A long distance move does not get a final price until someone actually sees what is being moved. That walkthrough is called a pre-move survey, and it is the step that replaces guesswork with a real look at your home.
Working with a trusted moving company like Daymakers means that step is handled carefully, not rushed. Here is what happens during one and why it carries more weight on a long distance move than on almost any other part of the process.
What a Pre-Move Survey Is
A pre-move survey is a walkthrough of your home, done either in person or by live video, where a Daymakers estimator looks at everything that's moving before your price is finalized. It replaces guesswork with an actual look at your belongings, your home's layout, and anything else that could affect how the move is planned.
This step carries more weight in long distance moving than in a local one, since long distance pricing is built on weight and mileage rather than hours worked. An accurate survey means an accurate estimate, and an accurate estimate means no surprises once the truck pulls out of Lake Elmo.
Why We Do This In Person or By Live Video, Never By Phone
A phone call can't show an estimator how many stairs lead to your front door, how narrow your hallways are, or how far a truck will need to park from the entrance. Those details affect both the time a move takes and the equipment it needs, and none of them come through in a verbal description.
Our Lake Elmo office sits about 17 miles from our Hudson, WI headquarters, close enough that an in-person walkthrough is rarely a scheduling headache. An in-person or live video survey lets the estimator see your home the way our crew will see it on moving day.
That's what lets us price your actual move instead of a rough average, which is why we don't offer phone-only quotes for any move, long distance moving from Lake Elmo or otherwise.
What the Estimator Is Actually Looking For
During the walkthrough, the estimator looks at room-by-room volume: how much furniture and how many boxes are likely to come out of each space. They also check access points, including stairs, doorways, elevators if you're in an apartment, and how far your front door sits from where a truck can park.
Specialty items get flagged separately during this step. A piano, a gun safe, a heavy safe, or anything else that needs specific equipment or extra care gets noted so the right tools and crew size are planned in advance, rather than turning into a surprise on moving day.
How the Survey Turns Into a Final Price
Once the survey wraps up, the estimator uses what they've seen to calculate an approximate weight for your shipment and combines that with the mileage to your new address. That's how a long distance price gets built, and it's a different calculation entirely from the hourly pricing used on a local move.
Depending on the details of your move, you'll receive either a binding estimate or a non-binding estimate. Here's the difference:
| Binding Estimate | Non-Binding Estimate | |
|---|---|---|
| What it means | A fixed price based on the surveyed scope of your move | A projected price based on the surveyed scope of your move |
| Price certainty | Won't change as long as the scope stays the same | Can adjust once your shipment's actual weight is recorded |
| Best for | Movers who want a locked-in number before booking | Movers comfortable with a final bill tied to actual weight |
Either way, you'll know which type of estimate you have before you agree to it, not after the bill arrives. Daymakers' long distance shipments also travel on a private truck dedicated to your move, not a shared load through transfer warehouses, so the inventory the estimator records is the same inventory that arrives at your new address.
What to Have Ready Before Your Survey
You don't need to have everything packed before a pre-move survey, but a few things make the walkthrough faster and more accurate:
- A general sense of what's staying, what's going, and what might be sold or donated
- Whether you're packing some boxes yourself or having the crew handle it all
- A quick look through rooms that don't get regular use, like a garage, attic, or basement
- Any specialty items you already know about, like a piano or a safe
- Rough move-out and move-in dates, even if they aren't confirmed yet
A five-minute look in a storage room now can prevent a surprise addition to the shipment's weight later.
What Happens After the Survey Is Complete
Once the survey wraps up, you'll receive your estimate along with a clear explanation of whether it's binding or non-binding and what that means for your final bill. This is also the point where storage gets built into the plan, if your move-out and move-in dates don't line up, rather than added on later.
From there, scheduling moves forward with a team leader assigned to your shipment for the full route from Lake Elmo to your new address. Daymakers has handled long distance relocations since 2015, and the survey is still the foundation the entire move gets built on, which is why we treat it as a real walkthrough rather than a formality on the way to a number.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Daymakers only give estimates in person or by live video?
A phone call can't show an estimator the stairs, hallways, or truck access that affect your move. An in-person or live video walkthrough lets us see the actual home, so the price we give is based on the real job instead of a guess.
Do I need to have my home fully packed before the survey?
No. You just need a general sense of what's moving, what's staying, and whether you're packing some boxes yourself or having our crew handle it all, so the estimator can account for it in the walkthrough and build an accurate number around it.
What's the difference between a binding and non-binding estimate?
A binding estimate sets a fixed price as long as the scope of your move doesn't change. A non-binding estimate is a projection that can adjust once your shipment's actual weight is recorded on moving day. Either way, we tell you which one you have before you book.
Should I mention specialty items like a piano during the survey?
Yes. Flagging items like a piano, gun safe, or heavy safe during the walkthrough lets us plan the right equipment and crew size ahead of moving day, instead of discovering the item once the truck is already loaded.
How long does a pre-move survey usually take?
It depends on the size of your home, but most residential surveys take a short visit or video call, covering each room plus any garage, attic, or basement space you plan to use for storage or moving.
Ready to plan your long-distance move from Lake Elmo? Call (651) 955-1283, email Daymakersmoving@gmail.com, or request your free, no-obligation moving quote to get started.
