You just bought your dream house in the Philadelphia area.  You should be excited, but it is being overshadowed by the stress of figuring out the best way to pack up your old house and moving into your new home.  Who can blame you; moving is stressful.  That is why I came up with a list of helpful hints, because we here at the Mickey Pascarella Group want you to have an enjoyable moving experience.

The following items are good to have on hand for packing: boxes, marking pens, bubble wrap, newspaper and tissue, tape and scissors, and a tape measure.

Make sure you use strong boxes and containers that can be tightly secured.  You can buy special boxes for dishes, wardrobe and other special times.

If you still have them, pack your audio-video equipment in their original boxes.  Label their cables and tighten transit screws, if removing screws, it is a good idea to tape them to the objects you removed them from.

Don’t load your boxes over 50 pounds.  Nothing is worse than once you finish packing a box, and try to move it; you discover you made it too heavy.

Label each box with what room it should go in, and if it is fragile.  It is also helpful to indicate if it should be loaded last into the truck so it can be unloaded at your new home first.

Make sure your fragile items are cushioned with packing material such as bubble wrap, newspaper (be careful- ink could smudge onto your items) or tissue.  You can also save room by using towels and blankets to wrap them.

When packing books, pack them tightly on the ends in small boxes; if they smell musty, sprinkle talcum powder between the pages and wrap the book before packing them.  Leaving them stored for a couple of months will eliminate the smell.

Have your draperies and rugs cleaned before moving.  This way you can leave them in wrappings for the move.

Pack your medicine in a lead proof container- make sure you have the ones you need daily with you!  Also carry all valuables with you

You can always buy boxes from moving companies, but it is always more cost efficient to see if your friends and family have any spare boxes, or even checking with certain stores.  If you start collecting boxes a few months ahead of time, you will most likely have enough cartons for your move.

Heavy items (books, record albums, canned food, etc.) should be pack in smaller boxes to prevent yourself from making them too heavy for carrying safely.  Some moving companies provide special cartons for certain items such as large pictures, mirrors, glass tops and shelves, clocks and mattresses.  Note- if you are moving locally, you may not need to pack these items.

To save yourself from becoming overwhelmed, pack one room at a time.  Stay with that room until it is fully packed.  Packing one room at a time will make it possible to set realistic goals of packing at least on room a day.

Before packing a box, tape the bottom.  This will prevent the contents from falling out of the bottom during the move.  When you are packing, place heavier objects on the bottom with the lighter items on tip to prevent damage.

Use a lot of paper to wrap your fragile items.  Wrap them individually in paper as well as using paper to cushion the bottom, sides and top of the boxes.  Plates should be stacked vertically, like in a dish drain; glasses and stemware should be places in an upright position.

Make sure all your boxes are filled to the top without overfilling them.  Boxes that are overfilled cannot be properly closed or stacked, where as boxes that are not filled all the way tend to crush when stacked.  A small space at the top can be filled with paper or a towel/blanket.

When done packing, boxes should be closed and sealed with tape to prevent damage and to also make stacking them easier.

So don’t stress, enjoy your move and your new home. As always, The Mickey Group is here for all of your Real Estate needs.