Moving Cost

[Glorantha]

We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?

[blueash]

should I get more quotes?

yes

[biker1]

Moving costs are essentially a function of weight and distance. Get a couple of quotes and read the fine print regarding their estimate of the weight and how the final weight impacts the actual costs. Also, check the fine print on insurance.

We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?

[DylanTodd]

Hi, I can sympathize with your situation, I have done a lot of research on movers and am having the same experience. I may have found a good mover. Send me your email address and I can possibly put you in touch with my mover. Cheers, Dylan Todd

[kathyspear]

FWIW, most people who move all their furniture down here regret doing so. They wish they had just sold or given away what they have and bought new things. This is partly because it costs so much to move heavy furniture but also because many people realize once they are here that their (usually dark and heavy) furniture from up north doesn't suit their new Florida home and lifestyle. Just something to think about.

Good luck with your move.

kathy

[retiredguy123]

More quotes won't help much. Get rid of most of your stuff and buy new stuff. I sold everything in my house and came here with just my clothes. It felt very refreshing to start over with no clutter. I think this is especially true if you are moving into a new house. Since you are boxing things yourself, consider renting a Pod for the things you want to keep.

[RedFoxRick]

We too had always been part of corporate moves until our move from Charlotte to The Villages in April of this year. We brought most of our things - as getting furniture now is a crap shoot with supply chain issues. Expect to wait 6 months or more for new furniture - so leaving things behind is not a good strategy in 2021 and 2022. We paid about $8K for a two bedroom condo move from Charlotte NC, so $8k seems fair. I will tell you II had four movers quote the move and Mayflower was most expensive, so getting other quotes is advised. I ended up with a good local mover in Charlotte that does not charge by the pound and gave me a fixed quote for the move - they never increased it - so getting a fair deal is possible.

[DPWM21]

[QUOTE=Soon2B-Villager;2023166]We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?

I hired local movers at both ends. Rented a large truck, son drove it and flew in/out to help. No losses, unknown timelines, forms to fill out, and about half the cost.

This doesn’t answer your question but, for me, it was simpler —and faster—to do it myself. Good luck and always always get quotes. Knowledge is power:).

[maggie1]

We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?

Yes, always get at least three quotes, and find out if the company you finally choose can give you used boxes and wardrobe cartons for your packing need. These are usually free and will save you a boatload of money. Good luck with your move!

[sdeikenberry]

I used a POD and did it myself. It was cheaper than a moving company. You can hire muscle on both ends for items you can't lift. You will not need a lot of furniture you had up north. The second hand stores here are full of northern furniture folks end up not wanting after they move here. Decorating styles are different here.

[nancymiller217@yahoo.com]

Get rid of as much as you can. They charge by weight and a lot of dishonest companies will WAY underestimate weight so their quote looks good, but they’ll up charge you.

My son recently moved: got rid of almost all furniture but a bedroom set and a table and 4 chairs. Used U-Pack for transport, Moving Saffers on each end for load/unload. It was the cheapest-but you have to supervise. (Lots of people recommend PODS but my son found them to be high cost )

[MrGolf]

Keep in mind that all movers face basically the same costs. The cost of labor to load, cost of insurance, gas, vehicle, etc. etc. Beware of the low price bid as the results often times can be disastrous. We paid considerably more to move a 4 bedroom house from Pittsburgh and I was comfortable knowing that the move would be done correctly and the people responsible knew what they were doing. There were no surprises. I do agree with those who said to think about getting rid of those dark heavy pieces before you move as they probably don’t lend themselves to your new surroundings. As we initially moved from Florida to Pittsburgh before moving back we didn’t have the dark fur issue. That said we still moved too much stuff back.

[Luggage]

The quick answer is yes, but as you read through these posts most people will tell you to throw everything out or give it to charity. The only thing is you should keep our financial papers old pictures and mementos, if there is some furniture of historic importance and you may want to keep it. Most people regret taking their furniture as it's much easier just to buy new and we'll go with your Florida lifestyle better. Maybe I would take a piano or something of reminding you of parents etc. We took my parents standing room set* which I love , a small linen hutch from Russia and a chandelier and upright piano
Our dishes and silverware and two pieces of luggage packed with clothes. You don't need winter coats, lawn mowers, but if you have tools that you want I would send those UPS. Good luck

[tmbozoki@gmail.com]

Moved from Houston to Michigan and paid $7K but included packing. Trust me after 14 moves let them pack.

