Moving to California

Myself and a friend and my sister are moving to California in June of 08... just trying to get feed back as to when I should start making plans and getting things together. I'm moving from Minnesota to Long Beach, CA... I have a good amount of stuff to move and 3 cars. Just looking to get input on how many months ahead of time I should start planning.

Can I come along? I'm small - I will fit in your suitcase....you might need to make a slight detour to the UK to pick me up?

Ahem. Me too!

Of course you as well Treacle - poor Cali wont know what hit it when we arrive!

I always say there is no time like the present..

Treacs and mamba are in da house!

Yeah, why not start now, it will cause less stress for later down the road.

create a plan.. and a back up plan.. save some money and maybe higher a van?? that may make the trip easier??

I wouldnt leave it to the last minute but thats just because i dont like chaos

When we moved from California to Missouri we started planning it three months in advance. I'd recommend that you use a professional moving company - it worked out the same price as moving all the stuff in a UHaul, with the advantage of not having to drive a UHaul cross-country.

The cars could be expensive to move. I'd recommend looking at hiring a trailer to pull one behind another, and then either ship the third (about $1000) or have someone else drive it. Of course, if you're not up to the cross country drive, you'll have to ship them all.

Don't use small moving companies. They may look cheaper but they generally aren't as professional, won't carry as much insurance, will more likely strongly debate any insurance claim, and will probably ask for a large sum of money up front. You shouldn't be asked to pay for anything in advance - otherwise they have your money, AND all your stuff. Not much motivation to arrive on time (or indeed at all). Get at least three quotes, and be careful to check the parent companies. Most companies belong to Allied or Mayflower so you may end up getting several quotes from effectively the same company!

Be sure to get a "not to exceed" estimate. This means they'll come out, check out all your stuff and give you a maximum price. If the weight then exceeds the estimated weight, you pay no more. Make sure they include any estimated "shuttle" costs if you're in a hard to reach area. If one company says you need a shuttle, and another doesn't, then you probably need a shuttle. If you then go with the company that said you don't, then expect them to add on to the quote (shuttle fees are carved out of the "not to exceed" ).

You have the right to be at the weigh station both before and after they weigh your stuff. Make sure the driver is either in or out both times. A dishonest driver can over inflate the weight like this. This is especially important if you don't have a "not to exceed" quote.

Anyway, if I can think of any other pearls of wisdom, I'll let you know.

Ooooo im getting excited

Oh, get full insurance. The required bond of something like 70c per pound of belongings is highly unlikely to cover any damages. For small claims, professional companies are unlikely to even send out an adjustor - they'll just pay up. You MUST have the damage noted on the receiving slip though. My driver offered to pay for the damage personally in order to avoid the claim. I was a little cagey and opted to claim anyway, since I didn't want to discoverer that the damage cost more to fix than he estimated. I put in a claim for about $300 and they paid out no questions asked.

Also, stack anything you don't want packed seperate from everything else. Put signs all over it. If you can, put it in a locked building in a different state. They will pack anything that's not nailed down. Since Mn. isn't the most diverse of states I guess you'll get good English speakers, but my moving crew spoke little English and packed a lot of stuff I asked them not to, because I'd made it too complicated (pack the first and third shelf, but leave the middle). Hell, they even packed the drivers jacket and toolkit because he put them down amongst our stuff!

And more...

Feed and water the crew (don't bother getting beer - they can't drink it or even take it on the truck). It'll cost you twenty bucks on top of the $5000+ bill, but they will like you more. You take better care of someone's stuff if you like them.

Don't tip the driver - tip the crew. A decent driver will be giving his tip to the crew anyway. The driver is the business owner, his truck being the business that he affiliates with one of the big moving companies.

I actually have my uncle who owns a semi with a trailer moving it out there I'm just paying the gas bill out there so I got by really cheap on that.

I have started apartment hunting and I have a trip booked in April to go out there and actually look at the apartments.

I have the job situation under control my work is doing a transfer... and I'm saving up money right now I have been working 2 jobs for about 4 months now alrady have a good chunk saved but how much is a good recommended price t have saved.

We are towing one car for sure because it doesnt have cruise control... and the other car my sister and I are taking turns driving.

I just wanted to get ideas and make sure I havent missed anything