Moving Costs

[Pingu]

I've been looking at some theoretical moving costs and it looks like if I wish to move myself and family via the uhaul route to my top ranked program (1000 miles away) it will cost me 2000 dollars!

I've tried contacting moving companies but they want to have an in-depth conversation about each and every piece of furniture being moved whereas all I want is to know if they are going to be about the same as uhaul or a whole bunch more!

Anyone with any experience on movers/costs involved? We would be packing everything up ourselves, so I don't know if that reduces the cost

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[NinerNiner999]

Uhaul is definitely the least expensive route. My wife and I had a two bedroom apartment when we moved for residency and we had a couple of movers come by for estimates- They wanted $5-6k without packing! We ended up renting a penske truck ($300 to move 600 miles), and paying professional movers to load/unload the truck in each city ($80/hr for 2-3 hours at each end). Be sure to call ahead of time to have the times arranged and that is the most economical (and easiest) way. We boxed everything and they took care of the hard work. We also rented a car trailer to carry a car behind us while my wife drove her car behind. Boxes and stuff are expensive too, but still cheaper to do it yourself in the long run. Remember to keep EVERY receipt you use too. We got a HUGE tax refund this year and moving expenses were part of it.

 

[cytoborg]

I have used movers to move cross-country and it was definitely worth it. For a 1-bedroom apartment it cost about $1800. In addition, I also shipped my car which cost about $700, and I flew out so there was a plane ticket involved, and I brought a pet with me on the plane which cost a little extra. When compared with the cost of renting the U-Haul plus gas, motel, food....not to mention having heard MANY, MANY horror stories of being broken down on the side of the road in the sweltering humidity of Nebraska...not to mention all the other things I could do with that time....it was an easy choice. I did the packing myself to save $. Yes, it is standard procedure for them to ask a bunch of detailed questions about your stuff. The estimate is usually based on weight, so they need a lot of details. Sometimes they even come in person to look at your stuff and give a better estimate. I got estimates from three or four companies before deciding. It was all very easy...just shell out the $!

$5-6K for a 2-bedroom apt seems like a LOT, unless you have a ton of stuff. I have never been one to own a lot of stuff, just the basics.

All that said, this time we are selling everything and driving our car. We have more pets now, which would not be able to come on an airplane, and being recently married it is time for us to get new stuff that is "ours," and not just a hodgepodge of college crap, so we are willing to part with it and start fresh. We're going hardcore and sleeping in the car, and eating peanut butter.

 

[tkim]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=126415

 

[docbooboo]

rent penske, they have newer trucks and are cheaper and have unlimited miles. go to walmart and ask for boxes to be withheld for you and they usually will

 

[beriberi]

Please check out www.movingscam.org before booking ANY company to move your stuff. Some of my classmates had great experiences, (by great, I mean they shelled out a sh-tload of money and all of there stuff was moved as promised) and some had terrible (it suck being an intern with no stuff for 6 weeks in a new city all by yourself).

Moving it yourself is expensive. Anyone who says that can do it for less is lying and will get more money out of you in the long run. Consider the sell everything/ship books route--especially if you are moving near an IKEA ($2000 buys a lot of pretty things there).

 

[f_w]

Self
- throw out EVERY old journal you have lying around and 1/2 of the worn out furniture in your place weeks before you move.
- have EVERYTHING boxed 1 day before you pick up the truck. If women are involved in your move this might be difficult, but it HAS to be done.
- go with Penske, better trucks than UHaul, more professional company overall (yes uhaul, If I say 9am I mean 9am, not 4pm !)
- get a car carrier, not a dolly
- driving a truck with a 1 axle trailer is not rocket science. But if you can have somebody show you the tricks on an empty parking lot it saves some headache.
- if you rent for a 1000mi one-way, you will get the truck for 3-5 days. 1 day loading, 1 day driving, 1 day unloading.
- blew out a tire on a Penske car carrier by my own fault. It took them less than 1 hr to have one of their local contractors to get me back on the road again.
- It will be 1/2 the price of a moving company. Be sure to factor in toll roads and fuel. A 20ft box will get something like 8mpg ! A toll that might cost you $1 in a car will be $8 with truck and trailer.

