Moving

[dm]

We have finally decided to put the house up for sale. We are now just trying to box up or give away as much stuff as we can in order to get the house ready to show.

I am lazy and have found that when I tell friends and relatives that I'm giving away most things that are big or heavy for free, that it's not much trouble getting rid of stuff. I've gotten over thinking about all the thousands some of the stuff cost, it's nice not having to worry about moving or storing it.

We were originally planning on buying a smaller place here, St. Louis area, and a condo in south Florida. But now the plan is to sell this house, put our remaining stuff in storage, and rent a place in Florida for a while. Then decide what we want to do. Hopefully we will like Florida and just by a home down there. But we will rent for a while first either way.

We are thinking Punta Gorda or Venice.

 

[walkinwood]

You'll have so much on your place prepping the house, selling & moving out, that giving away excess stuff is a great idea. We gave a lot away to goodwill and a local church - and it really made it easy.

All the best.

 

[W2R]

We have finally decided to put the house up for sale. We are now just trying to box up or give away as much stuff as we can in order to get the house ready to show.

I am lazy and have found that when I tell friends and relatives that I'm giving away most things that are big or heavy for free, that it's not much trouble getting rid of stuff. I've gotten over thinking about all the thousands some of the stuff cost, it's nice not having to worry about moving or storing it.

We were originally planning on buying a smaller place here, St. Louis area, and a condo in south Florida. But now the plan is to sell this house, put our remaining stuff in storage, and rent a place in Florida for a while. Then decide what we want to do. Hopefully we will like Florida and just by a home down there. But we will rent for a while first either way.

We are thinking Punta Gorda or Venice.

Sounds like you have thought about this a lot, and that you are approaching the move with a lot of common sense. Getting rid of your big things is tremendously helpful for an interstate move, and anything your friends and relatives don't want, I'm sure the Salvation Army would be glad to accept as a donation. If you get rid of enough stuff, you might be able to fit the rest in your rental place in Florida and not have to pay for storage at all.

Renting in Florida for a while is smart, IMO, because you can become more familiar with the neighborhoods and figure out exactly where (or if) you want to buy, while you are renting.

What an exciting adventure!

 

[W2R]

What an exciting adventure!

I forgot to mention that Frank brought up the idea of moving to Springfield (MO) again yesterday. We put our houses on the market back in 2010 in anticipation of moving there, but he changed his mind at the last minute that time and suggested waiting a few years.

We will probably go back for another visit to Springfield and re-assess the whole idea before actually doing anything about moving. It should be interesting to see how this plays out, and if we actually decide to move this time.

 

[Huston55]

dm-

Congrats on the upcoming transition. You might find this link helpful. Read "Moving West" parts 1&2.

Moving West - Part 1 - Can I Retire Yet?

 

[bbbamI]

I'll throw in this option...

Perhaps the furniture/appliances you have when you're ready to sell can be sold with the house along with tools, lawnmowers, etc.. Once you find a condo, you can ship your personal items and purchase appropriate furniture for your new place.

btw, I lived in Ballwin, MO in the late 80's thru the early 90's. I know winters can be tough.

 

[InParadise]

When my parents downsized from their 4br home to a 27' RV, they kept a room free and clear of anything other than what they wanted to give away. It was first come first serve. That way they didn't have to referee between us 6 sibs and the policy encouraged us coming home more often.

They whittled down their belongings so smoothly, that "moving day" consisted of getting in the camper and driving off. Somehow, I missed the moving day and went back one more time, house key in hand. The new owners had already taken possession so it was a little embarrassing having let myself in the door! Fortunately, I was young and unthreatening, and they were gracious. I have always changed the keys any time I buy a house, based on that experience!

 

[Live And Learn]

It is very liberating to downsize. Its a PITA to actually 'do' it, but once its done having so much less stuff feels great. I don't miss anything that I gave away.

I had thought about trying to sell a lot of the stuff, but (like you) it felt like too much work with all the other moving selling / buying going on. I was a very frequent visitor to Goodwill and the Salvation Army. I had some very large furniture left at the end. The house was 3000 sq ft and I wondered if the new owners had enough 'stuff' to fill all that space. I called the realtor and offered the items to the new owners - the new owners were very happy to have them and thanked me profusely at the closing.

