The deal’s done, contracts signed and exchanged, and it’s time to think about getting the moving job done.

First thing is whether to employ professionals or do it yourself. One of my colleagues decided on the DIY route, dropped the washing machine off the front doorstep, smashed the internals, and spent more replacing it than even the heftiest professional quote would have cost.

After remembering his red face and the smirks from former neighbours he decided never again would he be doing the job himself. After all, if a professional had dropped the washing machine the firm’s insurance would have stumped up for the replacement.

So how do you go about the big move, preferably without lifting a finger yourself, or at least not too often?

Get quotes from companies either that you’ve used before or who have done a good job for friends or neighbours. If there’s one firm whose vans you regularly see at work, it’s probably the one to go for first. When removal firms come to quote, don’t just look at the prices but also the standards of the people themselves. Scruffy turnout in old jeans and ripped shirts rather than smart uniforms suggests a corner-cutting operation that will care as much about your belongings as it does about itself.

I reckon that when it comes down to it, there’s no-one better at packing all the things that have to travel than the people who are doing the heavy lifting. They won’t overburden each box, will label it, and seal it securely so that all that precious china doesn’t drop through the bottom to create the world’s priciest ceramic jigsaw puzzle.

Of course you’ll need to be there on the day – you can watch the proceedings and then sign off to say what’s been taken (you will be given a list to check). On the day you move into your new home – most likely the same as the one you move out of the old one – the removals team will put furniture into the room you request, along with boxes of belongings. Then comes the sorting out, made so much easier if the boxes are labelled and in the right place.

If you can, spend the first night staying somewhere else ready to make a fresh start on your first full day of ownership. You’ll be glad you did and will be all set up to enjoy that new place you call home!

Colin Shairp, Director, Fine and Country Southern Hampshire and Town and Country Southern estate agencies,<