Moving cross country due to a job offer advice NEEDED ASAP

pamela

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A big company has been "wooing" me for the last month trying to convince me to leave my current job and work for them and I am very very interested. They even flew me down for an interview FIRST CLASS! I LOVED flying first class!!! I got to be interviewed by a vice president (RARE), met with the CEO (RARE) then interviewed by the marketing department (the position they want me to fill is in the marketing dept).

I am currently trying to gather information to present to them so they can prepare a job offer for me.

Here's my questions/issues-

I live in Maryland and the new job will be in SLC, Utah. I have gathered some estimates from moving companies.

My rough plan at this time is to have a moving company move my stuff and tow my car (looks like I may have to use 2 companies since most companies won't do both) while I rent a van, get 3-4 crates and put my cats (2 to one crate for Zebra/tango and Bud/Spike then an individual crates for Heidi and Pepper) and drive to Utah with someone (take turns driving).

Any ideas or other options are welcome about this also!

Now my issue is how to figure out the costs of travelling from MD to utah (gas), food, staying at hotels (petfriendly), AND the estimated costs of flying someone from utah to help me drive down and so forth. Where can I find this information or figure this out?? I am not great with math/numbers.


Another question- how do I find pet friendly hotels that'd be on the routes that I'd be taking? Is there a quick way to figure this out or what?

Another question- is it possible for me to find a place to live within a month in Utah (apartment) that would allow 6 cats?? I've looked at www.rent.com and it looks like most apts will accept 2 cats at the MOST. I REFUSE to consider giving up ANY of my babies. That is NOT AN OPTION. What would you suggest?? I was thinking of buying a home but is it possible for me to find a home within a month????? Is that realistic??

Any other advice/ideas will be welcomed!

If I think of any other questions, I'll add them here.
 

pipersjo

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For apartments, look at Craigslist. I was able to find apartments that would let me have more cats that way-- just be prepared. You will most likely be talking to a private person rather than a management company and they don't always return calls or follow through once you think that you've found something. Why are you going to haul your car to Utah? Too small to put all of your crates in? Don't want to rack up the miles? (just curious-- could save you a little by using your own car). If you get on Expedia or 1 of those type sites, you should be able to find pet friendly hotels ahead of time. Then you could either reserve a room or know ahead of time which hotels are pet friendly.
 
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pamela

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Originally Posted by pipersjo

For apartments, look at Craigslist. I was able to find apartments that would let me have more cats that way-- just be prepared. You will most likely be talking to a private person rather than a management company and they don't always return calls or follow through once you think that you've found something. Why are you going to haul your car to Utah? Too small to put all of your crates in? Don't want to rack up the miles? (just curious-- could save you a little by using your own car). If you get on Expedia or 1 of those type sites, you should be able to find pet friendly hotels ahead of time. Then you could either reserve a room or know ahead of time which hotels are pet friendly.
My car is too small to fit all crates in. It's a honda civic 2 door car.

I tried pet friendly hotels but the problem is they ask for a specific city, state and only show ONE hotel- they don't show various hotels on the way. I want a website that will show you a list of hotels from Maryland to Utah using the route I'd be taking.
 
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pamela

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Originally Posted by pipersjo

Oh yeah, that would definately be too small.
What about this site: http://www.petswelcome.com/?
That looks like a nice website but it only shows destination. IT doesn't show hotels from this destination to this destination. You know like mapquest- if you put in your departure to destination then you get directions on which route to go to. That's what I am hoping to find with hotels- a website where I can enter my departure/destination then see various hotels that'd be on near the route I"d be taking that's pet friendly. Does that make sense?
 

pipersjo

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There is a place on there that you can search by route. It worked for my address to the place that I am moving to. Granted, I am not moving as far as you, but it did work for that. It is the 6th link down.
 

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First, bless you for refusing to part with any of your little ones -- you are a great kittymom!


Second... can you take another trip up there to scout things out for a few days? The company might even cover that for you -- seems like it would be a very reasonable request on your part.

