Can you use the internet to help you move house?
More that just house hunting
There’s loads of ways that online services and websites can help you with your house move. You’re probably used to the idea of looking at property details online through estate agents own websites or property portals, but there’s an awful lot more available and it’s all just a mouse-click away.
Doing a lot of your research (and even purchasing) on line has the benefit of being on your timescale, and you can do it remotely – great if you’re moving from one town to another, but useful even if you’re only moving down the street!
So, what sort of things are available?
Basics
Firstly, check out www.ukfirsttimebuyer.com. This site is geared towards you and has loads of information that you need to know. UKFirstTimeBuyer explains a lot of the basics that could be eluding you, like what the different types of mortgages on the market actually mean! They’ll soon have a property portal as well, so you can search for your first home through them too. Simply register your email address to be notified when it’s available.
Find your new home
Other good sites for looking at prospective homes include: www.loot.com, www.yourmove.co.uk, and even www.ebay.co.uk. Loot and eBay have properties listed with them that are for sale by owner. Remember, if you bid for a property on eBay, and you win the auction, you are obliged to pay for it – so make sure you know what you’re buying.
Check local house prices
When you’re house hunting, don’t go just by what Estate Agents tell you properties have sold for in your area. Use a service like OurProperty.co.uk to find out what the sale prices of houses within a given area or postcode have been. We like OurProperty because there’s no cost or subscription to pay and they’ll even email you a monthly report on property sales for up to 10 separate postcodes.
Investigate the jobs-market
It may be that either yourself or your partner will be in need of a new job if you’re going to move to a new area. Try fish4jobs to find the new position that’s right for you, or even just to get an idea of the types of jobs that are available in your new area. Fish4 also have a homes site, so you can continue your house hunt at their site too.
Get competing quotes
You can get quotes and compare prices for all sorts of services on the net too. Most companies will also provide you with a quote by email, so you don’t even have to remember to phone them during office hours.
Remember to always get at least 2 quotes for any service (3 is better), or check prices on a couple of different websites. Check what’s included in the price as well – VAT, delivery and other extras soon add up.
Find removal companies
Try www.taxi-vans.com for removals. It’s like hiring a van, but someone comes to drive it for you. They pick stuff up from shops for you too, so when you buy that new fridge, they can collect it, without you having to hire your own van for a whole day. Genius!
Buy packaging
You can buy a moving kit from a box supplier as well, these come in varying sizes, depending on the size of property you’re moving (from ‘student’ to ‘4 bed-house’ or bigger). A moving pack normally includes boxes of various sizes, bubble wrap, tissue paper and tape (although this will vary from company to company). Carton’s Direct are a good company, but shop around for the best price and delivery options for you.
Lower the cost of your household bills
When you’ve moved, use a comparison service to make sure you’re not paying too much for your household bills. It’s really easy and could save you lots of money (I just found out I can save about £600 per year on my combined gas and electricity bills!). MoneySavingExpert, Martin Lewis, has a constantly updated article on how to do this, and which services will provide the best comparisons.
Check that you’re on track
Several websites have good moving guides (what to do and when). We’ve compiled some of these for you, just go to www.jointequity.co.uk/links.html. These sorts of guides are great for using as checklists to make sure you’ve done all that you’re supposed to and are full of useful reminders, e.g. cancel the milk; register with a new GP, etc.
Final reality-check!
Of course you can’t do EVERYTHING on line. At some point you’ve got to physically go and view houses, sign on the dotted-line, and then move your stuff, so make sure you don’t forget it.
It can be very easy to get caught up in the question of ‘this property or that one’, and you can waste a lot of time and emotional energy in that process. However, the likelihood is that if you go and see a property, you’ll get a feeling (positive or negative) about it, and you’ll know what you want to do either way.
Use the internet as much as you can, but in the end the critical decisions have to be made physically & in-person. You need to figure out in your mind where that line is drawn.
Happy house-moving!
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