A home purchase is quite the achievement, especially when buying your first home. The experience can leave some home owners feeling like they have been breaking blocks with their head. With all the headaches from negotiating and closing the deal it’s hard enough but then on top of it you still have to pack. Not everyone wants or can afford a moving company, if you are one that is going without you have a big job ahead of you.

It’s no shame to be lousy at packing, not everyone can roll the score board on Tetris while trying to squeeze all their knick knacks into small cardboard cubes. If you are one of the unfortunate souls that packs the fire place irons in the same box with a wine carafe here are some tips to help you on your move.

Packing Tips from Realtors #1 – Start Early

Under no circumstances should you wait till the last minute to pack. A house that is lived in and not a frigid museum piece will need time and cleaning to be appropriately placed in boxes. It really has happened that someone waited to the last minute and was in such a rush that they threw out bags of possessions and packed the soon to be stinking garbage in the moving truck for the two week trip across the country. Things need to be cleaned and sorted properly to avoid loss and damage, start with the least used items and pack as much as you can before you have to rush out.

Packing Tips from Realtors #2 – Stay Organized

As you close up your boxes make sure you have a marker handy so that you can clearly label boxes (on the top and on the side) about the contents, the room they came from and where they’re going as well as whether or not they’re fragile. When move day comes, this makes managing the helping hands far easier as people will know where everything goes.

Optional : Keep the boxes unsealed until it is time to move. If you must seal them, just make certain that you won’t need anything before you get settled into the new home you purchased with your Realtor

Packing Tips from Realtors #3 – Use Good Materials

It’s important to use quality goods when you’re moving. It might be tempting to get old used boxes but these have already been handled and shipped around which reduces their strength and durability. Their crush-threshold is lowered and can cause shifting during the move which leads to potential damage of your personal items. Buy new boxes specifically designed for moving things like pictures, electronics, media and clothing so that your personal effects are protected.

Another thing to do is to use filler material such as Styrofoam or bubble wrap to fill the spaces and protect fragile items from banging together. If you can’t muster up the funds to purchase professional filler you can use things like seasonal clothes or linen to pack around the items.

Packing Tips from Realtors #4 – Packing Heavy Items

Electronics, books and various knick knacks can get heavy once you start piling them together in boxes. This is where it’s extremely important to have strong packing materials. Even with sturdy boxes and quality tape you don’t want to pack boxes any heavier than 50lbs – and in some cases even this is too heavy. While most moving boxes can easily support that weight, it’s not safe to pack a lot of boxes that exceed 50lbs. The more you move in this manner the greater the chance of injury. Keep boxes light and use more boxes if you have to.

Packing Tips from Realtors #5 – Fragile Items

You must also take into account items like china, silverware and stemware or decorative fragile items in the home should be packed with a lot of protective wrapping. Rattling and vibration during the ride to the new home coupled with the clattering of the items against one another can lead to a lot of broken glass and shattered china. It’s best to just pony up and spend the money to protect your valuables properly, that way you don’t have to spend even more to replace or repair them..

Packing for a big move can be overwhelming and a little stressful – made worse by broken goods or difficult unpacking. Following these tips from your realtor can help simplify the process and ensure that you’re ready to run out the door with boxes in hand once you close on your home.

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