My California to Colorado Move Came In $2,744 Under Quote
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San Jose, CA → Loveland, CO
$16,206
North American $12,206 plus PODS $4,000
$13,462
$2,744 under the combined quotes
1,242 mi
Long-distance, interstate
- I compared five quotes before I hired North American and PODS for my California to Colorado move.
- I split the job, putting the house on a full-service truck and my husband’s woodshop in a container, and the total came in $2,744 under what I was quoted.
- I shared all of it, my quotes, my bills, and my ratings, as part of moveBuddha’s Better Moves Project.
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This account is based on a conversation with Michele R., who moved from San Jose, California, to Loveland, Colorado, in November 2022 using North American and PODS. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
My move from California to Colorado
In the fall of 2022, my husband, our one-year-old, and I moved from San Jose, California, to Loveland, Colorado. We’d been thinking about it for nearly two years, because we wanted to be closer to our families and take advantage of Colorado’s relatively low cost of living.
Moving more than 1,200 miles with a toddler can be daunting, so I was determined to keep costs down and keep the stress off my family. I wasn’t going to work with a fly-by-night mover, and I deliberately avoided the peak summer season, when prices climb and service failures get more common. After a fair amount of decluttering and downsizing, I got us down to standard household items and about 40 boxes, somewhere between 8,000 and 9,000 pounds.
I put together a preliminary budget with moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator, then limited my search to the full-service companies on the best interstate movers list. According to moveBuddha, users who compare movers this way save more than 30% versus taking the first quote they get.
My North American and PODS experience at a glance
Here’s what stood out most about moving with North American and PODS, good and bad.
- Communication: North American communicated adequately, and there were a few moments where they could have been more proactive, which is why I gave them 4 out of 5 rather than 5.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: My move ended up costing less than I expected. The two quotes together came to $16,206 and I paid $13,462.
- Professionalism: I was impressed with North American’s drivers, movers, and customer service representatives, and I had an all-around positive experience with PODS as well.
- Timeliness: North American delivered inside the agreed window, on the last day of it, and my PODS container showed up on schedule.
- Loss and damage: Nothing was lost. Everything arrived in good condition apart from a few pieces of fragile coral, and the damage was minor enough that I didn’t file a claim.
- Would I use North American and PODS again? Definitely, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to family, friends, and coworkers.
under my combined North American and PODS quotes
Find out what a move from California → Colorado actually costs before a mover tells you.
Why I chose North American and PODS
I felt confident that every company I spoke to was experienced and capable, and I got the best overall vibe from North American. They had a solid reputation and a lot of positive online reviews, and my decision came down to price and the professionalism of the sales and customer service representatives I dealt with. Their quote covered loading and unloading labor, door-to-door transportation, partial packing, third-party crating and uncrating for our 75-inch television, third-party disassembly and reassembly for the Sleep Number bed, and $60,000 of full-value replacement coverage with no deductible, which North American calls Maximum Value Protection.
The woodshop was its own problem. My husband had a shop full of specialty power tools, and rather than pile that onto the household shipment we booked a 16-foot moving container with PODS for $4,000. Splitting the job that way is a large part of why the total came in under what I’d budgeted.
rating
My move at a glance
Here are the basics of my relocation, including what I was quoted and what I actually paid for my California to Colorado move.
| Moved from | San Jose, California |
|---|---|
| Moved to | Loveland, Colorado |
| Distance | 1,242 miles |
| Move date | November 1, 2022 |
| Move size | 3-bedroom home, about 1,400 square feet |
| Moving companies | North American and PODS |
| Moving quotes | North American $12,206 / PODS $4,000 |
| Total move cost | $13,462 |
We found that when you use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator, you can save 30% on moving costs compared to customers who go with the first quote they receive.