I wonder if an extended-stay hotel might be a good place to start out with when you get there. Even if such a hotel accepted pets, though, I'd be afraid to keep the kitties there -- it would be so easy for a housekeeper to come in while you're out and let them escape! So they might have to be boarded for a little while, until you find a place. I hate the idea, but... at least they'd be safe.

I don't know how it is up there, but we've been looking into apartments here in the Dallas area, and we've found nobody who can even talk to us about six cats. If we do have to give up our house, I'm afraid we'll have no choice but to lie and say we have three (some places will flex that much, anyway), and just hope we never get discovered.

It's amazing to me that the same landlords who won't allow a total of 75 pounds of well-behaved cats in a two-bedroom apartment are somehow just fine with two 80-pound rottweilers in a one-bedroom.


You might do a lot better to rent a house than an apartment. Dealing with an individual owner might be easier than confronting a 19-year-old apartment leasing agent who can only carry out the policy of some absentee investor whose only interest is the profit margin he'll achieve when he resells the complex next year. And with a house, you might even find a rent-to-own arrangement!

But it will take time, so you really need another visit. You could prepare for it by having the SLC Sunday newspapers overnighted to you, so you can check real estate and rental listings. There might be online versions, too.

Didn't you say you have family in SLC? Maybe once you find some listings that sound good, you could have someone you trust go check 'em out for you...
 
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pamela

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Originally Posted by pipersjo

There is a place on there that you can search by route. It worked for my address to the place that I am moving to. Granted, I am not moving as far as you, but it did work for that. It is the 6th link down.
I only see 5 links on that website you gave me. Am I missing something here?
Are you referring to the "Info Xchange" or "Management" icons?
 

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Originally Posted by Pamela

Now my issue is how to figure out the costs of travelling from MD to utah (gas), food, staying at hotels (petfriendly), AND the estimated costs of flying someone from utah to help me drive down and so forth. Where can I find this information or figure this out?? I am not great with math/numbers.
Ok, so Google maps says it's 2083 miles from Maryland to SLC - but you'll want to get door to door directions for a more accurate mileage. The IRS' "standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes" is 20c per mile for moving expenses. So if you're claiming it from the potential employer, by my workings, the cost would be about $416 (for car costs only). Food - depends on what you like to eat, and what hotels/motels offer. Some include breakfast. Lunch at a diner is about $10, and dinner you can get for about $20.

When DH and I do a road trip, we generally do about 500 miles a day, which is about 8 hours of driving. We swap EVERY 2 hours, and I recommend this - you get less tired, you stay more focused, and time passes a lot faster. So if you did that, you would take about 4 days to get there.

For accommodation, I would look at motels every 500 miles (use Google Maps, then Google search for motels in whatever the larger towns are at the 500 mile mark). You should be able to find places that accept animals, it should be on their websites. I wouldn't tell them you have 6 cats though...


For flight costs, go to www.kayak.com - and put in your cities, then the flight dates. It searches all airlines across all low cost services to give you the cheapest flights.

Another question- how do I find pet friendly hotels that'd be on the routes that I'd be taking? Is there a quick way to figure this out or what?
Answered above.
Another question- is it possible for me to find a place to live within a month in Utah (apartment) that would allow 6 cats?? I've looked at www.rent.com and it looks like most apts will accept 2 cats at the MOST. I REFUSE to consider giving up ANY of my babies. That is NOT AN OPTION. What would you suggest?? I was thinking of buying a home but is it possible for me to find a home within a month????? Is that realistic??
Keep searching... Even if you are considering buying, you don't want to rush it. You may want to check the County pet limit there. In my area, you're only allowed 3 cats maximum, so no apartments complex will allow you to have more than 3 cats.

Ask the company if they have corporate housing available. They may be able to put you up somewhere for a month or two (especially since you're relocating for them), which would give you time to sort out somewhere more permanent to live. I wouldn't mention to them that you have cats.
 

