How to save money when moving home

Moving house is an expensive business, especially if you are moving up the housing ladder. There is no point in committing yourself to a house move to subsequently discover that you have put yourself in financial difficulty.

The average cost of moving is currently almost £10,000, but by following a few simple tips you can reduce this considerably. 

Please find below a list of costs that you may incur, and tips on how you could potentially reduce them.

Removal Costs 

Removal firms can be very expensive, and there are a huge number of factors affecting the cost of removal.  As a rough guide, you should expect to pay from £500 for a one bedroom flat to £2000 for a five bedroom house.

How can I save?

There are many ways that you can cut down your removal costs:

• De-clutter before you move. There is no point in moving belongings and then discovering that you do not require them at the other end. Have a good rummage around - you may even be able to make some money by selling unwanted CD/DVD collections, books , old clothes or even antiques. 

• Avoid moving on peak days such as bank holidays, the end of the month, and Fridays. If you move on a quieter day you will be in a better negotiating position with the removal firm. 

• Think about hiring a van and moving yourself.  I did this once myself, however, it is extremely hard work!  Make sure you factor in the cost of your time, petrol, stress, and unforeseen hassles. 

• Shop around for quotes, and get at least three.  Websites such as helpiammoving.com and reallymoving.com are excellent.  Be wary of anyone giving rough estimates over the telephone.  Until an expert estimator sees your property there is no way of factoring everything in. 

• Choose a firm that is a member of the British Association of Removers who therefore abide by its strict code of practice.

Mortgages 

A lot of people will look no further than their bank for a mortgage when buying a property. Whilst it still makes sense to speak to your bank for mortgage advice, you should also shop around.

A whole market mortgage advisor will have access to every mortgage product available and will be able to recommend the best (and cheapest) mortgage to fit your individual circumstances. It is still worth checking with the lender directly, however, as sometimes they offer lower rates when a broker is involved.
  
Stamp Duty 

This is a tax on buying property that will depend upon your purchase price. Stamp duty thresholds are as follows:
Up to £125,000 - Zero
£125,001 to £250,000 - 1%
£250,001 to £500,000 - 3%
£500,001 to £1,000,000 - 4%
£1,000,001 to £2,000,000 - 5%
£2,000,001 plus - 7%

How can I save?

Unfortunately, stamp duty is a tax payable to the government so there is no escape from paying it. However, if you are looking for property that is priced close to a stamp duty threshold, you should be aware of the tax brackets. For example, you will save £5000 if you agree a price at £250k rather than £251k.

Another factor worth considering is that in areas designated by the government as “disadvantaged”, there is no stamp duty to be paid on properties sold for £150,000 or less.
The loophole that used to allow people to reduce their stamp duty bill by paying over the odds for fixtures and fittings has now been closed.
 

Legal Fees 

When buying a property, expect solicitors’ fees to be around £400 - £1000. You will also need to pay £200 in search fees and a land registration fee of between £70 and £500.
If you are selling a property as well, add on another £300 to £700.

How can I save?

We liaise with solicitors’ firms on a daily basis and have found that cheap can actually work out to be more expensive!  A lot of the cheaper solicitors will hide certain charges that are not included in their initial quotes. We also find that cheap solicitors have extremely high workloads and can, therefore, be slow and difficult to get hold of.  This can cause complications, delays, and even on occasion has caused a sale to fall through.

Be wary of internet based solicitors - it is much better if you are able to deliver and collect important legal documents by hand to a local practice.

It is best to use law firms recommended by friends or colleagues, and concentrate on service and quality. We always recommend to get three quotes, and don’t be afraid to haggle the price. You will be amazed by the discounts you can negotiate.

Alternatively click here to use our conveyancing quote engine.
  

Estate Agents’ Fees 

Estate agents fees’ can vary hugely from as little as £195+VAT for an online estate agent to up to 3% for a corporate high street estate agent.

How can I save?

The biggest saving that you can make with estate agency fees is to employ an online estate agent that will typically charge between £195 - £395. Most online estate agents will advertise on all of the major property portals such as RightMove and Zoopla and offer the same service as a high street agent that charges much more. The only major difference is that you would need to accompany your own viewings, so as long as you have the time and confidence you will save on average £4000 in fees.

If you decide to employ a high street estate agent, you should arrange for at least three valuations.  Most estate agents are willing to negotiate on their fee rather than lose business to competitors, so get your haggling head on! Selling your property is a lengthy process so choose an agent that you feel comfortable working alongside, rather than the pushiest one!

QUOTE "MAILCHIMP" TO RECEIVE A 10% REDUCTION IN ESTATE AGENCY FEES IN AUGUST (Including our £195+VAT Rightmove and Zoopla option).

At turtlehomes.co.uk online estate agents, we use a common sense approach to save our vendors thousands of pounds in estate agency fees whilst still providing a five star service.  If you would like to find out more about our online selling options, please do not hesitate to contact us on (01452) 726421.

Find A Tenant Online For Free

Find a tenant for your property online for free!

turtlehomes.co.uk online letting agents have identified a gap in the market for private landlords looking to find quality tenants online.


Rent your property for free



As you are probably aware, there is currently a shortage of rental property in the UK. Regular headlines indicate that rental values are on the increase as people opt to rent rather then buy. Certainly from our recent experience, every property that we market for rent we have had immediate success.

With our job in finding tenants so easy, we asked ourselves why should we charge for this service. We were unable to come up with an answer!

Private Landlords



If you are a private Landlords we will offer the following service for FREE!

• List your property on all of the UK's top property websites including rightmove, primelocation, zoopla and many more...........