Movers
- check with the GME office or HR at your hospital. At times they have discounts with the local branch of a national franchise.
- the movers might be there when promised, but chances are they are not.
- the nationwide companies go by 'van-feet'. They put your stuff in, then put a wooden 'bulkhead' in front of it. And in front of that goes the next customers move. and then a bulkhead....
- you are on the safe side if you go with one of the big ones, but you will pay top$$ for it. They will at least tell you up front that it will take 7-10 days for your 5-8ft of stuff to re-emerge from the back of the truck. (after they have distributed all the moves they crammed in in front of yours).
- if you go with one of the local joe-schmos, you risk that your furniture is held hostage for outrageous fees or gets shipped back if the ****** driver couldn't find your new address. There are many shady characters in the business. If you walk through their door you can see the $$$ in their eyeballs. You are just another sucker meant to be milked for them. The big companies have a name to loose. If you are unhappy with their service, the national franchise department can help you to get things righted. If you deal with joe-schmo, all you have is small claims court.
- if you hire any moving company, hire them at the destination. That way, once (not if) you have to drag them into court at least it is only a local trip for you.

Mix
- there are some companies offering 'pods'. These are 15ft containers they will drop at your 'moving from' address and leave it to you to fill it up. Then they pick it up and drop it at your 'moving to' location. Works great if the new location is a house with a driveway, doesn't work so great if you have the thing sitting in the (wrong) parking lot of an apartment complex.
- there are companies offering something similar with trailers.

 

[kristing]

We looked into pods and they are sooooo much more expensive than moving companies and even more expensive than us renting a truck. I really didn't want to rent a truck but it looks like we'll be doing it...

 

[kdoc2005]

Just a quick note about U-Haul. I have a friend who has a U-Haul horror story. She and her husband had their truck break down during their residency move, and the people at U-Haul told them they would have to wait DAYS for a new truck. Mind you, they were stranded on the side of a highway with all their worldly possessions. So, they called Penske and a truck was brought to them in an hour. Unfortunately, they had to RE-PACK the truck.

 

[cubby]

Anyone have any feedback, good or bad, re: Budget rent-a-truck? I've been looking at prices, definitely better (at least for my prospective move) than Penske. Do tell if you've heard anything. Thx.

 

[icebrat001]

Anyone have any feedback, good or bad, re: Budget rent-a-truck? I've been looking at prices, definitely better (at least for my prospective move) than Penske. Do tell if you've heard anything. Thx.

I used to work at Budget for a year. If you are moving in town and returning the truck to a new location the trucks are good. If you are moving one way, we were always told to give our worst truck with the highest mileage. That way the other budget will have the old truck and not the new one.

At least that's how we do/did it in Northern California.

Goodluck

 

[NinerNiner999]

Penske - hands down. There is nothing better than having piece of mind and driving a truck with less than 20k miles with everything you own on the highway. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[cubby]

I'm with ya on the Penske, I've heard good things as well. It's just that there's about a $500-600 price difference b/w Budget/Penske, according to the online bids I've sought out. I've not put much time into this yet, so I only have superficial knowledge, but that is quite a bit of dough for me these days.

 

[f_w]

Here is the difference:

For Penske, private rentals are a side-business. 80% of their business is leasing Tractor-trailer combos to corporate customers (and heavy construction equipment, freezer-rigs...). With these large customers they can't afford to mess up. They have their own service network, if you have any trouble with your vehicle they can send out a tow or replacement from one of their bases.
Also, the 'one way' trucks and car-carriers are a separate fleet owned by the corporation, not the local franchise. Once they hit 40k, they get sold to the franchises for local rentals.
(Have the rental guy show you how to get out the ramp. I received a desparate call from a friend once who couldn't figure out how get it unstowed.)