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For hotels, check out Sheraton - they were famous for allowing pets. I would also look at Motel 6, Red Roof Inn, etc. Then you can plot your drive by hotels/motels.
Your new company should offer to relocate you - thus paying all moving expenses - possible even renting a van for you. Also they should pay mileage. Typically, when you travel, they would also give you a per diem for hotel and meals. It sounds like (if you met with CEO, etc) they are very interested in you and also that they are a large company. Also, they may offer to rent you an extended stay room while you search for a home. Better yet, they may have someone in HR whose job it is to help new employees with these many chores. Keep us posted!
 
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pamela

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Thanks!! You guys are AWESOME!!

Originally Posted by pipersjo

Uh oh, maybe it's not bringing up the same site. http://www.petswelcome.com/milkbone/framelist.html

It's the 6th link down on the left.
Sorry, that was my fault, you had to click on lodgings on the main page, but this link will bring you to the right page.
Done and printed!

Originally Posted by sarahp

Ok, so Google maps says it's 2083 miles from Maryland to SLC - but you'll want to get door to door directions for a more accurate mileage. The IRS' "standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes" is 20c per mile for moving expenses. So if you're claiming it from the potential employer, by my workings, the cost would be about $416 (for car costs only). Food - depends on what you like to eat, and what hotels/motels offer. Some include breakfast. Lunch at a diner is about $10, and dinner you can get for about $20.

When DH and I do a road trip, we generally do about 500 miles a day, which is about 8 hours of driving. We swap EVERY 2 hours, and I recommend this - you get less tired, you stay more focused, and time passes a lot faster. So if you did that, you would take about 4 days to get there.

For accommodation, I would look at motels every 500 miles (use Google Maps, then Google search for motels in whatever the larger towns are at the 500 mile mark). You should be able to find places that accept animals, it should be on their websites. I wouldn't tell them you have 6 cats though...


For flight costs, go to www.kayak.com - and put in your cities, then the flight dates. It searches all airlines across all low cost services to give you the cheapest flights.

Answered above.

Keep searching... Even if you are considering buying, you don't want to rush it. You may want to check the County pet limit there. In my area, you're only allowed 3 cats maximum, so no apartments complex will allow you to have more than 3 cats.

Ask the company if they have corporate housing available. They may be able to put you up somewhere for a month or two (especially since you're relocating for them), which would give you time to sort out somewhere more permanent to live. I wouldn't mention to them that you have cats.
Thanks for doing the math!!
I'd be pulling my hair out if I had to do that. That's a great idea about corp housing and I'll ask!

Originally Posted by lnbandcats

For hotels, check out Sheraton - they were famous for allowing pets. I would also look at Motel 6, Red Roof Inn, etc. Then you can plot your drive by hotels/motels.
Your new company should offer to relocate you - thus paying all moving expenses - possible even renting a van for you. Also they should pay mileage. Typically, when you travel, they would also give you a per diem for hotel and meals. It sounds like (if you met with CEO, etc) they are very interested in you and also that they are a large company. Also, they may offer to rent you an extended stay room while you search for a home. Better yet, they may have someone in HR whose job it is to help new employees with these many chores. Keep us posted!
Right- that's why I am trying to gather all the info so I can present it to them so they can figure it out and add to the job offer.
 
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pamela

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Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

First, bless you for refusing to part with any of your little ones -- you are a great kittymom!


Second... can you take another trip up there to scout things out for a few days? The company might even cover that for you -- seems like it would be a very reasonable request on your part.

I wonder if an extended-stay hotel might be a good place to start out with when you get there. Even if such a hotel accepted pets, though, I'd be afraid to keep the kitties there -- it would be so easy for a housekeeper to come in while you're out and let them escape! So they might have to be boarded for a little while, until you find a place. I hate the idea, but... at least they'd be safe.

I don't know how it is up there, but we've been looking into apartments here in the Dallas area, and we've found nobody who can even talk to us about six cats. If we do have to give up our house, I'm afraid we'll have no choice but to lie and say we have three (some places will flex that much, anyway), and just hope we never get discovered.

It's amazing to me that the same landlords who won't allow a total of 75 pounds of well-behaved cats in a two-bedroom apartment are somehow just fine with two 80-pound rottweilers in a one-bedroom.


