If I were to buy a home for, say £170,000 (first time buyer i.e. not selling at the same time) what could I expect to pay in valuation/solicitors fees etc? What are the costs to be aware of?

Thanks in advance!

It varies a lot.

I think we paid £400 for a full structural survey (and are very glad we did). Solicitor's fees are c£1000 for buying, but we're buying and selling so I can't remember how much specifically for buying. Often based on the selling price of the house.

You may also need to pay for some searches that are in the HIP to be redone, if they're more than 6 months old.

i can tell you exactly as i'm just paying around that myself.

solicitor 500 plus search fees, land reg etc (estimated just under 1k total)

full survey 425

My Homebuyers survey is £825 and, because I'm porting my existing C&G mortgage, I don't seem to have a choice. It was £450 for just a valuation!

Assuming you're getting a mortgage for most of the purchase price, the mortgage people will need a survey doing to make sure what they're buying is worth it in case they need to repossess later on to recoup. They will insist on at least a valuation survey, the cost of which is sometimes included in the mortgage, but sometimes priced separately at around £100-£200. Next step up is something called a homebuyers report, which tells you a bit more at around £250+ish, the £400 upwards for a full structural survey. A good HIP will show some of the stuff in these, a bad one will show nothing. If you're new to this game, and don't know a good builder who will visit the property with you, I'd always go for the full structural. Only with full structurals do you have the opportunity to sue the surveyor if they miss something significant.

Solicitor fees are upwards of £500 for a cheap simple job, with their disbursements(money they pay out) on searches and land registry charges another £200 or so, they might price it as all-in.

Mortgage set up costs can vary from nowt to around a grand.

Budget a few hundred as well for buildings insurance to start on the day of completion, your mortgage is conditional on you having some, but you don't have to buy from your mortgage provider.

Electricity, gas, water people all need to know as soon as you complete, and TV licence folk will send a snotty letter. TV/broadband/ phone might all have setup costs as well depending who you go with.

Moving costs from a couple of hundred for a van hire, pizza and beer for your mates, to a couple of grand for a pack boxes and take across country job.

and don't forget that if you do not complete before jan 1st 2010 you'll have to pay stamp duty again.

It's the stamp duty that's the real killer.

But unless they change it when it's re-introduced, no stamp duty under £175,000?

Thanks for the above chaps!

1% on properties from 125 – 175k from jan 1st 2010.

there's an article somewhere that reckons, based on the average time it takes to buy a house in the uk – 12wks i think – that unless you are rolling by 31st sept you will likely get clobbered.