What are the hidden costs of moving?

[cheap traveler]

I am seriously considering a move from NY to (probably) FL. I HATE winter, with a passion, and this winter certainly isn't helping things. I'm trying to plan out what my moving costs will be, along with my new living expenses in a new place.

Right now I'm in NY, so I know I can move most anywhere in the country and have a lower cost of living, along with the lower income that goes with it. I plan to sell my house and rent when I move, so I know my tax refund will be lower because I can't claim mortgage and property taxes anymore. I also currently own an auto repair shop, so I will have car repair costs for the first time in 8 years

As for moving, the only costs I've come up with are: scouting trips to the new neighborhood to get things in order, moving truck, loss of work for a few weeks while i manage the move, temporary housing in NY if my house sells before I plan to move (June 2012)

I've only moved a pitiful amount of furniture before, from a tiny apartment to the house I own now, so I'm pretty clueless here, and I could use any help you can offer!!

If it matters, I am a single mom of 2 girls (8 1/2 and nearly 6 at my target date), my parents are unlikely to offer much help because they think I'm making a stupid move, and I'll be moving most of the contents of a 3 bedroom house. I do have a friend or two who might be able to help with the move.

Sorry for the long post, and TIA!!

 

[cjnix29]

We just moved in November. To a new state, but not quite as far as you are considering. But some of the costs you forget about....not just scouting trips, but think of the extra food costs before and after the move...when all your stuff is in boxes. you will eat out more. any deposits/penalties on utitility disconnections/reconnections. Any staging/new stuff for old house to sell, or new stuff you will want for your new house. Difference in license costs/plates. One big one for us was the difference in auto/homeowners insurance. Ours went up a lot moving to Michigan.

Good luck with what you decide to do! We had a corporate move, so I can't help you with the costs/etc of actually moving all your stuff. Ours was paid for by DH's employer.

 

[stm61]

utility deposits for the new house, cost of living while you look for a new job

 

[Lisa_M]

utility deposits for the new house, cost of living while you look for a new job

OP, I would suggest not moving until you have a job secured in FL, especially with 2 small children. Other hidden costs of moving, would be security deposits for the apartment and pets if you have any.

 

[cheap traveler]

Thank you for the reminders on utility deposits. Here in NY I won't have any penalties, and there were no deposits.

I was figuring the cost of staging the house into the sale, and I've been doing a lot of updates over the 6 years I've had the house, so it will really be paint and landscaping.

Eating out - we'll have to scope out the new places nearby, so that will certainly add up

Apartment deposits here are usually 2 months rent (at nearly $1000 a month for a 2-3 bedroom.) The places I've seen so far only want $250 - $300!!

I would never move without having a job AND daycare in place. Both are just too important to not plan for!! I'm actually thinking of taking a friend with me (she wants to move too) and that would be built-in babysitting - me for her son, her for my girls.

Anyone know of a way I can compare the costs of insurance in one state vs another? I know everything costs more here, but having a more concrete number to work with would be great.

 

[Darcy03231]

I find I always need new window treatments. It seems that the windows in the new place are never the same size as the old ones.

 

[dzorn]

Don't forget the expense of scouting trips for job searches not just housing. Any cancellation/set-up fees for utilities.

Denise in MI

 

[StephMK]

Depending on your move, small things like paper & pantry restocking, lightbulbs, cleaning stuff, driving license fees in addition to car registering, etc. add up during a move. Hotels for in between moving dates, extra gas, packing tape- we used a ton of that stuff!

I would really look at schools where you are headed. My friend moved to FL and moved out again a year later. She grew up there but still wasn't prepared for the school issues there and could not find one she could live with. Luckily, her DH was able to get another transfer after not too much time.

 

[bumbershoot]

New clothes, new hair products (FL loves my hair and my hair loves FL, but not everyone has that experience!). Don't toss all warm clothes, because it can get cold there (just take it from those of us who vacationed in Orlando last December).

 

[Singleminnie]

Thanks for this thread, I too am planning on a long move, NE to Fl too, hoping to move this summer. Already working on finding a job! Good luck to the op.

 

[kelcoppens]

Packing supplies can add up fast. Packing tape and bubble wrap cost more than you think. Try to collect any free boxes you can.

 

[kellydizfan]

OP - we are in the same area as you in NY and are now looking again at moving to Southern GA - Valdosta area. My DH won't move into FL. I have some family in the area so it will make it a little easier and my kids are older than yours. We are looking at selling everything pretty much and just taking what we need. We will survive until we can purchase new. I am having a hard time due to my parents will not move from NY and I don't want to leave them but I need to do it for my DH health and my sanity at this point I think. My DD13 is not happy to be leaving her friends but she will make new. My DD17 is ready to go to college in a year so she will be leaving her friends at that time. My DS10 is begging to go now. Thank you for posting this as it will give us idea's. I can't imagine insurance being higher on Auto as it is in NY but home insurance in FL will be and coverage not as good either.

 

[livndisney]

Utility deposits!!!!!!!! Just moving 2 cities away (same companies as the old address just new address on the account) cost me hundreds.

