's actually a great system. I have a two-pronged approach.
1. Color code by room with Post-It colored labels. Write "K" on pink labels for kitchen, "BR" on blue labels for bedroom, etc.
2. Number each box. I actually use mailing labels and write on there with sharpie, then label 2+ sides of each box (makes it much easier to see).
3. Write contents in the spreadsheet as you pack, and color code rows.
That way, when you move, it's easy to know exactly which box goes where. When you're looking for something, you just CTRL+F on your spreadsheet.
In the boxes that you're going to open first, also make sure you have basic household supplies like toilet paper, paper towels, and a shower curtain. It's not very fun taking a shower when you're sweaty and tired from moving and trying to not get water all over the bathroom (ask me how I know...).
posted by radioamy at 11:16 AM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
1. Color code by room with Post-It colored labels. Write "K" on pink labels for kitchen, "BR" on blue labels for bedroom, etc.
2. Number each box. I actually use mailing labels and write on there with sharpie, then label 2+ sides of each box (makes it much easier to see).
3. Write contents in the spreadsheet as you pack, and color code rows.
That way, when you move, it's easy to know exactly which box goes where. When you're looking for something, you just CTRL+F on your spreadsheet.
In the boxes that you're going to open first, also make sure you have basic household supplies like toilet paper, paper towels, and a shower curtain. It's not very fun taking a shower when you're sweaty and tired from moving and trying to not get water all over the bathroom (ask me how I know...).
posted by radioamy at 11:16 AM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
We had to store for a month when we moved from the west coast to the east coast because our house sale fell through the day the moving truck arrived (YIKES) which meant we couldn't buy the new house on schedule because the sale was how we were getting funds for the purchase.
We were lucky that we were using ABF (upack.com) because it was literally as easy as changing our delivery date. I think they charged $300 or so for the month of storage. ABF drops a truck, you fill it, then they pick it up and deliver it to your destination. ABF is also great because you only pay for the amount of room you use on the truck. If you estimate you need 25 feet but only end up using 20, they charge you for 20. They were also the most reasonably priced option of the professional-driver moving companies. And they are very professional.
Why would you rent a car rather than buying a car when you get to Maine?
posted by rabbitrabbit at 11:18 AM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
We were lucky that we were using ABF (upack.com) because it was literally as easy as changing our delivery date. I think they charged $300 or so for the month of storage. ABF drops a truck, you fill it, then they pick it up and deliver it to your destination. ABF is also great because you only pay for the amount of room you use on the truck. If you estimate you need 25 feet but only end up using 20, they charge you for 20. They were also the most reasonably priced option of the professional-driver moving companies. And they are very professional.
Why would you rent a car rather than buying a car when you get to Maine?
posted by rabbitrabbit at 11:18 AM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Make sure your insurance covers your personal belongings while in transport and in storage.
posted by slipthought at 11:29 AM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by slipthought at 11:29 AM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
My wife and I moved to Maine (Falmouth, just south of Freeport) from Kentucky 4 years ago. We used Noyes, based in Portland, to move our stuff. Ours was a work-related move, so most of the costs were covered and I can't speak to how competitive Noyes prices were/are.
The overall experience was really positive though. Two movers drove a truck to Kentucky, packed up our belongings from two residences (an extra that we opted for), then delivered the stuff to our new Maine residence less than a week later. Overall, I think exactly one dish was broken.
Also, welcome (soon) to Maine! I was born and raised in California, but I love it here--even the winters! Related to your elder-care situation, Maine has the oldest population in the U.S. and unfortunately our care system is woefully inadequate. There is a ballot measure for the upcoming November 2018 election that seeks to address this issues. Maybe something for your family to look into once you get settled.
posted by El_Marto at 11:29 AM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
The overall experience was really positive though. Two movers drove a truck to Kentucky, packed up our belongings from two residences (an extra that we opted for), then delivered the stuff to our new Maine residence less than a week later. Overall, I think exactly one dish was broken.
Also, welcome (soon) to Maine! I was born and raised in California, but I love it here--even the winters! Related to your elder-care situation, Maine has the oldest population in the U.S. and unfortunately our care system is woefully inadequate. There is a ballot measure for the upcoming November 2018 election that seeks to address this issues. Maybe something for your family to look into once you get settled.
posted by El_Marto at 11:29 AM on May 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Your west coast car does not have undercarriage rot from winter salting of roads. If the heater works well, think about shipping it instead of renting?
posted by jbenben at 11:48 AM on May 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by jbenben at 11:48 AM on May 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
For moving companies, my husband and I used ABF Upack for our cross country move and it was so easy and good. Highly recommend. They will also store stuff for you and if I recall correctly it wasn’t that much money for the storage.
posted by FireFountain at 1:49 PM on May 7, 2018
posted by FireFountain at 1:49 PM on May 7, 2018
Both my wife and I have had iffy stuff happen with cross country movers, so I would love some guidance on finding a mover that will get or things there intact and I assume keep them in storage for the time that we are in Bangor?
The one time I used movers for a cross-country move, I got a lot of great advice from the green and from movingscam.com about how not to get scammed. The best advice I got was to go with one of the big national companies. The one I went with was Mayflower and they were great. Most big companies should be able to store stuff for you as well.
Call a few companies and have them come give you estimates. They should not give you an estimate without visiting your home, and they should all be about the same. Beware outliers!
Consider hiring them to pack for you as well. When I moved a 1-br apartment, I was shocked that packing was only a few hundred extra dollars. It'll be more if you're moving a whole house, but still, it's a great deal. It'll take them 8 hours to do what would take you every day between now and when you move. Depending on how your budget is looking, you may even consider paying them to unpack as well. I actually found unpacking after the movers packed to be a bit annoying because they used so much paper. But if you hire them to unpack, they will take it all away!
posted by lunasol at 2:28 PM on May 7, 2018
The one time I used movers for a cross-country move, I got a lot of great advice from the green and from movingscam.com about how not to get scammed. The best advice I got was to go with one of the big national companies. The one I went with was Mayflower and they were great. Most big companies should be able to store stuff for you as well.
