Quoted $7,000 by moving company- 3 br house in Mass. to TV. Seeking alternates
 

Quoted $7,000 to move approx 1200 square feet from Mass. to TV by a moving company. A Google search says to expect to pay $7-8,000 so this about right. I'm aware of PODS and Pack Rat but I don't want to get bombarded by emails and phone calls if I use their online quote tool.

So with the 1200 square feet and the $7,000 in mind, can anyone give me an idea of how much I will save using PODS or Pack Rat? Also- what would it cost to hire people to load and unload the container.

Thanks!

I sold everything I owned and bought new stuff. Best decision I ever made. $7,000+ will buy a lot of new stuff to replace your old stuff.

Back in 2012, mind you. I used a POD.
I hired a couple local guys and it was a couple/few hundred bucks for the day.
I brought the very fragile small things and keepsakes in the car.
The POD was $2,ooo- $2,500 , I think, at the time, not sure what they run now.
Another couple guys and couple hundred dollars to unload it.

Total cost was about $3K

$7,000 is probably about right for a full service move.
Best wishes.

We had full service movers (Wheaton) for just under $7K. We packed most things in boxes ourselves. Thankfully we had full coverage with 0 deductible and full replacement. They damaged most of the furniture in some way. We got our claim paid and wound up clearing $1600 on the deal.

I've heard very good things about Pods and would consider that if there is a next time.

I would recommend that you call PODS and get information right from them. They are really excellent, they will go over everything with you and recommend size of POD. They also have a list of packers and packers available with several names. PODS will quote you a price on the phone.

Like @Retiredguy123 said ...... sell most everything you have, take the remaining stuff with you in a small U-Haul (in our case in the back of our SUV) and start fresh. That's what we did (we downsized from 1800SF to 1150SF) and had we brought all the crap we saved over ~40 years we'd have to sell it here anyway as there is no place to store it unless you want to pay for storage. :D. If you're selling your home you'll probably be way ahead in equity$$$ so a couple thousand isn't going to change you life for the worse. Besides, PODS ain't cheap. They get you for everything. Make it as easy on yourself as you can.

uhall truck rentals might be able to help. I think they can handle getting people to pack and unpack the pod. Do not know if they rent pods. This idea is a few years old so maybe someone can add some current info or local info

My advice would be to check out PODS (know nothing about PR). Our good friends just sold their 3 BR house here after 10+ years to move back to Michigan. Lowest bid was $8K from traditional mover. They went with PODS, had no experience with that type of service at all so they were uneasy. They were beyond satisfied with the entire process, they were thrilled. They said they always experience "stress" on the actual day of the move in the past, and when contemplating the advantages of a service like PODS, had not thought of the less obvious advantages like packing at a leisurely pace. We went over a couple times to see if we could help, but they really did not need much even with a 3BR household. They then sold one car, arranged for the other to be transported, and flew home. Talked to them many times since they moved in February, didn't ask for details, but said WITH their flight home included, they still saved about 50% had they gone with one of their other quotes ! Others will give you this same unasked for advice, but I think it is because so many of us make the same mistake... we bring so many things we find we do not want, need, or use in our new location. The resale/used shops in this area of Florida are all overflowing with high quality furniture at low prices, people just move here and decide they want lighter, brighter, easier to rearrange furniture (and granted, new furniture is much lower quality than what most of us once knew as "good furniture", mostly from the Carolina's !). But do consider if you would be UN-happy if you are not surrounded by your things that make you comfortable. Selling everything is for some people, many don't even bring so much as a sheet or towel, others would suffer regret, so examine yourself, then make your decisions based on you, not on social media posts. It's such a great area, so much to do outside The Villages, easy to get to beaches on either side, south Florida and the pan handle, Tampa area, just so many places to explore once you get settled no matter which method of moving you choose. Good luck !

Be careful on getting rid of everything as some tell you. First supply chain is still sketchy for furniture, last thing you want to do is have to buy stuff because it’s available and not like it. Some furniture is Available, but 80% of what we needed was back ordered 4-6 months. Plus if I am spending $5000 on one room of furniture I need to love it.

A couch, loveseat and chair, (leather) will be $11,000. So if there is room bring everything, then get rid of when you find something else. People are always looking for furniture to put in rentals.

We brought two bedroom set, all of our side tables, dining set. Then we filled the pod with stuff we may or not need, but you need to fill completely to keep from shifting. Since your weight isn’t an issue, we brought more than we originally thought.
Total move midsize pod was $2,485 from Mid MI, in 6/2022. We loaded, and unloaded ourselves, but pods had list of people to use.

Best part of dining set that we were not going to bring, we sold here for $1100. So for us move became really cheap.

You might also look into U-Pack. Household Moving Company | U-Pack

We used them 2 years ago. We used the full 28" trailer and it was only $6,400 all the way from Washington State.

Text free number and proton mail are your friends for quotes.

Sold everything in Chicago and bought turn-key. Saved so much money. Nothing from up north looks good here. Good luck.

This or have estate sale. Your heirs will appreciate it.

Very little storage space here.

Low cost way to refurnish is second hand furniture stores. They generally carry the cream of the crop.

1st......I don't think $7k is too bad of a price.

2nd......If you go with a mover.............make sure they are not brokering the load. Make sure they are taking it door to door. Brokered loads can be a disaster.

Good Luck.

