Selling your house isn’t simple.
No matter your selling channel, you usually need at least some professional help.
You’ll need to pay experts for help to move everything along smoothly.
Here’s a guide on the cost of selling a house, what it involves, and how to keep your costs down.
How much does it cost to sell a house?
According to Compare The Market, the average cost of selling a house is currently £6,704.
A range of factors related to the property type, condition, and location.
What are the costs involved with selling your house?
Estate agent fees
Estate agents charge based on commission. The national average is around 1.5% of your selling price.
For a house at £500,000, this is £7,500. Whereas for a property at £1 million, it doubles to £15,000.
The average house price in the UK is £296,699. So, the typical estate agent fee is roughly £4,450, or perhaps slightly less.
Conveyancing
The average conveyancing fee in the UK is £1,690. This covers all the legal processes and documentation behind your sale.
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
Getting an EPC costs around £90 on average. It can range from £60 up to £120.
Sometimes, your house may already have one of these. In that case, you could save on this cost.
Removal company
You’ll need a removal company to transport your belongings to your new home.
A typical removal fee is around £806. But it can go up for longer journeys and more belongings.
And it can go down for shorter journeys with fewer belongings.
Searches and land registry fees
Your conveyancer will usually cover searches and land registry fees as part of their fee.
But sometimes, they’ll bill for this separately. It’s rarely more than about £100. Make sure to clarify this.
Cleaning costs
You may need to clean your house while you are in the process of selling. This ensures it looks excellent for viewers.
If you do this yourself, then it saves on this fee, but you may not do as thorough a job.
Paying a professional can cost around £400 for a full house deep clean.
What impacts an estate agent’s fee?
Location, reputation, and the services you receive will all impact the fee.
Estate agents in the south-east charge more.
Even if the commission rate is the same, property sales are more expensive here on average.
You pay more for an estate agent with an excellent reputation. They tend to push up prices if they have deep experience in the local area and many satisfied customers.
For fewer services, you typically pay less. A complete package, where everything is handled, pushes up the cost.
Does paying more for professionals always result in a better service?
Not necessarily. You need to research their experience and what past customers have said.
It’s a careful balancing act. If possible, you should speak to several experts in each industry and get a second opinion from someone you trust.
You can also consider doing some moving tasks yourself (i.e., removals and cleaning the house).