• Arrange viewing appointments for you to meet prospective tenants at your property.



• Rigorous reference and credit search of prospective tenants



• Use of our Tenancy Agreement template.

Please note that the renting of property is governed by very strict legislation. If you require further advice with regards to landlords obligations or would like your property managed we would be more than happy to put you in touch will a local reputable ARLA registered Property Management Company. Otherwise feel free to browse the resources section of our website.

How to sell your house

Selling a house can be one of life’s stressful events, especially if you are also buying a house and you want to sell your property fast. This guide will aim to simplify the process step by step. However, more in-depth walkthrough can be found within our guide on how to sell a house online.

1. Preparing your property

First impressions count for everything when it comes selling a property, so it is vital that your house looks at its best for potential buyers. You will need to maintain the condition from the moment you get valuations until an offer has been accepted.

The external view is the is the first impression to ensure that the gardens are tidy, window frames and doors have a fresh lick of paint and rubbish and rubbish bins are out of site.

Inside the property, create more space by moving some furniture into storage, remove clutter and non-essential items. Make any minor repairs that are necessary and clean thoroughly from top to bottom. Include eradicating unpleasant smells and even decorate rooms if necessary.

2. What Price to Ask?

When valuing a property there are three things to bear in mind:

• The property valuation is simply an estimation of what somebody else might pay for it.




• This does not necessarily bear any relation to how much you paid for it, how much money you’ve spent on it since, and how much you need out of the sale.




• Getting the price wrong can damage your chances of a sale.

The most common method of property valuation is by using comparables; you should be able to gain a rough idea by looking a local papers, property websites and similar properties in the area. Also it is normal practice for a potential buyer to offer a lower price than the asking price, so you will need to allow for an element of negotiating.

However, don’t get greedy, if you price yourself out of the market you will not receive any interest!

3. Marketing

Have a think about how you wish to market your property. Nowadays there are three options available:

• Sell it yourself




• Online Estate Agent – from £299+VAT




• Traditional Estate Agent – 1.5% – 2% of the asking price.

The main thing to consider is that more than 90% of house hunters search online. You need to ensure that you are listed on the top property websites in the UK. The most economical way to do this is by using an online estate agent.

4. Energy Performance Certificate

EPCs are required by law; you won’t be able to market or sell you property without one. The Energy Performance Certificate consists of two multi-coloured graphs:

• The energy efficiency rating is a measure of the overall efficiency of a home. The higher the rating, the more energy efficient the home is and the lower the fuel bills will be.




• The environmental impact rating is a measure of a home’s impact on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The higher the rating, the less impact it has on the environment.

5. Property Viewings

The best person to sell your house is the one that knows it the best – you! Be obliging and flexible when it comes to meeting your buyers. Don’t turn down a great opportunity.

During the viewing remember that the viewer could be the person that buys your house. Try and create a good working relationship from the outset. Offer them a drink but don’t be over-friendly, you don’t want the visitor to think that you are desperate to sell the house.

Make sure that you have as much information to hand as possible.

6. Negotiating

Your own circumstances will play a major role in the negotiation process for the sale of your property. There are several things to consider:

• How much pressure are you under to sell




• How much demand do you have for your property

Your estate agent will be acting on your behalf to achieve the highest price for your property. Ensure you discuss and create a strategy for dealing with offers.

7. Legal Process

Once you have accepted an offer you will need to ensure that your finance is arranged for your onward purchase and instruct a solicitor to start the legal process.

Win an ipad2

turtlehomes.co.uk competition!

Become a fan of the UKs cheapest online estate agency turtlehomes.co.uk on facebook to be in with a chance of winning an ipad 2.

http://www.facebook/onlineestateagents

To be in with a chance simply "like" turtlehomes and write on our wall:

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How to set your home online

How to ensure that your property sells online.

Nowadays, almost anyone that is looking to buy a property will firstly browse the internet. It is therefore vitally important that your estate agent will advertise your home on as many of the major property websites as possible.

Once listed the secret is ensure that your property stands out from the crowd, and potential viewers actually click on your listing to find out more information. Once there, if they like what they see, and the description matches your criteria then you have a better chance of gaining a viewing.

So how can you ensure that your property is clicked on rather than somebody elses?

Price

You need to ensure that the price is achievable. There is no point trying to ask for too much money, you simply won’t generate any viewings. Ask your agent to provide you with a “Best Price Guide” so you can gauge whether your asking price is competitive. If it isn’t then potential buyers will simply bypass your listing for one that is.

Presentation

Your property needs to be presented in the best possible light and this needs to be communicated with photographs to potential purchasers. Ensure that before your estate agent visits that your home is immaculately clean and tidy, not only inside but also externally. You are planning to move house anyway, so ensure that all clutter and oversized furniture are removed. Its all about first impressions, if the photographs look appealing the click-through rate will increase.

Property Listing

Ensure that your property is listed on the top property websites, if it isn’t you will be missing out on potential hits. The cheapest way to do this will be to employ an online estate agent.

Summary

Get your price right, get the presentation right, list your property where it will gain the most exposure.

Win an ipad2

A big THANK YOU to all of our supporters... we've just crossed the 1,000 followers mark on our Twitter account! If you aren't following, be sure to follow us on Twitter for all of our latest property instructions and for the chance to earn yourself £50. We are proud to be the cheapest online estate agency in the UK and thanks to the extra coverage we get from our social media channels we plan on remaining that way.

To celebrate we will be giving the opportunity for one of our facebook fans to win an ipad2 in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to our facebook and twitter account in the coming weeks to find out how!!