How much does it cost to move house?
Ask people how much does it cost to move house, and many of them will cite Solicitors fees, mortgage deposits, estate agent and search fees plus the cost of a survey and stamp duty. On top of these costs there could be transaction costs and finders fees depending on how a person is financing the purchase of a property and it cannot be denied that these costs can add up to a considerable amount.
Solicitors fees
These can vary, but on average solicitor fees range between £500 – £1,500. Sensible people will instruct their solicitor to undertake local search to ensure that the property they intend to move into is not under threat of being bulldozed down for a road or any other development. These searches could cost anything from upwards of £200.
Estate agent fees
Estate agents fees are only paid by the seller and can vary between 1 – 3 % of the sale price plus VAT, currently at 20%.
Stamp duty
Stamp duty only comes into play if a property being purchased exceeds £125,000 and this will obviously be taken into account in the overall cost of the purchase.
However this will change for people in Scotland in April of 2015. It will be called the Land and Building Transaction Tax, and will affect properties of £145,000 and over.
More information on Stamp Duty
Surveys
Most lenders will insist on the purchaser has the house surveyed. This benefits both parties, as it will ensure that the house is structurally safe and sound…
The cost of a survey varies from £150 to £1000+ dependant on the kind of survey you wish to have carried out.
All of the costs mentioned above take into account the buying and selling of a property when deciding to move home.
However there are some people who may be moving house and will incur few or none of the above costs.
Moving house can be cheap
If someone has been lucky enough to inherit a house, and this lucky person and his or her family is living in a rented property .They have no property to sell or buy, so will have no need of the services of an estate agent or a solicitors conveyancing fees, or any financial transaction charges, so a few hefty costs have been eliminated straight away.
However there are still costs attached to moving to another house.
It would be prudent to have the gift house surveyed to ensure that is structurally sound and safe to move into. The cost of a survey could cost between £250 to £1000+ again dependant on the survey carried out.
Then there is the actual moving cost.
How much does it cost to move house?
If there is only a limited amount of furniture to be moved, some people would be happy to undertake the move themselves. So the only cost incurred will be the hire of a small van for a day.
Prices for this can vary, but on average a cost of about £150 could be expected.
However, if there is a large amount of furniture involved, then the services of a professional removal company would be required.
Again costs for these services vary and depend on amount of furniture that need to be moved, and the distance between the moves, but costs will vary between £600 to £1500 or more.
No simple answer
So the question “How much does it cost to move house” has several answers.
If there is selling and buying property involved, then the cost could run into several thousands of pounds.
However, a move that doesn’t involve property purchases and sales could cost between a couple of hundred pounds and two thousand pounds.
Moving house is relatively cheap; it is buying a house and moving into it that can be expensive.
If you would like a more detailed costing for your exact situation please call us on 01425 489333 or contact us here and one of our local property experts can assist with how much does it cost to move house.