You might do a lot better to rent a house than an apartment. Dealing with an individual owner might be easier than confronting a 19-year-old apartment leasing agent who can only carry out the policy of some absentee investor whose only interest is the profit margin he'll achieve when he resells the complex next year. And with a house, you might even find a rent-to-own arrangement!

But it will take time, so you really need another visit. You could prepare for it by having the SLC Sunday newspapers overnighted to you, so you can check real estate and rental listings. There might be online versions, too.

Didn't you say you have family in SLC? Maybe once you find some listings that sound good, you could have someone you trust go check 'em out for you...
Thanks for saying that I am a great mom. They are my babies and I cannot do without them even though they drive me nuts sometimes.


It'll be very difficult for me to fly out and do some house hunting because I have a lot to do at work, at home, etc and there's not a lot of time left.

I do have family in SLC so I will ask them to check some sites out that I'm interested in and see if it looks good or not.
 

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We had that trouble when we moved here. It was very hard to find a place that took 4 Cats. We paid extra for the Pet Doposit to have 4. Ask them if you can make a deal to have the extra Pets. We plan on buying a House now and were looking at Condos too and they only take 2 Cats even though you own it. I hope you find somewhere.
 

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Sounds like an exciting opportunity!


I would also ask the company if they provide a relocation service. Usually, they can also provide a real estate agent who can direct you to rental apartments. What would be great, is if you first rented a place and then purchased it the same subdivision/condo building etc. Then you can get a feeling for the area/building before having to purchase.

Just a question. Do you need to bring your car with you? It might be better to sell it on this end and then buy one in your new area. Just a suggestion, you would need to figure out the cost of towing vs buying.

As a result of the internet, you should be able to find an internet 'friendly' real estate agent who can email you listings and virtual tours of available housing. I know many agents in my area sell house but also are involved in the higher end rental market as well.Most companies do provide a relocation service, so do ask about that.

I can't imagine having to pull all this info together on short notice.
But I would shy away from purchasing a house this quickly. It wouldn't be that great to find out your not in a great area and then not be able to sell it when you need to!

I'll send some your way to keep you sane during this process! Keep us posted on how your doing in this move!
 
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pamela

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Originally Posted by mews2much

We had that trouble when we moved here. It was very hard to find a place that took 4 Cats. We paid extra for the Pet Doposit to have 4. Ask them if you can make a deal to have the extra Pets. We plan on buying a House now and were looking at Condos too and they only take 2 Cats even though you own it. I hope you find somewhere.
Yeah, I remember a couple years ago when I had to move, it was hard to find an apt that would allow more than 4 cats. I'm trying to think positive about this.


Originally Posted by Russian Blue

Sounds like an exciting opportunity!


I would also ask the company if they provide a relocation service. Usually, they can also provide a real estate agent who can direct you to rental apartments. What would be great, is if you first rented a place and then purchased it the same subdivision/condo building etc. Then you can get a feeling for the area/building before having to purchase.

Just a question. Do you need to bring your car with you? It might be better to sell it on this end and then buy one in your new area. Just a suggestion, you would need to figure out the cost of towing vs buying.

As a result of the internet, you should be able to find an internet 'friendly' real estate agent who can email you listings and virtual tours of available housing. I know many agents in my area sell house but also are involved in the higher end rental market as well.Most companies do provide a relocation service, so do ask about that.

I can't imagine having to pull all this info together on short notice.
But I would shy away from purchasing a house this quickly. It wouldn't be that great to find out your not in a great area and then not be able to sell it when you need to!

I'll send some your way to keep you sane during this process! Keep us posted on how your doing in this move!
Yes it's an exciting and SCARY opportunity! The new position sounds very very challenging, STRESSFUL and will help me grow. It'll be hard for me to leave here though cuz I LOVE my job, my boss and most of the co workers here. At the same time, how often does this happen where a company woos you and wants YOU to work for them and the position sounds fanastic? That's why I don't want to miss out on this opportunity. It all depends on what kind of offer they make though so we'll see.

