Well, if you can't do it... what other options do you have???

From what I remember from way back when... if you pack, you are responsible for any damages. If they pack, they are responsible. Is that still the way things are?

I'd just get an estimate and weigh its cost against either struggling with it yourself or with whatever other options you might have, to see if it's worth it to you. I know someone who had the moving company pack and was very glad she did, though that was an entire house. But she had enough other things to worry about moving her family and was relieved to have that part off her plate. Who knows, dh's company may have paid for all or part of it, though!

Everything is local, but when we moved twice in a six-month period (we sold our house before our next house was ready, so off to a rental!) I found the cost of having the moving company pack to be "fair," given the cost of me packing it myself. (and by cost, I am taking into account materials and my time and effort)

Wouldn't you know the only things which were damaged on our final move were the things my mother insisted on packing (she didn't trust the movers). And when I unpacked and told her this, she got snippy with me.

Okay, different story, but the point is, I had to bear the costs of replacing the damaged items. The movers packed things so carefully that they all arrived intact.

If I have to move again I shall first kill myself, but then I'd let the movers pack it all (with some exceptions, of course!). And I wouldn't let me mother near anything.

I'd go to the local college and hire a couple of students wanting to earn some extra cash. I guarantee you you'll save even when you're paying them an hourly rate.

Thank you so much for all the advice and for sharing your experiences. Even when I was very healthy, I absolutely hated packing and was never any good at it. I probably could manage to pack one box a week by myself but at that rate I'd have to postpone the anticipated move indefinitely which would end up costing me more money in the long run. I'm also pretty sure I would be responsible for many broken items, not to mention the unwanted stress and aggravation! Did I mention how much I hate packing? lol Okay, you all managed to talk me into having the moving company pack for me. LOL Anyway, now it's time for me to get an actual quote. Thanks again for taking the time to respond.

People who pack for a living work very fast , make sure you designate a "safe zone" like the trunk of your car or a cupboard door you tack a big sign on,
"do not pack" , these guys will pack anything that is there, even a candy bar by the phone.

Mitch is right....they'll pack your dog if it doesn't move for a while!

I recently had professional packers do my house for the first time in my life. It was heaven. We thought about doing some of the packing ourselves to save some money, but it ended up being so little it wasn't worth it. It was wonderful to be able to live in our house, with all our stuff, right up to the last minute.

Throw out the garbage before the movers come to pack, or you'll find that they will have packed the garbage -- and charged you for packing and moving.

Do you have them pack your clothes also?

I plan on having furniture, dishes and linens shipped to a local location and all of my clothes, shoes, etc. and a few keepsakes (no furniture) shipped to Arizona from New York. I was wondering if it would be worth it to purchase those airtight space bags that maximize space for shipping clothes to AZ.

If you're shipping the clothes via moving truck I wouldn't spend $$ on the space bags. The movers can pack clothes quickly and all hanging clothes will be placed in moving boxes made for hangers. The rest of your clothes will go in regular boxes.

Be sure to supervise what gets shipped where. Select a room or corner for them to put all the boxes going to Arizona and if you're able, put a mark on the boxes that have your clothes & keepsakes in them.

I recommend you remove all the clothes from any dresser drawers before they show up or remind them to check all the furniture before they load it. It's not unusual for them to pack furniture with the clothes still in the drawers.

I used lengths of bright green masking tape to identify pieces that were to be taken, I also made lines on the counter, sort of " from tape to tape you pack these things", the clearer you make it for them, the less mistakes you get

I also designated different zones, and grouped things together; if you want all your candleholders to be in the same box, gather them in one spot, instead of spread out all over the house.

tomorrow my house will be empty, I've done 3 small moves in 7 days, I couldn't picture myself doing one huge move, we are not moving far so I could afford to do that and it's been easier on me. I wanted each move to be done by 3 p.m. instead of one huge 12 hour day.
ugh, moving is hard.

I've done corporate moves a couple of times, including two to Alaska. Having the movers pack is generally worth while, but if you have any VERY expensive items, that you can't live without, you want to pack them and take them yourself to the location. For me that was the venetian glass. The glassware is too delicate for it to be quickly rolled up in layers of paper (which is how they wrap items).

In general I highly advise a pack, but NEVER NEVER NEVER an unpack. WHat they do with an unpack is just unpack. They don't put things away. A dear friend of mine came in after a 12 hour flight with her family to a home literally filled (every square inch of the floor) with "Stuff" including dishes, china, pots and pans, candles, toilet paper, their old trash, spread all over the counters and floors because the movers don't unpack into cupboards. It was a nightmare!

Packing up a small kitchen like that is probably half a days work. It's easy stuff for them, really. I always have them do all the china, and the only stuff I hold back is the venetian glass, the christopher radko's and any jewelry. I also advise that you pack one months worth of cloths and mail them to yourself, independant of the move and add anything you can't live without for a few weeks. I then ship this fed ex (it costs a few hundred but it's worth it). These boxes I have delivered to the new address to coincide with my arrival, so I only have a couple of big boxes to unpack right away, and enough to make life worth living in the new place. Then you can take your time unpacking the rest of it.