Forget UHaul. They are unreliable. They cater to the 'self moving' market and know that they can get away with murder. The 'one way' trucks are in slightly less decrepit shape than the local ones, but still, no comparison.

Budget ? I thought their truck division went broke last year ?

If you have to spring another $500 to lease a penske, do it. Sitting on I94 between Jamestown and Bismarck with a blown tire you will be happy you did.

 

[cytoborg]

Just a quick note about U-Haul. I have a friend who has a U-Haul horror story. She and her husband had their truck break down during their residency move, and the people at U-Haul told them they would have to wait DAYS for a new truck. Mind you, they were stranded on the side of a highway with all their worldly possessions. So, they called Penske and a truck was brought to them in an hour. Unfortunately, they had to RE-PACK the truck.

I heard numerous horror stories along these lines, some involving Penske. I don't think any company is immune. It's a looooooong drive from coast to coast.

This just wasn't a chance I wanted to take. I figured a reputable nationally known moving company would give me a lot more peace of mind.

 

[f_w]

> It's a looooooong drive from coast to coast.

It is a personal decision. I like roadtrips. If you go coast to coast, you have the truck for a week, make use of the time. Get a good padlock and go to see the grand canyon or yellowstone.

 

[Bobblehead]

Consider using ABF U-Pack. You pack, they deliver the truck. You load/pay loaders. They drive. You unload at the destination. It's cheaper than professionals and can be comparable to doing it yourself.

Don't buy moving supplies. Any hospital receiving dock has more boxes than you'll need to move an entire house. Get newspaper end rolls for padding from a local newspaper. That way you can use newsprint but not spend the next 3 months wiping off print off your dishes, etc.

 

[Molecule]

Consider using ABF U-Pack.

Unfortunately, this company does NOT appear to do within-state moves. Do you know of a within-state equivalent? (For California? Say...from L.A. to San Francisco?)

I would like to still hire a full-service mover...but I have yet to see any low-cost (reasonable-quality) recommendations by anyone on this board. (Can anyone here recommend an affordable--but reputable--full-service company?) I just think for where I'm going...I'd rather have professionals doing the unloading and heavy lifting....

 

[Bobblehead]

I'm not familiar with CA movers, you may wish to check the craigslist boards for your respective cities and come to your own conclusions.

 

[cytoborg]

I'm not familiar with within-state moves either, but the company I used for my cross-country move was (I think) United Van Lines. It's been a couple of years. I had a good experience with them. I did notice the moving guys were a little rough with my boxes when they loaded them onto the truck (a few were dropped), so be sure to use plenty of packing material if you pack yourself. I'm anal when it comes to packing, so nothing broke.

 

[Molecule]

I'm not familiar with within-state moves either, but the company I used for my cross-country move was (I think) United Van Lines.

How much did they charge you? (And for a move between what two cities/states?)

 

[cytoborg]

How much did they charge you? (And for a move between what two cities/states?)

As I said in my first post, for a 1-bedroom apartment it cost about $1800 (it actually might have been less, maybe $1200 - can't remember exactly now). It was a move from West Coast to East Coast. If you need specifics feel free to PM me.

 

[tkim]

Unfortunately, this company does NOT appear to do within-state moves. Do you know of a within-state equivalent? (For California? Say...from L.A. to San Francisco?)

I would like to still hire a full-service mover...but I have yet to see any low-cost (reasonable-quality) recommendations by anyone on this board. (Can anyone here recommend an affordable--but reputable--full-service company?) I just think for where I'm going...I'd rather have professionals doing the unloading and heavy lifting....

Go to http://www.movingscam.com/ and post for recommendations in the discussion forums. That site has a good primer on how *not* to get ripped off. The horror stories on that site are amazing.

A good way to reduce costs for a in-state move is to rent a truck - Penske, pack your own stuff, and hire guys to pack/unpack the truck.

 

[KidDr]

Remember to keep EVERY receipt you use too. We got a HUGE tax refund this year and moving expenses were part of it.