Thanks for the ideas! I did think about selling my car here then buying a new car there but got concerned that there'd be too many big purchases at once since I'd need to buy a new bed/mattress, desk , entertainment center and hopefully in a year a new home.

I agree about moving and buying so fast- I am really nervous about that but at the same time, I know most of the apartments have policies about # of cats and I don't want to lie to them about # of cats. I rather be upfront and honest and have peace of mind.
I am trying to think of various options and that's one reason why I posted my questions here- to see what other options that you guys can come up with and I have gotten some great tips from you guys so far so keep it coming!
 

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A few years ago my sis from from central WI to Syracuse, then to Atlanta and now to central VA. Some of the places gave her a moving allowance. Ask if the company will be providing a housing allowance-perhaps for downpayment on a house??

She only had two cats so the cats were not too much of a problem. Check with some of the local real estate agents as they may have listings of properties for rent.

Us family members are infamous for doing serious driving (like our recent trip to VA)
Both my sis and I have driving 14-17 hours in one day-she has done this with the cats too.
 
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pamela

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Originally Posted by GailC

A few years ago my sis from from central WI to Syracuse, then to Atlanta and now to central VA. Some of the places gave her a moving allowance. Ask if the company will be providing a housing allowance-perhaps for downpayment on a house??

She only had two cats so the cats were not too much of a problem. Check with some of the local real estate agents as they may have listings of properties for rent.

Us family members are infamous for doing serious driving (like our recent trip to VA)
Both my sis and I have driving 14-17 hours in one day-she has done this with the cats too.
Wow- 14-17 hours-you're a tough lady!
 
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pamela

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I spoke with John (who's trying to recruit me) and asked about relocating services, etc. He explained that they have not had a lot of experience with relocating people yet so they don't have any "set" policies/procedures for this. The company was set up about 10-15 years ago. Same idea with corporate housing- they don't really have that yet. He said he'd talk with some of his friends who relocated and see what their companies did to help with their relocating and see if he can get some ideas for me.

After talking to him, I spoke with a good friend of mine who works at the company who also moved from DC to Utah a few years ago and he suggested some things that worked for him.

Let me know what you think.

He suggested getting rid of most of the big stuff like couches, dresser, chest, tv, etc and just rent a trailer for all the boxes, clothes, etc and drive a big suv/van with all the cats inside. Once I get there, I can get some good quality furniture pretty cheap to replace what I get rid of. He also suggested donating my car to a non profit agency then getting a big tax write off next year.

If I do this, that means I will only need one other person to drive with me. This may simplify things a lot for me (don't ahve to worry about all the logistics such as if I use prof movers, then I'd have to wait a week or two for them to deliver stuff meaning I'd have to do without a lot of things)..

What do you guys think of this? Would that be the best way to go?

I'll be making a list of pros/cons for this option along with the other options that I've considered over the weekend. I will love to hear your input on this.

Let me know.
 

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Originally Posted by Pamela

He suggested getting rid of most of the big stuff like couches, dresser, chest, tv, etc and just rent a trailer for all the boxes, clothes, etc and drive a big suv/van with all the cats inside. Once I get there, I can get some good quality furniture pretty cheap to replace what I get rid of. He also suggested donating my car to a non profit agency then getting a big tax write off next year.


What do you guys think of this? Would that be the best way to go?
since you're probably going to be living in an apartment/condo at first, that's what i'd do. much less expensive, in many ways. i don't think i'd 'donate' the car, but i'd probably sell it. then i'd have
from those sales to buy some 'temp' furnishings - altho you could also always rent furnishings [assuming SLC is like other big cities - never been there, so don't know]. i know that in the DFW metroplex [only big city i ever lived in] there were furniture rental places as well as major Goodwill & Salvation Army stores where you could buy used furniture. my sister is a major purchaser of used furniture... 'course, she reupholsters it to match her decor, but since yours would just be temporary, you wouldn't have to do that!
oh, & also check out garage/yard/estate sales for furniture once you're there - she's found some good stuff there, too!
i moved from southeast texas back up here - sold ALL of my furniture before leaving. still had plenty of stuff left to move!
 
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