I have shipped to homes many times without a problem. The only problems have been with apartments when the drivers leave it at the wrong number. I mark the signature required but they still just leave the package.

If the weather is going to be very hot you will want to use a cool pack. No heat packs at this time of year.
The boxes from petstores are usually pretty well beaten up but I did ship a pair of bloods one time by putting them in bags inside those boxes and then putting those boxes in a new one with packing peanuts around it.
Depending upon the size of the snake, the little Glad disposable food containers work great. Melt air holes around it with a soldering iron and you're all set. For larger snakes, use a bag and newspaper or packing peanuts around it.
You can get the boxes, bags, heat/cold packs, basically everything you need from this place.
http://www.superiorenterprise.com/

Just keep in mind that Fed Ex charges dimensional weight when estimating shipping. The 7x7x6 box will be billed at 2 pounds and the 12x9x6 box will be billed at 4 pounds no matter what it really weighs.

The first time is nerveracking but it gets easier the more you ship.......................Oh who am I kidding. It's always nerveracking shipping an animal.