I Picked the Priciest Quote for My Utah to Florida Move
Fact Checked by: 
Herriman, UT → Lake Mary, FL
$29,684
12 rooms, about 20,000 pounds
$27,453
$2,231 under the estimate
2,352 mi
Long-distance, interstate
- I compared three quotes before I hired JK Moving for my Utah to Florida move, and I picked the most expensive one on purpose.
- My final bill came in $2,231 under the estimate, moving 12 rooms, a grand piano, and a pool table 2,352 miles.
- I shared all of it, my quotes, my bills, and my ratings, as part of moveBuddha’s Better Moves Project.
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This account is based on a conversation with Jose F., who moved from Herriman, Utah, to Lake Mary, Florida, in June 2023 using JK Moving. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
My move from Utah to Florida
I decided it was time to move closer to my family in Florida, and in January 2023 I started planning a cross-country relocation from Herriman, Utah, to Lake Mary. That’s 2,352 miles, and I knew straight away I needed professionals rather than a plan involving me and a rental truck.
My move was genuinely massive. I had a two-bedroom, four-bathroom house plus a four-car garage to empty, which came to twelve rooms’ worth of things, about 150 boxes, and roughly 20,000 pounds. That included a grand piano and a pool table. My main worry was protecting all of it from loss or damage, and I didn’t want to delay move-in day either, so I needed a company that could give me a predictable timeline.
I started searching for interstate movers on Google and found moveBuddha, which gave me an easy side-by-side comparison of the top companies. According to moveBuddha, users who compare movers this way save more than 30% versus taking the first quote they get.
My JK Moving experience at a glance
Here’s what stood out most about moving with JK Moving, good and bad.
- Communication: JK stayed in touch by phone and text at every stage, including multiple calls and emails before move day to confirm my specialty items and set expectations.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: My final bill came in $2,231 below the estimate, which was a genuine surprise on a move this size.
- Professionalism: They handled everything with care and paid real attention to how things were wrapped. Nothing felt rushed.
- Timeliness: Loading ran a day longer than planned and the crew arrived late on day one, and JK told me about both in advance rather than letting me find out.
- Loss and damage: My leather couch has minor damage I’ll submit a claim for. I briefly thought some boxes were missing, and JK’s team found them quickly.
- Would I use JK Moving again? Yes, happily.
under my original JK Moving quote
Find out what a move from Utah → Florida actually costs before a mover tells you.
Why I chose JK Moving
After going through moveBuddha’s list of the best interstate moving companies, I went with JK Moving even though they weren’t the cheapest quote I had. White-glove service was what I wanted for a piano, a pool table, and 20,000 pounds of everything else, and their reputation and reviews backed it up.
The quote process is what convinced me. They scheduled a FaceTime walkthrough of the house where I pointed out each room and everything I wanted moved. The initial number was $27,700, which came out to around $29,600 once the piano and pool table were accounted for. I’d budgeted $30,000, so it landed right where I expected. I bought loading, transportation, and unloading, plus piano and pool table disassembly and assembly, which JK provides through a third-party partnership with CSNS Relocation Services. I’m not someone who leaves things to chance, so I bought moving insurance too.
My move at a glance
Here are the basics of my relocation, including what I was quoted and what I actually paid for my Utah to Florida move.
| Move date | June 14, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Moved from | Herriman, Utah |
| Moved to | Lake Mary, Florida |
| Distance | 2,352 miles |
| Move size | Two-bedroom, four-bathroom home and a four-car garage |
| Moving company | JK Moving |
| Moving quote | $29,684 |
| Actual cost | $27,453 |
We found that when you use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator, you can save 30% on moving costs compared to customers who go with the first quote they receive.
Quotes I compared
I spent two weeks deciding, and I ended up with three quotes for pickup, transportation, and unloading. JK Moving was the most expensive of the three, and I chose them anyway.
| Company | Estimated volume/weight | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| American Van Lines | 20,000 pounds | $24,803 |
| Safeway Moving | 20,000 pounds | $28,000 |
| JK Moving | 19,763 pounds | $29,684 |
Other JK customers’ accounts helped me decide, including Chloe’s move from Washington to California and Adam’s move from Texas to Massachusetts.
rating
Pickup day
Before move day, JK stayed in touch with advice and reminders, including several calls and emails to confirm my specialty items and walk me through what to expect. They told me to disconnect my washer and dryer and break down the bed frames before the crew arrived.
