Checklist for moving up to a larger home

How to downsize gets talked about a lot these days, but many don’t discuss how to trade up when buying a new home. There’s plenty of reasons you might be looking for a bigger home – a growing family, a pet, a lack of space, a want for a home office. Ensure you follow our checklist to miss nothing when moving on up…

This checklist should be seen as a general guide, and you should always consult a professional agent for specific advice for you when moving to a larger home. You’ll need to consider many things such as timing, equity, mortgages and needs to have everything run smoothly, but once you’re in, imagine the happiness in your new space!

So, here’s our checklist – feel free to print it off and tick off as you go along.

• Research the current market
• Research what your property might be worth – be realistic!
• Get an Estate Agent to value your home, ask for an explanation of their price
• Instruct your Estate Agent
• Choose a Conveyancer
• Find out how much equity you have in your home
• Find out how much the property you’ll want will likely cost
• What can you borrow? Talk to your mortgage broker
• How easy will it be to buy and sell – should you rent?
• Budget for the move
• Brief your agent about the type of home you’d like to buy
• Carry out viewings (your agent should undertake this)
• Make sure you are getting viewings on your own property BEFORE you get excited about viewing other peoples
• Accept an offer before you make an offer
• Organise surveys
• Finalise your mortgage offer and insurance
• Get regular updates from your agent/conveyancer about your purchase
• File all important purchase documents for the future
• Choose a removals company
• Start organising your boxes and packaging
• Exchange contracts
• Organise a change of address
• Complete on your sale and your purchase and move in
• Keep all your paperwork safe
• Check the SDLT forms have been filed

Remember, depending on your situation, or if the chain falls through somewhere, this process may change. The important thing is to keep up to date with your agent on what’s currently happening and fill in forms, signatures, and information as promptly as possible to keep things moving.

Moving doesn’t need to be a stress, and the satisfaction of a new home with more space is the reward at the end! Get in touch today to get started.