Think ... then stop and think again.
Buying and selling your home is one of the
most expensive and stressful things people do in their lives. Its up there with
death, divorce and Christmas on stress and cost. It may go wonderfully - you find
the house of your dreams, your offer is accepted, you get the mortgage you need
easily and the move happens without a hitch, but STILL it'll be expensive and
stressful! If things go badly….well, let's just try to make sure they don't.
At a conservative estimate, buying and selling your house will
cost at least 5% of the property price and
typically takes around three months to complete. Consider your options if you don't
move - can you fix the reasons you need to move without moving?
So, before you rush into anything it is worth trying to list why you want to move and
then to examine each of those reasons one by one. Here is a completely subjective and
biased view of reasons to buy and sell:
Good reasons to move |
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Bad reasons to move |
We need a bigger house |
Once the 3rd kid arrives, the batchelor pad in the centre of town,
which seemed so convenient for the night clubs, may seem a little
cramped.
However, all is not lost. There are lots of things you can do with
your current home (although many do involve builders). See
below for ways round the problem of not enough space |
Over the past fifty years or so property has been a great investment -
but so has the stock market. Shares have the advantages that you can trade
them whenever you want and much more cheaply than a house. Also, when you
move your portfolio you don't have to shift it round in a large truck.
For a very cogent discussion about the finances of owning a house,
take a look at The Motley Fool |
We need to get on the 'Housing Ladder' |
We don't want to live together |
If you really don't want to be with each other, somebody's
got to move out. Do some careful sums on the finance side to
decide what's the best option. If you can avoid divorcing at
the same time as dealing with property, it'll help. |
You're 2 people with 2 homes - and you want to be 2
people with one home. So sell one and move into the other -
then have another look at this list. You'll probably still
want to move but at least you will have thought about it a
bit more |
We want to live together |
My work is moving |
If you're being moved for work, you'll need to decide if you want to go.
If its only for a few years, it may make sense to rent out your existing
property. Alternatively, if you like where you live and you've got
transferable skills - tell them to take a hike and get a new job! |
This demonstrates that you are a normal person. It does not
demonstrate that you need to buy or sell your property.
Before you look for home moving services, look at the
Relate website
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We've had a huge row and I want separate houses |
I want my kids to go to a decent school |
Two things to check with this point:
- Is the school that you want really that much better than the
alternatives. To check, have a look at the
DfEE's website
or the acclaimed Schools Net. Coming soon, our
Find the Right area facility.
- Can you be sure that you child will get into your preferred
school. It really would be a shame if you went to all the
trouble of moving and then found out that you weren't in the
right catchment area.
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Well, change it then.
If all it needs is a lick of paint here and a dado rail there, see
below for info on DIY interiors, getting
an interior designer in or some hints to consider
before calling in the decorators |
I don't like the décor |
So, a few changes are in order. Here are some options
Why not extend your existing home? It will probably add value
to your house (but usually not as much as the cost of having
it done).
This may be as simple as adding a conservatory or it
may be something more complex like building over the garage on
the side of the house. Check here for an online list of
builders
or
architects
who might be able to help
Convert
If adding a new room or two is a bit drastic, have you considered
converting your loft or knocking through the lounge and dining room
into a single bigger room? Again, consider a local
builder
or
architect
before attempting this sort of work yourself - some things, such as converting
your loft, are not as straight forward as they might appear and there may be complex
building and planning regulations that apply.
Redecorate
Lets face it - everyone gets bored of the same four walls after enough time.
There are four main ways round the problem:
- Move to somewhere new
A bit drastic - there must be cheaper ways than this
- Do It Yourself
Check out this
online Do It Yourself warehouse
that will even deliver
- Get the decorators in
First you will need to choose one. Here is an
online list of decorators
- Instruct the Interior Designers
Lets do it in style; call in someone who knows what will look
good and what won't. Getting interior designers in may work out
cheaper in the long run if what you think looks good often ends up
looking like a teenager redecorated on one of his off days. Check out this
online interior designer company
who will help sort you out
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