How Much Does it Cost to Sell a House in Rochdale, Bury, Oldham, or Tameside?

If you are considering selling your house in Rochdale, or Greater Manchester areas like Oldham, Royton, Bury and Chadderton – you are probably expecting to make some money. So various costs that come with selling your home may come as a surprise!

These will depend on the final sale price. Average house prices in Rochdale are around £212,000, while the north eastern areas of greater Manchester average around £195,000 – 310,000; expect the cost of selling a house for this amount to be around £5,000 – £6,000.

This article breaks down the total cost of selling your house in Rochdale and the surrounding areas.

Cost Breakdown of Selling a House

Whatever your reason for selling your house, be it upsizing, downsizing, moving to the countryside or relocating abroad, it’s worth familiarising yourself with the associated costs involved.

Our in-depth guide explains all the costs you should consider before selling your house, from estate agent fees and energy performance certificates to solicitor fees and taxes.

1 Energy Performance Certificate

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) provides essential information to the buyer about the energy efficiency of your house. You must have one before putting your home on the market.

Following an inspection, your property is given a rating from A to G, where A is the most efficient and G is the least. An EPC is valid for ten years, so if you already have a valid one, you can use this again for your sale. However, if you have made improvements to your property which would affect the EPC rating, it would be a good idea to have a new inspection.

To obtain an EPC, you must arrange for an accredited assessor to inspect your property and issue a certificate.

Approximate costs: The fee can range from £55 – £150 depending on the size of the house and the assessor you use.

2 Estate Agent Fees for Selling

There are several ways to sell your property, with the time-tested local estate agent being the most common. That said, you may want to consider several options depending upon your financial position and your priorities. Here are each of the options in turn:

High street agents fees

Most sellers use a high street estate agent as their superior local knowledge often results in a quicker sale at a better price. They also offer a more personalised service. Most high street estate agents charge a percentage-based commission on a no-sale-no-fee basis. So if they do not sell your home, you don’t pay anything. The exact fee varies between companies and whether you choose sole or multi-agency, however this does not vary enormously (though the services included might).

Approximate costs: Fees typically range from 0.75% to 3.5% (+VAT) of your home’s final sale price, with most agents hovering around 1.5%.

High street agents fees

Online estate agents are considerably cheaper. Most charge a non-refundable fixed fee which is paid upfront. You should check what is included in the package. For instance, online-only estate agents expect the seller to provide marketing materials, deal with buyer inquiries, conduct viewings and negotiate offers.

Oftentimes they choose a pick-and-mix approach which lets you purchase various ‘add-ons’ according to your requirements, and this can raise the price significantly. That said, most of these agents advertise their properties as ‘sell for free’, which wrongly implies you pay nothing for the whole package. Equally, the fact that these estate agents do not have a local base makes it doubtful that they can sell your home for the best price.

Hybrid estate agents have emerged in recent years who offer no-sale-no-fee packages, hosted viewings and support right through to completion at online prices.

Approximate costs: ‘free’ with paid add-ons, or fixed-fees of around £1000.

Cost to sell your home privately

The cost of selling a house privately is substantially lower. However, you will need to do all the work, including valuation, marketing, viewings and price negotiation, without access to property portals like Rightmove. You are at risk of under-selling your home and losing thousands of pounds. It is possible to do this but you have to be prepared for a lot of work, ideally with a background in law, or, in the circumstance where you are selling property to someone you know and trust very well (like a family member).

Cost to sell your home at auction

Another option is to sell your house at auction. The costs to budget for when selling a house at auction comprise a commission fee of 2%-3%+VAT of the final sale price, payable upon a successful sale. Some auctioneers also charge an entry fee of £3,000 or more, depending upon the buyers the auction is likely to attract. This option is commonly used where the house is in disrepair and the seller preferences speed of sale over larger profits.

Approximate costs: 2-3%+VAT of the final sale price of the house (plus possible entry fees of up to £3000 depending upon the auction)

3 Preparing your Home for Sale

It’s a good idea to prepare your home for viewings to make it more appealing to buyers. Investing some time and money to spruce up your house will go a long way to help you achieve a sale at the maximum potential value.

