What Does a Pre-Move Assessment Actually Solve?

A pre-move assessment aka survey is far more than a formality. It is the foundation on which the entire success of a relocation process hinges upon. Below is a non-exhaustive list of the key tasks it addresses.

This article builds on a discussion that gained strong engagement on LinkedIn.
For additional context, the original conversation can be found here:

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/roman-kreynin-037856318_yembo-vmt-surveyplus-activity-7402668513431363584-eG19

1. Determining the Volume of Goods in Packed Form

Based on the assessed volume, it becomes possible to determine what type of truck or container is required for the move. This decision directly affects logistics, costs, and feasibility.

2. Defining Required Packing Materials

The quantity and type of packing materials have a direct impact on the cost of the move. This is also an operational issue: the packing crew must be supplied with the appropriate materials in advance to avoid delays or “winging it” on site.

3. Move Timelines

Beyond estimating the duration of the job with different crew and truck sizes, a surveyor must align the moving dates and working hours with both the client’s availability and the carrier’s operational constraints.

4. Truck Access and Parking Availability

Once the required transport type is determined, parking availability near the client’s property must be verified. In some cases, a shuttle vehicle is required if direct truck access is not available.

5. Additional Lifting Equipment

If the apartment is above the first floor and suitable elevators are unavailable, external lifting equipment may be required. If access for a lift is impossible, the crew may need to be reinforced with additional specialty personnel.

6. Custom Crates for Special Items

Furniture, pianos, marble pieces, and art objects often require custom-built crates. Measurements taken during the survey form the basis for crate production, while the surveyor must also provide guidance that defines their construction.

6. Valuable Items

These are the items that have a special value forthe transferee. More often than not these are items that have an intrinsic sentimental value like a grandfather’s clock or a family photos album. All these items require is a special attention, proper marking and a spot on a survey report.

7. Protection of the Property During Packing and Moving

In certain cases, protective measures must be planned in advance, such as floor covers or temporary coverings to prevent damage to parquet flooring. Existing damage should also be documented to avoid unjustified claims after the move.

All of the above represents only part of the information that must be gathered, processed, and presented in a structured report. This report is used both for pricing and for providing clear instructions to the packing crew.

It took many years of refinement for the combination of an experienced surveyor and a pre-move survey application such as Voxme Estimate to truly work. Even today, the tool delivers its best results in the hands of experienced surveyors who clearly understand the moving process and are emotionally engaged in it.

This naturally leads to the key question:
To what extent has AI absorbed this knowledge and these skills?
And how will the surveys produced using new methodologies compare with proven methods and with real-world results — such as the actual volume loaded into a truck or a container, and all the downstream operational outcomes?

That is precisely the comparison the industry nowneeds to make.

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