MOVING house is, as everyone knows, an expensive business.
There’s the cost of the new home, the taxes, the agents’ fees, the removal men, the decorating and the new furniture. It all adds up.
But there’s also some costs that come as a bit of a surprise to some. Housebuilder David Wilson Homes has asked homeowners in Berkshire about the bills that they weren’t expecting.
The survey found residents deem estate agent fees as the most unexpected cost, with Stamp Duty being an unknown prior to the purchase of the home.
As such, David Wilson Homes wants to help people, and says it is to offer a number of incentives to help keep costs down.
In the survey, 40% of homebuyers in Berkshire placed estate agent fees as a cost which they didn’t expect to pay.
To get round this, David Wilson Homes has created Movemaker to help people move into one of its developments, which includes Landmark Square in Wokingham.
Rob Allen, sales director at David Wilson Homes Southern, says: “Acting as a one-stop shop for homebuyers, the Movemaker scheme works when individuals reserve their home. They receive a complimentary estate agency service with a free no-obligation valuation on the existing home.
“We as a homebuilder complete the Movemaker once a selling price has been agreed by the customer, and then will pay the estate agents to sell the existing property.”
He added “It’s a fantastic way to keep costs down and take a back seat in letting us sell the home to ensure a smooth move.”
While many movers have been enjoying the Stamp Duty holiday, the survey reveals that almost a third of homebuyers in Berkshire say they didn’t expect to pay the tax when buying.
Rob said that many residents took advantage of the full holiday; it has now been tapered so it applies to purchases of £250,000 and upwards.
“Not everyone is aware that Stamp Duty is an additional costs so it’s worth buyers familiarising themselves with the term and what it means when they begin their house-buying journey,” Rob says.
“We strive to help our house hunters make an easy move into a brand new property. That’s why selected homes at our developments come with Stamp Duty already paid, meaning buyers have one less thing to save up for.”
