What are the costs of selling a home?

Want to sell your home but not sure where to start? This easy guide will provide you with top tips from estate agents to EPCs and everything in between. Learn about the key costs of selling a home to budget for.

In the table below, we have estimated* the total costs of selling a 3-bedroom home on the market for £245,000 (The average cost of a UK home according to ONS) using an online estate agent and a buyer taking their own viewings.

The cost of selling a home will vary depending on the price and size of the property and the type of estate agent you use and if you require additional services. This cost is just an average price and the price of selling your property could vary.

Estimated Costs: £3,245

Are you still within your mortgage term?

Before you put the wheels into motion, it’s worth checking to see if you’re still within your existing mortgage term and check the fees you will be liable to pay by moving.

Early Repayment Charge

If you are thinking of leaving your current deal, you may be liable to pay an early repayment charge during a tie-in period. Typically, the length of time you are on an initial deal e.g. fixed for two years. This is basically a penalty for breaking the deal early so the lender uses the fee to recoup some of the interest being lost by you leaving the mortgage early. The charge is usually a percentage of the outstanding mortgage debt – it often reduces the longer you stay with it.

This can range from 1% to 5% of the remainder of your mortgage debt, making selling more expensive. Get in contact with your lender to find out more.

Example: A 2% early repayment charge on a £226,000 property would be £4,520

Mortgage Exit Fee

You may be subject to paying a mortgage exit fee or an administration fee (MEAFs). This is your lender’s admin charge for closing the file on your mortgage. It is a charge made when your mortgage balance is cleared. However not all lenders have this charge, it’s worth double checking the fee being proposed is the same fee set out in your original mortgage contract. The Advisory suggests you can expect to pay anywhere between £50 to £300.

Example: £50 – £300

Porting a Mortgage

You can port your mortgage, allowing you to transfer it from your current property to a new property that you are buying. Porting a mortgage means that you will repay your current mortgage on the sale of your house whilst resuming the mortgage with the same lender on your new property.

There are a few different situations which you may find yourself in that can be found below.

Borrowing the same – You will typically have to pay for a mortgage valuation survey. Your lender may offer this free of charge, but some mortgage lenders can charge £450 and more.

Increasing borrowing – If you’re purchasing a property more expensive than your current property you may need to borrow more. The Advisory claims an arrangement fee between £100-£500 may be payable.

Decreasing borrowing – You may have to pay an early exit payment fee which can be found above. Under ‘mortgage exit fee’.

Remortgaging

If you are looking to take a new mortgage it’s worth considering how much it will cost to remortgage. Find the costs of remortgaging below sourced from comparemymove.

Arrangement fee – £1,000 – £2,000

Booking fee – £100 – £250

Valuation fee – £150 – £1,500

Preparing your property for sale

Getting your property ready for sale doesn’t have to cost a fortune. We would recommend that you give the property a thorough clean before any photographs, viewings, or buyers moving in.

Exterior

First impressions count, so focus on improving the property. Start with the outside, ensure the lawn is mown, clean windows if necessary, get your front door and driveway looking clean and clear. You may want to consider any painting that needs to be done on the outside of the property such as; painting fences, repainting your front door if required, putting a fresh coat of paint on your exterior windows as a way to instantly improve curb appeal alongside brickwork or rendering. As an additional touch, you may want to consider adding some hanging baskets or plants with a little pizzaz to brighten up the outside.

Interior

Tidying and decluttering can help you cut down on removal costs and help you earn some additional cash along with making your home more sellable. A good start can be making sure any features that first attracted you the property are visible for viewers to see. You may want to consider giving each room a lick of paint in a neutral tone which can help to create more light, adding mirrors can help achieve the sense of a lighter brighter space.

The kitchen is considered by many to be the heart of the home and food is often not only a conversation starter but bring the family together, for many the selling point of a home is the kitchen. Take a look at your kitchen and decide on if it needs additional work or whether you can maximise the value of your property by installing a new kitchen or by making replacements to units and cupboard door handles.  

Work out what is worth spending your money on to up the property’s value. Kitchen renovations can be expensive and on average cost around £8,000. You want to ensure that when you are thinking of getting a new kitchen that the price is in keeping with the overall cost of the property. Usually a completely new kitchen can increase your property’s value by around 4-6%.

 A new bathroom can increase the value by about 2-3%. Keep in mind that some buyers will be looking for a project home. If there are any structural issues prioritise these over any cosmetic changes.

Ensure that before buyers negotiate an offer that you have fixed any necessary repairs, or this could affect the price of the sale.

We have compiled a list of tips to get the best value for your property.

Check House Prices

As soon as your property is looking its best it’s time to get it valued.

Make sure you do your research and have a rough idea of what your home is worth.

