Kurbie Posted March 25, 2017 Report Share Posted March 25, 2017 I've looked thru the web-board and hoping someone could give me some "rough" costs of moving a 2 or 3 bedroom home from the US. Even though we're moving from Ohio, any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and looking forward to our next adventure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Saltos Posted March 25, 2017 Report Share Posted March 25, 2017 Price is based on weight. Get an estimate from a national moving company, e.g. Mayflower, for a move to Laredo. Then provide the weight info to Mexican movers, e.g. Strom-White. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVGRINGO Posted March 25, 2017 Report Share Posted March 25, 2017 Generally, it can cost more than selling your stuff at garage sales and replacing it in Mexico. It is also a lot easier than taking furniture & appliances to Mexico, where they may look strange in your Mexican home. Small, boxed stuff can be taken as far as the border by UHaul, if you don‘t mind putting it in self-storage there, and picking it up later yourself. Just take the essentials with you in your vehicle to your Mexican destination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbleitch Posted March 25, 2017 Report Share Posted March 25, 2017 My info is not very recent, but regarding the distance, we did move from northeast Indiana. We sold all of our furniture there before coming, as it really wouldn't have looked right in our older Mexican home here (think Amish oak crafted furniture). We moved all of our kitchen items and small appliances, linens, clothing, office items, etc. We packed it ourselves, labeled and and numbered about 90 boxes, several large suitcases, and prepared the inventory listing as we were instructed by our mover, Lake Chapala Moving (Winston Tortajada). We also loaded it ourselves in the front part of a Roadway freight trailer, which was dropped at our location and then picked up 24 hours or so later. We had the front four feet of the trailer, so basically a space that was 4' X 8' X 8'. I believe the deal now is the front five feet. It was like playing Tetrus!! Agewise, we were in the first half of our 50s and we had a couple of friends help us. It wasn't hard. They provided us the framework and plywood to seal off our part of the load in the front of the trailer. I took a photo of it as we did it. They picked up the trailer the next day and we left driving for Mexico within a couple of days. Winston at Lake Chapala Moving was great, answering our questions and addressing any concerns. The visa process was different in August, 2012, than it is now and we had our temporary visas a week after we arrived in Ajijic. Our possessions were delivered to our house here three weeks after we arrived. Nothing was broken, missing, nor had the load shifted. It had received a green light at the border so nothing was opened and checked against the inventory list. The photo that Winston took of the load here at Lakeside before unloading it into a smaller truck to bring to our home looked just like the one I'd taken in Indiana. The cost in August, 2012, was USD$4,500, plus $75 insurance purchased separately. This fee was all we paid and LCM orchestrated the shipping in the US, the border crossing, the shipping within Mexico. The packing and loading our own things worked great for us and saved some $$, but it might not work for you. Go to LCM's website and / or call Winston for more info and updated cost estimate. Our quote was based on cubic ft of space in the trailer and NOT by weight. Welcome to Lakeside!! There aren't as many Midwesterners here as folks from other areas, so it's always good to have more on board!! I see you like Bostons; we moved here with our 11 year old Boston / pug mix, Bunker. He died within our first year here, so he's memoralized in my avatar photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayBearII Posted March 25, 2017 Report Share Posted March 25, 2017 I went thru this some years ago moving from Boston to here, and the advice I got online then served me well: Bring a few things that will make you feel at home, in our case antiques, plus 3 upholstered wing chairs, one with an ottoman (note that leather recliners with footstools are available here, but there is an age at which an upright armchair is easier to sit in!), clothes, some kitchen ware, photos, collectible vases and ornaments, a wall clock, and of course, the dog (he came down separately in the car)! There are certain things that are prohibited, so by all means consult your moving company! Note: we do not have a home that is notably Mexican-style, except for the Mexican ceramic tile used decoratively in the kitchen and baths, and some artwork. Many expats are happy here without any of their old "stuff"--time to examine what will make YOU happy in Mexico! