Moving Out of Riverside and the Inland Empire: What to Know Before You Go

Moves out of Riverside, Corona, Moreno Valley, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Temecula and the rest of the Inland Empire look different from coastal moves. Homes are larger, lots are wider and the garage often holds as much as a small apartment. Many families are also selling one house and buying another, which makes the timing between closings just as important as the drive.

Moving a Large Suburban Home

Many Inland Empire homes run 2,500 square feet or more, and a four-bedroom house with a full garage can easily need well over a hundred boxes. Because long-distance pricing follows weight, the single best savings move is deciding what not to bring before anyone measures your home.

• Garage: old paint, tools you have duplicates of, spare lumber and broken bikes
• Yard: worn patio sets, planters full of soil, and bulky play equipment
• Exercise gear: heavy weights and machines are expensive to move relative to their value
• Spare rooms: furniture that will not fit the new floor plan
• Pantry and freezer: use it up instead of moving it

Once the purge is done, pack in zones rather than rooms. Clear the garage and side yard first, since those items are the dirtiest and bulkiest and nobody needs them in the final week. Then move to guest rooms and the formal dining room, and leave the kitchen, the main bedroom and the kids' rooms for last. Take apart swing sets, bunk beds and trampolines a few days early and bag the hardware with each piece.

When to Use Storage

Sale and purchase dates rarely line up perfectly. If you must hand over the keys before your new home closes, short-term storage keeps everything in one secure place and lets you move once. One to three months is the most common window for families leaving the region.

1. Map out your datesWrite down the close of escrow, your move-out deadline and the earliest move-in date at the destination.
2. Decide where storage happensStoring near the destination shortens the final delivery once your keys are ready. Storing locally keeps options open if plans are still shifting.
3. Ask for climate control in summerWood furniture, electronics, photos and instruments do better in a controlled environment than in a hot unit.
4. Declutter firstEvery item you skip is one you do not pay to store month after month.

See our storage services and the guide to secure storage during a long-distance move for how storage fits into an interstate plan.

Moving When It Is Over 100 Degrees

Summer afternoons across the Inland Empire regularly top 100°F. Early-morning starts are safer for the crew and easier on your belongings. Candles, vinyl records, photographs, medications and electronics should travel in your air-conditioned car, not in a hot garage waiting to be loaded. If your dates are flexible, spring and fall moves avoid the worst of the heat.

Typical Long-Distance Costs from the Inland Empire

Ranges depend on destination, total weight, packing and access. Your written estimate is built from your actual inventory, and a binding estimate locks the price.

Popular Destinations from the Inland Empire

Moving within the region instead? Our Riverside moving services page covers local moves.