[gbs317]

First, welcome to The Villages.
Yes I would get a few quotes if you really want your furniture.
For my wife and I we came down with one uhaual pod and a suv full of essentials no furniture. This is a new adventure on life’s journey so we used the money saved on movers and put it towards all new furniture.

[DaleDivine]

The quick answer is yes, but as you read through these posts most people will tell you to throw everything out or give it to charity. The only thing is you should keep our financial papers old pictures and mementos, if there is some furniture of historic importance and you may want to keep it. Most people regret taking their furniture as it's much easier just to buy new and we'll go with your Florida lifestyle better. Maybe I would take a piano or something of reminding you of parents etc. We took my parents standing room set* which I love , a small linen hutch from Russia and a chandelier and upright piano
Our dishes and silverware and two pieces of luggage packed with clothes. You don't need winter coats, lawn mowers, but if you have tools that you want I would send those UPS. Good luck

This might be Florida but it still gets down in the 30's here.
:ho::bigbow:

[mydavid]

We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes? You might consider only bring what you cant live without, and buy the rest to fit your new home.:welcome:

[thevillages2013]

Delivery from furniture stores has improved a little in the last few months but there are still major delays in getting your order filled. I say bring your essential furniture. What happened five to ten years ago when someone moved here has absolutely no bearing on what you should do in this current climate

[bowlingal]

moving companies give you an estimate...always more than the actual weight after everything is loaded. I had the truck weighed before my stuff was loaded and then after my stuff was loaded. Then, I got a refund on the estimate. Saved a lot of money. Get several estimates for sure. I used Liberty and I also got free boxes, as much as I needed.

[Annie66]

We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?

Methinks I know what I speak ..... being professional vagabonds (27 moves), we have done it both ways ...... professional movers and self-moves. You have to decide one way or the other, but I have one piece of advice. If you pack your own stuff except for the furniture, and you hire a professional mover, every box you pack will be marked as PBO ("packed by owner") on the mover's manifest. Damage to the contents or loss of those boxes will not be covered by the mover's insurance. If the $8K estimate was predicated on the fact you were packing all but the furniture, I would get 2 quotes from each movers .... one for a full pack-out and one with you packing boxes.

Forgive me if you have already planned this, but you should pack a few boxes with the essentials you'll carry in your car to cover the first few nights waiting for the truck to arrive (i.e., linens, pillows, 2 sets of dishes/utensils, clothing, etc.). You'll be surprised at this end if you don't.

[JMintzer]

We paid significantly less in our move from MD, but we moved significantly less...

Our mover (who is also a friend of ours) told us that if it would cost less to replace the furniture, DON'T move it, unless it had significant sentimental value.

The main things we wanted were our bedroom set , an armoire, and a vintage sideboard (that was my wife's grandmothers). The cost to replace the BR set alone was about the cost of the move... It fits better in TV than it did here in MD...

The rest of the stuff we moved was some clothing, kitchen stuff and some of my music gear...

[rwlinn]

When we moved 8 years ago The Villages had a contract with several moving companies. It was a much better rate than I could get. We too had done multiple corporate moves and individual self moves. Pods were more expensive than having movers. We did end up with Atlas packing kitchen and dining room, TV’s, Mirrors, and two crated pieces. Our quote was what we paid. Came in from Houston. Call your Villages sales rep they can get you in touch with the person who ran that moving program. Welcome to the Villages!

[Janeyp]

Sell your furniture and buy new when you get here! What you have now won't be what you want in Florida. Cheaper than moving it!!

[sullys]

We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?

Its costing me $4,000 (with taxes) to rent a 26ft U-Haul truck to move my items from Manassas VA. This was the most cost effective as I looked at pods/other rental trucks - Penske wanted $7k! I wanted my stuff right away - that's why I'm moving myself. My son had a nightmare move in June from CA to AL. You have no idea how expensive it has become to make a move. Why not get two more quotes and see the price differences? Your deal sounds reasonable.

[One iron]

I also came from No Va two weeks ago cost 7k for 7500 lbs used Able movers great move no damage we packed 50% of our boxes about 30 of them I would get at least two other quotes We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?

[Papa_lecki]

Having them pack for you is less expensive than you think. And they do a better job

That being said, I would suggest Ann estate sale up north, move only the essentials.
You wont want most of your stuff - and I am sure your house in FLA is much smaller

[Flanman]

Bring only what you will really need living in The Villages. Downsizing is a good thing. Many use a POD when moving here. Yes furniture is hard to get right now but think about what furniture you have that will work for you here. Many have brought only to sell or give away when buying furniture that fits their new house.

