Surveys show it is the most stressful event in life after death and divorce. No, it’s not driving on Interstate 15 at rush hour. Nor is it going on a blind date or having to give a speech.

It’s . . . moving.

Packing belongings, loading a moving van, saying goodbye to friends and neighbors and relocating to a new city creates truckloads of anxieties in many people. Nevertheless, the average American moves 11 times in a lifetime, and nearly a fifth of all Americans — an estimated 43 million people — relocate each year.

Almost half of all moves occur between May 1 and Labor Day because it is easier in warm weather and because families with children want to be settled in their new home before school starts in the fall. With that in mind, people should plan impending moves as early as possible, says Gordon Miller, owner of Utah Moving & Storage, Salt Lake City.

“If they’re moving in September, now is not too soon,” he says. The end and beginning of each month, when most leases expire, are busiest. In the summer, families who hire a professional mover between the 25th of the month and the 5th of the next month can expect to pay a 10% surcharge, Miller says.

People planning a move must first decide whether to hire a professional mover or rent a truck and do it themselves. Each option has its advantages.

A professional mover assumes responsibility for any breakage, provided the mover packs your boxes for you. Most professional movers are trained in packing techniques and have specially designed boxes and packing materials for china and crystal.

Hiring a professional also can free up your time and energy so you can focus on other important matters.

“The right mover will come to your home and go through the move with you beforehand,” says Beth Copeland, Mayflower Transit national spokeswoman. “They will estimate the cost, discuss packing and unpacking options with you, work on a mutually convenient schedule and make sure all your moving questions are answered. Having a professional do the dirty work will take one big worry off your mind.”

Do it yourself? On the other hand, doing it yourself can cost half of a van-line move, and you’ll reach your new home at the same time as your belongings. With some commercial van lines, your furniture and belongings may share a truck with those of several other families moving to different cities. By the time your belongings reach your new home, days or even weeks may have passed.

Plus, moving yourself gives you peace of mind because your belongings are never out of sight, says Janet Cooper, U-Haul national spokeswoman.

“Psychologically, it’s easier having your belongings with you,” Cooper says. Also, you’re likely to treat your fragile boxes more carefully than movers, she says. “Nobody cares for their own belongings like themselves. They will take special care with items they really treasure.”

While loading a truck yourself requires a lot more muscle, it doesn’t have to be an ordeal. Friends and family can pitch in, and even the smallest child can help open doors or carry small objects, Cooper says. Elderly movers can hire a loading service to help with the heavy lifting.

“You really don’t need to be Hercules to do this yourself,” Cooper says.

Whether you hire a professional moving company – goodyear az movers or recruit brawny relatives, here are some tips on making your next move as stress-free as possible:

- Get rid of what you don’t need. Pass on unwanted items to friends, family or neighbors, or hold a garage sale. Determine how much you can take to your new home and what will fit once you get there. Extra weight costs more money.

- Plan how you will pack. First pack items you don’t use often. Label your boxes. Pack essential items that need to be opened first, such as bedding and cooking utensils, and make sure they are the last boxes loaded onto the van. Don’t make any carton too heavy to lift. Plan your food purchases to leave your fridge almost empty the day of the move.

Special considerations. Moving can be frightening for children who feel they are losing everything — their home, school, neighborhood friends — that is familiar to them. In conjunction with an April nationwide survey of child psychiatrists, U-Haul recommends the following:

- Discuss the move with your child. Focus on the positive reasons for the move. A child who clearly understands why you are moving will be more able to enthusiastically support the process.

- Visit the new home and school before the move, if possible.

- Involve the child with the move. Let him or her sort and pack belongings. Help the child plan the layout of a new room in advance. Let a child pack a special suitcase with treasured belongings and carry it into the new home.

Moving with pets:

- Make sure the pet is comfortable riding in the car. Plan a few advance outings to help the pet adjust.

- Ask your veterinarian if your pet should be given a sedative before moving.

- Don’t feed your pet just before departure. Feed it at least several hours before beginning the trip, and feed it light meals en route.

- Confine your pet to a pet carrier, but allow it to exercise at rest and fuel stops. Always bring a leash.

- Always have your pet travel in the passenger area of the vehicle. The van box of a moving van is not designed to carry live cargo.

Moving with plants:

- Water and drain plants thoroughly before the move.

- Place plants in boxes and secure them using packing paper around the bottom of the pot.

- Plants are sensitive to temperature change. Either load them last and unload them first or transport them in the cab of the moving van. Long-distance movers may want to move only their larger, more valuable plants and give their common household plants to a friend or relative.

Moving with computers:

- Backup all files on a fixed disk before moving. Store the backup copy in a safe place.

- Remove any diskettes from the external drives.

- If possible, pack the computer in its original box along with the original packing materials. If the original box is not available, write COMPUTER, FRAGILE on the outside of the box.

- Prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures can damage the computer’s internal components. When setting up the computer in your new home, remember that for every hour a computer is exposed to extreme conditions (high humidity, under 50 degrees or above 125 degrees), it should have a corresponding number of hours at room temperature before use.

Known as Cambridge Apartments when it was built in 1969, the complex at 15th Street and Michigan Avenue – now known as Oak Meadows – has changed management hands several times. In the meantime, it has fallen into disrepair.

Its new owner, Landex Corp., Warwick, R.I., bought the company last year in an auction by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD took ownership of the complex in 1978 after the first owner defaulted on repayment of its loan. It had contracted with management firms until HUD auctioned it for private ownership.

“Now that it is a privately owned property with Section 8, I believe people are really going to see changes with this property,” said Sherry McCoure, Oak Meadows manager who recently resigned and whose replacement will begin work this week.