On the day I dealt with an off-site coordinator by phone and the crew face to face. They arrived at 11 a.m. on day one, later than planned, and they called ahead to tell me. The challenge was the sheer volume. JK had estimated two days to load everything and it turned into three.
They gave me that heads-up a week beforehand, and I’d already arranged to leave the morning of the third loading day, so I had to go before they finished. That’s the argument for building flexibility into a move, especially in peak season. Don’t paint yourself into a corner with a rigid schedule.
For the pool table and the piano, JK brought in CSNS Relocation Services, who specialize in crating and assembly for specialty items and handled the disassembly and crating. I was impressed by the professionalism throughout. It took longer than planned, and I’d rather they took the time than rushed and wrapped things badly. While they worked I handled last-minute packing and loaded my own vehicles for the drive.
Delivery day
Delivery was easy with zero surprises. It took 11 days for everything to make the 2,352-mile trip from Utah to Florida, and JK kept in touch throughout with calls and texts about their ETA.
Everything arrived on time and I was impressed by how fast they unloaded and unpacked. There was minor damage to my leather couch, which I plan to claim for. I thought a few boxes were missing at first, and JK’s team tracked them down quickly, so in the end nothing was lost.
The speed of the unload is down to my labeling system. I put fluorescent stickers on every box naming the room it belonged in, and when the movers arrived I put matching labels on each room in the house. They could place things correctly with almost no instruction from me, which saved hours.
Final thoughts
This went better than I expected and I’d use JK Moving again without hesitating. They quoted around $29,600 and the move came in at $27,453, which is rare enough that their quoting team deserves credit for it. It’s a lot of money, and 20,000 pounds is a lot of weight, roughly what a light jet weighs.
I felt I got my money’s worth once I accounted for the labor, the packing materials, and the distance. The one thing I’d change is my own scheduling: I’d add more buffer days around packing and loading, which is exactly what I’ll do next time. Outsourcing the piano and pool table to a specialist was the right call too, because not everyone knows how to take a grand piano apart.
Planning a large cross-country move? Use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator to compare real quotes from vetted movers before you book.
My ratings
Here’s how I scored JK Moving on a scale of 1 to 5 based on my end-to-end experience.
- Communication: 5 out of 5. Calls and texts at every stage, including a week’s notice that loading would take three days instead of two.
- Timeliness: 5 out of 5. Loading ran long and delivery landed on time at 11 days, with every change flagged in advance.
- Quote accuracy: 5 out of 5. I paid $27,453 against a $29,684 estimate, which is $2,231 under on a 12-room move.
- Overall experience: 5 out of 5. A grand piano and a pool table crossed 2,352 miles intact, and the only damage was a mark on a leather couch.
More moving resources
Tips for future movers
These are the practical steps we recommend based on Jose F.’s experience:
- Label boxes and rooms with matching stickers: Jose F. put fluorescent room stickers on every box and matching labels on each room at the new house. The crew placed everything correctly with almost no direction, which is why the unload was so fast.
- Build buffer days around loading, not just the drive: Two days of loading became three, and Jose F. had already booked his departure. He got a week’s warning and still couldn’t use it. Leave slack on both ends.
- Insist on specialists for a piano or pool table: JK brought in CSNS Relocation Services for the crating and disassembly. Ask who will actually handle your specialty items and whether they do it in-house or subcontract.
- Get a video walkthrough on a big move: The FaceTime survey is what produced an estimate Jose F. came in under, on a 12-room house with a four-car garage. No phone conversation captures that accurately.
- The cheapest quote isn’t automatically the right one: Jose F. paid more than American Van Lines quoted and still finished under budget, with a piano and pool table intact. Weigh the price against what the company is actually equipped to handle.
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