[Mikee1]

Call Village Movers. The one with Mike Collum. They are reasonable and fast.

[Banksbrada@gmail.com]

We paid $ 1 US per pound from Canada to The Villages. We packed our own and purged as much as we thought was necessary. We still moved too much.

[Villages Kahuna]

Everyone moving here makes the same mistake… YOU’RE BRINGING TOO MUCH STUFF!

The suggestions to drastically minimize the stuff you’re bringing, particularly furniture and clothes, and buy new when you get here are good ones. You can buy most of the new furniture you’ll need with the savings on moving expense. Clothes-wise, you’ll “live” in casual summer clothes, almost never needing to “dress up”. Think about it.

[boivin247]

[quote=soon2b-villager;2023166]we are moving to the villages the end of january. We received a quote from mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern virginia to tv. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should i get more quotes?

I hired local movers at both ends. Rented a large truck, son drove it and flew in/out to help. No losses, unknown timelines, forms to fill out, and about half the cost.

This doesn’t answer your question but, for me, it was simpler —and faster—to do it myself. Good luck and always always get quotes. Knowledge is power:).

[Bmillard11]

We used North American Van Lines when we moved here in May and were very happy. They gave us the best quote for our four bedroom home.

Prior to moving I consulted with a decorator concerning what would work well in the Florida home so I wouldn’t needlessly bring things that wouldn’t work. The advice so many gave us to get rid of everything and replace it wasn’t for us. Much of our furniture is Ethan Allen and similar brands. You can’t replace that for $6-8,000. We have ordered a few pieces to fill in and those won’t arrive till February/March. And while many people say they find excellent deals on used furniture, it’s hard to pull a home together that way.

We were very happy with our decision to move carefully selected pieces from our prior home.

Good luck. It’s stressful but so worth it.

[JMintzer]

Delivery from furniture stores has improved a little in the last few months but there are still major delays in getting your order filled. I say bring your essential furniture. What happened five to ten years ago when someone moved here has absolutely no bearing on what you should do in this current climate

We had to wait 9 months for a leather recliner that JUST arrived...

And we did look at BR furniture locally. Nothing we saw was worth a crap, nor did we like it better than what we had...

[airstreamingypsy]

Have a big yard sale, get rid of your furniture and mattresses...... bring your summer clothes, and a few jackets. Bring your favorite personal things. The consignment shops around here are full of up north furniture that people who moved here realized it's just wrong for here. It's cheaper to buy new furniture than move all your old stuff.

[lennythenet]

We used Mayflower as well. Didn’t have a good experience with them as they under estimated our weight up front and ended up costing us WAY more than it should have. My mother moved from The Villages back to Ohio a few years ago and used POD. She hired local movers to pack and unpack her boxes and furniture on both ends. Much better experience. If we ever have a reason to move again interstate, I would move turn key or use POD.

[denniskathyb]

We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?

I moved here from California and was shocked at the price. We refurnished our Villages Designer home with new rather then pay mover. Much of our old furniture wouldn't match the new house layout anyway.

[mkjelenbaas]

We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?
Sell, give away or throw out most and buy new when you get here - you will find most of what you bring will not be good for here!

[NoMo50]

We used PODS...had 2 of them from Kansas City to TV. There were a couple of hiccups, but overall, it worked well. It cost us about half of what you have been quoted, and that includes hiring loaders/unloaders at each end.

Heed the advice given by most here. DOWNSIZE. When you think you have gotten rid of everything you can possibly jettison...do it again. And again. I didn't listen well enough, and wound up bringing WAY more stuff than necessary. Then, you spend months getting rid of stuff you paid to move here. Be honest about what you really need, and don't let emotion and sentiment cloud your judgment.

Storage space in these homes is premium real estate, and there simply isn't enough of it to bring things that maybe get dragged out once or twice a year. You will discover an entirely new lifestyle here, and will quickly forget about those things you were convinced you couldn't live without.

Welcome to The Villages...let the adventures begin!

[Jimmay]

I worked in the moving business for 50 years. A general question of “is this a good price?” Cannot be answered by anyone without knowing all the parameters. Get 3-4 estimates from major movers Allied, United, Atlas, Bekins etc. make sure all they estimates are binding or not to exceed. If all the estimates are accurate they should only vary by 5%. Stay away from internet movers who do not come to your home.