 

[dm]

We have also made many trips to goodwill. And there are also a few other local charities that will end up with some stuff.

I'm hoping we can get the stuff that we really want to keep down to what will fit into a 10 x20 storage unit. My father owns a storage business so I'll keep it there until the time comes to move it. It's a three hour drive south of St. Louis, but at least a little closer to Florida.

We also have two cars and a plane to deal with. I've though about selling our older car, but it's been a good car and we would still need two cars. I'm not sure I want to have it shipped. I guess we will end up making a few trips back and forth.

The big thing is selling the house. The house is in good shape, we had it built in 2001. But it's actually about 30 miles outside of St. Louis in a very small town. It may take longer to sell than our last home. It sold in a week. Hopefully it won't be a problem.

 

[dm]

This is our current house.


I want our next house to have palm trees and a pool in the back.

 

[W2R]

Beautiful home, dm!! Surely it will sell easily. And how terrific that your father has a storage business!

Maybe you can leave one of the cars with your father, and then later fly back for a visit and drive it back to Florida.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

We also have two cars and a plane to deal with. I've though about selling our older car, but it's been a good car and we would still need two cars. I'm not sure I want to have it shipped. I guess we will end up making a few trips back and forth.
.

Can you just tow one car with the other? Some neighbors of ours did that when they moved from the Bay Area back to Wisconsin. They put her car on a trailer and towed it with his.

 

[NW-Bound]

Oh boy! I think it's most likely I will die in my current home now. I have two homes in the same state, and way too much stuff to get rid of. And do I want to get rid of them? Well, no, as I have not finished playing with my toys yet.

...
We also have two cars and a plane to deal with. I've though about selling our older car, but it's been a good car and we would still need two cars. I'm not sure I want to have it shipped. I guess we will end up making a few trips back and forth...

I remember that you had an RV, an Airstream to be exact. Do you still have it?

 

[dm]

Oh boy! I think it's most likely I will die in my current home now. I have two homes in the same state, and way too much stuff to get rid of. And do I want to get rid of them? Well, no, as I have not finished playing with my toys yet.


I remember that you had an RV, an Airstream to be exact. Do you still have it?

We had a hail storm that totaled the old RV, I sold the pickup I use to tow it with also.

 

[dm]

Can you just tow one car with the other? Some neighbors of ours did that when they moved from the Bay Area back to Wisconsin. They put her car on a trailer and towed it with his.

We have a hybrid and a Porsche, neither are very good tow vehicles. I'll just have to fly back at some time and pick up one of the cars later.

 

[dm]

Beautiful home, dm!! Surely it will sell easily. And how terrific that your father has a storage business!

Maybe you can leave one of the cars with your father, and then later fly back for a visit and drive it back to Florida.

Thank you,

I'm sure I'll have to make a couple of trips. I'll probably just leave one of the cars in St. Louis as I can easily fly back here and pick it up later. I'm sure we will be back and forth for a while till we get settled down anyway.

 

[Amethyst]

We're struggling with the furniture issue. What do you do when you really like your furniture, even though it's old? I've gone to moving companies' web sites to try to estimate cost of moving (to compare with cost of replacing furniture) and it seems impossible to get a handle on cost of moving.

While some of our furniture is quite old and showing wear, we couldn't afford to duplicate the quality today. Some is heavy solid oak from the 90's, and we definitely could not duplicate the quality of that furniture. It seems like all you can get today is a) pressed sawdust with thin veneer or b) ultra-expensive solid hardwood.

Amethyst

 

[retiredatfifty]

I forgot to mention that Frank brought up the idea of moving to Springfield (MO) again yesterday. We put our houses on the market back in 2010 in anticipation of moving there, but he changed his mind at the last minute that time and suggested waiting a few years.

We will probably go back for another visit to Springfield and re-assess the whole idea before actually doing anything about moving. It should be interesting to see how this plays out, and if we actually decide to move this time.

I have friends in Springfield & Ozark & a sibling previously lived in Joplin. Visited there many times. Great place to live IMO. Just too far from the ocean for me.