Research Online

Have a look at sold house prices in the last 12 months on Rightmove and Zoopla to give you a rough idea. Compare your property to homes of a similar size and specification. It’s important to be realistic so you don’t over price the property.

Estate Agent

When you’re happy with your research it’s time to start looking for an estate agent to sell your property. It’s a good idea to have around 3 agents value your home so you can get a feel for who has the best plan, ideas, and fee structure to match up with your own goals, it will also help get a balanced view on the price your property should fetch.

By having an estate agent value your property, you are in no way obliged to select them.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

An energy performance certificate is compulsory for anyone selling a home and you must order one before your property is placed on the market.

The EPC contains information about how energy efficient your property is alongside the energy costs and recommendations on how to save money and reduce energy costs.

An EPC can only be carried out by a registered assessor, you should speak to your estate agent who will be able to arrange one on your behalf. An EPC is valid for 10 years and is stored digitally on the government EPC Register website. An EPC for your home will cost you anything from £35 – £150 + VAT depending on the property according to The Advisory.   

Not sure if your EPC’s in date? Check the EPC Register.

Example: £35 – £150 + VAT

Estate Agent Fees

Using an online agent has become increasingly popular in recent years. Using a traditional high street estate agent is usually more expensive, as the agent may have to factor in additional overheads like their premises. You would usually only pay a percentage of the sale price, which is typically 0.75% to 3% once the property has sold.

Using an online agent does offer you more flexibility, and you can opt to take the viewings yourself to keep costs down or pay a little extra and have the estate agent take charge of the viewings.

easyProperty offers 3 flexible payment options such as an upfront fee, split fee, or no sale, no fee giving you more control by being able to select the option that suits you best. You can sell your home from as little as £795 or £995 inside M25.

Example: £795 or £995 (inside M25) easyProperty Upfront Fee

If you are considering going down the online route, it’s definitely a cost-effective option. Amy from The Money Saving Expert reckons she saved over £5,500 by using an online agent and DIY-ing the rest.

Find a Conveyancer or Solicitor

When selling a property conveyancing is the legal process that sees the transfer of a property from one person to another and requires a solicitor and licensed conveyancer. Both parties must be fully qualified and insured to handle the sale. They will take care of all the legal documentation and council and land registry searches, draft the contract, and handle the exchange of money. Conveyancers are specialist property lawyers.

How much do they cost?

Fees for conveyancing and a solicitor can vary. According to the Homeowners Alliance, you can expect to pay anything from around £500 to £1,500+ for the legal fees alone.

On top of this, there will also be the additional costs for:

• Anti-money laundering checks: £6 – £20
• Title deeds copy: £6
• Property fraud check: £10
• Transferring of ownership: £200 – £300

For a faster sale of your property, it’s worth lining up a solicitor before you put your property on the market.

Costs sourced from the Homeowners Alliance.

Survey Costs

You don’t actually need to get a property survey when selling a home as this will fall into the responsibilities of the buyer, unless you’re selling a property in Scotland. If you would like to get a survey done on your property to prepare yourself, it usually costs around £500 according to .

Home Report Scotland

If you’re selling a house in Scotland, then you will need to provide your buyer with a Home Report. It will provide buyers with important information about your property. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors cost between £585 and £820.

Removals

Whether you’re ready to sell your property or not it’s worth getting the wheels in motion and finding a removals company ahead of time. The average cost of a removal company is usually around £500 upwards. It might be worth enquiring if you’re able to DIY it and hire a van and move yourself.

When selecting removal company, the pricing is usually based upon:

• The size of the van (how much stuff you have)
• Distance between the collection and drop off
• Time of year
• Who does the packing (yourself or the removals company)
• Materials for packing
• Any special or fragile items
• Difficult entry

We would recommend gathering around 3 quotes and checking reviews before you finalise your choice.

Comparemymove suggests during 2020 the average UK removal company costs for 3-bed home travelling 50 miles are roughly £1,181. Including professional packing services and materials (£250), as well as dismantling and reassembling of furniture at your new home (£125).

Capital Gains Tax

You may be subject to Capital Gains Tax if you profit on the sale of a home that is not where you live, for example a buy-to-let property. According to the UK Government, you’ll need to pay Capital Gains Tax on a house if it’s:

• Inherited property
• Buy-to-let
• A holiday property
• Business premises
• Land

To find out how much you’ll need to pay visit the government website.

Final Bills

Don’t forget final bills, this can come as a bit of a surprise if you have been on estimated bills. Ensure you keep a record of your final gas and electricity readings to avoid paying any additional costs.

Also, you may want to factor in additional costs such as re-directing your post, which costs around £34.

We hope that you found this feature easy and helpful when the time comes to sell your home. If you have any questions get in touch with us customerservice@easyproperty.com

*All costs are either estimated or have been obtained from reliable sources.