Planning our move in advance was well worth the effort. Starting preparations early in the moving process helped Don and I avoid unnecessary physical and emotional stress. We decided we weren’t going to try to keep the same kind of moving schedule we kept last time – when we were twenty years younger. Being realistic about what we can do and what we can’t do helped pave the way to a smoother move.
Our first job, even before contacting a mover was to further lighten the load. Fortunately some serious weight is being eliminated because our new manufactured home includes major appliances. Not only does this save a ton of money in shipping costs but also allowed us to include the refrigerator, stove and dishwasher in the sale of the Florida house. Our buyers even bought our five-year old washer, dryer and garage refrigerator/freezer.
Since moving costs are largely determined by weight I also agreed to sell my beautiful, but heavy piano. It sold fast and I was surprised at how much money this thirty seven year old musical instrument was worth. Although I don’t play the piano as much as I once did it was an emotional decision that created a few tears on my part as it left our home. But happily, there is a piano in the clubhouse of our new manufactured home community that I can play anytime I want.
We discussed a “do-it-yourself” move, but hiring a moving company made more sense than renting a truck, loading up our stuff and hauling it ourselves. Actually when all costs are considered, such as gasoline, insurance, packing materials, truck and equipment rental in a long distance move the savings aren’t that great. I won’t even mention the wear and tear on our backs if we try to move ourselves.
Calling movers was the next step. We contacted three large moving companies – Atlas, United and North American. A representative from each came over to the house, conducted an inventory of our belongings and gave us a written estimate of cost and timing. All estimates were free of charge. We asked for a “not to exceed” bottom line price that includes an extra level of liability. Personal contact with the mover gave us a better sense of security than just using the phone or an Internet moving company.
After contacting the Better Business Bureau we found that each company has a satisfactory rating, but Atlas was the only one in our area that was free of any customer complaints for three years. Don and I decided to hire Atlas to move us across the country to California. We had already seen their certificate of insurance and verified that the company’s license and certificate number is valid.
The Atlas relocation specialist was professional, friendly and helped us clearly understand the estimate and all costs. He told us we could bring down moving costs to around $7,000.00 if we pack most of our belonging ourselves. Since we were starting so early we agreed to tackle this daunting job.
There are a few exceptions. We contracted with the mover to pack our fine china, crystal, delicate items, lamps, wall paintings and other fragile and precious items. Luckily Don has saved most of the original electronic audio, visual and computer equipment boxes and feels he can save money by packing these items personally.
Friends are helping us collect strong boxes and we pack a little at a time. The mover is supplying dish barrels, sturdy cartons, wardrobe boxes and clean, white packing paper free of charge. Don is doing most of the actual packing and box sealing, but I’m getting it all ready to pack. For example, we have a large pewter animal collection. I cleaned and wrapped each piece of pewter in bubble wrap and Don placed them in a well-padded box and sealed it.
Each box is clearly labeled on the outside surfaces with the contents, what room it should be placed in and a designated box number for that room. We keep a written inventory of the contents of each box and box number. This kind of book keeping will help as the movers unpack our belongings.
Because we sold all the furniture in our Florida guestroom, we were able to convert it into a packing room. It’s a great arrangement because our packing supplies and a large, folding packing table are located in one place in the center of the room. The outside walls and closet are used for storing packed boxes.
All our boxes are reinforced with packing tape and packed firmly to prevent shifting. Packing materials include tape, sheets of white paper and bubble wrap. We never wrap linens or anything else we don’t want stained in newspaper. Heavy items go in the bottom of each box with lighter items on top. I washed and dried all our linens - including towels, tablecloths, sheets, blankets and pillows then gave them to Don to use as packing material.
Lamps were a challenge until we removed the shades and light bulbs and packed them separately. Using oversize boxes we packed each lamp by itself and padded the box with sheets and blankets.
This is a good time to mention that we videotaped all our household goods for insurance purposes in case something gets lost or misplaced. All moving companies are required to assume liability for the value of items they transport. However after doing some research we found there are basically four different levels of liability - Released Value, Declared Value, Lump Sum Value and Full Value Protection.
Don and I decided to pay $389.00 extra for Full Value Protection, the most comprehensive plan available to protect our belongings. Basically, under this plan any articles that are lost, damaged or destroyed will be repaired or replaced. We declared a lump sum amount rather than basing the value on the weight of the shipment. For example, Waterford crystal or a fine china tea set does not weigh very much, but would cost a lot to replace. That’s why we selected a higher lump sum amount.
I strongly recommend doing some serious research regarding the terms and agreement of the moving contract. It can get pretty technical, but our mover gave us a 20-page brochure from the Federal Highway Administration that explains our rights and responsibility and those of the moving company. This simple and well-written information also helped us determine the type of liability protection we wanted.
To learn more about superior insurance for manufactured homes visit Foremost.com. If you are an AARP member go to AARPForemost.com.
