[boivin247]

[quote=dpwm21;2023194]

Originally Posted by soon2b-villager

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]

Originally Posted by 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

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]

Originally Posted by Soon2B-Villager

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]

Originally Posted by Soon2B-Villager

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]

Originally Posted by Soon2B-Villager

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]

Originally Posted by Soon2B-Villager

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.