[Cupcake57]

We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?

Welcome! I used UPack, which is similar to a POD-they dropped off a semi trailer when I asked for it, I had local movers pack it, then UPack picked the trailer up the same day and delivered it when I wanted 5 days later. They are dispatched out of Ocala so literally they came within an hour to pick up the empty trailer after I had the Villages Movers unpack it. I didn't like the sounds of a national chain mover as they were much more expensive and they often (if not always) move your stuff from one trailer to another and are much less transparent about when you will receive your furniture. I didn't want any of that. I think it was less than $3000 for about a 1000 miles, this past May. I spent about another $1000 on both ends with the local muscle including tips. Didn't keep track of what I spent on boxes and bubble wrap!

Do not sell all your furniture unless its past its usefulness, as you will be sitting on a bean bag chair and sleeping on a rubber mattress. It is months for new furniture here.

Enjoy the process, its fun once you get here.

[Ptmckiou]

Seems very reasonable, but always good to get at least 3 quotes. Personally, I sold all my furniture and bought new when I got here. The dark wood and fabrics of up north don’t look good in Florida. Light woods, soft colors, tropical feel….not heavy looking stuff. I loved getting new stuff. Refreshing.

[lisarenee523]

We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?


That's actually a really good price. I got quotes in the $10's to move my stuff out of storage in Houston & drive here, everything was already packed.

I've moved a lot, mostly instate except for moving from Houston to here, but I've always done, which is cheaper, is pack / box up my house, rent the Penske truck (cheaper than U-haul), hire movers to load the truck. Then I drive it to where ever I'm moving, and hire movers to unload the truck. It's a lot cheaper.

HOWEVER, I've always moved within the state of Texas, 3 or 4 hrs moves. When I went home to Houston in August to get stuff out of one of my storage units, I did what I always do, which was more affordable for me. What killed me was the gas!

[sowtime444]

Because you are in Virginia... Unless you have some really precious and valuable furniture, you can save a lot of money by shipping most things yourself in boxes and putting the rest in your car(s) and getting on the Auto Train. It leaves from Lorton, VA and arrives in Orlando the next morning. Then it is an hour and 15 minute drive to The Villages. We just did this with my in-laws. They serve dinner and breakfast and you get a good night's sleep (we did the room and not the coach seats, not sure how easy it is to sleep in those) and nice views when it is still light out. It was fun. We put all of the large luggage pieces, breakable items, and even their flat screen TV in our cars.

For packing, we went to my in-laws house and went through every item. For the stuff they didn't want to keep (including all furniture that couldn't fit in their car) - we took it to goodwill, gave it away to friends and family, sold it online, or trashed it. We shipped all books through USPS media mail. We shipped everything else with FedEx Ground "Home Delivery" and specified evening delivery so that we could get it after we got off the train and drove to their new home. There were 60 boxes altogether which cost around $2,000 to ship. Two coach seats on the train is $200-500 depending on how far in advance you book. Or a room with bunk beds is $800 or more if you want a private bathroom (not necessary - the bathrooms are like airplane bathrooms anyway). A car is about $250 but can be packed to the gills. Shortly after we arrived in their house, the FedEx truck pulled up with the boxes.

There are lots of thrift stores in this area with good stuff for very reasonable prices. Or you could buy new, or get things shipped from IKEA in Orlando, etc.

[Catalina36]

Sell as much as you can to reduce the moving cost and buy new when you get here. From reading post on Talk of The Villages most people regret bringing all of their furniture and wind up selling it or donating it anyway just to eventually buy new. Another question, is your stuff worth $8,000??

[merrymini]

Leaving all your stuff is okay if your stuff is not worth much to begin with. I have very expensive furniture that cannot be replaced with rooms to go junk. That being said, of course, get rid of as much as possible but measure your new house and your furniture. Also, getting new furniture is getting very difficult. I am dealing with this issue now and feel your pain.

[afewg]

We have found that it's cheaper to use a local mover who's not affiliated with a large carrier. Research through the BBB and read reviews carefully. Interview and ask questions. Also, if you can get a floor plan of the house you're moving to, lay out your furniture to see what fits before you move it. Then come on down and enjoy!

