Planning DIY during your house move?

Householders strapped for cash are finding innovative ways to save money throughout the home hunting and buying process.

Over half of home owners who had moved in the past year said that they didn't use a removal firm and did the house packing and removals themselves, and one in ten had advertised their home privately, so hadn't used an Estate Agency.

Alison Burns, director of network mortgage sales at Lloyds TSB, commented: "In the current economic environment it's not surprising that consumers are taking a more cost conscious approach to moving home.

"Shopping around for good deals and opportunities to earn rewards on your spend is always a good idea but there are some areas where you should not cut corners, such as legal fees and a thorough survey, as this could end up costing you more in the long run."

Only 15 per cent of people, however, had achieved their budget for the cost of removals, with 29 per cent of people saying that they hadn't set one, and so the average cost of home moving is about £7,434 with one in five people saying it had cost over £15,000.

Home movers need to check their home insurance contents policy very carefully if they plan to transport their items themselves. Despite contents policies having clauses for some items away from home, only professional removal firms have dedicated insurance to cover all of your property mishaps, should they occur.

16/06/2008 11:01:20