Will 2022 be the year you move somewhere new?
If you are planning to move house this year, you may be wondering where to start and what you need to know. So we have put together three top tips for getting move-ready during 2022.
The housing market has been busy right from the very start of this year. December 30 2021 was a particularly popular day for prospective sellers to contact estate agents to arrange valuations, according to the property website Rightmove. In fact, it was the busiest day since May 2021 and seller numbers on Boxing Day 2021 were up 21 per cent from Boxing Day 2020. While this means you are likely to have more choice when it comes to finding a property to buy, it also means there will be more people moving in the first half of this year. Do your research into which removals firm you want to use now so you can call them and reserve a date as quickly as possible. Established firms with a good reputation like Andrew Porter Limited book up quickly so don’t leave sorting out your arrangements for moving day to the last minute.
The high number of people hoping to move this year is expected to rise this year so if you are a first-time buyer or your budget is tight, it might be wise to start looking now. Rightmove has predicted that the asking prices will increase five per cent from the national average of £342,401 during 2022- a rise of around £17,000. If you are planning to downsize and want to secure the highest price for your existing home, you may want to wait until later in the year. But remember that house price predictions are not an exact science and the market does vary from area to area. The biggest rises are expected in Scotland, Yorkshire and the Humber, the South West and the West Midlands.
Although more houses are going on the market, sellers will continue to hold most of the cards. If you are buying a house, it is a good idea to try to get yourself into a strong position first so your offer is attractive to sellers. When it comes to selling houses people aren’t just looking for the highest offer, people also want to feel confident that the sale will go through and that there won’t be lots of hold-ups along the way. If you are selling your own home, secure a buyer for that property before you start putting offers in. Most people want to avoid being in a long chain if at all possible so you may even want to consider completing the sale first and putting the contents into storage so you are an attractive prospective buyer for your dream home. It is also vital now that you can prove your access to funds and have a mortgage agreement in principle before putting an offer in.