[Calisport]

It is a good estimate but beware at this time there are movers that will give you a quote then a week before they may raise the price $5000+ at the last moment even with a deposit made. Not all movers are that way but 2 people I know went through that. I used 2 uhaul boxes, 3 bedrooms would probably be 3 to 4 Uhaul boxes and costs starting at $5500 just for comparison across the US from west coast. My cost for 2 was about $4300.
Got a quote from a mover based in Ft. Lauderdale that is one of the companies that have a reputation of saying we need more money to move you. There's was $5,500 but I refused after reading their reviews.

[BEETHOVENMIKEY]

That might be in line.
We moved from central Maryland in December 2018 with Mayflower to TV, with two bedroom house, no appliances and all pre-boxed, and we paid about $5,500. They had a 10 day layover (to consolidate), which was fine, because we stayed with family that already lived here.

[OhioBuckeye]

We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?
We’ll you know the weight is just a guesstimate. I heard someone say a while back that someone had what they thought was a locked in price for moving them & when they got their bill it was several thousand dollars higher because the weight was quite a bit more. So beware!

[Laurawilcox]

Thank you for your advice. We are in the same situation where our taste is expensive. Similar to the previous writer who said he was only able to,replace his bedroom set with what he saved.

We’re you nervous about the whole adventure of moving to the Villages as well?

[ellenwelsh]

If you're planning on doing your own packing use PODS. I've heard too many horror stories about using commercial movers. With PODS you are in control, not the moving company. No stolen or lost household goods.

[donassaid]

Great response. We sold 90% of our furniture and moved the rest with pods. Vost was $1500

[JBKing2021]

We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?

First of all...welcome to the Villages. Second...I agree with most to declutter and move just a few boxes. I just moved here last month from Chicago and it would have been $8K - $10K. Sold all my OLD furniture for $2500 and negotiated the rest in the closing for $1K. Gave the rest to Salvation Army. Moved 65 boxes with Bekins for $3500. Bought ALL NEW from Kane's Furniture. BEST decision of my life. Love it!! Good Luck.

[jmsturm]

We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with
the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?



Paid $7700 three years ago with Bekins for move from Philadelphia area to TV with full pack and unpack. Needed to negotiate. Most IMPORTANT is getting mover with good reputation. Mayflower is one.

[Dgodin]

We moved with a 15ft UHaul. Sold/gave away all of our furniture before we moved, sold our extra stuff in a yard sale, rented a dumpster and put a ton of stuff in it (literally).
We are glad we didnt keep our northern furniture.

[thelegges]

Why does everyone think of you live north, you have heavy Dark furniture. Guess we were never pack rats, what we didn’t want went to the curb for regular garbage pickup. When we put this house for sale, the kids are coming for what they wanted, and the house will be close to empty.

We chose to rent a Uhaul, hired them to load. We packed, because I knew what was in every box. Then hired local to unload. Total cost of furniture move $765 for Uhaul, gas $217, load $195, unload $220. Not one thing damaged. Uhaul had a list of drivers if we wanted one.

We drove ourselves, the Uhaul was not much different than driving a big SUV. Handled well, had great space for small kennel between front seat for our pet. Would do the same exact thing when we move our lake house.

[migri]

We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?
We moved a year ago. We used United. At the same time a friend moved using Alliance. Alliance's price was lower. Our stuff arrived in perfect condition at the specified time agreed on before hiring them, with nothing missing. My friend's, took months to be delivered and so happened, boxes with crystals disappeared.
My point is when it comes to moving, the best price is not the most important factor. Use a reputable company with good reviews. We strongly recommend considering United Van Lines. It was the second time using them and we were again very happy. Good luck!

[FromNY]

yesYou pack it, they break it, you lose. They pack and put on their truck Insure!

[dp.reed]

We are moving right now from Hawaii to our new home in Charlotte. We are using a 16 foot POD and it costs less than your quote. Packing boxes ourselves and hiring muscle on each end of the move to load and unload the POD keeps cost down. Don't bring more than your new home has room for. But bring enough, especially kitchen, bedding, and bath items.<BR>
A POD is also secure, put your own lock on it and send it on its way.

[VickiF]

Absolutely agree

We used North American Van Lines when we moved here in May and were very happy. They gave us the best quote for our four bedroom home.

Prior to moving I consulted with a decorator concerning what would work well in the Florida home so I wouldn’t needlessly bring things that wouldn’t work. The advice so many gave us to get rid of everything and replace it wasn’t for us. Much of our furniture is Ethan Allen and similar brands. You can’t replace that for $6-8,000. We have ordered a few pieces to fill in and those won’t arrive till February/March. And while many people say they find excellent deals on used furniture, it’s hard to pull a home together that way.

