Some Packing Tips

• Make sure that none of your boxes are bending in or buckling out. Your boxes also should not rattle.
• Clearly label each box to show what is packed inside and what room it belongs in. This will help immensely when it comes time to unpack at your new property.
• Organization is the key to an easy and stress free move. If your box is going to be put in storage clearly mark the box to indicate this.
• Do not mix items from different rooms in your boxes. This will make unpacking later very confusing. Put only kitchen things in your kitchen box and only bedroom things in your bedroom box; pack things together that are supposed to be together.

Packing up your belongings to move to a new home can be very disruptive. To ensure as smooth a move as possible consider the following suggestions:

• Do not pack up things that you use on a daily basis right away. Instead start by packing up seasonal items and items that are not used very often. Your essentials should be the last things that are packed.
• Use common sense. Don’t pack breakables with heavy items.
• Never pack medicines, cleaners, polishes or soaps with food.
• Use corrugated boxes to pack your dishes and pack each one separately.
• Use wardrobe boxes for your clothing that needs to be hung up.
• Get some picture boxes to pack your pictures in.
• Remove all your light bulbs from any lamps before packing them up.

When you are packing up things that have many parts, such as curtain rods with screws, make sure that you pack all the parts together. This will make it easier to find them when you are unpacking and setting things up. A good way to do this is to place small items, such as screws or nails, into a plastic bag and tape the bag to the item that it belongs with. Also be careful when packing up electrical equipment. Carefully label all of your wires for easy assembly after you move.

Things Not To Pack

Some items should never be packed and sent off with a moving company. These include items such as money, jewelry, and valuable papers, such as deeds, wills, investments, stocks or bonds. Keep these items with you on your moving day.

You also will not want to pack up anything that is flammable, especially aerosols and anything that is perishable.

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Property Options Blog © 2006 - 2009

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In this final installment we will look at a few more ways to help your children with their impending move. These next tips will help them to stay in contact with their friends, something which is very important to your children.

• Make up cards with your new address and contact information for your children to pass out to their friends. You may even buy them a notebook or special journal to write down their friends addresses in. Give them some special stationary designated for writing letters to their old friends after the move.

• Once you have arrived at your new home unpack the major stuff and then do something fun together as a family. Don’t stress over the little stuff and get so wrapped up with unpacking that you neglect your children making them feel even more alone in a new environment. Take time to help them get adjusted to their new home.

It is also important to keep everyone happy during the actual move to the new property. Your child or children will have different needs depending on what their age groups is. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Babies will enjoy a familiar blanket and toys. Snacks and finger foods will help to keep them happy and nap times will have to be taken if possible. Most babies will nap in the car when they are tired.

• Toddlers will need to have access to a portable toilet if you are making a long trip. Toys, finger foods, coloring books and crayons are also good things to keep them occupied and happy.

• Pre-teens will enjoy books, coloring books, travel games, and snacks

• Older teens should be able to bring along something to entertain themselves such as music, books, journals, or other things.

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Property Options Blog © 2006 - 2009

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In the last installation we discussed the fact that your move will affect every member of your family. We also looked at ways to make it easier for your children to go through the moving process and discussed different ways to make your move as easy as possible. In this installment we will continue to look at ways to make your move as pain free as possible for your children and other family members.

Give As Much Information To Your Children As Possible To Help Make The Move Easier

• Encourage your children or other family members to talk about their feelings regarding the move and openly discuss the different aspects of the move with them.

• Stay positive about the move and the new property to help them feel assured and confident about it. If they hear fear or doubt from you they will pick that up and will be fearful or even angry about the move.

• Be as truthful as possible about the move. Do not tell your children lies about the new home or neighborhood to make them happy. This will only lead to resentful feelings and a sense of distrust and despair once the move has taken place.

• Involve your children as much as possible in the moving process, from packing to unpacking. Let them feel like they are helping you.

• Keep your children with you as much as possible on moving day. It may be more difficult for you but it will help them to feel more comfortable and secure and less unsure about their future.

• Get help for your move. Using a removal or moving company can help to reduce the amount of stress that you have and leave you with more time to devote to your children and addressing their worries or concerns.

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Property Options Blog © 2006 - 2009

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In our last installment we were talking about how it is important to look at the little things and small details when you are looking for a new home. Here is another important aspect to consider when you are buying a house.

• Be Realistic About Repairs - painting rooms and putting in new carpets or hardwood floors may seem to just be cosmetic repairs, but those expenses can add up fast. Especially if you pull out a carpet to replace it and discover that the sub floor underneath is rotted out and needs to be replaced. The expenses for doing simple cosmetic work can add up fast so don’t underestimate the cost of doing those types of things. Always estimate high and expect to have problems, that way you won’t be overwhelmed if something goes wrong and you will have the money to deal with any unexpected situations.

Don’t Be Afraid To Negotiate The Price

Many people are afraid of haggling the price of a home, but it never hurts to ask, especially in a buyers market. Try to negotiate the best possible deal on your new home. It is often good to know how long a house has been for sale. Typically the longer a property has been on the market the more likely the seller will be to negotiate with you. But this is not always the case. Try to get as much information as you can about the house and offer what you think is fair and reasonable for the home. If there are a lot of repairs that need to be made subtract those figures from how much the house is listed for.

In our next installment we will wrap up this series on important things to consider when purchasing a new home.

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Property Options Blog © 2006 - 2009

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Don’t Be In A Big Hurry

In this day and age when houses are listed online and can be viewed from great distances away you may look at a house on the internet and think that it is perfect but it gets sold before you have a chance to go see it in person. This can lead to feelings of despair and worry that you will never find the home of your dreams. It may entice you to act quick before it’s to late. But this can be a big mistake. It is never a good idea to rush into the purchase of a property. Homes will go on and off the market all the time so be patient. If you don’t see what you want right away don’t worry. If you wait ling enough you will find what you are looking for and you will not have to compromise on what you want.

There Is No Such Thing As Perfection

If you absolutely can’t wait you will have to decide what is most important to you. While there are a lot of beautiful nice houses available on the market there is no such thing as the perfect home. All houses will have something that is not quite right for you. If you don’t have a lot of time to buy a property then the idea is to find the property that best suits you and your needs. A good way to do this is to determine ahead of time what things you can live with and compromise on what things you absolutely must have. That way you can find the house that best meets your needs. Sometimes you may have to compromise certain things such as the type of flooring your new house has or the size of the yard to get the things that you want more such as a big kitchen or multiple bathrooms. Only you can determine what things you are willing to sacrifice if need be to get into a house that will meet our needs.

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