Moving Guide

Helping you plan to move

We understand the problems that you may come across when you are trying to buy a new home. That's why we have prepared this handy guide. It aims to provide useful information and advice to help make what can be a difficult process much more straightforward.

Getting the timing right

What is your best sell-by date?

Everyone moving home faces a dilemma. Should you sell first or buy first? The answer depends to a great extent on the state of the property market in the area where you live and your circumstances. For example, are you moving because you are changing your job? Is the property market buoyant or depressed? Are prices on the increase, steady or falling?

All of these will give a different perspective and will affect the speed of your transaction. If properties are generally selling slowly, it might be a good idea to put yours on the market before you seriously start looking for a new home. On the other hand, if there is an obvious demand for homes and you need to move quickly, it can make sense to hold back from selling until a later stage and to buy sooner.

Because they have an intimate knowledge of your area's housing market, local estate agents are ideally placed to advise you on when to act.

Finding your new home

Where do you start?

When you start looking for your new home you will probably have a very good idea of the price range in which you can afford to buy. This narrows the possibilities considerably but that should be precisely your objective. To find your "ideal" home you simply have to apply a process of elimination.

Whatever your reason for moving, the first step is to decide where you want to live. You should then ask questions based on what you need. For example, if you have to rely on local public transport will it be convenient? If you have a car, will parking be a problem? What are the local facilities like? Are there shops, pubs, recreation centres nearby? Are there good schools locally? The answers to questions such as these will soon reduce the options.

Successful viewing - Keep your eyes open

The first rules of successful property viewing are not to let yourself get carried away by an initial excitement you may feel and don't allow yourself to be too easily persuaded by the owners. Always remember that the owners are, like you, trying to 'sell' their property. This means they will naturally draw your attention to all the good points and not necessarily refer to any of the property's negative points. To find out what these are, it is wise to keep your eyes open and to ask the right questions.

Start your viewing by taking a good look at the outside. What are your immediate impressions? Has the property been cared for or has it been neglected? To the naked eye, what is the general condition of the roof and brickwork? Do the window frames appear sound? Write down anything that strikes you as something which may need some repair or renovation. Later, when you come to review the properties you have seen, you will find it useful to refer to your notes.

Now inside the property. As a general piece of advice, don't pay too much attention to the décor. If it is especially attractive it could be concealing one or two problems you can't see. And if it's not to your taste you can change it later. Instead, remember the need to be practical and methodical. The most important aspect of any property is its structure. So that is what you should focus your attention on. As with the outside, what are your immediate impressions? Are there any obvious signs of neglect? Is there any evidence of damp? Is the electrical circuitry old? If so, will you be prepared to incur the expense of rewiring? Once again you should note any points that give you cause for concern.

The present owners can be one of the most valuable sources of information about the property. Ask them about any work that has been done to improve it. For example, has a damp proof course been installed? If so, ask them to show you a guarantee. Check if this is transferable to a new owner. Has any maintenance work been carried out? Say that you would like to see the bills for this work. Also, don't forget to find out what the monthly expenditure is on gas, electricity, water rates, council tax and so on.

Finally, make sure the owners let you know exactly what is included in the purchase price.

How to make an offer

Once you have arrived at a figure you are prepared to pay, which will probably depend on how much you sell your existing home for, you should contact the seller's agent and let them know what your offer is. The agent will get back to you to let you know if the offer is acceptable. If it is not accepted you will have to try and negotiate a price.

When you are about to make an offer, or if you have just made it, get in touch with your branch straightaway. We can then go ahead with processing your mortgage application and arrange for the next stage to begin - the valuation and/or survey.

The valuation

We need to know that the property you intend to buy represents adequate security for a loan. That's why we will ask a surveyor to carry out a valuation. This will only be a visual inspection of the property. The findings are then used to determine the amount we will be prepared to lend you.

For your own reassurance you are strongly advised to organise a much more in-depth survey of the property. Such as a house or flat buyer's report, or a building survey. Although it does not cover everything, it should provide enough information for you to decide whether to go ahead with the purchase. Some properties may merit an even more detailed report, called a full building survey.