We were very happy with our decision to move carefully selected pieces from our prior home.

Good luck. It’s stressful but so worth it.

[VickiF]

We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?

We are moving from a 3 bedroom 3 bath 55+ home. We got a quote from 2 local movers and then we used the Villages Relocation Services which gave us 3 additional quotes from Atlas, Mayflower, and United. We ended up choosing United at about $7300 to move us from southeast PA. Our price can’t go higher but it can go lower. We are currently packing ourselves and the movers come on the 12th November. We are taking our living room room furniture which we bought last Fall in very neutral beige and white colors. Perfect for Florida. Our bedroom set was $5000 when we bought it and we couldn’t replace it today for that, plus I love it. We sold our dining room set and washer and dryer. We have a queen Ethan Allen sleeper sofa we are bringing for the 3rd bedroom and a new queen bed and new dresser for the 2nd bedroom. We couldn’t buy any of that today for the same price and we’d have to wait months to get it anyway. We have a brand new upright garage rated freezer we are bringing too. We got rid of A LOT but I do wish we had gotten rid of some more but we can do that down there at the many yard sales. I think for what we are spending at least we have everything we need. And we have our children and visitors coming often, in fact the first week we arrive we have friends coming! We made sure to get a house with a 2 car garage plus a golf cart garage. I think if we didn’t have that I would 100% have gotten rid of a lot more.
Our economy is crumbling. Bring what you need and what you love because who knows what is going to happen to supply chains. With the price of gas everything is costing more! Yes, 2nd hand is also a great way to go but finding the perfect thing isn’t easy.
As far as doing it on your own - Uhaul could not guarantee us a truck when we needed it. Hiring people was also taking a chance because in this environment they may show up and they may not, so how’s that going to work when you have to move out on a set date?
The couple of thousand extra it costs to use a professional gave us peace of mind that we’d be moved and have what we need when we arrive to our new home in a place we absolutely love. I call that priceless.
Blessings on your move. May God give you the guidance and wisdom you need as you prepare.

[LianneMigiano]

More quotes won't help much. Get rid of most of your stuff and buy new stuff. I sold everything in my house and came here with just my clothes. It felt very refreshing to start over with no clutter. I think this is especially true if you are moving into a new house. Since you are boxing things yourself, consider renting a Pod for the things you want to keep.
We did the POD 11 years ago, bringing VERY LITTLE furniture, and we still brought WAY TOO MUCH STUFF! Please be RUTHLESS in your decisions about what you cannot live without....and just bring that stuff. Our POD 8 x 16' (128 sq ft jam packed tight) cost about $2,500 at that time. It took years to shed some of the stuff I should never have brought along. SAD :ohdear:

[Acorrie1]

For $8000 probably could get new furniture and have an estate sale to sell the old. Clean slate. Everything new

[Garywt]

A lot of people use Pods. We bought furniture, bedroom, den, living room, dining room and 4 bar stools for about $7,000.

[THUNDERCHIEF]

You should always get 2 Or 3 quotes. Then pick the best one

[J1ceasar]

but most will say sell stuff and buy new here

except for

dishes, silverywear , photos , memento, documents - jewelry. artwork etc. musical instruments sports equipment etc

DON'T BRING FURNITURE



We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?

[Pachine58]

UPack is way to go. Get a 1/2 semi and only pay for how much of the truck you use. They drop off , hire local people to load. They pick up, 5-7 days latter it arrives in villages. Hire someone to unload. They pick up.

Super easy and way cheaper. My cost from cleveland to villages was less then 5000 dollars and very convenient.

Moving Trailer | U-Pack (https://www.upack.com/how-upack-works/equipment/moving-trailer)

[Ksfirefighter]

We just moved 2 16’ Pack Rat containers from Kansas City for 7k. From what I have been hearing if you can get it for that price that would be cheap, but don’t be surprised when the actual bill is much more.
Pack Rat was cheaper than pods.
We didn’t have enough time to purge what we should have and will probably be donating halve of what we brought down.
There just isn’t any storage and I am not going to pay to store it.
So we will find a cause that we like and donate it to them.

[TheDuke]

Sounds right. Our cost from Wisconsin was about that. Plus fuel costs are going up.

