It can be very easy to get overwhelmed when you sit down and think about the costs involved with moving house. It’s often said that moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do – not least because of the cost!
However, whilst it’s daunting, we would always recommend doing the maths and working out your costs in advance, so that you’re fully prepared and don’t find yourself running out of budget.
After all, if you work out the ‘worst case scenario’ then anything less than that will be a bonus!
What costs are involved?
When moving house, there are some costs you simply can’t avoid and you have to factor these into your budget.
These sorts of things include:
- Stamp duty – unless your property is less than £250,000, or if you’re a first time buyer purchasing a property that’s less than £425,000, you will be eligible to pay stamp duty. The amount you pay depends on when you bought the property, how much you paid for it and whether you’re eligible for relief or an exemption.
- Survey/valuation of your new property – these can cost up to £1,500 depending on the level of survey you choose and the property price.
- Estate agent fees – these typically range from 1% to 3.5% of your home’s sale price. This can be done cheaper with online estate agents, but it’s always worth doing your research and making sure you’re getting value for money.
- Solicitor fees – these vary depending on which firm you choose to use, but can be anything from £500.
These are just the main costs associated with moving house, so when you’re working out your total costs make sure to include all the other bits and pieces too.
This can include things like cleaning your old property before moving out, mortgage advisors, insurance and of course – removals!
Investing in your removals
When it comes to moving your furniture and other possessions into your new home, you want to make sure they will be packed properly, looked after in transit and that you can get them in as quickly as possible.
When you’ve already spent a lot of money on the things listed above, it can be tempting to save some money by opting for the cheapest deal to move your belongings. But the question is, what value do you place on them?
For the sake of a few hundred pounds, we’d recommend thinking twice about using an unregulated, uninsured ‘man with a van’. If your house contents are worth between £20,000 and £50,000, do you really want to risk damaging them and having to repair or replace them – when you’ve already spent thousands on moving costs?
And it’s not just costs, it’s also peace of mind. On move day, you will already have a LOT on your plate, so it’s not worth having to worry about your belongings getting damaged too.
Moving all your worldly possessions from one place to another is hard work, so it needs a team of people who are experienced, professional and have the right tools for the job.
With 70 years of moving heritage, we fit this description perfectly and are a family-owned removals firm you can count on – no matter where you’re moving to.
To discover the value of a professional removals firm, contact our team today for a free, no obligation quote.