A Long-Distance Move From San Rafael, Week by Week

A move across state lines has more moving parts than a move across town, and most of them are scheduling. Trucks, crews and dispatchers all have to be in the right place at the right time, and your dates are one input among many. The households that have the easiest time are the ones that start early and understand how the calendar works. Here is a timeline you can build from.

Six to eight weeks out: make the call

We recommend booking at least six to eight weeks ahead for a long-distance move, and earlier still if you plan to travel in summer. The heaviest demands on vans, equipment and trained crews come in summer, at the end of the month, and around the end-of-year holidays. If you can choose, a different time of year gives you more room. If you cannot choose, which is the case for most people with a job start or a lease date, the answer is simply to call sooner. The more lead time we have, the more likely we can meet the schedule you want.

Mayflower also offers a Moving Reminder Checklist. Give your name, email address and move date, and it sends weekly reminders starting eight weeks before the move. We are glad to help you sign up.

The survey: in-home or virtual

An accurate estimate cannot be calculated without seeing what is being moved. That is why we start with a survey, either in your home or by video. There is no charge for the estimate. The survey tells us the approximate cost and how much van space your belongings will occupy. Walk through the house with the surveyor and point out what is staying, what is going, and anything unusual: a grand piano, a safe, a workshop, a hot tub.

After the survey you will receive a High-Value Inventory form if you have items that may qualify, and your written Estimate/Order for Service.

Understanding the estimate

Estimates are guidelines unless they are binding. On interstate shipments, what you pay is based on the actual weight of the shipment, the distance it travels, and the services you authorize or that become necessary. A binding estimate is different: it specifies the precise cost in advance for the services requested or judged necessary at the time of the estimate. Binding estimates are valid for the period stated, up to 60 days.

Binding does not mean frozen. If you add items, or request more services such as packing, between the estimate and moving day, an addendum with the additional charges will be prepared for your signature. The same goes for conditions at either end, such as a shuttle when a full-size van cannot reach the home, or a long carry from the street to the door. Tell us about the steep driveway or the narrow lane during the survey, and it will be priced honestly from the start.

Four to six weeks out: packing and paperwork

If you plan to pack yourself, allow at least six weeks. Sort first: what to sell, donate or discard. Every pound you remove is a pound you do not pay to ship, pack and unpack. If you would rather not pack at all, say so at the survey; full packing is available, with blanket wrap for furniture and fragile items and crating where it is needed.

This is also the time for paperwork that people forget. Request copies of medical, dental, veterinary and school records, since some schools want records with a raised seal rather than a photocopy. Start the change-of-address process, and arrange termination and start dates for utilities.

Why your dates come as a range

Here is the part that surprises people. The average household does not fill a van, so it is often necessary for two or more shipments to be loaded on the same van. Each shipment is carefully sectioned off from the others. Mayflower's computer-assisted dispatching system then sets pickup and delivery dates according to the origins, destinations and weights of the individual shipments aboard.

That sharing is why standard service uses alternate pickup and delivery dates, and why we notify you in advance of your loading date and estimated arrival date. If your dates are truly critical, because of a lease expiration or a real estate closing, there is an extra-cost service that allows a more precise schedule. Raise it early, and ask your agent what it includes and costs.

Moving week and delivery

• Set aside documents, medications, valuables and anything you will need in the first days, and keep them with you.
• Make sure a working phone number is available for the destination, so the driver and our coordinator can reach you.
• Label boxes by destination room, and mark essentials open first.
• Be present at loading to answer questions, write your valuation choice on the bill of lading yourself, and confirm the inventory.
• Know your payment arrangements: charges are due before the shipment is unloaded at the destination unless prior arrangements are made.

If your new home is not ready on delivery day, storage-in-transit can hold the shipment at our San Rafael facility until it is.

Planning a move out of Marin? Call Earl Farnsworth Express at (415) 459-6683 and ask for a free in-home or virtual survey. The earlier we talk, the more choices you have on dates.