 

[Local_Girl]

We did a move across state last year. Not as far as you're planning, but as an retired military family, we've done it before, and then some, LOL! My best advice would be to plan to have enough $$ for everything you can think of (including the great advice you've been given here so far), and MORE $$ just in case. We had to move quickly due to a new job and the landlord of the rental we found wanted a huge deposit. We also had to purchase a fridge, which I've never had to purchase for a rental before. We also had to keep our moving van for an extra day, which was added cost we hadn't planned on. And, we moved to a rural area and had increased costs for fuel (propane, ugh), and getting our utilities going.

Good luck with your move...hope you find what you're looking for in FL.

 

[katied]

Anyone know of a way I can compare the costs of insurance in one state vs another? I know everything costs more here, but having a more concrete number to work with would be great.

I don't know how to compare costs, but I can tell you, I was very suprised about how much more some things cost when I moved from Chicago to Minneapolis. I thought everything would cost less in Minneapolis - but what I learned...

it cost me $1,000 to register my 3 yr old car in MN - annual license plate fees are $500 vs the $100 I paid in IL

car insurance is about $500 more per year in MN vs Chicago - reason - comparative liability means that even if I bear no fault in an accident, my insurance must still pay 10% of the claim - vs in IL where if I have no fault, my insurance pays nothing - so, with a perfect driving record, car insurance is more

food - all food costs are higher here in MN vs. Chicago

childcare - is more expensive in MN than Chicago. It's actually the 3rd most expensive area in the country for childcare - don't know why

Good luck!

 

[Arkansan]

We've had 5 inter-state moves with my DH's job. PPs have given good advice. Don't forget some weird ones: some doctors charge a fee to transfer or photocopy your records. Some don't charge this, so you may be lucky. Some don't charge the fee if the records are sent directly to a new dr.

You may also have new utilities. For example: when we lived in WI our property taxes covered the trash removal fee. Other places we've lived we have had to pay that fee in a different way--monthly, quarterly, etc. Overall, the cost may be similar but the budgeting is different.

What about a HOA fee? Some rentals charge this, too.

To see if insurance rates are higher, call an agent with a national insurance company in the area you're thinking of moving. When you call, have a copy of your current coverages in front of you and ask what the price would be for the same coverages in the new place. State laws vary, so you may need to purchase more coverage than you currently have. (or you may be able to drop to a lower level if you're comfortable doing that)

Also, you will likely need to keep your current checking account open, at least until all your checks clear and any automatically withdrawn payments get switched to the new account. You may have a different account $$ minimum in the new account. You will also need to purchase new checks for the new account. Some is a cash flow issue, but having enough money in two separate accounts can be a pain.

Don't forget any set-up fees. (not deposits) The phone company, the cable company, internet, etc. usually have a fee to set up your new account. They are usually small, but they all add up. I would figure about $20-50 each.

Good luck!

 

[StitchBuddy]

We have done this several times, my husband use to be a consultant. My advice is to get rid of anything you don't just love and start over. Your old stuff probably won't look good in your new home. Plus it will cost you less to move all the stuff, less to pack and unpack.

 

[PatriciaH]

It cost us about $3,000 to move a studio apartment to a 1 bedroom- MA-FL in 2004. We packed everything but they moved it on the truck and into the new place.

Car registration is a lot now in FL. It went up last year. Electric and groceries were much more expensive for us. Research areas carefully.

Have a job and school lined up for sure before you go!

 

[bumbershoot]

To see if insurance rates are higher, call an agent with a national insurance company in the area you're thinking of moving. When you call, have a copy of your current coverages in front of you and ask what the price would be for the same coverages in the new place. State laws vary, so you may need to purchase more coverage than you currently have. (or you may be able to drop to a lower level if you're comfortable doing that)

Yes!


another thought:
Car registration might be called something different there than it is where you are. I moved from VA to WA. In VA, I'd leased a car, and part of the deal with the dealership was that they would pay the fee for registering the car, for the time of the lease. I moved to WA, and it didn't transfer. They call it something different, it's a different sort of tax, and it turns out that the deal used the EXACT wording of VA's registration. Cost me a bit more money than expected because of that, and WA vs VA registration fees were rather different from each other because of how they figured the fee.

 

[cheap traveler]

Thank you all so much for the great info! Some of it is stuff I never would have thought of. (window treatments - I lived 5 years in my house before my Aunt got sick of it and put up curtains! But in an apartment I'm sure I'll want the privacy)

My kid's dr charges fees for a bunch of nonsense, not sure about the file transfer. I will have to check.

Packing tape! How could I forget! That stuff is expensive, and it doesn't seem to go far. I'll start collecting free boxes now.

I've been thinking about getting rid of some of our furniture in NY - living room stuff and my kid's dressers specifically. Theire dressers are huge and very well made, but, well, they're huge! LOL! And our living room furniture has seen better days. My bed is brand new, the girls have bunkbeds that are so new they are still in the box And my kitchen table is small, so perfect for an apartment.

Appliances - I have to remember to put washer/dryer on my list. I haven't been finding any places that come with a set, just hook-ups.

I actually plan to check with my credit union to see if I can keep my account open. Just having the child support payments moved is enough of a hassle to make me want to avoid it. That's another good consideration though - the cushion needed in 2 different accounts.

Thank you everyone!! Keep the great ideas coming!