Landex has been renovating the complex and plans to have it open for tenants next spring, said Ms. McCoure. Along with the face lift, steps to change its reputation for attracting troublesome tenants will be part of the new ownership. An intensive Rental Screening that includes landlord references, court checks for previous evictions, credit and criminal histories and in-home visits will be used to thin out problem tenants.

“Because of the bad reputation of Oak Meadows–it has been known for drugs, the police being out, domestic disturbances, that kind of thing–people thought if it was a below-market property, ‘Oh, no, what’s it going to be like when it’s Section 8?’ I think this screening criteria is going to help,” said Ms. McCoure.

When the 138-unit complex was built, it marked the beginning of a new era in apartment living in Joplin.

Departing from the multistory apartment buildings that dominated the local scene until 1969, the Cambridge was a sprawl of 15 buildings with landscaped grounds, off-street parking, a clubhouse and a playground.

The $1.8 million complex was privately developed, but underwritten by the Federal Housing Administration. FHA insured the financing by guaranteeing a low interest rate and long-term loan in exchange for certain rent restrictions.

It asked that rent be set at 10 percent below the general rental market, making it part of HUD’s “below market property” program. Additionally, it was to target middle-income families. Federal housing programs also assist low income families and people over age 62.

Now the complex is among several privately owned Section 8 apartment complexes in the area.

In federal Government Operations housing subcommittee testimony this year, there were Section 8 tenant complaints of roach and rat infestation, water leaks, holes in walls, drug addicts and prostitutes.

But one area HUD official says it is unfair to use these problems to judge all housing under HUD programs. The public housing in the region is some of the best in the nation, the official says.

“If I had to pick anywhere in the country for (subsidized) housing, this would be this place. I’m very proud of our housing here because I’ve seen some of the housing elsewhere,” says Nancy Metzger, chief of management branch-south for Great Plains Region of HUD, Kansas City. “Even Washington HUD is amazed by our housing here because they are used to seeing row after row of tenements.”

The process of getting a mortgage can try your patience and invade your privacy. The trick to making your way smoothly through the mortgage maze is simpler than you might think, though. It’s all in being prepared and knowing what will be expected of you.

“We want buyers to realize that this is a partnership thing,” says J. Michael Fernandez, a vice president at ICM Mortgage Corp. in Tampa. “As long as they work with us, we’ll try to knock down as many hurdles as we can and get them approved quickly.”

Fernandez offers these tips to home buyers warily entering the world of interest rates and discount points.

“The more prepared you come to your first meeting with the lender, the faster the process will go,” Fernandez says.

The loan officer will fill out a prequalifying statement, a checklist of documents he or she needs to evaluate your financial status (see the box for the list.)

During the interview, the lender will ask you for names and addresses of credit references, banks where you maintain accounts and your past addresses (including landlord’s name and address). He or she also will want to see your Social Security number, names and addresses of your employers for the past two years, verification of employment and any other sources of income, such as alimony, child support, interest. (If divorced, bring a copy of your divorce decree and separation agreement.)

“This gives us more or less a two-year history of the person,” Fernandez says, “and we look for anything that might cause problems.”

Remember that the application fee, which can range from $250 to $300, is usually non-refundable. It pays for a credit report and an appraisal of the house. According to Fernandez, the credit report usually costs about $50, and the appraisal runs $200 to $250.

As the lending officer goes over your financial history with you, be as forthright as you can, Fernandez says: “If you’ve had some credit problems in the past, it’s best to let us know up front so we can work it out immediately. Don’t think the bank won’t find out.”

Remember to mention any debts you may have co-signed; even though you may not be making the payments on those loans, you are still liable.

Obviously, the larger the down payment you can make, the smaller your monthly payments will be. Don’t overlook all possible sources of cash.

“A lot of people forget that they’ve got cash equity in a life insurance policy or a pension plan that they can borrow against,” Fernandez says, “or they can cash in stocks and bonds or other assets.”

If a relative or friend has given you a sum toward your down payment, the money needs to be deposited in your account at least 60 days before you apply for the loan. You may also need to produce a verifying “gift letter” from the donor.

Applicants need to have the down payment in the bank (5 to 10 percent of the purchase price usually is required on a conventional, fixed-rate, 30-year loan),plus enough money to cover two months’ mortgage payments.

“That’s just because the bank wants to make sure they haven’t spent their last penny to close on the house,” said Bob Hagan of Custom Financial Group in Tampa.

After going through your financial history, the loan officer will work up a rough estimate of your debt-to-loan ratio; that is, simply, whether you can afford the house.

“The contract tells us who will pay for what (the seller or buyer),” Fernandez says. “Based on that, we give them a good-faith estimate of how much cash they’ll need to close the transaction.”

The lender also will ask you if you want to “lock in” the interest rate for your loan or let it float until a certain deadline, usually 45 or 60 days later. He or she probably will not offer any advice on whether to lock in.

“That really depends on your personal philosophy as to how the market might change,” Fernandez says. If you suspect that interest rates may fall before you close on your house, you may want to wait as long as you can before locking in the rate.

Within three days after your meeting with the lender, he or she will mail you a truth-in-lending statement. This document is a final version of the proposed loan. It tells you the annual percentage rate, which is a combination of the interest rate plus the amount of your mortgage plus your closing costs. This percentage likely will be slightly higher than the current interest rate.

Then you wait, while the bank spends a few weeks checking all your documentation.

“If it’s a conventional loan with 10 percent down, generally we can work that within three weeks,” Fernandez says. “For FHA, it’s longer – you’re looking at anywhere from three to four weeks – and with Arizona VA Loans it takes about a month just to get the appraisal back, so that could take as long as five weeks.”

Finally you will get the long-awaited phone call from a loan officer: Your mortgage has been approved.