The prospect of moving into a new, possibly bigger and definitely dreamier, home is undoubtedly exciting. But before your new home is in reach you'll need to sell the old place – and that can come with various stresses and strains.
Thankfully, Bramleys estate agents – who has been selling and letting homes in Kirklees and Calderdale for nearly 60 years – has shared its top ten tips for moving...
Do your research
Before you decide to move house you need to figure out the logistics. It sounds obvious, but researching your surrounding area is a little bit like trying before you buy on your new house. What type of home do you want? Will there be a long commute? Are you after a good school district? It also helps to imagine you're planning a summer holiday – what's nearby in terms of amenities and attractions?
Think about the finance
Amazingly there are still plenty of people who – despite tighter lending controls, Brexit and other factors – don’t look at their finances before deciding to move. Being self-employed, on benefits, and having loans all affect your credit rating and how lenders view you as a risk.
Speaking face-to-face with an expert mortgage advisor, who can search for the best deal and also confirm how much you can borrow, is definitely your first step when buying. Expert advisors, such as those offered by Bramleys, save you time, money and potentially a whole load of disappointment, while giving you piece of mind.
Find the right agent for you
Now's the time to get chatting to a few agents – it's brilliant to have a good relationship with your estate agent whether you're buying or selling as you'll be working with them for some months, you need to trust them to do their job. First off, have a look around your local area and ask yourself, who's got the most sold boards and who are you aware of as a brand?
Secondly, don't be afraid to ask them questions, no matter how silly you think it sounds. How long have they been in business? What are their staff like? Will they accompany viewings? Have they got comparable evidence on similar properties to yours? How does their after-sales process work?
Get what you really want
You’ve done your research, you’ve got your wish list. Go after your heart's desire, after all it’s your home and your hard-earned cash. Don't take too long to make decisions – if it's a good property that ticks the boxes for you, it's likely to do the same for others, so make sure you beat them to it.Your estate agent should have extensive experience and will likely know what's coming onto the market way before it hits the websites – utilise this knowledge!
Be realistic with your expectations
When it comes to upgrading your home, you'll need to equate what you want to buy with what you have to spend, and how much your current home is worth. If everything you view in your price is two-bedroom when you're after three bedrooms, then you know you're looking for the impossible and may have to make compromise elsewhere.
It's much better to be honest with yourself from the start and push for the best you can do, within your boundaries and the property market in that area.
And finally, don’t give up
There will definitely be times when you'll wonder if it’s worth it. You might struggle to find the dream house, your sale might fall through, or you might go into rented accommodation while you wait for the right home. But if you've followed these tips and are working with the right agent – Bramleys is confident you'll be carrying boxes into your new home in no time.
For more information visit bramleys.com