Hey all--
Just want to second this--save those receipts! You get a dollar for dollar deduction on your taxes for moving expenses (as long as you move >50 miles)--including actual moving costs (packing and transporting your stuff), transportation (airline/bus/train tickets or 14 cents/mile if you drive), lodging before you leave (for 1 night), while on the road, and after you arrive (for one night), etc. It really adds up, and I also got a big tax refund, partly because of moving expenses, though all the student loan interest I paid didn't hurt either...

 

[Whodathunkit]

To all you med students/residents attempting on cashing in on your moving expenses...

It was told to me by a financial advisor(unless he lied to me and is not a financial advisor) that moving expenses to medical school and for residency/fellowship are more than likely not coverable. I mean, if stuff like this was coverable, then they would cover people for interviewing at colleges too. Which I don't think the gov does either.

I don't remember the actual details of it, but it has something to do partly with the fact that we get a personal deduction of about $4500 anyway(more if you're married or with kids). So, you would need to itemize for at least that much to make it worth it. Plus, this move to residency/fellowship is not for job purposes...its for educational purposes. It was kinda confusing and screwy and why I'm not in business. The end part I got out of it when I asked was no.

Of course, if you have kids or bought a house...things sorta work in your favor, as you get deductions for those anyway.

Ultimately, if you do try to itemize and you don't get audited by the IRS...good for you, you managed to beat the system. But if IRS catches up with you...God Rest Your Soul...and the "I didn't know" excuse won't work.

Talk to a tax or financial advisor FIRST though. Don't necessarily believe what I or anyone on this board tells you. Ignorance is bliss...but not in this case.

 

[fuegofrio17]

My understanding is that you can only deduct moving and travel expenses if you are relocating to a job in your same professional field. Since most of us have not had a job in the medical field up until residency we cannot deduct these expenses. Residency is our first time to work in the medical field, thus we are not eligible because we are not "relocating" within the same field.

For others, who have worked in the medical field prior to medical school, they may very well be able to take these deductions. But as a previous poster noted, if you claim the standard exemption you have an automatic deduction of approx. $4500. You have to have to itemize quite a few deductions to equal that amount and you also open yourself up to be being auditted.

Additionally, you can claim the Lifetime learning credit which gives you a rather large credit for tuition payments. Credits are always better than deductions.

With the standardized deduction and the Lifetime learning credit you and your spouse should not have to pay much tax as long as your spouse doesn't make a huge amount of money.

 

[beancounter]

Uhh, I don't totally agree with Whodathunkit. First off, moving expenses are not itemized deductions. If you look at the face of a Form 1040, the line for moving expenses (line 29 for the year 2004) is in the deductions section. This means that moving expenses are deducted from income to determine adjusted gross income (AGI-line 36 for the year 2004).

Itemized deductions are not deducted from income to determine AGI. Rather they are deducted from AGI to determine taxable income. Itemized deductions can be used in place of the standard deduction if the itemized deduction is greater than the standard deduction. Some Itemized deductions are: mortgage expense and points, property taxes, medical expenses greater than 7.5% AGI, etc. The point is that you can deduct moving expenses even if you can't itemize. Ten years ago, moving expenses were itemized deductions, but not today.

As to who is eligible to deduct moving expenses - look on irs.gov at Internal Revenue Code Section 217. For taxation of reimbursements of moving expenses read IRC Section 3401(a).

 

[DRealDrZ]

Whatever you do...do NOT use MOVEX...good idea, but CS was CRAP!!! Got overcharged and they said they would refund a "portion" of it. Rediculous.

 

[tkim]

My understanding is that you can only deduct moving and travel expenses if you are relocating to a job in your same professional field. Since most of us have not had a job in the medical field up until residency we cannot deduct these expenses. Residency is our first time to work in the medical field, thus we are not eligible because we are not "relocating" within the same field.

That was what I always believed.. But I read this IRS document, and it also includes starting a new job, period.