What next?

Following the acceptance of your offer, you will need to organise your survey and the legal side of moving house.

Organising the legal process and survey

How we can help

The legal process and the valuation of your new property are very important as you can't afford to get them wrong. You can either do this on your own through appointing a firm of surveyors and lawyers, or HSBC can help with our home buyers service.

We will complete all the legal requirements concerning your mortgage loan, and arrange for your valuation all for a fixed fee. You simply provide us with the required documents and leave the rest to us

Other moving expenses

In addition to the legal and survey costs, you should also consider the following:

Pre-notation expenses

You will need to pay pre-notation expenses of 0.825% on the pre-notation amount to the Mortgage registry.

Greek Loan Tax (Law 128/75)

A tax of 0.12% is added to the nominal interest rate of your mortgage loan in favour of the state. This is included by your bank in your monthly payment and is supplementary to the mortgage interest rates quoted on this site.

In addition, you will need to budget for Lawyer and Notary Public Fees, Tax of Transfer of Ownership, Registration of the Notarial Contract and possible Real Estate Brokers Fees.

Registration the Notarial Contract

The land registry fee is approximately EUR 14.67.

Removals

Get a quotation from a local firm, most are happy to give you a working figure over the phone. Make sure your possessions have insurance cover in transit, either on a policy of your own or the moving contractor's.

Moving out - outstanding bills

Some accounts may need to be settled before you leave. Make sure you have sufficient funds to cover outstanding rent and other bills.

Moving in - connection of services

If your new home has been unoccupied, or is brand new, you may need to pay to have services installed or reconnected - think about water, gas, electricity and telephones.

And there may be other services you would like that may not be in your new home, like cable or satellite television. Allow for these.

Other expenses - some reminders

Many householders prefer to change the locks when they arrive at a new house - you have no idea who had access to the house before you, with or without the knowledge of the previous owner.

Also you may need to install other important features such as smoke alarms, window locks and other security devices.

Allow for the installation of any essential major items that the house may lack - new cooker or fridge for example.

And if you are disabled, now is a good time to take into account the cost of any changes that may be required to make life easier.

You should now have a much better idea of your total moving expenses.

Summary

Click here to summarise what your moving costs might be.

How to plan your move

Don't wait until you get the key in your hand before you start planning your move. For example, as soon as you know the completion date you can begin looking for a reputable removals firm. Get quotes from several firms. Make sure they are fully insured to cover your possessions and that they have the transport and the skills to do a good job.

To help your move go as smoothly as possible here is a useful countdown to remind you of all the other things that need to be done.

4 weeks before moving

• Agree a date for moving with the removals firm.
• Arrange to cancel standing orders for your previous mortgage (in case of mortgage loan transfer) and your buildings and contents insurance.
• Make sure your current home contents insurance covers your possessions for the move.
• Arrange installation/reconnection of a telephone to your new home.
• Arrange for appliances, such as the cooker and washing machine, to be disconnected and reconnected when you move.
• Use the move as an opportunity to get rid of unwanted items - try a car boot sale, small ads in the local paper or nearest charity shop.
• Start collecting packing material including newspaper and boxes.

2 Weeks to go

• Start packing the items you won't need again until you have moved.
• Always label everything so you can easily identify them once in your new home.

1 Week to go

• Cancel any home service provided (like cleaning services)
• Arrange for someone to look after your pets on the day of the move.
• Confirm final arrangements with gas, electric and telephone companies.
• Finish packing.

1 day to go

• Take pets to whoever is going to look after them during the move.
• Pack everything you are going to take with you, but keep essential overnight items to one side.

Moving in - the big day

• Protect carpets in your new home by putting down dust sheets.
• Coffee, cups, a kettle and whatever else you will need to hand should be packed last and made easy to identify.
• Keep any valuables in a safe place.
• Disconnect appliances.
• Lock all doors and windows before leaving.
• Discuss your requirements or special instructions with the leader of the removal team.