Your preparation should include cleaning top-to-bottom, DIY repairs, neutral redecoration, and removing any clutter, none of which will cost much money.

It’s important to be mindful of how much you are spending as you may not recoup all of the costs if you carry our expensive improvements. A £300 to £1000 is a good amount. Any more than this is probably too much unless you have significant issues that need fixing.

4 Conveyancing Solicitor’s Fees for Selling

To sell your house, you will need to instruct a specialist property solicitor, also known as a conveyancer, who will deal with all the sale’s legal aspects.

The cost will depend on the property’s final sale price and the percentage they charge, which usually ranges between 1-3%. However, some solicitors will charge a fixed fee.

These costs include searches with the HM Land Registry as well as ‘disbursements’ which are added to your bill at the end of the process (though paid for by the conveyancer at the point of service).

Approximate costs: The legal costs are usually less for selling than buying a house and will set you back in the region of £500-£1500+VAT, often charged at around 1-3% of the sale price.

What about leasehold conveyancing fees?

Conveyancing fees for leasehold properties are normally more due to the extra work involved. If you have a leasehold apartment or home to sell, the conveyancer will have to go through extra steps before completing the transaction, like checking the services charges, ground rent, lease terms and responsibilities of the freeholder. All this raises the price above conveyancing for a freehold property of the same size and type.

Approximate costs: A £1000+ (but can be more depending upon the complexity of the case)

5 Removal Costs

Professional removals or moving costs are something many forget to factor in. The cost will depend on:

• The size of your house
• How many possessions you have, and their value
• The distance to your new house
• The level of service (packing and unpacking)
• Whether you need boxes, packing crates and any additional storage

Approximate costs: In general, you will be looking at anything from £500 to more than £3,000+VAT, but it’s important to do your research and obtain a few quotes.

6 Mortgage Charges

There are two potential mortgage fees to consider when selling your home:

• Early repayment charges: Typically, 1% – 5% of the remaining mortgage balance.
• Mortgage exit fees: Usually around £200 – £400. However, not all lenders charge a fee.

Most mortgages have a fixed term, typically running for between two and five years, although it is possible to find ten year mortgages. If you come out of your mortgage deal before it ends, you will be subject to an early repayment charge.

A mortgage exit fee is a charge paid to your lender when you repay your mortgage and close the account, even if you are not repaying early. For example, if you decide to re-mortgage and switch to another lender. Porting your mortgage means you will stay with the same mortgage provider and won’t face the early repayment fees or exit fees associated with re-mortgaging.

Approximate costs: 1-5% or remaining mortgage balance, and exit fees of £200-400

7 Taxes

If you sell your primary residence, there are no taxes to pay. However, if you are selling a property which is a second home, an investment property or an inherited property, you will most likely be subject to Capital Gains Tax (CGT). Your CGT amount is calculated based on any value increase since you acquired it. You can deduct the costs of improvements you have made and the costs you incurred during the buying and selling process. You should always see tax advice from a qualified accountant.

Sellers are not liable for Stamp Duty Land Tax. This tax is payable by the buyer of the property.

Total Cost of Selling a House Calculator

Calculating the exact, total cost of selling a house can be complicated because many fees are charged as a percentage of the sale price. Average house prices in Rochdale and north east greater Manchester vary, and additionally, there are many ways to cut costs if you need to.

That said, we’ve put together a table that you can use as a rough calculator to budget for selling a house in and around Rochdale and Greater Manchester areas like Tameside and Oldham.

Type	Approximate Cost in Rochdale
Energy Performance Certificate	£75
Estate agent fees	1.5% (inc.VAT) = £3,870 Based on a selling price of £215,000
Preparing your home for sale	£300
Conveyancing fees	£1,000+VAT = £1,200
Removal costs	£500
Mortgage charges	£300
Approximate cost of selling a house	£6,245

Contact us for more information about the costs of selling your home in Rochdale, Oldham, Tameside, Royton, Saddleworth and beyond. If you are considering selling your home, our expert agents are on hand to help – book a free valuation.