FTB costs

[WayTooBigForYourBoots]

We might have to increase our offer on a property we really like and need to work out if we can afford the deposit …so looking for advice on how much we should budget for other outright costs involved in a house purchase. We are aware we will need to instruct a solicitor and conveyancer. What’s the most we should expect to pay for those? And is there anything else we need to consider? TIA!

I used this sort of thing to get an idea https://www.movingcostscalculator.co.uk/

I actually used the one that used to be on rightmove, but that seems to have disappeared now!

Solicitor or conveyancer as they do the same thing. In my experience there's a flat fee, and then the searches are on top of that. From memory we paid about £1000 for our solicitor and £300 for searches.

Stamp duty if you're at the threshold.

There's also the survey, and the cost of that will depend on what level you go for.

Your mortgage might have a fee and the company might make you pay for the valuation.

Then there's removal company fees.

Anything in the house then needs done - are they leaving the white goods for instance.

Solicitor and searches: I paid about £4000
Stamp duty / Scottish equivalent
Surveys £1000-£1500 each
Moving / packing costs
Post redirection for a year: £60ish
Are there batons for curtain rails / poles? If not, need to get those up (up to £60 each if paying someone else, plus cost of rails / poles)
Curtains: Cost varies, look at Fb marketplace, local give away sites etc.
Keep money aside for boiler servicing (£60-£100) unless done recently.
How is the flooring? If needs redoing, best done before you move all your stuff in if you can (cost depends on what you buy, how much is needed, and if you lay it yourself or not)
Painting: Is the paint OK or do you want to redecorate? If the latter, same applies for flooring.

Good luck and I hope it goes brilliantly for you!

@AllTheChaos your solicitor fees seem expensive. Was that buying and selling?
I paid less than £2k for buying and selling a property 3 years ago including searches. It does depend on the value of the property though.

A solicitor and conveyancer are the same. Our solicitor fees for buying were about £1,500, survey was £600, we paid no stamp duty but depends if you're below the threshold. And you definitely need a reserve for house stuff, even if it's in good condition, there will be so much you realise you need.

Some solicitors price by property price, and, if it's leasehold, that costs extra. They can vary massively. It's worth getting an actual solicitor who can guide you rather than an online conveyancing house (who may have non-solicitors doing the work supervised by a solicitor). A solicitor is different to a licensed conveyancer in terms of qualifications.

Most of these things are hard to give advice on as they vary a lot. All of the following can have an impact: property price (especially for stamp duty), where you are, level of survey, freehold or leasehold, whether your mortgage has fees or not, where your deposit is from (if more complex to trace fir AML) etc.

@things, it was both, and included sale of a leasehold property that was a nightmare! Never again…