Estate Agents
Moving home is one of the most stressful things that we go through, and one of the most expensive.
Whilst moving home will always be expensive, here are a few ways in which you could save money. With some planning you can cut hundreds or even thousands of pounds off the bill.

One of the biggest costs associated with moving home is estate agent fees. A typical fee you can expect to be charged will be in excess of 1.5% of your sale price, plus VAT, this will often be higher if you use more than one agent to market your property. Before committing to an agent do a bit of research about commission levels. Some agents may offer free HIPs (Home Information Packs) but the cost is likely to be offset by higher commission, so double check as to whether you are actually saving.

One way to get away from these fees is to sell your property online there are a number of sites that charge no commission like houseladder.co.uk, others charge as little as £9.99. Do some research.

Mortgage
The best mortgage deal is not necessarily the one with the lowest rate. Getting the best mortgage deal is an easy way to cut costs when moving. Check out our article The guide to a better mortgage - Part 1.

At the time this article was written the Bank of England base rates are 5.25 %. It is believed that a cut in interest rates in order to mitigate the effects of the global credit crunch and the threat of recession from the US is imminent. Inflation is running at 2.5%, half a percentage point higher than the Bank’s inflationary target of 2%.

One way you could save is to consider timing your move with the expiration of your current mortgage deal. If you move while still tied in, you may have to pay an exit penalty to redeem your mortgage.

Solicitor Fees
Solicitor fees for selling and buying can escalate to over £1,000. But there are cheaper deals to be found on the internet. Be aware though that the cheapest firms usually take on more business than they can manage, and may be slow and inefficient.

The best way to find a reliable solicitor is to get a recommendation from someone you know. But if you can’t get a recommendation then do your own research, one way to save is choose a solicitor from outside of the South-east as it will be cheaper, however doing all your paperwork by post could take longer, and means you can’t pop in to the office to sign a document if you need to.
One tip when choosing a solicitor is go to the office if you hear the phone ringing constantly it’s a sign that one day that could be you.

Stamp Duty
Stamp duty is usually the biggest single cost of moving, and if you’re buying an expensive property, the bill can run into tens of thousands of pounds. One piece of advice that could save you is if you’re looking to buy a property valued at around any of the stamp duty thresholds of £125,000, £250,000 or £500,000 - you could save thousands in tax by buying a slightly cheaper property, or negotiate the price down.

When a property jumps up to £250,000 the rate jumps from 1 to 3 %. This means you will end up paying £5,000 more in tax, simply because you bought a house for £251,000 as opposed to £249,000.
The next jump at £500,000 is where the rate goes up from 3 to 4 %. But if you’re spending that much on a house, then the extra few thousand pounds may not be so much in the grand scheme of things.
Stamp duty is not payable on properties under £125,000 - although there are increasingly less properties in this price bracket. Particularly in London where fewer properties are below this level making it difficult for first time buyers to avoid the tax.

Since the government came in power in 1997 they have made £31.5 billion in stamp duty revenue. This is why there are calls for them to raise the stamp duty bottom threshold to £200,000.

Survey
A basic survey will cost you around £250, a full structural survey can cost upwards of £600. If money is an issue, and your property is new, you could probably get away with just the basic survey.
You may be able to find the right mortgage provider that will offer this for free, or give cash-back for a basic survey. If the property is older, it’s essential to get the full survey done. Which, could save you money in the long run.

Moving Day
If you use a removal company to pack and move your possessions this could cost in excess of £500. You can save money by packing and moving yourself. Hiring a van for the day would be a much cheaper option. If you do use a removal company, again as with anything research the firm that gives the best value for money.

Changing Address
One of the most tedious things about moving is letting the numerous companies that you deal with know your change of address, forgetting to do this could cost you money. MoveMe will email all the companies you deal with in one go. A fantastic service as forgetting to change your address with credit card and utility companies means you won’t get your bills and could result in late fees.

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1. Latest UK Property News
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3. Home Loans
4. Financing a Property Development
5. Planning Permission for your house