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When people move they try to cover a lot of contingencies:
research the area
have an emergency fund
write a budget and a todo list
ave a job/apt lined up
learn about the place's social services in case you end up homeless or in need, etc.
But what were the aspects of moving that you didn't anticipate at the time, and wish you had known?
All my moves have worked out pretty well IMHO. No huge surprises, but I feel that was because I didn't have unrealistic expectations. Too many people go into a move with the expectation that geography will solve emotional problems. So often, they move right along with you. Remind yourself what they say about grass and fences.
When people move they try to cover a lot of contingencies:
research the area
have an emergency fund
write a budget and a todo list
ave a job/apt lined up
learn about the place's social services in case you end up homeless or in need, etc.
But what were the aspects of moving that you didn't anticipate at the time, and wish you had known?
My number one tip is to avoid professional packers and pack everything yourself.
2) Give it away, throw it away, sell it when possible. It's a good time to clean house, part with junk rather than having to pack it and move it. Offer things to family members if there's sentimental value. Packing takes time and material (and therefore money). Moving more also forces you to get a bigger truck or pay more for the move when you pay someone.
3) Boxes get expensive. You can save money if there's a place near you that sells "recycled" boxes. Search the web.
4) We toyed with the idea of getting one of those pods but found they're expensive. Also in Dallas they require a permit to place it on the street.
5) If you do use movers, read their reviews on line. Ours damaged a bunch of things and then claimed they didn't have to pay because they didn't know how well we packed it. Um, they should put the heavy boxes on the bottom, not the top, and why were boxes that were in good condition when we handed them over damaged when they arrived?
2) Give it away, throw it away, sell it when possible. It's a good time to clean house, part with junk rather than having to pack it and move it. Offer things to family members if there's sentimental value. Packing takes time and material (and therefore money). Moving more also forces you to get a bigger truck or pay more for the move when you pay someone.
3) Boxes get expensive. You can save money if there's a place near you that sells "recycled" boxes. Search the web.
4) We toyed with the idea of getting one of those pods but found they're expensive. Also in Dallas they require a permit to place it on the street.
5) If you do use movers, read their reviews on line. Ours damaged a bunch of things and then claimed they didn't have to pay because they didn't know how well we packed it. Um, they should put the heavy boxes on the bottom, not the top, and why were boxes that were in good condition when we handed them over damaged when they arrived?
Good advice all. I have moved so many times it makes me sick to think about it. I have used a few different removal companies over the years. I can highly recommend 2 outstanding companies in DFW and warn everyone away from one truly horrific one in Houston.
Most of the removal companies I have used were average. I only had one that was truly awful and not only damaged some of my expensive pieces of furniture but made it MUCH worse after I allowed them to send the items for repair for me. NEVER do that. I ended up with thousands of dollars worth of damage and had to sue them. I won, but I never saw the money.
My number one tip is to avoid professional packers and pack everything yourself.
I 10000% disagree with this. I've done 3 full service cross country moves at this point and I can't imagine packing everything up and doing it myself. Of course, we had specialists crate high value items (art, wine, etc).
I 10000% disagree with this. I've done 3 full service cross country moves at this point and I can't imagine packing everything up and doing it myself. Of course, we had specialists crate high value items (art, wine, etc).
This. I've been moved professionally more than 10 times, usually transcontinental distances. One of the keys to avoiding loss/damage was either to plan to take personally important items along with me, pack them myself and then have the pro packers overpack them, or pay a specialist to box or crate higher value/irreplaceable things separately. Have them inventoried on a separate bill of lading. That may also provide a higher level of reimbursement for replacement or damage. How that would work depends on the company and your contract. I can recall less than 5 items going missing entirely and maybe the same number of items irreparably damaged. Yes, some dings and scrapes of course but the sort of damage that could have happened if I'd done the moving on my own. I've only filed a few claims for minor damage that were handled pretty well IMHO.
I moved twice in the last couple years. First time went well. Second time used the same company in the reverse direction. It was devastating. The latter had loading controlled by the driver who put furniture in the truck sideways and upside down to squeeze it in. He took apart furniture in ways that should not have been done. Pieces broke off. Pieces were found that couldn’t be understood. How could that have been prevented? Don’t accept that they know what they’re doing. And due to having a lot of antiques it would be impossible to repair or replace damaged items. Next time? Get a pod type container and hire separate loaders. Or make sure the local company has permanent and reliable help.
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