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. An average four bedroom house requires around a ten tonne van, but some families have less belongings, and some have more, so its important to judge carefully and ask around rental firms for their opinion. You'll may also have to pay a deposit on your van so you should take that, and your petrol requirements into account - so that you can budget accordingly. Get rid of any papers that you don't need (though keep all important documentation) - consider donating any magazines, books, old toys or clothes in good condition to a local charity - or sell them on Ebay or similar, to make some cash. These donations and sales make mental and space sense - you're not wasting perfectly good items you will probably never use again, and you could sell the really good condition items in a variety of places. Your job too plays a huge part in picking a house - can you easily travel to your place of work, and more importantly, is the area able to offer a similar job, should the worst happen? You can also balance isolation and city life with what you prefer - if you prefer a quieter pace of life, its better to move to a town, though you may find that houses further out of cities may cost slightly more. Teddies and soft toys work well in bags - edged objects, or items that are likely to be too heavy to carry in a plastic bag would probably work better in boxes. Bags also work well with linens. 3) Whilst packing, it s important to maximize space - and pack your biggest objects first, and fill space around them. Some removal firms also supply them if you're using their vans, or their moving men, or provide them if you are letting them pack for you. Packing clothes into suitcases or bags means that they are easy to transport, and easy to fit into spare spaces in your transport, but you need to make sure that the bags or cases are sturdy enough to contain your belongings well.