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p521.pdf

So, it seems that if you left your job in the bakery and moved >50 miles and worked over 39 weeks in your new steel mill job, you qualify.

If you bummed around for several years with no job, then moved >50 miles away and got a job for the first time, you also qualify.

So, long story short, so long as you meet the time and distance rules, you qualify for the deduction.

 

[tkim]

Whatever you do...do NOT use MOVEX...good idea, but CS was CRAP!!! Got overcharged and they said they would refund a "portion" of it. Rediculous.

I used Broadway Express when I moved from Massachusetts to California. Truck arrived on time both ends, had plenty of moving blankets to pad my stuff. Highly recommended.

 

[KidDr]

Uhh, I don't totally agree with Whodathunkit. First off, moving expenses are not itemized deductions. If you look at the face of a Form 1040, the line for moving expenses (line 29 for the year 2004) is in the deductions section. This means that moving expenses are deducted from income to determine adjusted gross income (AGI-line 36 for the year 2004).

Itemized deductions are not deducted from income to determine AGI. Rather they are deducted from AGI to determine taxable income. Itemized deductions can be used in place of the standard deduction if the itemized deduction is greater than the standard deduction. Some Itemized deductions are: mortgage expense and points, property taxes, medical expenses greater than 7.5% AGI, etc. The point is that you can deduct moving expenses even if you can't itemize. Ten years ago, moving expenses were itemized deductions, but not today.

As to who is eligible to deduct moving expenses - look on irs.gov at Internal Revenue Code Section 217. For taxation of reimbursements of moving expenses read IRC Section 3401(a).

Yes, this is true. Like I said, moving expenses are directly subtracted from your AGI to determine your federal taxable income. They are separately itemized on a form 3903 which is attached to your 1040/1040A. This is why it's so important to keep track of them, because it is in addition to your itemized/standard deduction. Student loan interest is just like this--it is also directly subtracted from your AGI (up to $2500), instead of being part of the itemized/standard deduction. The education credit/Lifetime learning credit (form 8863) takes into account how much tuition you paid, and part of this amount (usually 20%) is then subtracted from the amount of federal tax you should have paid (based on federal taxable income), further reducing the tax you owe, and thus increasing your tax return.

Talk to a tax advisor, use tax software, do what you need to do to make sure you're not doing something wrong, but from my research (and talking to tax advisors) moving for residency is a legitimate reason to fill out a 3903. Residency is educational, yes, but I also have a W-2 from residency, making it a JOB!

 

[Diane Moore]

Just repeating here what I've posted in a couple of other threads tonight.

Hi to all - a deal between Mayflower and osteopathic students is being discussed on MovingScam.com as we speak, on this thread - http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3995 (I'm a long-time volunteer on that site; "tkim6599" can vouch for me.)

An osteopathic student from Omaha got a flyer describing it and asked about it. In her case they told her she would get a 56% discount. Just to let you guys know, the norm in the industry is to give every customer anywhere from a 50% to 65% discount off the printed tariff rates, sometimes even more in the slow season. The fact that there's a discount reflects the byzantine nature of the moving industry. Mid-century, people paid 100% of the published tariff rates, but once movers started giving discounts, it just went from there. Now, everyone gets a sizeable discount.

I'm not in the industry, but I asked some of my advisers who are in the industry about this deal. They said that it's legitimate, but they wanted to investigate Premier Moving (the company running the ad) a little more because Premier has been a Mayflower agent for only a short time. They added that Premier would probably not be actually moving someone in Omaha (for example) but would arrange for another Mayflower agent to move her.

One thing to know is that somebody off the street can just call a Mayflower agent and get a discount similar to the 56% that was offered to this student in Omaha. It's nothing special. What may make it different, according to my advisers, is that sometimes companies offering such deals will give people free full replacement valuation coverage (similar to insurance but not the same thing) as part of it. Also, don't be afraid of Mayflower because of the case in Chicago last summer. That was a very isolated incident.

