Congratulations on your move. As for the removals it really depends on how much work you want to do and how much money you want to spend. If you have a lot of stuff you'll need a bigger van and someone qualified to drive it or make a couple of trips which will be tricky to tie in with the other people moving in/out. I've done both but When we did it ourselves i had someone with removals experience who could drive a very big van and who knew how to pack it. Unless money is really an issue then I'd go with the professionals they know what they are doing, get it done quickly and efficiently and have the insurance if anything does go wrong or something gets damaged. As for timing we were initially told lunchtime on our last move but as it turned out we 'sold' at about 10.30 but didn't 'buy' till 1.00. You should be able to get packed up and clean as you go by lunchtime which I think is what most people aim for. I have no idea what the law says but i doubt your buyers would be waiting outside with their van if it did go through at 10am. If you are worried get in contact with both parties through the estate agents and make an agreement that ( provided all is completed) you will all be out by 1pm. You have to remember you need enough of the day left unpack the other end and that always takes longer.