Best Moving Tips

Here are my Best Moving Tips for a long distance move which I learned after moving from Connecticut to Florida.

The least expensive and better option may not necessarily be what you think it is.

So, you'll want to get estimates from the different kinds of moving companies, and be prepared ahead of time before they come to your house by knowing exactly which items you're moving down.

On this page, I talk about the differences between getting a UHaul, Pods, or hiring a moving company, and include some tips about estimates, preparing to move, and packing.  The last thing you need while making a move across country is problems with your moving company.

packing tips for moving

Best Moving Tips - Movers

My first thought was to pack up a UHaul and move myself, but I decided against it because it was just me with 2 kids, so as I asked my friends for some long distance moving tips and I heard some horror stories.

I would need help with loading and unloading my heavy furniture, which a moving company will do for you. I could get help in CT, but didn't know enough people in FL to help me there.

Another thing is, you can go no faster than 55 miles mph on the highway, so the drive becomes longer, and gas is expensive for UHauls because they don't get too much gas to the mile.

Backing up is difficult. If you order a UHaul that is too small, you will have to add a trailer at an extra cost, and the trailer makes backing up even more difficult, which you will probably have to do at motels for the trip down.

So, I got prices over the phone from reputable moving companies, both local and national, and from Pods.

I first called Pods for prices ....... they aren't as big as you might think, and you still have to load and unload your things.

Even though I had gotten rid of a ton of stuff, I still had beds, outdoor furniture, some special cabinets that my husband had made, and lots of boxes of books, kitchen ware, and other personal items. I still had so much to move.

You figure out how many Pods you need by how many rooms you're moving.

You should calculate over what you need rather than under, and I figured I needed 3 Pods.

That made it more expensive than the local moving company I finally selected. In my case, they were amongst the lowest phone estimates I got from the other local and the national moving companies I got prices from.

And, when they came out to my house to give the final estimate, they offered me an incentive ...... they said if I would sign up with them right then and there, they would give me packing boxes, paper, and tape, for free.

I couldn't pass up that deal and was then ready to pack up the house!

I've heard since that some moving companies offer options where you pack one of their trucks and they drive it for you.


Best Moving Tips - Estimates

If a mover doesn't offer free pacing materials, you may want to try negotiating for them.

An important thing you should know is that before a company comes out to your house to give you an estimate, know EXACTLY what you are moving.

If you are unsure about what you are moving or not, it's better to say that you are moving it rather than adding something in after they give you an estimate, because they will charge you extra ......... but really try to get it right so they also aren't charging you to move things you're NOT moving.

I had a tag sale and got rid of most of my furniture before I moved, but you might want to have a tag sale first in case you want to move things that don't sell.

What I did was give away the stuff I didn't sell to my church, for needy families.


Best Moving Tips - Plan Ahead

I paid $3600 in 2006, to move my household from CT to FL on a 53' trailer. My stuff took up about half the truck and the other half had items from another of the mover's customers who was also moving to Florida.

I had come down to Cape Coral a month earlier to rent a home first and I managed to get the floor plan.

I figured out where everything would go ahead of time so the movers could move everything right into place and I wouldn't have to move it later.

By the way, I do recommend renting first, before buying a home, that way you can really see which areas of Cape Coral you like best, or if you even like it at all.

So keep all those boxes and paper for the next move!


Best Moving Tips - Packing

I packed up the house myself to save money, but you can hire the moving company to do it for you, if you prefer.

Our movers came and loaded my things on their truck several weeks before we moved, and the company stored them until we were ready to go.

They gave me a 3-day window of when they would arrive based on when we thought we might arrive.

We drove down to FL in 4 days and because I thought we might get to Cape Coral a day or two before the movers, we packed sleeping bags in our car.

But, it worked out really well because they ended catching up with us on the highway and drove in right behind us, unpacked everything right away, and we slept in our beds that night!

Here's one last thing that happened to us ......... many people develop homesickness about a year after they move somewhere.

The best thing to do is to go back home for a visit, preferably in winter(hee hee), then come back to Florida and it's amazing how homesickness just melts away once you get to the warmth and sunshine.

I hope these best moving tips help you with your move!



Related Pages to Best Moving Tips

Cape Coral Florida Real Estate
Cape Coral Realtors
Jobs in Cape Coral Florida
Cape Coral Clubs
Cape Coral Retirement
Snowbirding

City of Cape Coral
Rental Homes Cape Coral Florida
Cape Coral Hotels
LeeWay
Cypress Cove



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