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What Is The Average Cost to Sell A House In The UK? (2024 UPDATE)

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What Is The Average Cost to Sell A House In The UK? (2024 UPDATE)
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Selling your house is an important moment in anyone’s life. Whether you have been building up to this moment for a long time, or have decided to sell it impulsively, you will want to maximise your profits and minimize your costs.

However, the costs associated with selling your house are inevitable – so, what are these likely to be?

From estate agency fees to removal companies, to paying for a solicitor: the entire process will become much easier if you know how to budget correctly. It will also help if you can anticipate what these services will cost, so you know you aren’t getting charged too much.

In the blog below, we have outlined the average cost of selling a house in the UK.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

An Energy Performance Certificate is a legal requirement when you decide to sell your house. Potential buyers will use this to understand how eco-efficient your property is, and what impact this may therefore have on their monthly bills.

The price you pay for an EPC will vary depending on the size of your property, and how in-depth you want it to be (e.g. making recommendations for improvements). The cost can be anywhere between £35 to £150.

Estate Agents

Most homeowners use a high street estate agency when the time arrives to sell a house. Unfortunately, this comes at a price.

While the average estate agent will not charge you a fee up-front, you will pay a percentage commission of your final sale figure. This can be from 1% to 3% of the selling price, with the average estate agency in the UK charging 1.42%.

You should contact estate agents in your area for a quotation on what their commission is. It may vary depending on the size of your house or your location in the country, for example, with plenty of London estate agents charging comparatively more than companies in the north.

At the average estate agent commission of 1.42%, your estate agency costs on a property worth £250,000 will be £3,550. Meanwhile, for a house worth £750,000, the cost will be £10,650. This fee therefore often represents the highest cost you will pay when selling your property.

Solicitor

Unless you have prior experience with the legal and paperwork processes involved with selling your house, you should undoubtedly hire a solicitor to help. This person is responsible for many important administrative tasks, including:

  • Carrying out searches
  • Exchanging contracts
  • Transferring money
  • Draft contracts
  • Transfer Title Deeds
  • Pay off your mortgage

Lots of solicitors charge as a percentage of your property’s value. This means that if your house is worth more, you are likely to pay a higher figure in fees.

According to Sold.co.uk, the average solicitor’s fee when selling a freehold property between £200,000 to £300,000 is £1,000. Meanwhile, if the house is worth £601,000 to £700,000, this figure could go up to £1,600.

Your solicitor’s price could go even higher for properties worth over one million.

Removal Company

Even once the contracts have been exchanged, the costs involved with selling your house are not usually over. Removal companies are one of the largest costs you will pay when moving into a property – especially if your new house is a long distance away.

The amount that a removal company charge will depend on your number of possessions, and how far you are travelling. For example, these two factors will affect the number of employees these companies need to bring, the size and number of vans, petrol money, and the time it takes to complete the job.

The time of year you are selling your house may have an impact, too, as these companies are sometimes busier during certain periods.

According to Zoopla, the average house removal cost for a 3-bedroom home is £800, based on a moving distance of 15 miles. Some removal companies charge by the hour, while others charge per mile for a relocation service, so if you are moving hundreds of miles, the cost may be several hundreds more.

Hidden costs

In all of the steps outlined above, there may be hidden costs that add to your bill. It is important that you research what these may be and avoid them by checking the ‘fine print’, to avoid unnecessary fees.

Some removal companies offer ‘premium packing’ services which include higher quality of packing and protection. In the fine print of your agreement, there may also be add-on provisions for moving items through windows (if necessary), dismantling furniture or moving into an apartment in a building that doesn’t have a lift.

You may encounter estate agents that sneak in additional fees without you noticing, too. Perhaps the quote they have given you does not include VAT, or there is a withdrawal fee involved (if you decide to back out of the deal) that you were not aware of. In general, estate agencies are not allowed to hide these costs from you, so you should check the fine print and ask directly about potential costs like this.

Lastly, it is important to take a close look at the ‘disbursements’ a solicitor charges you for when you enlist their services. For example, there have been tales of solicitors charging for commission searches of a property – and if this is done for every disbursement they complete, the fee can become quite high.

What is the average cost of selling a house in the UK?

If you are selling a 3-bedroom property in the UK that costs £250,000, and you are moving 15 miles, then you can expect your approximate costs to be as follows:

  • Energy Performance Certificate: £55
  • Estate Agent: £3,550
  • Solicitor: £800
  • Removal company: £800

This comes to a total of £5,205.

Meanwhile, if you are selling a 3-bedroom property in the UK that costs £750,000, and you are moving 15 miles, then you can expect your approximate costs to be as follows:

  • Energy Performance Certificate: £55
  • Estate Agent: £10,650
  • Solicitor: £800
  • Removal company: £800

This comes to a total of £12,305.

You will need to alter your calculations slightly depending on the size of your house, the number of possessions, the estate agency you opt for, the distance you are moving, your location in the country, and more.

Are there steps which can be completed myself?

It is generally recommended that you seek specialist external support during the house-moving process. Removal companies, solicitors, and estate agents will typically have experience and insight that you do not have. Unless you have worked in one of these roles professionally yourself, you may feel a tad out of your depth.

With that being said, there are huge parts of the house-moving-journey that can (theoretically) be completed by you, even if it isn’t advisable. You can market your property yourself, and you can complete the paperwork involved with selling your house, too.

Depending on your resources (e.g. access to vans, packing equipment, safety measures and so on) you could technically move your belongings into your new home, too – but it will be extremely difficult in just one day. If you get access to your new house before you sell your current one, you may be able to slowly move things over across several days. If you want to sell your house fast then get in touch with We Buy Any Home today.

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