Call a few companies and have them come give you estimates. They should not give you an estimate without visiting your home, and they should all be about the same. Beware outliers!
Consider hiring them to pack for you as well. When I moved a 1-br apartment, I was shocked that packing was only a few hundred extra dollars. It'll be more if you're moving a whole house, but still, it's a great deal. It'll take them 8 hours to do what would take you every day between now and when you move. Depending on how your budget is looking, you may even consider paying them to unpack as well. I actually found unpacking after the movers packed to be a bit annoying because they used so much paper. But if you hire them to unpack, they will take it all away!
posted by lunasol at 2:28 PM on May 7, 2018
We just did a similar half-country move, NYC to east TN. This included staying with my mom and having the movers store our stuff until we found a house. This was a super stressful move for my partner, and it was a big move (3 BR including a parlor grand piano and ~250lb marble dining table) so I wanted to find the best moving company I could. I did research, and ultimately went with a company that two friends had used- Oz Moving. Looks like they have an LA based location. I give them a B+ grade. We packed up the household contents, they wrapped all of our furniture and packed artwork and other strange odds and ends. We paid the estimated amount upfront and did not incur any other charges.
Here are a few of things we learned:
Having the moving company store your stuff is expensive. We paid $920 a month. The first month was free.
Long distance moves are insured... but only at 60 cents per pound. If they break something, you'll only get reimbursed on weight. You buy comprehensive replacement insurance from outside companies, but it's not cheap. Our move would have been about $1000 to insure. We opted not to take that insurance. There was some damage/breakage, but nothing catastrophic or out of line with the scale of our move.
There is a huge delivery window. I gave them the first day we could take delivery about three weeks in advance. They gave me a 22 day delivery window. They told me they would give us 4 days notice, once the truck picked up our stuff, and then the driver would call us 24 hours ahead of delivery. Um... they actually gave me 12 hours notice that they were arriving on the first possible day we could accept deliver which was super stressful (I had to call out of work, my family who planned to help couldn't make it, we didn't have the new rugs down). This was a big mistake on their part, and I successfully used it as a bargaining chip when they tried to charge me a "carry fee" because the truck wouldn't fit in the driveway.
On top of that, they shorted us on delivery movers. We had about 7 guys who packed up the apartment, but only 3 guys were there to unload. It was a LONG DAY, and I ended up doing a ton of furniture unwrapping myself to speed things along. They had to call in an extra guy at the very end to help with the piano because the gate lift on the truck was broken.
The only other thing that ended up being a bummer when we were in the "transition" phase was trying to re-register my car. My insurance rates would decrease by 50% once I registered my car in TN. But because we were living with my mom, I didn't have enough points of residency until we set up utilities in the new house four months later.
Oh, and remember to change your address on all the places you order from regularly... especially if you use Paypal or one touch ordering. I ended up accidentally sending at least 4 or 5 things to my old address, and then had to work to make sure they got returned and reshipped.
posted by kimdog at 3:14 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Here are a few of things we learned:
Having the moving company store your stuff is expensive. We paid $920 a month. The first month was free.
Long distance moves are insured... but only at 60 cents per pound. If they break something, you'll only get reimbursed on weight. You buy comprehensive replacement insurance from outside companies, but it's not cheap. Our move would have been about $1000 to insure. We opted not to take that insurance. There was some damage/breakage, but nothing catastrophic or out of line with the scale of our move.
There is a huge delivery window. I gave them the first day we could take delivery about three weeks in advance. They gave me a 22 day delivery window. They told me they would give us 4 days notice, once the truck picked up our stuff, and then the driver would call us 24 hours ahead of delivery. Um... they actually gave me 12 hours notice that they were arriving on the first possible day we could accept deliver which was super stressful (I had to call out of work, my family who planned to help couldn't make it, we didn't have the new rugs down). This was a big mistake on their part, and I successfully used it as a bargaining chip when they tried to charge me a "carry fee" because the truck wouldn't fit in the driveway.
On top of that, they shorted us on delivery movers. We had about 7 guys who packed up the apartment, but only 3 guys were there to unload. It was a LONG DAY, and I ended up doing a ton of furniture unwrapping myself to speed things along. They had to call in an extra guy at the very end to help with the piano because the gate lift on the truck was broken.
The only other thing that ended up being a bummer when we were in the "transition" phase was trying to re-register my car. My insurance rates would decrease by 50% once I registered my car in TN. But because we were living with my mom, I didn't have enough points of residency until we set up utilities in the new house four months later.
Oh, and remember to change your address on all the places you order from regularly... especially if you use Paypal or one touch ordering. I ended up accidentally sending at least 4 or 5 things to my old address, and then had to work to make sure they got returned and reshipped.
posted by kimdog at 3:14 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Before you start packing, be sure the insurance company and/or movers will insure packages the movers didn't pack. Insure your household goods every way you can - when something goes wrong, the movers pay almost nothing toward making you right. I would check into the moving pods, too - I like the idea of being able to lock my unit and know that no one will be getting into it until I open it again. We've lost several items in moves we didn't do ourselves.
posted by summerstorm at 8:45 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by summerstorm at 8:45 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: All great, sage and helpful advice. Thanks to one and all!!
posted by silsurf at 9:27 PM on May 9, 2018
posted by silsurf at 9:27 PM on May 9, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by pintapicasso at 10:36 AM on May 7, 2018