Home buying: A smooth move?

When you last moved house who took charge, you or your partner?

I’ve been involved in some fascinating research with First Direct, revealing that couples put a combined total of 322 hours into finding, buying and moving into a new home (phew! that’s around 46 full working days!).

And it’s women who are putting in more hours here, 174 against men’s 148.

That can be 174 hair-tearing, stress-filled hours too, particularly when nothing happens as quickly as you’d like it to. In fact the survey found the length of time the process takes was the single top cause of stress for couples buying a new home (33 per cent).

I’m doing lots of radio chats on this topic tomorrow, but if you don’t catch one here are the

Sheconomics top tips for a smooth move:

• MANAGE EXPECTATIONS. Be realistic about how long it will all take and then you won’t get too stressed when things take time.
• BUILD IN SOME STRESS-BUSTERS. Accept this may be a stressful time for you both and plan for this, perhaps by booking a baby-sitter for an evening out, and accepting offers of help from friends and family.
• FIND THE RIGHT MORTGAGE FOR YOU and use a provider with a good reputation for looking after their customers. Shoddy service really adds to the stress of moving so choose someone like First Direct who’s actually won awards for customer service. You want someone who will simplify things and support you through the process, taking some of the stress away.
• IF YOU CAN, TRY TO PUT DOWN MORE THAN 10% DEPOSIT. Although some 90% mortgage deals are now appearing back on the market, you will pay a higher interest rate on these, so if you can stretch to a 15% deposit you will save money in the long run.
• TALK WITH YOUR PARTNER about your goals, fears, even the level of risk you find acceptable so that neither of you feels overwhelmed by the decision you are taking.