The guide library

The decisions that shape a move, explained in plain English with honest numbers. Free, no sign-up, written to be actually useful rather than to sell you anything.

6 min read · Updated July 2026

Mortgage broker or go direct? How to decide

Should you use a mortgage broker or go direct to the lender? Who pays the broker, when direct is fine, when a broker earns their fee, and the questions to ask before choosing.

7 min read · Updated July 2026

Solicitor or licensed conveyancer? How to choose well

Solicitor or licensed conveyancer for buying a house? The real difference, what conveyancing costs in 2026, why responsiveness beats title, and the questions that reveal a good one before you instruct.

7 min read · Updated September 2026

Estate agents: choosing well and staying in charge

How to choose an estate agent, what the fees cover, sole agency vs sole selling rights, why the highest valuation is not the best one, and how to handle viewings, offers and pressure without being rushed.

6 min read · Updated July 2026

Which house survey do you need? Level 1 vs 2 vs 3

RICS survey levels explained: what Level 1, 2 and 3 surveys cost in 2026, which one your property needs, why the mortgage valuation isn't a survey, and how to read the results calmly.

5 min read · Updated July 2026

How to choose a surveyor (not just a survey)

Picking the survey level is half the job; picking the surveyor is the other half. RICS registration, independence, local knowledge, sample reports, and the questions that separate good from box-ticking.

6 min read · Updated July 2026

Packing for a move, the way professionals do it

The packing method removals crews wish everyone used: the four-week timeline, the box and labelling system, what movers won't take, and the essentials boxes that save your first night.

5 min read · Updated July 2026

Your first 72 hours in a new home, prioritised

The first three days in a new home, in priority order: the safety checks and meter photos of day one, the admin that has legal deadlines, and the settling-in moves that make it feel like yours.

7 min read · Updated July 2026

Leasehold: the questions to ask before you offer on a flat

The leasehold questions that save five-figure mistakes: lease length and the 80-year rule, ground rent clauses, service charges and reserve funds, planned major works, and the management pack that delays everything.

6 min read · Updated July 2026

Booking removals when you don't know your moving date

The removals chicken-and-egg solved: how to book a good firm before you have a completion date, what BAR membership protects, reading the quote's small print, and the red flags that predict a moving-day disaster.

7 min read · Updated July 2026

Making an offer on a house: how to get it accepted

How to decide what to offer, the tactics that actually work with estate agents, what 'best and final offers' mean, and how to protect yourself between offer and exchange.

6 min read · Updated July 2026

EPC improvements that actually pay for themselves

Which EPC upgrades genuinely repay their cost in energy savings and added property value, which ones are a waste, how the rating system works, and what landlords need to know about the minimum E threshold.

7 min read · Updated July 2026

Your sale fell through: the playbook for what happens next

What to do when a house purchase or sale collapses: the practical steps in the first 48 hours, what you can recover, whether to renegotiate or restart, and how to reduce the odds next time.

6 min read · Updated July 2026

Remortgaging: when, why, and how not to waste the window

When to start the remortgage process, why most people lapse onto the SVR and lose hundreds, what the process involves, and how to decide between broker, direct, and product transfer.

6 min read · Updated July 2026

Renting between homes: bridging the gap without the panic

How to handle the gap between selling and buying: short-term rental options, storage, what it costs, how to time it, and why breaking the chain is sometimes the strongest move you can make.

6 min read · Updated August 2026

Utilities when you move in: readings, deemed contracts and switching

What to do about gas, electricity and water on the day you move in: which readings to take, what a deemed contract is, and when to look at switching.

5 min read · Updated August 2026

Telling everyone your new address, in the order that matters

Which address changes are legal obligations, which are simply important, and the order to do them in so nothing lands at your old front door.

5 min read · Updated August 2026

Reading your completion statement, line by line

The last document your conveyancer sends is the one that says where your money went. What each line is, what to query, and what to keep.

6 min read · Updated August 2026

How to view a house, when you only get twenty minutes

What to look at on a viewing, what the agent will not volunteer, and the questions that get a real answer. Written for the twenty minutes you actually get.

6 min read · Updated August 2026

Reading a listing: what is there, and what is missing

What an agent must tell you changed in 2025. What a listing has to cover, what an omission means now, and how to read the photographs and the floor plan.

5 min read · Updated August 2026

Getting your own listing right, before it goes live

Your listing is the only thing most buyers will ever see of your house. What to check before it goes live, and what to agree with your agent while you still have leverage.