It will come as no surprise to anyone in the process of moving house that it can be an expensive business. A Which! report has found that the cost to the average house mover in 2018 is £12,000 – a rise of nearly £500 on last year.
Eastbourne readers can take some solace in the fact that this average price includes London costs. City-dwellers have to spend an eye-watering £33,000 for a move – a cost made up in large part by stamp-duty fees on the sky-high prices in the capital.
Nevertheless, with solicitor and estate agent fees on the rise, there’s good reason for keeping costs low when you are moving house in Eastbourne and there are a number of things that homeowners can do to reduce the cost of moving house.
How Do I Reduce The Cost of Moving House?
Unless you are planning on moving to Northern Ireland, where the cost of moving house is just £6,000, you should take a look at who you need to pay when moving house, and how you can make some savings:
How Much Stamp Duty Will I Pay?
If you are a first time buyer then you currently qualify for zero rated stamp-duty on properties bought for less than £300,000. For others, there is no stamp duty to pay for properties up to £125,000, 2% for the next bracket up to £250,000 and 5% up to £925,000.
Second homes or buy-to-let properties now attract supplementary rates.
There are a few things that you can do to reduce your stamp-duty obligations, but they are few and far between. Knight Frank have a useful calculator and some advice on how to minimise stamp-duty.
How Much is an Estate Agent?
You’re generally looking at 1-2% of your sale price for estate agency costs, and there are some things that you can do here to make a saving. With the growth of online search engines like RightMove and Zoopla, there is less value in an estate agent having an expensive window in the high street. It is worth looking around for deals with smaller or neighbourhood agencies who may pass some of their running cost savings on to you. Make sure your agent knows the local market though – that way you’ll get the best value for what you spend.
You should also have a think about the service that you need from your agency. Are you, for example, happy to show prospective buyers around your house yourself, rather than have an agent do it? PurpleBricks have done some great business in the last couple of years with a more à la carte approach to selling houses and could save you some money for very little effort.
How Much Will Conveyancing Cost?
You obviously need to make sure that your on safe ground legally when you are moving house and your solicitor is there to make sure that everything is done properly. People’s experience with solicitors does vary, however, and it is well worth asking around your friends to stories both good and bad. You want a solicitor who communicates clearly and consistently with you, rather than leaving you in the dark. Prices can vary, so it is worth shopping around for the right balance. Expect to spend in the region of £1,300 on the legals.
How Can I Save Money On a Survey When Buying a House?
There are some options for making savings here, and it is down to both the type of property that you are buying and your appetite for risk. Your lender may also have some thoughts on what type of survey you should pay for when buying a new property. Is the property new or old? Is there clear benefit in getting a full structural survey done on an older property – it could save you money down the line and could also act as a bargaining chip with the seller. However, if it is a new-build property then you might want to consider just getting a snagging report commissioned.
You should be budgeting somewhere between £600 and £900 for the survey on most properties in the £250-£350K budget, and costs will vary depending on the type of survey you go for. Shop around too as prices will vary, and consider asking your builder to look into any red or amber lights that are brought up.
Have a Clear Out!
Moving home presents you with a golden opportunity to have a clear-out. Not only can you reduce the amount of stuff that you need to transport from A to B, but you may be able to make a little money in the process. eBay has long since been a great place to sell your unwanted things, and Facebook Marketplace offers a terrific opportunity to connect with local buyers who can take things off your hands without you having to package them up.
Should I Just Go With The Cheapest Removals Company?
Here are Eastbourne Removals we know that moving home is an expensive business. We work hard to keep our prices competitive and have a number of services that you can select from to build the right moving package for you. We can offer a budget “Man and Van” service for smaller moves, or a full service removals service including packing and storage if necessary. The days of a one-size-fits-all service are thankfully over.
When selecting your removals company, you want to make sure that they are taking some of the stress of moving off your shoulders. They say that moving house is the third most stressful thing that you can do, so you need a company that you can trust to move all of your worldly possessions from A to B. The last thing you want is your removals team carrying the boxes out whilst wearing spurs and a stetson!
We believe that our range of services and pricing strike the right balance between a high-quality removals service and the cheapest possible quote. Contact us today for an online quote or give us a ring on 01323 416676. Our experienced team will work with you to understand what kind of services you need and put together a really competitive quote.
Conclusion
As with all things, when putting your moving team together you should think about what you want to get out of the service – are there things that you can do yourself that would traditionally have been done by someone that you buy in, for example? Above all though, you want to make sure that you are getting good value for money, with each of the companies that you instruct taking a little bit of stress away from you, not piling it on your shoulders. Talk to friends about their experiences and see what other people say about the companies that you instruct.
