Selling our first home and purchasing our second... top tips?

[Pepperkins]

My partner and I purchased our first home last year to get on the property ladder. While we could see ourselves here for a couple of years we are already thinking about buying something that better suits our needs! We will be looking to purchase in the same area (Walthamstow) but a house that we can fully renovate and make our own in terms of style and layout. Wondered in anyone has any top tips/things to avoid for selling and purchasing in a chain, especially when we will be looking for more of a doer upper.

If you want a doer upper and haven’t got kids yet, I’d consider selling and moving into rented for a bit. That will put you in a good position as buyers + you’ll be able to live elsewhere when the worst of the building work happens and you haven’t got electricity or a bathroom in the house.

You also need to have a generous budget for the renovation set aside. Even if you shop around, the basic jobs like a full rewire, replastering, new boiler etc will go into tens of thousands. That’s before you’ve even thought of a kitchen, bathroom or decorating.

Expect a renovation to take way longer and be way more expensive than you originally thought

Start packing gradually so you don't have it all to do last minute - I really underestimated how long it would take!

If you've only been there a yeear or so, have a good reason why youre moving so soon for potential buyers. Otherwise they'll be wondering whats wrong with the place.