Moving House

Thinking about moving

You may have already decided which area to live in but its always worthwhile to gather a bit more information on the place you plan to live - just to make sure it lives up to your expectations and needs.  By simply entering your postcode or the town of your choice, Upmystreet (external link) will tell you about crime rate, school records, average property prices and even the location of your nearest fast food restaurant.

You can find out more information about local school and colleges, doctors, dentists and hospitals in our Health and Social Care Section.  You can also see Schools individual OfSTED reports at Department for Education and Employment Parent's Centre (external link)

You may be concerned that some of the properties you are looking at may be at risk from flooding or subsidence, the Homecheck (external link) site links into the appropriate Government information to tell you just how likely your new home is to flood in severe weather.

Buying or Renting

Whether you should buy or rent a property depends on a number of factors, not least the availability of suitable accommodation in the area of your choice. 

Choosing a Mortgage

Arranging for a mortgage can be a complicated and time consuming process - simply because there is so much choice available to you.  If you shop around you are bound to find a mortgage that suits your needs, whether it is fixed rate, flexible or even an endowment mortgage.  To help you get a fair deal on your mortgage, the Department of Trade and Industry (external link) have put together a mortgage frequently asked question section to help you understand the ins and outs of choosing your mortgage.

You can also compare the mortgages (external link) on offer from a range of lenders.

Your New Home

Looking for a home

A lot of people enjoy the effort of looking around estate agents and visiting prospective properties, while others find the whole thing a chore.  However you view it, there are now more and more resources available to help in your search.  A lot of Estate Agents now have websites where you can view properties or, if they find a suitable property for you, they can email you the details. 

Making an offer

As well as arranging for a mortgage, you will also need to arrange for a solicitor to act as a contact between you, the estate agent and the seller.  You will also need to have a survey performed on the property to make sure there aren't any problems you're not aware of.  Sometimes your mortgage provider may arrange for the survey to be carried out on your behalf or you may arrange for a survey yourself using our list of surveyors and valuers. 

Preparing for the move

No matter how prepared you think you may be, inevitably something gets overlooked when you're preparing to move.   Whether you are hiring a van to move your belongings yourself, or employing a professional moving firm for peace of mind, you can find them all listed in the Yellow Pages (external link).

The Move

Council Tax and Housing Benefit

The Chester City Council website is clearly a useful place to find information about your new neighbourhood.  Information such as how much Council Tax you will be paying or what housing benefits are available are all easy to find using either our A to Z of Services or search engine.

Changing address details

One of the most time consuming jobs when you move house can be changing address details with your banks etc because no matter how hard you try, you invariably forget one.  There are now a number of websites that can help you change your details.  You simply enter your new address once and they will get in touch with banks, building societies and utility companies and government  etc, notify them of your new address and then inform you when they have responded.