How to move house when my house needs work?

NoIdeaWhattoPut

I've suffered from ill health for years and this has meant my house needs work done. But I also want to move, and I've seen a house I like. What is the best way to deal with this?

What does it cost to put my possessions in storage? I've never done that before so have no idea of the cost.

How can I buy the house I want before I can sell my current one?

Sorry if these are obvious questions, but I've never done either

twopenny

It's an expensive way to do it but it is possible.

You either have to have the money for both or get a bridging loan from the bank or borrow from friends or family. The second two people will want to know you have the income to pay them back.

Storage has become expensive. But if you are buying before selling could you not have the furniture moved to the new house? That would give you the space to deep clean your current one.

Then you would have to pay council tax and standing charges on both. And insurance companies aren't happy about a house being empty.

The thing that occurs to me is if you have recovered from your illness and sufficiently to deal with the work and stress of moving. There's a lot to be done to a new house. Then there's the financial burden.

Herzlos

Normally you set things up so that you move out of the old house and move into the new house on the same day, so all you need to pay for is a moving van.

If you see a house you like, then contact your local estate agents tomorrow with a view to getting a valuation and getting your house on the market before you make an offer on the other one.

I'd also recommend having a serious clear out now - you can sort stuff into 4 categories:

1. Stuff you need now. This stays out.
2. Stuff you want to bring with you. This can get boxed up and stored somewhere (garage/loft/friends house, etc).
3. Stuff that's worth selling. Get it listed on market place, traded in or whatever.
4. Stuff that's not worth bringing on selling. Either take it to the dump or store it until you can get a skip.

The more you sort and clear now the better your house will look on the listing and the cheaper/easier moving will be.

RelievedSheff

How long do you think it will take to get your house into a state that it can be marketed for sale?

You probably won't have to do as much as you think if you are willing to price the property sensibly to take into account the work that your buyers will have to do.

Bigphil1474

100% agree with above.

Unless you are loaded, it's very difficult and expensive to buy a newer house before selling your existing one. If you are able, a clear out and tidy up is invaluable. When we decided to move, I took a whole year going through the house room by room, chucking all the junk out and getting all those little jobs done to make the house more presentable - didn't spend much, but a bit of fixing here, a bit of paint there. If you aren't up for any of that, you can still sell your house as is. Some buyers are able to ignore minor issues, others won't. The EA will suggest a marketing price based on current condition anyway.

Normal series of events is - get your house on the market, get it sold, once you are sold subject to contract (SSTC), find a house you like, put an offer in, once accepted, they are SSTC. Eventually the chain is completed and the solicitors do their bit. Eventually everyone exchanges and completes. Our move took 5 months from our offer being accepted.

gwynlas

First impressions count even for EAs so try to get your existing house show ready before you invite anyone in to give you vakluations.

If you buy a new house beforehand you can just take necessary items with you leaving enough behind for present house to look dressed

Albermarle

 and this has meant my house needs work done. 

Can you give more detail on what you think needs doing?

Normally it is best to only spend minimal amounts before sale.

Dustyevsky

What is the work that needs to be done before you can sell?

People often imagine their home has to look lovely before they go to market, but the cost of making it that way is unlikely to be recovered in a higher sale price, unless the work is DIY. Do you have the time and skills for that? Most people don't.

I would get a few agents in now to see what their valuation is as things stand. You don't want a 'long wait' price, you need something realistic to work with. This house you like will not stick around forever, and you can't pin your hopes on it, unless the numbers work.

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6665205/how-to-move-house-when-my-house-needs-work

As others have suggested, you need to get estate agents to guide you on values with and without the work being done.

Don't discount the idea of selling the house as it is, because you may find that after the costs of storage and/or a bridging loan - and on top of the cost of the work being done - the net value of your current house may be no different (and possibly less) than just selling it as it currently is.

Even if you get to the point where it has to be for cash-buyers only, the overall outcome of selling as-is might be better than investing in improvements, especially taking your ill health into account. Buying/selling is stressful enough as it is, adding significant renovations into the mix takes it to a new level.

There's also a possibility (a good EA will guide you) that aiming to sell as a renovation project (rather than finished article) would help you achieve a faster sale. People buying a freshly renovated home are more likely to be looking for perfection (and a discount) than a builder or developer looking for their next project. If you've seen a house you like, start by having an honest conversation with the EA marketing it - for all we know they could have a buyer lined up for your house already.

GDB2222

It may cost a buyer less to get the work done than you can get it done for. A builder may buy the house for himself, and he will do most of the work himself and get the specialist trades at mates rates, for example.

Don’t underestimate the advantages of selling it cheaply at what looks like a bargain price.

NoIdeaWhattoPut

Sorry for the late reply.

I had water damage in the kitchen and the whole kitchen needs replacing. The bathroom also needs replacing and I need new windows.

I was hoping that someone might have actual figures for how much storage costs.

I've also no idea how much kitchen and bathrooms cost.

Years ago I bought stuff on the basis of moving to a bigger house, but then serious illness hit me including major depression. So nothing got done, and the house is full of stuff. I can hardly walk so doing stuff myself is not an option.

I wondered if anyone could tell me what bridging loans cost etc. The house I'd like is 120 miles from where I live now so if I could buy it and move stuff to it that would be great but probably not realistic.

I have no idea how long it takes to do a kitchen and bathroom. Can anyone tell me?