It’s no exaggeration to say this is one of the busiest autumn and winter seasons we’ve seen here when it comes to removals.
Of course, the market was put on hold for a few months back in the Spring, which meant many moves were delayed. Almost 400,000 home sales were put on hold and predictions about how low house sales would be in 2020 were dire. But actually, despite the knock-on impact of Covid-19, (or perhaps because of it) the property market is booming. Banks approved the highest number of mortgages since 2007 in October and predictions now are that if things continue as they are total mortgage approvals in 2020 will exceed that of 2019.
The current stamp duty holiday is certainly making the market seem more appealing right now. Anyone buying a property up to the value of £500,000 will not have to pay stamp duty if they complete before the end of March 2021 – potentially saving up to £15,000. Those buying a more expensive home will still save thousands on the price they would have paid before.
Of course, selling and buying a home takes time, so if you’re trying to make the most of the savings, hopefully the process is already underway for you. According to Rightmove, properties in Yorkshire take on average 50 days to sell and the average time it takes to complete on a property once an offer is accepted is 12 weeks. So, there’s no time to delay if you’re looking to make the deadline and be relaxing in a new home come 1st April (no April Fool).
If you’re already on with the process and your home has sold, now is the time to be starting to think about a home removals company. Don’t leave it too late as here at McCarthy’s we’re booked up for many dates across the winter already. Did you know that December is always a busy month for moving home? Particularly the last Friday before Christmas – as people aim to get things finalised ahead of the Christmas break and new home developers look to get the money in the bank before the end of the year.
Even if you don’t yet know when you’ll be moving, why not give us a call to discuss your requirements? We can conduct a video survey to ensure everyone is kept safe in these socially distanced times, where you show us round your home and we can discuss any questions you may have. From that we can create a quote and get you signed up – even if a date follows later, it means you’re in the system and ready to go. One tip to help you find a date to move – remember you don’t have to move on a Friday! For some reason Friday is always seen as the traditional day to move, but it doesn’t have to be. You may be more likely to find availability if you go for a day earlier in the week.
Sometimes, however hard everyone in the chain tries, dates just can’t synchronise – or perhaps you’ve not yet found the house of your dreams but you’ve accepted an offer on your existing home. If you find there has to be a gap between you moving out and moving in, we can keep your items safely in storage if you need us to, whether it’s just a day or two or it’s longer term.
If you’re planning a move this winter, get in touch and we’ll always try our very best to help. Getting people safely settled from one home to another is what we love to do!