Quotes I compared
I got online quotes from some companies and scheduled virtual surveys with others. What struck me was how differently each one estimated the same house, from 8,500 pounds to 13,595, which is most of why the numbers ranged so widely.
| Company/move type | Estimated weight/equipment type | Estimate amount |
|---|---|---|
| PODS (DIY container move) | 16-ft container | $4,000 |
| Safeway Moving (full-service) | 11,536 pounds | $10,751 |
| North American (full-service) | 9,500 pounds | $12,206 |
| Allied Van Lines (full-service) | 8,500 pounds | $12,999 |
| JK Moving (full-service) | 13,595 pounds | $22,743 |
I didn’t take moveBuddha’s information on faith either. I read each company’s online reviews and checked their USDOT numbers with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to confirm they were licensed, insured, and experienced.
Pickup day
After I signed, North American scheduled a Zoom appointment to walk me through the process, which was genuinely useful because it established exactly what the crew would handle and what my husband and I needed to do before they arrived. In the weeks beforehand I got organized, did some packing myself, and took down the televisions and pictures attached to the walls.
My one complaint before move day was a scheduling mix-up. Packing and moving were originally set for two separate days and ended up happening on the same day. It wasn’t a big deal, and knowing in advance would have let me use that time to run errands and tie up loose ends.
The packers and movers arrived promptly at 7 a.m. They introduced themselves, took a quick look around, and got to work. I dropped my son at daycare, tidied up, and stayed out in the front yard so I wasn’t in their way.
I was thrilled with how careful and efficient the North American crew was, and the whole thing took under five hours. I didn’t have to pay until just before delivery, so I gave the crew a cash tip for a job well done.
Delivery day
There wasn’t much communication while my things were in transit, and it didn’t bother me, because we’d already established a delivery window and I could call for an update whenever I wanted one. I was surprised nobody was in the office when I called on a Sunday.
North American lived up to its service commitment and arrived at the new house on the last day of the delivery window. The crew lowered the walk board onto the driveway, took a tour of the house, and started unloading. I checked each item off the inventory as it came in and told the crew where it belonged.
Delivery went as planned with no surprises. A few pieces of fragile coral were slightly damaged, and everything else, including the big-screen TV and the Sleep Number bed, arrived in tip-top shape. Once we were settled, North American sent me a post-move survey.
Final thoughts
North American picked up, transported, and delivered my household goods on time, under budget, and with damage so minor I didn’t bother filing a claim. I’d use them again without hesitation, and I had 5-star experiences with PODS and moveBuddha as well.
The thing I’d tell anyone planning a move like mine is to be proactive about verifying service dates with your providers, since the one wrinkle I hit was a scheduling change nobody mentioned. I’d also use an asset-based moving company like North American rather than a broker, because knowing who is actually handling your things matters more than almost anything else.
Planning a long-distance move? Use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator to compare quotes from vetted movers before you book.
My ratings
Here’s how I scored North American on a scale of 1 to 5 based on my end-to-end experience.
- Communication: 4 out of 5. Adequate throughout, with a few moments where more proactive contact would have helped, including the scheduling change before move day.
- Timeliness: 5 out of 5. Pickup started at 7 a.m. as promised and delivery landed inside the agreed window.
- Quote accuracy: 5 out of 5. My total came in $2,744 below the combined quotes, with no surprise charges at either end.
- Overall experience: 5 out of 5. Careful crews, a useful Zoom walkthrough beforehand, and a post-move survey afterward.
More moving resources
Tips for future movers
These are the practical steps we recommend based on Michele R.’s experience:
- Split the shipment when part of it is specialized: Michele R. put the house on a full-service truck and her husband’s woodshop in a $4,000 PODS container. Pricing an awkward category separately can beat paying full-service rates on the whole load.
- Verify service dates yourself: Michele R.’s packing and moving days were merged without anyone telling her. Confirm each date directly with your provider in the week beforehand rather than assuming the original schedule holds.
- Choose an asset-based carrier over a broker: Michele R. deliberately picked a company that owns its trucks and employs its crews, so she always knew who was handling her belongings.
- Check USDOT numbers before you shortlist: Michele R. verified every company with the FMCSA to confirm they were licensed and insured. It takes a few minutes and rules out the fly-by-night operators entirely.
- Compare weight estimates, not just prices: Michele R.’s five quotes estimated the same house at anywhere from 8,500 to 13,595 pounds. A high quote often means a high weight guess, which is worth questioning before you rule a company out.
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