6 Ways To Save Money When Moving House

Moving house can be a costly experience, eating into any profits you could have made from the sale, but regardless of whether you’re moving for a profit or moving for pleasure, no one wants to spend more than they have to. So here are 6 ways to save money on your move. 

1. Use a solicitor

   Although solicitors are often given a bad name within the moving process they actually perform a very valuable role in handling a lot of legal documents and liaising with both your buyer and the seller of your future home. You may be tempted to try and undertake some of these responsibilities yourself but this can actually leave you worse off in the long run as you will not be insured against any mistakes you may make which could lead to you being sued. To make sure things run smoothly, find a reliable and experienced solicitor such as Slater Heelis to handle things for you.

2. Negotiate the sale price

   House prices are there to be negotiated so don’t ever take them at face value. Have a survey conducted on your prospective property and use any negative comments work in your favour by using them to knock a little off the sale price. An old roof, outdated wiring, poor plumbing and dubious boundaries are all reasons to negotiate a sale price into your favour.

3. Do some of the move yourself

   When it comes to moving costs you could spend thousands on a removal company when really you could do the vast majority of the moving yourself. Weigh up the cost of hiring a van for larger items and add this to the cost of your time to decide whether a removal company is worth your while or not. Remember to also enlist the help of friends or relatives, you may be surprised at how many people will offer to help you and many hands make light work.

4. Get a removal survey

   If you do decide to go with a removal company then always get a removal survey. A removal survey allows the removal company to come to your property to decide the size of van or lorry they need to move your belongings and to put a price on their service. Although a removal survey may seem like a waste of time it helps to prevent an under-estimate, leading to lost time and additional costs.

5. Find second-hand packing boxes

   Packing boxes are surprisingly expensive and you may also be shocked at how many you need. To save yourself money while helping the environment at the same time, look for second hand moving boxes on platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, eBay or Freecycle. When you’re done with them, if they’re in good condition then pass them along so that someone else can reap the benefit.

6. Consider changing your energy providers

   Before your move-in date try to find out who provides your gas, electric and water so that you can decide whether to stick with the same providers or whether to switch to a better deal, this not only ensures that on move-in day all of your utilities are ready to roll but could also save you a lot over the course of a year’s energy bills.