Christina de Leon and her boyfriend, Tom McAuley, are in the midst of moving hell.
Their West Loop apartment, emptied of almost all furniture during a moving sale last weekend, is in disarray. Cardboard boxes, multiplying, wait to be loaded into the rented U-Haul trailer that will cart their belongings–including three dogs–to California.
Their three-day drive begins Saturday. Until then: packing, cleaning, disconnecting utilities, officially changing their mailing address (twice, to be sure), and many other details that make moving maddening.
But the 28-year-olds, who plan to stay with family briefly in the Bay Area before moving to Hawaii to open an import/export business, are tranquil.
Their secret, de Leon said, is a well-crafted to-do list.
“I guess that might be kind of anal, but when you move so many times, you know that there’s a never-ending amount of things to do,” said de Leon, who counts this move as her third cross-country relocation in less than two years.
Spring moving season, when we drown in bubble wrap and inexpertly maneuver enormous trucks through city traffic, is upon us. For mobile twentysomethings–one-third of people in their 20s moved in 2003, more than any other age group, according to a study by the Washington, D.C.-based Population Reference Bureau–it’s a familiar experience. But practice doesn’t always make perfect.
Ali Kalish, manager at Kelvyn Park-based Chicago Movers, said he recently showed up for a job to find the customer hadn’t packed a thing. It took five hours to move the woman out of her one-bedroom apartment–far longer than it should considering a two-bedroom move usually takes two to three hours, he said.
“The first step is prepare, the second step is prepare, the third step is prepare, the last step is move,” said Kalish, who has been a mover for 25 years. “The better you’re packed, the faster you’ll go.”
Moving mishaps tend to be what stir people to rethink their bad moving habits.
McAuley said lack of preparation when he and de Leon moved from Memphis to Chicago in June resulted in their selling their couches at $5 a pop at the last minute. This time, they staged a moving sale a week ahead of time that will cover all $1,000 they expect to spend in moving costs, he said.
Do-it-yourself moves are prone to bungles.
Alex Menard, who last weekend moved from a two-bedroom apartment in Lincoln Park to a three-bedroom condo just two blocks away, said that on his previous move, he accidentally locked the keys to the Penske truck he’d rented inside the truck. He had to call police and jimmy open the door–enough of a headache to compel him to hire professional movers this time around.
“I’ve moved, like, five times on my own, and it’s enough already,” said Menard, 27, who sat on his couch watching TV in his new pad Saturday while men from Chicago Movers lugged his furniture about. “When you think about it, you only save a couple hundred bucks doing it yourself.”
Menard estimated his move would cost him $500 with professional movers, including tips and the cost of boxes.
Things aren’t so easy for Toniya Woods, who is going through an elevated form of moving misery. The 26-year-old grad student on Sunday is moving out of the Logan Square apartment she has shared with her boyfriend of six years–with whom she’s been living for two years–because they are breaking up.
Beyond the pain of the breakup, there is the haggling over who gets the blender (still undecided). New purchases–a microwave, a bed–are pushing up her costs, making professional movers impossible. Woods said she faced a dilemma figuring out how to move her heaviest boxes to her new Lakeview apartment, as many of her guy friends haven’t stepped up to help.
“I really feel like you find out who your friends are when you move,” Woods said.
The solution: a 17-foot U-Haul truck she’ll commandeer herself, and an ad on Craigslist offering $15 an hour for one guy’s muscles. The responses have poured in, said Woods, who hopes to complete her move for under $100.
Recruiting cheap movers on the Internet is tempting for the cash-strapped, but professionals advise against using anyone who is unlicensed or uninsured.
“Let’s pretend he dropped something and hurt himself,” said Pat McLaughlin, executive director of Illinois Movers and Warehousemen’s Association. “They’re going to sue you because they are your employee at that point. And any damage to the building, you’ll be liable to the landlord.”
Failure to do your homework on a mover also can be dangerous.
