(no subject)

[vicarz]

The following is not meant to be productive, it is merely me thinking out loud to prevent my gf from killing me or boring her own ears out to stop from hearing me cover the same issues over and over.

Today at long last I was able to show ETrade transferred my friggin money to my account, and I had to pay them extra to do it. I had no idea when you traded stocks that while they let you buy stocks within hours of a trade, that to get your money out you need to wait approx 2 weeks (3 business days for fund availability, 5 more business days for actually getting the money unless you drop $25 for a wire fee, which drops it down to 2 days). I'd be rich right now if I wasn't about to blow it all on a stupid condo. Bad time to vacation in Acapulco...

So I got an estimate from the painter for 2 br and the hallway - $850. This would be more with the doors either being sanded or replaced, by a guy who can do general maintenance work (I may have him do other things at the same time). I'm trying to get a 2nd est today. I'm thinking for a thousand friggin dollars I could live with the crappy blue walls for 6 mos, and then paint them myself even with the furniture in the place. For that money couldn't I buy a spiffy new dell media center computer? I keep thinking how much easier it is to get it done now with the room empty, but the money is much higher than I hoped. I have a 2nd bidder looking at the place today.

I've taken off the 12th to settle, even though it's not until 12pm. Perhaps I could take the first part of the day to try and replace the old tub faucet myself.

I just got an estimate today from the movers: $1,405. Fawk? I have mostly Ikea furniture...for that price I could re-order all my belongings and have them delivered with setup from Ikea again! It's $140/hr, and that was with boxing. Screw that. $700 to move, at 3 guys for 4 hours plus 1 hour travel. I checked another mover, 2 guys and a truck, and they also run $140/hr. This is with no truck - just up 3 flights of stairs and one building over. They say they accept help, so the more I do the less I pay. Now, the entire concept here was avoiding spending time on this project due to my work/school schedule, but now I'm looking at doing my own boxing, taking apart the pinball machine, and helping with the move...and still spending hundreds of dollars.

I could easily get this all done and waste no time, but it looks like to the tune of $5,000. That's a lot of money in my little world. It might be cheaper to paint by myself, beg borrow and steal friends to help me move, and then blow the cash on strippers for a housewarming party! /rant

Comments

[translucent-eye.livejournal.com]

I have checks to my brokerage account....instant money. And with margin set up, that also means instant loan if I need it.

You speak Spanish, correct? Pick up a couple of people to help you move from one of the day-labor sites. I bet it will be easier work then they are used to for better pay, and still saves you alot of money.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Honestly thought about it, but riskier than even my friends just for the stranger angle. That, and my spanglish sucks.

[cristiex.livejournal.com]

He gave us a great price, but to compare, the guy we used painted our entire basement (Our basement is 700-800 sqft.), master bedroom and master bath, as well as did some drywall repair in the basement and drywall tape repair (and a few settlement cracks in the masterbd and ba) and we paid $900. In October we had him repaint a bedroom, repair a railing, repair old water damage around bay window (new drywall), fix a toilet, garbage disposal a few other things for $500.

and movers are outrageous. yikes. Ours didnt charge anywhere near that much /hr. but we moved in August and they were uber ghetto - broke a couple things, drank alcohol from my liquour cabinet.

i refuse to ever move again.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Wow...that is sounding better. The ghetto movers crack me up. I guess it's like friends moving your stuff...have to provide the booze!

[cweaselle.livejournal.com]

If I lived up there still I would paint your house. That's something I'm really good at. I will tell you that it really isn't very hard. For the move there isn't much I can tell you to help. We have two vans and that's what's going to move me. Although I may have to order a new bed.

[justaputz.livejournal.com]

Depending on your time frame doing the move slowly over time and with help from friends might be the way to go.....

[turbogrrl.livejournal.com]

try calling security moving: I just used them to move some of my stuff into storage and some into my apartment. Their 4-hour minimum was around $550. (one truck, two guys, tho in reality it was three guys)
http://www.sscw.com phone: 202.234.5600 ...I didn't have them pack, tho.

the painting estimate seems in line with what I just paid. It sucks, but good prepwork takes a lot of time, and you pay for that time. If you're thinking about saving money, tho, save it on the paint. You can always repaint, and blame yourself if you don't like it. Saving the wear and tear on your body from moving, tho, is worth a grand or so.

[lightbringer23.livejournal.com]

If you need help, call.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Thanks - I'll check them out (if I use a mover - at this point I'm getting frustrated). I'm calling the movers too, though right now "all circuits are busy."

[vicar.livejournal.com]

You're talking about moving help, right? Coz I clearly need some kind of help...

(thanks)

[lightbringer23.livejournal.com]

I was also a professional painter for a bit, so moving or painting stuff are both feasible.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Holy moly...I would love to pay you to paint if you still do and/or have the time.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_blackjack_/]

Some useful links:

http://www.vmwa.org

http://www.movingscam.com (check out the forums)

In VA, intrastate moves within 30 miles can ONLY be billed hourly. Anybody doing otherwise isn't licensed as movers. If you hire people who aren't licensed as movers, you obviously losing some of your legal protections if something goes wrong. This also includes YOUR liability if one of the movers gets hurt or something. Licensed firms have to carry insurance. Some guy with a truck may not even have health coverage.

I used Von Paris for my move (which, being an intra-state move over 30 miles, could ONLY be billed on the basis of actual weight.) I have to say, I wasn't fully impressed with them, but I think I was dealing with a back-country sub-contractor. Some of my stuff would have been damaged had I not overpacked it. What concerned me most is that they did NOT actually have my load weighed. As it was, I was charged for the minimum weight, so weighing could only have cost me more (although I'm sure I was under), it's still something they are required to do, in theory. They also didn't inventory my stuff going in or out. I was the only load on the truck, so again, it wasn't a big deal, and I had labeled and numbered everything myself, but it still seemed unprofessional.

For the record, they emptied out my 2-bedroom apartment (which was already boxed up) with 2 guys in about an hour-and-a-half, I think. Maybe 2. I didn't have a lot of furniture, but I did have a lot of boxes of books. Don't go with anybody who has high minimum hours; it just won't take that long.

When I did a next-door move while my apartment was being renovated ca. 2000, I used a company called "Irish Movers" (if he was Irish, he was BLACK Irish...) I think I paid 200 bucks for 2 guys to carry my (packed) stuff down one flight and up another. In retrospect, I have no idea if they were licensed, and if something went wrong, who knows what would have happened.

The nice thing about your current situation is that you can move your small stuff at your leisure, so you really only need help with the big things.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_blackjack_/]

And if one of the workers gets injured, vicar gets to support the guy's family. One of the reasons professional movers cost so much is that they have to be bonded and insured and stuff.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_blackjack_/]

He is also available for weddings, bar mitzvahs, and light wet-work.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Damn Jack...what don't you know? Thanks!

After all this looking, I think I'm going to just do it myself. I found the going rate really is $140...but since it's just next door, and since what I was trying to avoid was spending time doing this, it makes more sense for me just to commit to doing it myself. I only have two things that would be serious if damaged (pinball and victrola). I can survive the living horror of a damaged "billy" bookcase.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_blackjack_/]

Damn Jack...what don't you know?

Oh, there are lots of things I don't know. There are, however, very few things I couldn't FIND OUT rather quickly if I needed to, and that's the trick.

[translucent-eye.livejournal.com]

We take risks in our life all the time. I'm not saying go grab someone to cut the tree down in your back yard.