If you’re moving to Nashville, welcome! You’re certainly not alone. People have been moving to Middle Tennessee in droves for years now, and it’s easy to see why. We have no state income tax, a great job market, beautiful neighborhoods, plenty to do, and—despite what you may have heard—you do not have to own a pair of cowboy boots to live here.
But if you’re coming from another state, there are a few things about insurance in Tennessee that may surprise you.
I’ve been in the insurance business in Nashville for a long time, and we work with people moving here from all over the country. One of the biggest mistakes I see is assuming that the insurance coverage you had in California, Illinois, New York, Florida, or wherever you’re coming from should simply be duplicated here.
It shouldn’t.
Tennessee has its own weather, roads, insurance laws, housing market, and risks. So, before you just transfer everything over, here are a few things I think every Nashville newcomer should know.
Our Weather Is a Little Crazy
If you haven't lived in Tennessee before, welcome to the land of four seasons—sometimes all in the same week.
Middle Tennessee gets severe thunderstorms, straight-line winds, hail, tornadoes, freezing temperatures and the occasional snow or ice storm that shuts down the entire city. And yes, we know people from Chicago think it's hilarious that two inches of snow can close Nashville. Come drive one of our hills covered in ice and then we'll talk.
All of that matters when you're insuring your home.
When you're comparing homeowners policies, don't look at price alone. Pay attention to your deductibles and how your home and roof are covered.
A policy that saves you a few hundred dollars a year isn't much of a bargain if you find out after a major storm that you have a huge deductible or substantially less coverage than you thought.
Flood Insurance Is NOT the Same as Homeowners Insurance
This is a big one.
Standard homeowners insurance generally does not cover flooding. Flood insurance is separate.
And don't assume you don't need to think about flooding just because the house isn't sitting beside the Cumberland River. Tennessee can get a tremendous amount of rain, and flooding can occur well outside the areas people traditionally think of as "flood zones."
If you're buying a house, find out where the property sits and what the flood risk looks like. Your mortgage company may not require flood insurance, but that doesn't necessarily mean there is zero risk.
This is one of those conversations I'd much rather have with you BEFORE there's three inches of water in your downstairs.
Your Roof Matters—a Lot
If you're buying a home in Nashville, particularly an older home, find out the age of the roof.
Insurance companies care about it, and so should you.
Two houses that look nearly identical on Zillow can be very different insurance risks because one has a two-year-old roof and the other has a 17-year-old roof.
You also want to understand whether your policy provides replacement cost or actual cash value coverage for the roof. Those terms sound boring right up until your roof gets destroyed in a storm and you're trying to figure out who is paying for the new one.
Actual cash value takes depreciation into account. Replacement cost coverage is designed to cover the cost of replacing damaged property with comparable materials, subject of course to the terms, limits and deductible of your policy.
That's a pretty important distinction.
Don't Just Buy Tennessee's Minimum Auto Coverage
Whenever someone moves to a new state, one of the first questions is usually, "What's the minimum insurance I have to carry?"
I think that's the wrong question.
The better question is, "How much liability coverage do I need to protect myself?"
If you cause a serious accident, the fact that you met the state's minimum insurance requirement isn't going to make the other person's medical bills or damaged vehicle magically disappear.
Nashville is growing, our roads are crowded, and there are a LOT of expensive vehicles driving around Middle Tennessee. You don't want to find out after an accident that saving a few dollars a month left you responsible for tens of thousands of dollars yourself.
We can look at what you own, what you earn, your vehicles and your overall situation and help you decide what limits actually make sense.
If You're Buying a More Expensive Home, Let's Talk About an Umbrella Policy
This is another area where people moving into Nashville sometimes need to rethink their coverage.
Maybe you sold a house somewhere else and bought a $1 million home in Brentwood or Franklin. Maybe you have significant savings, investments, rental properties, a pool, a teenage driver or a boat you're planning to put on Percy Priest every weekend.
At some point, protecting your assets becomes just as important as protecting your stuff.
An umbrella policy provides an additional layer of liability protection above your underlying home and auto policies. It's something I recommend discussing when you have assets or additional liability exposure worth protecting.
And if you've got a swimming pool AND a 16-year-old driver, I'm probably going to bring it up before you do.
Renters Need Insurance Too
If you're renting for a year while you figure out whether you want to live in Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, Hendersonville, Mt. Juliet, Nolensville or somewhere else, don't skip renters insurance.
Your landlord's policy covers the building. It doesn't cover all the things you moved into it.
But honestly, your stuff isn't even the only reason I care about renters insurance. Liability coverage is a huge part of it.
If someone gets hurt in your apartment, your dog bites somebody, you accidentally cause damage to someone else's property, or any number of other things happen, that liability coverage can become much more important than replacing your television.
Renters insurance is usually relatively inexpensive, and in my opinion, it's one of the easiest insurance decisions you can make.
Bundle Before You Assume Your Old Company Is Still the Cheapest
Moving is actually a great time to shop your insurance.
Rates can vary dramatically by state, ZIP code, home, vehicle, driver and insurance company. The company that gave you a great rate where you lived before isn't necessarily going to be the best fit in Tennessee.
And don't compare only the final premium.
Make sure you're comparing similar liability limits, deductibles and coverage. I've seen plenty of "cheaper" quotes that become a lot less impressive once you realize half the coverage disappeared.
Saving money is great. Being properly insured is better. Ideally, we do both.
Find a Local Agent Before You Need One
Obviously, I'm a little biased here.
But insurance is one of those things that seems incredibly simple when nothing is going wrong. Then a tree lands on your house, your teenager wrecks the car, a pipe bursts while you're out of town, or somebody gets hurt on your property.
That's when having an actual person you can call becomes pretty valuable.
We've been serving Nashville and Middle Tennessee since 1994. We live here. We drive these roads. We know the neighborhoods, the weather, the houses and the kinds of claims our customers actually experience.
So if you're moving to Nashville—or you've already arrived and you're still trying to figure out which box has your coffee maker—give us a call.
We'll take a look at what you had before, talk through what you actually need in Tennessee, and make sure you're properly covered without paying for a bunch of things you don't need.
Welcome to Nashville. We're glad you're here.