[MidWestIA]

Get quotes from your high rated local movers

[mskaggs]

I know many advocate getting rid of everything and buying new, and that villagers who brought furniture with them regret it. With that in mind, we downsized our house by half. We got rid of so, so much!! But we still kept enough furniture to get our house started. Keep in mind that there is a wait for furniture. Plus, if you have good quality furniture you won’t be able to replace it with similar quality for what you would save in closing costs.

Finally, as others suggested, try getting a POD and doing the move yourself. Hire movers on both ends to pack/unpack. I am a fan of Village Mover. (Villagemover.con). They were awesome.

Good luck!

[SusanStCatherine]

That quote is reasonaable from Mayflower.

We moved from Maryland August 2020 and paid almost $7K and we packed ourselves. 10,000 pounds. Three bedroom full house. The movers damaged a lot of furniture. Get insurance and make them stay upon delivery for you to inspect. Our claims paid for the move and then some and we have furniture until we buy new. The company had good reviews but we got a bad crew. Movers were owned by Wheaton.

I would only use a very reputable mover like Mayflower, (we used Mayflower for our move within Florida recently). What a difference - they were nearly perfect.

But the answer you are looking for is yes that is a good quote from a good company.

[JMintzer]

but most will say sell stuff and buy new here

except for

dishes, silverywear , photos , memento, documents - jewelry. artwork etc. musical instruments sports equipment etc

I couldn't replace the BR set for the cost of moving everything...

DON'T BRING FURNITURE

WE BROUGHT FURNITURE...

Our BR set fits better here that it does up North. The expensive futon is perfect for one of the extra BRs. It's very comfortable as a couch and as an additional queen size bed.

Neither are the "heavy dark wood" that others say "don't fit in FL's decor". But neither are they the cheap composite wood so much furniture is made from these days. As is the repurposed and repainted dresser/night table we're using for the other BR. Solid Ash. And the large armoire that fits perfectly in the LR? Similar finish to our BR set. Great for extra storage and where TV section was will be my wife's "sewing station"...

Our BR set alone would cost more to replace than it cost for the entire move...

Now granted, we still have a home up north, so we were able to pick and choose what pieces we wanted to keep. The rest will be eventually sold...

[aallbrand]

We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?

just moved myself
Sell or donate as much as you can . Eight thousand is the going rate . If you want to keep some things and spend less get a pod Quote . Keep a few essentials . Rent a pod . The large unit hold 4 rooms enough for a bed appliances and the what you cant part with. They have a labor service that will pack and unload the pod. My cost from NC to Fla was under 4,000.

[Mistymom]

We moved in April from Chattanooga and paid 11k for 2 br, large study unit, large dark dining room set (regret this) couch, Loveseat, chair, 2 recliners, exercise equipment, and lots of tools.
We got many bids, from 7k to 11k. I had an independent driver explain that drivers bid on jobs without putting all of costs in and the end prices all come out about the same. Three of national companies came out within just a few dollars of each other and the local one offered used boxes.
It sounds like you have a good price, but I agree that you should dispose of furniture that you think you will be replacing here. The 2nd hand stores are full of really nice traditional furniture and you can't sell it for nearly as much as you can at home.

[richs631]

Verity is by far the best mover from north to south. Private company with no outside sales people. Estimates are dead on. They even refunded cost because they over estimated. No breakage and the truck won’t get lost. Stay away from companies that use outside sales people.

[Wildc4ga]

We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?

We were faced with the same very expensive situation, $11k quote to move us if we boxed everything and they loaded boxes and blanketed furniture. I opted for a uhaul truck and uhaul helpers to load and unload. Moved everything for under $2k.

[Deb1093]

We have had both military and employer moves. We paid 10k from TX to TV. We had a 4 BR house.

[OhioBuckeye]

Thank you for your advice. We are in the same situation where our taste is expensive. Similar to the previous writer who said he was only able to,replace his bedroom set with what he saved.

We’re you nervous about the whole adventure of moving to the Villages as well?

If you’re talking to me no wasn’t nervous at all because we moved ourselves from Ohio & we had to rent a U-Haul twice because it was thousands of dollars cheaper than hiring a moving service. But you have to have the will power to do it yourself. Spending 15 to $20,000. was my will power to do it ourselves. Then we moved to Texas & we move ourselves again. You have to decide if it’s worth it. TV is a great place to live as long as you do something to offset the $165.00 a month Amenities ever month & I did!