Some moves cost thousands. My entire move to Alaska from Washington cost thirty grand, but that included a car and several crates of antiques and housing for two months (I only know because I paid taxes on the corporate move). But the move from Texas to here was only $5,000, but not much furniture, which was a huge difference (they crate individually any antiques if they're a good moving company).

I never move myself anymore. I do pack myself for short moves...I'm a pro at that, but for any decent move, I let the packers do their work. They're faster than me, and more organized, and as stated earlier...if they break it...they buy it :)

igloochic, you should be a moving counsellor now, lots of experience and good advice !! I had a few big moves, Montreal to Denver and then back 2 years later, and twice Montreal Toronto and back, large homes, lots of stuff , they were corporate moves and I was not paying for it , thank god !!

I had them unpack the kitchen though, yes the first floor was covered in stuff, on every available surface, but that way, THEY had to deal with the paper and boxes, which is a lot of work to dispose of.
I'm doing the same on this move, which is local ; I also wrapped my more precious pieces myself, I triple bubble wrapped them so I was sure nothing would break.

valerieann, good luck on your move; one small tip, empty your salt and pepper shakers and spice shakers, or tape the holes, contents will shift during transport.

Honestly, having the movers pack is priceless. They don't look at the stuff and reminisce, evaluate, agonize - they just wrap it and put it in the box. We did have one packer that disorganized our stuff in our attic. Nothing was broken but she had unpacked our boxes and repacked the stuff in the company boxes. I really couldn't blame her for being sloppy. It was July and about 100 degrees in the attic.

We went through a five year period where we moved four times. Climbing the corporate ladder can be really suck sometimes. I would not have survived without the packers.

Don't let them pack the garage door openers! This just happened to my neighbor. All their stuff was going into storage so they had to buy new openers for the new owners.

Thanks again for all the great advice. I'm at a point in my life right now where I feel less is more and plan on getting rid of quite a bit of stuff. I'm sure this newfound philosophy will help the process somewhat. lol

As soon as I get through this dilema hopefully you all will be able to help with fixing and decorating the new place in AZ. Trust me, I'm going to need all the help I can get! lol

Anyway, congratulations to all those who have successfully survived their moves and good luck to those in the process now. Moving to a new home can be fun but the overall process is just a pain in the you know what! LOL

That depend on many factors like the moving distance and additional services. Below i am giving you some tips
Do not Plan to move in a peak season.The total cost of your move may be increased if you want additional or special services
Professional movers will make a pre-move survey of your household goods to be transported. pre-move is needed to determine the approximate cost of a move and the amount of van space your goods will occupy.
I recommend you a moving company Box. Who are very reputable in this regard and you can also gets some prier moving estimations on that site

One good aspect of having your belongings professionally packed is that you can live normally right up until the last few days. For us, that was invaluable in our last few moves.

We have made numerous moves over our 29 years of marriage. We have used movers, but have only had them pack our belongings a few times.

This last move, I packed all 5,500 square feet of our house(with little help from DH). I prefer to pack myself, so that I know where everything is when I get to the new house.
HOW WE SAVED: I sent a neighborhood email out to ask for packing boxes and materials. Got several responses. I took moving boxes off road sides, and collected liquor and grocery boxes. I also ordered free boxes from the post office for fragile and heavy items. I knew that I would eventually use those boxes to mail packages... and I have! I also ordered boxes, tape, and foam protectors, from an online company with a coupon from our realtor. Managed to snag free packing paper bundles from our moving company, and collected newspapers for weeks.

I hired a neighborhood boy to come assemble and tape the flat boxes together for me. That's the worse part of packing IMO. I packed for a whole month...a little at a time. I procrastinated toward the end, because I decided I really didn't want to move. lol It was sad, but the right thing to do for us. I was packing up until the minute we were to be out of the house. Still packing when the new owners came by for a walk through. I had to grab my cleaning girls to help me finish up.

Every time I think about selling and building again, I think of all the packing I would have to do, and then I put that thought on the back burner. :) The next time we do move, I think I will hire some local college students to help pack...my way!

valerieann - I wish you luck with your move!

Although I have never done it myself I have read a tip to save money for moving long distances, that is to use the Post Office to mail items to your new location. Supposedly it will be cheaper. Pack up boxes of clothing and what not, and have them weighed and mailed. Use the movers for the big heavy furniture and appliances.

If you need to hire packers one thing to consider is that professional movers have their workers bonded and insured. This not only protects you from damage and breakage but also against theft by workers. You don't get that benefit by using workers looking for odd jobs that post on bulletin boards.

I like to hear from the Lady ,Mitchdes. post on Sept,11. 08 like your post and like to know what mover Company you got , I'm moving this summer ,3 bedroom house.and I like the price you paid .. with every thing good deal from other sites I've check. please let me know my email billycohen@hotmail.com

This was 8 years ago, I used Panneton I think. Last year I used AMJ Campbell and also Westmount moving, both excellent.