Jim Hanson, vice president of Burrows Moving in Rogers Park, said he’s heard stories of movers stealing items or taking customers’ belongings hostage until they pay far more than they were quoted. People moving long distance should be sure to use a well-known company, he said, and all companies should be checked for any complaints against them.
“The moving trade is notorious for having derelicts,” Hanson said.
Do your homework
Not all movers are created equal, so it’s wise to do some research before you wind up with shattered china or an exorbitant bill.
Movers are required by law to give a free written estimate, so take advantage of that, said Pat McLaughlin, executive director of the Illinois Movers’ and Warehousemen’s Association. While a phone quote is acceptable to get the process started, getting a price in writing “helps avoid unhappy surprises and the potential ‘he said, she said’ scenario on move day,” McLaughlin said.
The customer is expected to be able to pay up to 110 percent of the written estimate on move day, McLaughlin said. If there is any balance over the additional 10 percent, the customer has 30 days to pay the balance.
McLaughlin advises using licensed movers, who are required to have insurance and undergo training, inspections and drug testing. It’s best to get references from friends, McLaughlin said, and then check if there have been complaints against the movers.
“If the mover has more than three complaints, that’s too many,” she said.
Check these resources:
– The Illinois Commerce Commission, to check if a company is licensed and see the complaints against it: www.icc.illinois.gov (click on the link for “Household Goods Movers Services”).
– The Better Business Bureau, to view a reliability report on the company: bbb.org.
– The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, for information on your rights as a mover and tips for spotting rogue movers: protectyourmove.gov.
– The Illinois Movers’ and Warehousemen’s Association (trade organization), for advice on choosing a mover: imawa.com.
– Movingscam.com, a community site with warnings about fraudulent movers, a “blacklist” of companies that are alleged scammers, and a message board for questions and venting about moving.
DIY moving
No money for movers? Have strong, loyal friends? Here are RedEye’s top 10 tips for packing and moving yourself, culled from several moving company owners and Web sites. You can get very detailed advice on DIY moving at learntomove.com, a Web site created by Chicago-based Burrows Moving. You have to subscribe and pay a $10 fee to access the site.
Put heavier items, such as books, in smaller boxes. No box should weigh more than 50 pounds.
Never use duct tape to secure boxes because it won’t hold. Use packing tape.
All boxes should be completely filled so things don’t shift around. Fill in gaps with crumpled paper or packing peanuts.
Label the tops and sides of all boxes with information on what’s inside and where it should go. Avoid mixing items from different rooms in the same box.
If you must take apart furniture to move it, tape all the parts (screws, etc.) to the base of the piece so they don’t get lost.
When moving large pieces of furniture, wrap them in moving blankets to avoid scratches and dings.
You can carry more items safely by carrying them on your back, preferably with a hump strap. Not only can you support more weight, but you also can see where you’re going.
Two people carrying a large item should always face each other, with the person walking forward helping to guide the person walking backward. When going up or down stairs, position the stronger person at the bottom.
Move fragile or sentimental items yourself so that only you are to blame if they get lost or stolen.
Save money on boxes by seeking used boxes on Craigslist or taking produce boxes from the grocery store. But be careful that the box hasn’t weakened from use or moisture, and that there aren’t any critters nesting inside.
Don’t forget
Make food, drinks and music available for your friends during the move. The promise of beer also is appreciated, but only after the moving day is done.
Manners matter
With the stress of moving, it can be easy to forget certain rules of moving etiquette. Here are five tips for good moving karma.
– Have a bathroom available for the movers to use.
– Be sure to offer movers water.
– Keep any pets enclosed–perhaps in a bathroom–so they and the movers don’t get hurt.
– Tip the movers if they do a good job. Movers interviewed said they generally expect $20 per mover (more if they’ve had to do something particularly difficult, like go up multiple flights of steps or move a piano).
– Leave a roll of toilet paper in the house you’re vacating for the next tenants.
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aelejalderuiz@tribune.com