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayBearII Posted March 25, 2017 Report Share Posted March 25, 2017 P.S. -- Don't ship your photos, if you have old photos that have no been scanned, bring them with you, or better yet, scan them before you leave! And wear your jewelry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bontepar Posted March 25, 2017 Report Share Posted March 25, 2017 We sold all that did not have high value monetary or sentimental, bought a used van and moved the rest ourselfs, than sold the van back n the US Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pappysmarket Posted March 25, 2017 Report Share Posted March 25, 2017 Excellent game plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stantheman Posted March 25, 2017 Report Share Posted March 25, 2017 Not only do they charge by weight, they also charge by volume. Like RV mentioned, I would only recommend bringing personal belongings and I include many clothes amongst that. If you intend to travel down by car, then just fetch what you can fit in the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stantheman Posted March 25, 2017 Report Share Posted March 25, 2017 Further to my previous comments, I also went with Lake Chapala Moving (Winston) who gave me the volume costs but didn't mention that weight also came into the equation and so when the lorry was being loaded, everything was weighed as it went on board and we ended up having to pay an additional and unexpected $1000 for the extra weight that was over the allowance. I was not a happy hector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowyela Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 1 hour ago, bontepar said: We sold all that did not have high value monetary or sentimental, bought a used van and moved the rest ourselfs, than sold the van back n the US We priced out moving our goodies - expensive! We did it a similar way but bought a used van and enclosed trailer, made 2 trips, bought a new house three quarters furnished, sold what we didn't want to bring down, returned the van and trailer to Canada and sold both (for more than we got them for), but it was a lot of driving. Word of advice - try to get a place that's at least partially furnished and save a pile of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suegarn Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 One factor that you didn't mention in your OP. Are you going to rent or buy? If you're planning on renting down here, most rentals come furnished, so you'd end up having to store your furniture until you purchase a home. When I moved down, the moving costs were going to be more than the value of the items that I wanted to bring. So I sold or donated everything, including my car, because it was in excellent condition and was worth selling at the time. Then, I booked my flight and moved down with only two large suitcases and one carry-on. I've been renting since the move, so I haven't had to buy much to replace what I didn't bring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bontepar Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 Bottom line DO NOT hire a mover!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyfull Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 We also moved with only personal items. It is very expensive to move furniture. We rented a furnished home our first year then purchased a new home which was unfinished. Furnishing and decorating our new home was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. Having wood furniture custom made and either stained or painted is very inexpensive here. We also bought a used van that had seats that fold under the floor so it was like a cargo van. Had 22 large plastic boxes with kitchen stuff, linens, photos, small rugs, clothes, etc. also brought a few paintings & a 42" TV. We eventually got rid of the van and bought a Mexican car. BTW, when we sold everything up north we had an estate sale company do it. No garage sales. Made it so less stressful and I'm sure we made more money as they had a following. 1st day of the sale there were 40 people lined up! Best of luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurbie Posted March 26, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 We'll be renting a furnished apartment while our new home is being built and anticipate that would take 8-10 months. The idea of buying the van and then taking it back to the states to sell is good idea .... as well as wearing all of our (meaning the wifey wearing all of her) jewelry. Appreciate the comments and suggestions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurbie Posted March 26, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 "Welcome to Lakeside!! There aren't as many Midwesterners here as folks from other areas, so it's always good to have more on board!! I see you like Bostons; we moved here with our 11 year old Boston / pug mix, Bunker. He died within our first year here, so he's memoralized in my avatar photo." Yep, we love our Boston (our 3rd one) and the monster 1 yr old Bulldog who think my wife is a chew toy! *LOL* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prudent Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 Kurbie, many of us brought our furniture. We bought art and Persian rugs during our overseas years. Then we bought furniture to complement the art and rugs. We brought all of those as well as many personal items. We have also bought many beautiful things here--especially chandeliers and more art. Our house is very Mexican--we got lucky that our aesthetic works well in a Mexican home. Our home represents us--our grandparents, parents, children, and our lives traveling the world. We started with Ajijic Movers and