With the stamp duty holiday influencing so many people in the housing market, you might be looking to move home soon. At Hunters West Hampstead, we are keen to do everything we can to minimise the impact of stress when you move home.
However, as moving home is often emotional, it is important to realise that even people who feel in control of many things in life struggle to process moving home.
Nicky Lidbetter, chief executive of charity Anxiety UK, spoke about the stress of moving house. She told the Telegraph, “It's one of life's most stressful experiences, and it's because it involves having to cope with change. Moving house represents a transition in life, it’s about change and unfamiliarity and for many people that causes stress and anxiety. Most of us like familiarity, routine and order. When you're moving, you have none of those. Plus, it causes a ripple effect of change throughout your life. You're not just changing your home and getting to know the new one, you might be in a new area, you have to find new schools for your children, take on a new commute to work, find a new GP and dentist.”
Moving home is an emotional activity
The results of recent research undertaken by Zoopla, which was answered by more than 2,600 buyers, suggests many buyers find the property purchase an emotional and stressful activity.
62% of respondents said they found previous property moves more stressful than they had expected.
One of the biggest challenges in moving home is the property chain. 18% of respondents said they lost or came close to losing their property purchase because of issues with the chain. Only 11% of respondents said the buying process, when involved with a chain, ran smoothly.
34% of respondents aimed to develop a personal connection with the buyers. This step was taken to enhance the chances of the move running smoothly.
Financial issues are problematic in property deals
Close to 40% of respondents said their most recent property move cost more than they had originally budgeted for. 29% of respondents cited additional costs which caused them difficulties during the move. Some of the additional costs listed were conveyancers and surveyors.
44% of respondents said unexpected costs added more than £500 to the cost of their house move. 30% of respondents said they paid more than an extra £1,000 when moving and 15% of house movers said they had to shell out over £1,500.
Tom Parker is the Consumer Spokesperson at Zoopla and he said; “Moving home is one of the biggest investments we will ever make so it’s only natural the process inspires a wide range of emotions. Finding that balance between head and heart can often be the most difficult, and this is where agents have a crucial role to play in supporting home movers in their property journey. Agents will have experienced this process hundreds of times so can help not only with finding the right property but also making the purchasing or selling experience as seamless as possible.”
If you need any help or guidance regarding property matters, please get in touch. As your local housing market specialists, we will do what we can to ensure you make your next house move in style. Contact Hunters West Hampstead today for all your housing and letting needs.
