Moving Home? – Take Control

Buying or selling your home has always been said to be one of the more stressful things you are likely to do in your life. There are more traps and technical issues to consider now than ever before. Try these top tips for making it easy and pain-free from a residential conveyancer. 

Timing can be everything. The market for homes has always traditionally been most active in spring (March/April) and Autumn (September/October). Demand has been greatest then and house prices most buoyant. If you can, promote your sale then. If you are a Buyer with no related sale perhaps you will be able to do a deal at other times

Choose the people to help you with care. Talk to family, friends and neighbours who may have moved recently. Listen to their experiences and advice as to who has helped them best. Local estate agents, mortgage advisers, surveyors, removers, conveyancers or others, can give you the best service – meeting with you face to face and sharing the benefit of their local knowledge.   

Plan your budget in detail. Get written estimates for all the costs you will incur. Make sure there are no hidden fees and remember – the lowest fees and the biggest promises, don’t necessarily deliver the attention you deserve or the proper sale price for your property. Write down your budget figures and be realistic about what your home is really worth (if you are selling), what you can really afford to spend (if you are buying), and borrow (if you need a mortgage). Allow contingencies and bear in mind that many projects exceed their original budget.

Prepare and do as much as you can in advance. Listen to advice from the people you choose to help you. Give your estate agent, mortgage adviser and conveyancer all the information and copy documents they ask for as soon as you can – make sure they are complete and that copy documents are clear to read. They will know current practice and tell you what other preparations you can make that will help. 

Be realistic about time scales. Make sure you discuss with everybody involved what they can achieve and review those expectations as time goes by and your plans are realised. Beware the “cash buyer” and the individual in rented accommodation who can “move any time”. Talk to your estate agent and conveyancer to help assess how genuine such claims may be. 

Most important, keep a notebook. Be clear with your advisers at each stage what they will be doing next, when you can expect to hear from them again and what you can do to help the process along. Moving home involves many arrangements, and can be frustrating. Be as organised as you can and insist the local experts you choose give you clear guidance to help you deal with things. If you follow these tips you may wonder why it has ever been said that buying or selling a home is stressful!

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