they coordinated with a mover in the US. Everything went well and we are very happy. (We also love English Bulldogs.) You got good advice about the photographs and jewelry--except don't wear it. Carry all your truly important things in your car or luggage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomgates Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 We brought our full to the rim stuffed Ford Explorer with personal stuff, kitchen and bath stuff, sheets, etc when we first came down. We bought furniture here that looks nice in a Mexican home, beds, lamps, etc. I would offer to take you to some places that we find have nice furniture. I rent a temperature controlled storage unit in the town we used to live in where we have important papers, heirlooms and other valuables that we didn't want to have down here. Over the years we have brought down more stuff in suitcases via airlines. We now have a Mexican car and we have made the trip back to the PNW one more time and brought more stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Liana Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 I'm going to be a minority voice here: before I moved my household to Mexico, I had a couple of garage sales to get rid of things I was no longer interested in owning--but 90% of what I then owned, I brought with me to Mexico. It was important to me and to my partner to have our comfortable 'nest' of furniture, art, kitchen goods, etc. Many of the posters on this thread have talked about their furniture and decor not looking right in a Mexican house. That made me think. What does a Mexican house look like, and what kind of household goods look right in one? My experience has been that homes in this country range from hovels to small city apartments to the most opulent mansions. At Lakeside, homes for foreigners are often of a style--with cupolas, boveda ceilings, talavera tiles, colorful paint--that is particular to that region and to the imaginations of foreigners about what a Mexican home is. I well remember a couple at Lakeside who asked their architect to build a 'typical Mexican home' for them--and never looked at the drawings of the exterior until the house was being built. Imagine their surprise when they saw the architect's idea of 'typical Mexican' was a Luis Barragán house, super-modern, extremely Mexican, but nothing at all like the vision of cupolas and tile that the couple had in mind. Roof exterior, Casa Luis Barragán. Library interior, Casa Luis Barragán. Kitchen, Casa Rodolfo Morales. Casa de la Bola, Mexico City.Vecindad (typical city apartments for the poor). Lake Chapala-style house--one of many kinds of designs. So what kind of furniture, art, and other goods look right in a Mexican house? IMHO, anything goes. You're coming to a new country, a new way of living, a new language. Bring what you love and would feel adrift without. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xena Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 "Bring what you love and would feel adrift without." Best advice! For some people this would be pretty much everything they own. They just need to be able to afford to bring everything. For others it might be a couple of carry-ons. Most people fall somewhere in between. Like this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bournemouth Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 The things you love and have had for years add character to your home. They give indications of your past life and that you're not someone who suddenly popped up with no history. Bring everything that makes you happy when you look at it, sit on it, use it - they will make your new house here your home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvanparys Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 We moved here 18 months ago and only shipped 5000 lbs ($10,000). We wish we had brought more furniture... We ended up with pennies on the dollar for top of the line items when we sent them to auction... If you life modern style than you will find it here. Anything else is a crap shoot... We were able to have our carpenter custom make tables, desks, etc... at a cost approximating NOB.We used Strom White and was most pleased with their service...The stateside carrier had no experience shipping to Mexico which kept us from shipping certain items... If you have good shop tools, bring them! Everything available here is double the price of NOB and mostly of lessor quality... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeb Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 Definitely bring any tools you might use. Tools are not very good here and they are expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9kitties Posted May 20, 2017 Report Share Posted May 20, 2017 On 3/27/2017 at 3:05 PM, Zeb said: Definitely bring any tools you might use. Tools are not very good here and they are expensive. I read somewherethat you cannot bring power tools .Is that true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyfull Posted May 20, 2017 Report Share Posted May 20, 2017 29 minutes ago, 9kitties said: I read somewherethat you cannot bring power tools .Is that true? No...not true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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