 

[Huston55]

We're struggling with the furniture issue. What do you do when you really like your furniture, even though it's old? I've gone to moving companies' web sites to try to estimate cost of moving (to compare with cost of replacing furniture) and it seems impossible to get a handle on cost of moving.

While some of our furniture is quite old and showing wear, we couldn't afford to duplicate the quality today. Some is heavy solid oak from the 90's, and we definitely could not duplicate the quality of that furniture. It seems like all you can get today is a) pressed sawdust with thin veneer or b) ultra-expensive solid hardwood.

Amethyst

It's easy to get multiple quotes on line from movers, if you're willing to provide you email. But, if you want an anonymous quote, there are fewer sites. Here's one that will put you in the ballpark without providing personal info.

Moving Costs Estimator

 

[InParadise]

We're struggling with the furniture issue. What do you do when you really like your furniture, even though it's old? I've gone to moving companies' web sites to try to estimate cost of moving (to compare with cost of replacing furniture) and it seems impossible to get a handle on cost of moving.

While some of our furniture is quite old and showing wear, we couldn't afford to duplicate the quality today. Some is heavy solid oak from the 90's, and we definitely could not duplicate the quality of that furniture. It seems like all you can get today is a) pressed sawdust with thin veneer or b) ultra-expensive solid hardwood.

Amethyst

Many people who make major moves, like moving south to FL, realize too late that the furniture they loved in their old home no longer fits in style wise with their new house. They would have been better off selling their old things and buying new.

I agree about the quality of the furniture made today, though. When we moved from a 1200 SF home to our 3500 SF home, we brought very little with us. We took our time to fill the house out, mostly buying used from auctions after seeing the expensive trash that was available in the stores. One of my favorite buys was a blond mahogany dining room set with two inlaid buffets, which simply will not work at our 1100 SF rural home that we are retiring to, and will have to be sold with the house or put back on auction. The good news is that I only spent $1200 delivered for the set in the first place, so at least my wallet won't break along with my heart.

 

[dm]

We're struggling with the furniture issue. What do you do when you really like your furniture, even though it's old? I've gone to moving companies' web sites to try to estimate cost of moving (to compare with cost of replacing furniture) and it seems impossible to get a handle on cost of moving.

While some of our furniture is quite old and showing wear, we couldn't afford to duplicate the quality today. Some is heavy solid oak from the 90's, and we definitely could not duplicate the quality of that furniture. It seems like all you can get today is a) pressed sawdust with thin veneer or b) ultra-expensive solid hardwood.

Amethyst

We paid quite a bit for some of our furniture, some we have had for 30 years. But we also feel that we got our money's worth and are giving most of it to friends and family. We will just have to replace much of it when we get down there.

It would probably be cheaper to have it moved, but I just don't want to deal with it. It also gives us a chance to buy what fits in the new house. And since we plan to rent for a few months first less storage fees and handling.

 

[BTravlin]

As someone else mentioned, the old furniture may very well not fit in the new living quarters due to style and/or size. And $100 bills travel a lot more easily and cheaply than furniture. You can often buy very nice furniture at a reasonable price from others in your new area who are downsizing and moving.

 

[superdave]

Its very rare that moving furniture is cost effective, especially when downsizing. We will be putting the 'homestead' on the market next month, and movable stuff is high on our priority list. Yes, we do have the oak kitchen table that has served us well for 20 years, but a couple old gizers like us are not really all that hard on presswood furnature

 

[MRG]

I have friends in Springfield & Ozark & a sibling previously lived in Joplin. Visited there many times. Great place to live IMO. Just too far from the ocean for me.

Halfway in between, how much closer to either ocean, could you be?

It is a very nice area, there's that minor issue tornados, but thats what shelters are for. Then the ice and snow.

We've been talking about moving for 3 years. 3 trips to AZ. 3 to different parts of FL. Maybe we'll try that area or a little further south. Never hurts to look.
MRG

 

[Amethyst]

Thank you, what a great site!

My ER Forum membership has paid for itself yet again,

Amethyst

It's easy to get multiple quotes on line from movers, if you're willing to provide you email. But, if you want an anonymous quote, there are fewer sites. Here's one that will put you in the ballpark without providing personal info.

Moving Costs Estimator