[RosemarySoso]

We are moving to The Villages the end of January. We received a quote from Mayflower movers of $8k to move our 3 bedroom household from northern Virginia to TV. We plan on boxing everything ourselves except for the furniture.
I have always had employer paid moves and am not familiar with the inflated cost of everything now a days. Is this a reasonable estimate or should I get more quotes?

Unless you are really attached to your furniture, you might want to consider selling much if it before heading south. Styles are quite different in Florida and dark “northern” furniture often feels dreary in the land of turquoise and yellows.

[Yjacket74]

I found that moving companies underestimate the weight. When they finally put your stuff on the truck, the weight could be 20-25% over and you pay A LOT MORE per pound for that overage. I highly recommend that you ask them to increase their estimate by 25%. If you don't use it, they should adjust the cost downward.

Please make sure this is all in the fine print before you agree to the estimate.

[MEbner2805]

Yes that’s somewhat high as it cost me 14 G from CA and the truck they do is give you a lie estimate to draw you in and once you sign, they show up to charge you more and more on each visit! They are all scammers so be careful! We all need lawyers to do a move these days! It’s awful with foreigners coming here to rip us all off! I couldn’t back out after they demanded a deposit! Then they upped the price more!

[deej012160]

Thanks to everyone for the great info in this post. My wife and I are planning to sell our house in Louisiana in spring/summer 2022 and move to TV. We are thinking we might have to store our furniture for some short/medium timeframe to find a home in TV. Any recommendations there? We want to keep most of our furniture, as a lot of our furniture are heirlooms...
Disclaimer--I have only read about half of these replies so far; need to read all the replies to this one....

[Calisport]

Seems like a fair quote. I moved from the west coast using uboxes. and hired their $160 for 2 hours movers.
Came out to about $5500 for a truck to take my 3 bedroom across the US and drop off the boxes at my house.
So $8000 for a mover to use their truck is about right. It of course should be cheaper but everything is inflated right now.
The only thing is any mover can at the last moment say "well we need $4000 more to move your stuff because you have a lot more than we expected." It's happened to many people. My boss experienced this. The mover said they needed $6000 more.

[Glorantha]

Thanks for all the feedback. Received some other quotes and went with one of the movers recommended by TV. Price about $800 cheaper. Guaranteed not to go up but can go down if the weight comes in lighter.

[Babubhat]

Paid 1000 just to move a car from up north. Prices went crazy. Dump what you can and go to city furniture. Try uship for quotes

[ProfessorDave]

Moving companies are expensive - and - we found the furniture we had up north - wasn't what we wanted when we got to Florida. If you wonder about the same thing - you might call Nate like we did.

VillagesFurnitureOutlet.com

You can pick out what you want on a zoom call - and even have it delivered and installed at no cost. His prices were INCREDIBLE. We've had ours for over 3 years - and still very happy.

[Gulfcoast]

Definitely pare down as much as you can before you move. If you have a basement in Northern Virginia realize that almost everything down there is not going to be needed in Florida where there are no basements. Really be selective with what you intend to bring.

As others have mentioned, get some more quotes from other moving companies. See what Interstate Van lines and United can do for you.

[PugMom]

FWIW, most people who move all their furniture down here regret doing so. They wish they had just sold or given away what they have and bought new things. This is partly because it costs so much to move heavy furniture but also because many people realize once they are here that their (usually dark and heavy) furniture from up north doesn't suit their new Florida home and lifestyle. Just something to think about.

Good luck with your move.

kathy

you are so right! if i had to do it over, i would've packed VERY LITTLE. the items we had b4 we moved just didn't look right here, so we ended up replacing most of it in the long run. imo, the moving cost/effort is something i'd never do again.

[PugMom]

"We’re you nervous about the whole adventure of moving to the Villages as well?"
yes! we knew what wonderful things were ahead for us; the cost of living, beautiful sunshine & NO MORE SNOW! :ho: welcome aboard:MOJE_whot:

[kkingston57]

Moved here from S. Florida 1 year ago. Had 24 foot truck load and got 3 bids. $1700 was lowest. Seems like 8k is reasonable, considering extra miles and higher costs these days.

See if mover can give you breakdown per pieces on the move. Ours(he was a local annd does not operate out of Fla.) did and you will know what the fixed costs are, especially the time charge for the truck and men to move items to

Make sure that the new house will accomodate old furniture especially if new house is smaller. We had to throw out and/or donate many items.

Remember if you opt to purchase new furniture/items there are still supply problems.

Good luck. Nothing is simple in these days.