Careful packing does minimize the risk of things being broken, but one of the only ways to actually ensure that you have no breakages whilst moving is to take them with you, or, if hiring a firm, allowing them to pack. Newspaper is a great buffer item, but remember, the ink may rub off when you're in transit, giving you another chore at the other end. Pack items you know you won't need first - it might seem obvious, but packing up and pouting away your winter clothes in summer, or putting away your hobby stuff stored in the bottom of your closet is a must. It means you're not living out of boxes for the duration of your packing, and it also means that you'll be able to store those boxes. Wardrobes, your garage, and shed can be packed as one of your first tasks - if you don't use your garage and its secure, you could then store any boxes there, or in cupboards. Books, videos and DVD's are a good place to start, leaving your essentials out until you are about to move. Packing your bedrooms, toys, and clothes should take place over the four weeks preceding your move, but you may want to consider packing as much as you can and keeping out only essentials. On the latter, you could offer an 'allowance' or remove a fraction of the house costs for carpets or, if you can, invest yourself and replace them, to allow a possibly higher sale price. Walls should be painted off white, or antique white or possibly very pale and pastel shades if you're planning on redecorating you may have no option if your walls are stained, marked or damaged. You can remove unwanted paint from most woodwork by carefully scouring with a brass scourer not too hard though, or you'll scratch the other paintwork. Scum stains, dried toothpaste and lime scale come off with liberal application of an oxy based paste you can get any 'oxy' based cleaner (one that fizzes and heats up the water slightly) in most supermarkets. You can start investigating schools in your new area and list any questions you may want to ask. While considering which the best school in the area is, you also have to consider how accessible it is, whether there's a school or public bus route to take your children there and whether you need to pay for this.