. LOL. That would depend on a LOT of factors. One could do a lot better than that if they needed to or wanted to. A Mercedes can cost well over $100,000 but one can buy a Kia or even a Toytota for 1/3rd that. I guess it depends on what one is used to.

Sell the majority of your stuff and bring only the garbage you can't live without in a small POD. Forget about PACK RAT. I used PODS 20 plus time locally in JERSEY and it was a pleasure. One time I used PACK MY Rat to move to The Villages and it was a NIGHTMARE.

Buy whatever you can replace new once you get here. Between everyone on this forum, we all can direct you to a variety of places to start over fresh and new in quality or cheapo, your choice.

Welcome, your gonna love it here. I think we are coming up on 8 years and I still can't believe we're here, its the greatest.

The Villages offers a relocation service: The Villages - Florida's Friendliest Active Adult 55+ Retirement Community

abf

We bought an entire new set of living room furniture (sofa and 2 chairs, leather with power recliners) end tables, 4 bedside tables and large table for the living room tv for less than $6,000 at Rooms for More when we moved here on 2020. Moving our old stuff from Pennsylvania would have cost as much. We moved only what we absolutely wanted and needed, bought the rest and are way ahead with less heavy moving necessary.

Pre COVID

So many villagers have lamented that it was foolish to move the entire home goods to the Villages. We are among those, for the most part the homes here are smaller have less storage space. Really decide what items you really want to keep and pay tp move here.

We sold everything in Ohio and rented two vans. I drove one, hubby the other. They were filled to the max! Throw in Chihuahua for good luck! Ended up giving my brand new bulky area rugs taking up room in the van to my real estate agent. Glad we just brought the basics because my Ohio decor wouldn’t fit in FLA. Safe travels.

Oops! Sorry forgot to add that we moved into a furnished rental in Spanish Springs for a year. We didn’t need furniture.

We used ABT. They rent out part of a trailer (we only used about 10-15 feet). That was in 2015. They dropped the trailer off at our house and we hired The Village Movers to unload it. I forget the cost, but it would much more now anyway.

and who said , Raising the Minimum Wage won’t affect me! Why bring Yankee furniture to Florida? It won’t look right down here.. Habitat for Humanity will pickup your old stuff & set you Free

Moving costs?
 

We moved in July 2022 from Springfield Missouri to TV and it cost us less than $2600. Our house was 3400 square feet and we moved everything in one big van load with:laugh: North American Van Lines. We had to wait a couple of weeks for the local moving company to have a van headed down this way. However, the movers were extremely well organized, very professional and they didn't break anything. We could not have been more satisfied. Hope this is helpful.
Michael Murrell, Marsh Bend.

Contact Rainbow Movers in Franklin, MA. Our move was under 5,000 but we did donate all dark colored furniture that we all love in NE prior to the move and bought new down here. Part of your fee is based on weight and space.

We paid that for the same size house in 2020. Gas was a lot cheaper then!

I agree completely. I brought all I kept in one trip in my large suv. Although I know that is not the question, maybe you could part with most things and rent a U Haul trailer.

We sold everything before moving. We were able to completely furnish a 3BR designer for around $12,000.

Good advice!
 

GREAT ADVICE! If you have old or worn out furniture, get rid of it and buy new. We had nice, expensive furnishings up north so we brought it. I love my brown leather in my Florida house. And my dark wood. Everything does not have to be white!

Consignment shops are here are full of up north furniture. Florida decor is very different, and your heavy pieces won't look good in these homes. Call the kids, tell them to come get what they want, have a yard sale sell the rest. Bring just what is special to you.

We moved from Virginia to TV and got two PODS (one in Nov 22 and 2nd in Feb 23). We paid $3300 for each POD and unloaded it ourselves with one friend.

Had someone do an estate sale at our former home and made more than enough to buy new furniture for new home.

Moving company
 

We recently moved from northern Connecticut and we paid $7,500. We used Movers in Hartford, CT | Capitol Relocation & Logistics and we were very happy with their services. Our representative was Mark Cavallari. They quote you a price and it is guaranteed. So, you know what the final cost will be. Moving guys were great and everything got here in one piece.

We came from MD, used Town and Country, very reasonable, beat the other two estimates we got. See Maryland, Virginia & DC Movers Since 1977 | Town & Country Movers . Don't know if they serve MA.

We left behind some Ethan Allen and LazyBoy furniture, figuring to buy new stuff here. Kind of regret it because the prices now are ridiculous and many things are backordered for weeks or months.
I'm always concerned about using something like PODS because the movers you get might be off the street and have no idea what they're doing.

We used one large POD, and one small POD, 18 months ago, to move from Oregon. It was $7500. I would say from MA it should run you about $3500 to $4500. Call them and get an accurate quote. However, we did use their online system to get a quote and I don’t remember getting bombarded with anything. Btw, we sold all our furniture with out house and bought all new when we got here. That was the best thing we ever did! We just moved personal items which filled their largest POD.

My in-laws packed everything that could fit in a box and we shipped it FedEx. 60 boxes from their townhouse were shipped. Most everything else was sold. Everything from the basement sold or given away (no basements here). Anything precious went in our car or their car. Then we drove to the Autotrain in Virginia and woke up the next day in Orlando. So much better than dealing with moving companies. Every single one of them has nightmare reviews. Every single one.

Actually that’s cheaper than I thought to move that far!