Severing ties

I've seen lots of timelines on applying for visas and such on this Forum, but has there been any discussion of the practical stuff involved with the actual move?
How long do people find it takes to sell houses, cars, electrical goods, etc.?
How long does it take to organize a mover and send stuff on its way? (And costs?)
I sent a partial container over the first time I moved but that was a long time ago
How many folks attempt to keep a toehold in the States and rent out their house?  And what are the drawbacks, especially tax-wise?  How long would it take to get that organized?
The logistics of the whole thing seem overwhelming as I no longer have parents to rely on for help.  What I'm trying to work out is when should I resign work in this time table because I'll still need income if it goes longer than expected.

That really was the hard part: working out the last-minute logistics.

I was lucky enough that my employer, right up the chain of command, knew what I was up against and told me I had a job for as long as I needed it. So I didn't hand in my notice until I pretty much had my visa in hand.

I shopped movers for over a year. But when the time came, I actually chose a mover and got them into the house in under a week. Why, you ask? Do the words, "let ME handle that part for you, darling" give you a clue what actually happened? I had 3/4 of a container.

My car's still for sale -- 2-seater convertible in the worst Winter in years in the middle of an economic meltdown

Looked into but rejected the idea of renting out my house, but was lucky enough to sell it in the middle of all this.

Haven't done taxes yet. That's next up on my To Do list.

May I ask why you rejected renting your house, Stoatula?  Many people suggest it to me but seems like a lot of hassle.  For one thing, it really needs upgrading.  Its in a fairly upmarket 'burb so people would expect a decent kitchen and bath room minimum.
On the other hand I hate to let it go as my father drew the designs for it himself 

Oh yes, and how long does it take to get a pet ready to make the move?  Anybody ever think of moving them by sea?

Well, I was in a downmarket neighborhood in Providence, so that contributed to my reluctance. The sort of people who would want to rent my house might not be the most reliable tenants. The idea of managing a property rented by, say, college students from 3,500 miles away...meh. Also, my financial buffer was very small. If the house sat empty a few months while I made mortgage payments, it would ruin me.

The cat was a major hassle. One of the hardest things to time, what with the last flea and tick treatment not-more-than-48 nor-less-than-24 hours before. Plus timing out getting her to the airport in plenty of time, but not too early. In the end, everything came off without a hitch, but I got a few new gray hairs along the way.

The cat was a major hassle. One of the hardest things to time, what with the last flea and tick treatment not-more-than-48 nor-less-than-24 hours before. Plus timing out getting her to the airport in plenty of time, but not too early. In the end, everything came off without a hitch, but I got a few new gray hairs along the way.

I can imagine!  Maxwell is not the most cooperative of beasts as it is.  I can't imagine DS wanting to leave him behind though.  I had to part with poor Myra the first time I moved  :\\\'( because of all the quarantine stuff.

May I ask why you rejected renting your house, Stoatula?  Many people suggest it to me but seems like a lot of hassle.  For one thing, it really needs upgrading.  Its in a fairly upmarket 'burb so people would expect a decent kitchen and bath room minimum.
On the other hand I hate to let it go as my father drew the designs for it himself 

It's a pain in the ass to rent your house. I'm doing it and it's working out okay for me, but it's just another thing to worry about. I have excellent tenants now, but the previous ones were very needy. If I knew I wasn't ever moving back to the US I would definitely look into selling it, but I can't say that is the case just yet, so I'll hold on to it.

Re selling a car, I sold mine with another month to go before my move, and borrowed an extra one from a friend. Do you have someone you could borrow one from? I was just glad to get mine sold and didn't really want to leave it until the last minute.

We have an old banger as a second car, so suppose could sell the newer one and then donate the old one (?)

Oh yes, and how long does it take to get a pet ready to make the move?  Anybody ever think of moving them by sea?

Approximately 7 months.  I am moving in December and started this in February.  You can do this far in advance too, so I would get on it ASAP.  The "quarantine" (which is done at home)  is 6 months after the titer test.  There is an active thread in the pets section re: moving by sea: http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=51062.0

I, too, am PLANNING on renting my home, rather than selling it and my father said he would act as landlord. My thought right now is to start advertising about 3 months before the move. (not sure if thats a good time frame or not)  Has anyone looked into a renting agency to act as the go-between instead?

I gave 6 weeks notice on my job.  My last day was three weeks before the departure date.

No home to rent/sell, but 2 cars to deal with.  We ended up selling my husband's car -- it was a year old and had very low mileage.  We took a bit of a loss, but we were just relieved it actually sold.  It was for sale for 4 months.  We ended up deciding not to sell my car, and it is hanging out at my dad's house until we come up with a plan.

I moved 2 cats.  It was expensive but totally worth it for us.  We considered the ship option, but it would have been a hassle with our corporate relo.  In hindsight, I'm glad we didn't as our UK vet painted a fairly unpleasant picture as relayed to them by clients.  I flew two older (both 12ish) cats on Virgin from Boston to Heathrow and we had a good overall experience. 

I moved 2 cats.  It was expensive but totally worth it for us.  We considered the ship option, but it would have been a hassle with our corporate relo.  In hindsight, I'm glad we didn't as our UK vet painted a fairly unpleasant picture as relayed to them by clients.  I flew two older (both 12ish) cats on Virgin from Boston to Heathrow and we had a good overall experience. 

Good to hear the Virgin experience was good.  Our middle-aged feline has had urinary problems which means the vet put him on a special diet (doing well so far) but I wonder if that would be an issue, either with the travel or with getting into the country.  I'll ask at the vet's but doubt they'll know much about it.

Oh yes, and how long does it take to get a pet ready to make the move?  Anybody ever think of moving them by sea?

It takes 6-7 months to go through the PETS process to avoid quarantine. Check out past posts here and on DEFRA's website.

Good to hear the Virgin experience was good.  Our middle-aged feline has had urinary problems which means the vet put him on a special diet (doing well so far) but I wonder if that would be an issue, either with the travel or with getting into the country.  I'll ask at the vet's but doubt they'll know much about it.

you attach food to your container and they will feed the animal your food (if they feed them). they won't give them any food you don't provide. I'm assuming this is industry standard but my only personal experience is with BA.

We didn't give our cats any food for the flight, just water. Our experience, which was agreed by many, is that cats rarely eat when in transit and if they do, they're likely to puke it up anyway. We just flew our 3 girls from Heathrow to Wash DC and were very pleased with the experience though a little of the info provided by London was outdated on the DC side.