Movers · Nashville, TN
The Nashville homeowner's guide to moving
What the work involves, what drives the price, what your options are, and what a bad job looks like — written so you can judge any moving company in Middle Tennessee, including us.
Estimate request
Moving from where to where, and when?
Straight to us, and a reply the same day.
By Michael Blair, owner, Nashville's Mover · who we are
Warning signs
How to know you need us
Recognize one? Have it looked at before it grows.
- Closing dates on the two properties that do not line up
- More to move than a weekend and a rented truck will absorb
- Stairs at one end, or an elevator building with a booking window
- A piano, a safe or something else nobody wants to lift
- A previous quote that changed once the truck was loaded
- Needing storage between one closing and the next
Your options
More than one right answer.
Full-service packing is not worth it for every household, and a mover who sells it to everyone is selling hours. Here is what packing, load-only and storage each make sense for.
Full-service move
Packing, loading, transport, unloading and placement. The most expensive option and the only one that takes the whole thing off you.
Move only, you pack
Crew and truck for the day, with your own boxes ready to go. The most common local arrangement.
Labor only
Loading and unloading a truck or container you have arranged. Useful for long-distance moves on a budget.
Move and store
Into storage on one date and out on another, which is what closing-date gaps usually need.
What it costs
What actually drives the price.
Weight or volume, distance, stairs, elevators, packing, the heavy pieces and the date all set a moving price, which is why we survey the house before quoting. This is what changes it.
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Volume, not just bedrooms
A three-bedroom house can be half full or packed to the attic. Movers price on what is actually going, which is why a walk-through or a video survey produces a quote that holds.
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Access at both ends
Stairs, elevators, long carries from the truck and narrow streets all add hours. It is the most commonly under-quoted factor in the trade.
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Local versus long-distance
Local moves are usually an hourly crew rate; long-distance is priced on weight or volume and distance. They are different contracts with different protections.
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Packing
Full packing, partial packing or self-packing is a large swing. Self-packing is cheaper and shifts the risk of breakage to you.
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Specialty items
Pianos, safes, gun cabinets, large appliances and oversized artwork need the right equipment and are priced individually rather than folded in.
Estimates are free, written and without obligation. Anything found only after starting is priced up front.
What happens
From your call to the finished job.
Survey and quote
In person or by video. A quote given without seeing what is going is an estimate that will move on the day.
Written estimate
Hourly rate or binding estimate, crew size, truck size and what is excluded, agreed in writing before anything is booked.
Packing
A day or two ahead for a full pack, so moving day is loading rather than packing and loading.
Moving day
Inventory, load, transport, unload and place. Furniture reassembled and boxes put in the rooms they belong in.
Done badly
What goes wrong, and why it matters.
Shortcuts that cheapen the quote and cost you later. Ask anyone you are considering about them.
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Accepting a quote given over the phone without a survey
It is the single most common source of a moving-day price change, and by then you have very little leverage.
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Not checking the USDOT number and insurance
Interstate movers are federally registered and the registration is public. It takes two minutes to look up.
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Assuming basic valuation is insurance
Released-value protection is around sixty cents per pound, which on a television is a few dollars. Full-value protection is a separate election.
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Leaving the elevator unbooked
A building that will not release the elevator turns a scheduled crew into an expensive wait.
Before you hire anyone
Six questions worth asking any moving company.
Including us. If a moving company cannot answer these easily, that is the answer.
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Are you a carrier or a broker?
A carrier owns the trucks and employs the crew; a broker sells the job to someone you did not choose. The answer should be direct.
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What operating authority do you hold?
Tennessee authority for in-state moves, a USDOT and MC number for interstate. The numbers can be looked up; “fully licensed” cannot.
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Is the estimate binding, and was it based on a survey?
A binding or not-to-exceed estimate after someone saw what is in the house. A phone quote by room count is the one that doubles at the door.
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What valuation coverage is included, and what does full-value cost?
The basic per-pound coverage is nearly nothing; the answer explains full-value protection and its price before the day.
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Will the crew that shows up be yours, in your truck?
Yes — a different company name on the truck means the job was brokered. Ask before you sign, not on moving day.
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What happens if something is damaged?
A claims process with a timeline, in writing. The answer should be a procedure, and a mover who has none has had no claims because nobody could file one.
FAQ
Choosing a moving company in Nashville
How do I choose a moving company in Nashville?
Every moving crew we run works under the Tennessee or federal operating authority its moves require and carries cargo and liability insurance, all on file with us before a truck is dispatched. Ask the six questions below of anyone, including us.
Should I get more than one quote for moving?
Yes — and compare the scope, not the total. A local move in Nashville is priced by the hour for the crew and the truck, with an estimate from a walk-through or a video survey; a long-distance move is priced by weight and distance, and either way the number is in writing before the truck arrives.
Is the cheapest moving quote usually a bad idea?
Not automatically; a low number is information. The price is the price on the estimate; a crew that adds charges at the door is not one of ours.
Do I need a permit for moving in Nashville?
Moving needs no permit from Metro Nashville and the surrounding counties; a truck parked on a downtown street or a moving container on the curb may, and a company that knows the local rules asks first.
How far in advance should I book moving?
A local move in Nashville can usually be booked inside a week or two; the end of the month and the summer are the busy times, and a confirmed date is a confirmed date.
Free estimate
Got a move date coming up?
Tell Nashville's Mover where you are moving from and to, what is going and when, and we send a written, no-cost estimate after looking at what is in the house. You owe nothing for asking.