We’ve been considering the idea of moving house for a while and then put it on the back burner with plans to become mortgage-free and retire early. Sometimes though things change in life and we have come to the decision that we may look to move in the near future.
We will still be sticking with our plan to retire early and still be overpaying our mortgage, we will just be doing it from a different location. Life has not been that kind lately and it has made us realise that life is too short. Yes we would like to retire early and we still plan to do so, however, we want to appreciate our surroundings more too and doing that as soon as possible is in our plans.
With the plan of moving house coming sooner rather than later, it has got me thinking about saving for the costs of moving. We moved into this house almost 14 years ago and a lot has changed since then. I would like to be more prepared for our move this time around and have money in the bank to pay for all the outgoings that will be coming up. If you are considering making a move, here are some costs of moving house that you will need to consider.
6 Costs to consider when moving house
Stamp duty –
I hate having to pay this much money out but there is no way out of this one. You will pay the following amounts when you purchase a house:
Estate agent fees –
As we have a house to sell, we will have to pay Estate agent fees. This will vary depending on who we go to, however, when we get there I will do a little research into those who have sold in our area and rates etc. There are ways to save money on estate agent fees as this post explains, don’t go head first into it all before you have given that post a read.
Valuation and surveys –
With the value of our next home likely to be significantly more than this home, we will be ensuring all surveys are done including the home and surrounding area ones. We plan to move to a countryside location and I don’t want to move to find that a year later new homes are being built over the view of the countryside. It is another expense to go on the list, but a very important one.
Removal fees –
When we moved here, we didn’t have many items having come from a rental property to this house. Fast forward 14 years and we have 2 kids and a dog to move with us. Moving home is difficult as it is at times before you add these in. So I am hoping to save enough to have a company come in, pack up our home and move it to our new home.
Where we live currently, there is a long way up and down to our home so any help getting it packed up will be helpful!
Legal fees –
More fee’s on top for all the legal technicalities to be completed.
To be honest, as much as I hate paying them, it makes me feel better knowing a solicitor is on the case with all the legal paperwork to do with moving.
Redirection of mail –
This is such a great service, last time we moved I paid for this service to ensure I received mail that I had forgotten to change the address on. It is not very much in the grand scheme of things but it is a helpful one. It is also good for your peace of mind to know that your mail is being redirected and not being picked up by someone else.
It is estimated the average cost of moving to the UK is about £8,500. This is a lot of money on top of your deposit and mortgage. For us, the next 12-18 months are going to be about keeping our head down, staying focused and smashing through the mortgage and debts to free up as much cash as we can towards the move.
I would like to be moved in the next 2 years if possible, it is a big ask but something that I think will bring us all a little bit of space and much-needed peace.