Nevertheless, we on MovingScam.com continue to believe that ABF U-Pack and Broadway Express are the best ways to go for people looking for reliability, prompt delivery, damage-free moves, and low cost. We now have 87 good reviews of Broadway Express and 18 reviews of ABF on the website. You might want to check them out - http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1935 for BE and http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2050 for ABF U-Pack.

Why do we like these companies rather than conventional full-service movers like Mayflower? (1) certainty of price--you pay by the linear feet of trailer space you use and nothing more (no hidden costs); (2) fast delivery--conventional moving companies can have long delays in the summer, especially for small moves such as a 1BR or 2BR apartment, while they're waiting to fill the truck; (3) no transferring of the goods--transfers are the point at which damage frequently occurs; (4) low cost--you will pay an average of 30%-40% less with ABF or BE than for a full-service mover, and even less than for a rental truck if you figure in all costs; (5) much better control--you are the one who either supervises or actually loads and unloads your own goods, whereas with a full-service mover you hand over control to unknown "helpers" from the beginning. In addition, with Broadway Express you get hand-holding and personal service--the driver who picks up your things is the driver who delivers them and he can also be hired to help you load for a small hourly fee (VERY worth it).

The experience that one person above said she had with ABF's dirty trailer is not at all typical. No doubt it does happen, but I moved with ABF myself, and the trailer was extremely clean. There are close to 80 reviews of ABF on Epinions.com and only two or three mention dirty trailers. ABF now has a 6-foot minimum door-to-door rather than 5 feet as someone posted above, by the way. It changed last September. You can still do 5 feet if you take your things to an ABF terminal and pick them up there, and ABF also now has a mobile container service that might appeal to some of you - http://www.upack.com/moving-services/container.asp There is at least one review of it on MovingScam.com.

That's my spiel for this year. On MovingScam.com we love students and we invite all of you to come there to run the names of your movers by us before you commit to them. We have information on Penske discounts on this thread - http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2060 And please, avoid www.moveamerica.com. Some companies advertise that they have lower minimums than 10 feet, but then they jack up the price per foot or give inferior service. Don't fall for it. And the person who posted that PODS is expensive is right. At least, that's what people tell us on MovingScam.com. Good luck with your moves!

 

[MAC10]

DITTO the part about keeping your reciepts. I doubled my tax refund this year by claming my moving expenses. Residency is a job and you qualify if you meet the time/ distance requirement. If you use any of the tax prep software it will guide you through this and let you know if you qualify or not.


ABF is a good and fairly inexpenisve moving option. They drove my stuff (2 bedroom codo) cross country for $675. To get the best price you can pack your own stuff and load it onto a trailer and they drive it to your destination. It pretty much paid for it self in terms of gas and fustration. Have you ever filled a Uhauls gas tank?

 

[kristing]

We are moving from Phoenix to Kalamazoo, MI and we are renting a 24' truck for 8 days for $635 from Budget. Just thought you'd all like a tangible statistic. WE researched a lot of options and nothing came close to this cost. Even with gas.

 

[Diane Moore]

I'm a volunteer on MovingScam.com and am reposting some tips just posted there on all the threads here having to do with moving:

1. -->June 7, 2005 - Someone has just posted that you can get a 30% discount from Penske just by asking a customer service rep for it on the phone--no fooling around with web discounts. - http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4639 In addition, someone else posted that a Penske phone rep offered to match a Budget price in Manhattan as long as it wasn't more than 40% lower than Penske's price - http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4571 These things are definitely worth checking into.

2. Also, "yc" (who is moving with ABF, not using U-Haul) posted on 6/9/05 that you can get a month's free storage with U-Haul if you use any of the loaders, etc. listed on their www.emove.com website - http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4610

Since ABF does not offer free storage (which I will need for 2 weeks) I'm going to be storing my things at a local U-Haul storage center. The good thing is that if I use an emove.com helper to help me load/unload (or basically do any part of my move), U-Haul give me 1 free month storage. You just have to tell U-Haul that you are using emove.com.

Hope this helps someone.