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.