Moving home is an exciting time, and we want to help you to ensure that it is also a seamless process. Here, we talk you through the 4 steps that you will need to go through in order to make a move to your next home.
Seek advice from your mortgage lender
It is worth making your mortgage lender your first port of call when you are thinking of moving house.
Your lender will be able to advise you on how much you will be able to borrow, give you the details of how much that will cost you each month and whether your existing mortgage is portable.
Armed with all of the relevant numbers, you can move on with your plans.
Get your own home on the market
The next thing that you will need to do is get your own home on the market.
Call a couple of local estate agents to come round and give you a valuation, along with their own quote and terms and conditions. You can then choose which one you would like to have marketing your home for you.
Get your home on the market and be prepared to keep on cleaning and tidying it for those viewings. Do share with potential buyers any strong points of either the property or the location.
Once you have received an offer that you are happy with, you can take it off the market and start your own house hunt.
Choose your next home
You can now start your own property hunt.
The reasons for your move are likely to drive your selections here. Perhaps you need to be in a certain school catchment, maybe you need off road parking, perhaps you want a more energy efficient home or you would like an extra bedroom. Factor these essentials into your search and then think about anything else that is important for you to have in your new home. You can use this list to filter all possibilities on property search websites and also share it with estate agents in your search area so that they can make you aware of the homes that they have on their books that meet your criteria.
Take the time to view several potential homes and take a trusted friend with you where possible for a second opinion.
When you are confident that you have found the right place for you, make a reasonable offer and be prepared to negotiate to agree on the right price for both you and the vendor.
Get the admin in order
As soon as you have offered on a house you need to start getting your admin in order.
Give your mortgage lender a call and make a mortgage application with them. Then you will need to choose and instruct solicitors to act on your behalf for both the sale and purchase and start carrying out the relevant searches.