The cost of the fees and taxes incurred in moving home has jumped by almost 70 per cent in the past ten years to hit £9,000 and outstripped the rise in house prices, according to a new report.

And for families caught by the 3 per cent stamp duty trap, the costs involved with simply moving house have soared much higher – with those buying a property costing more than £250,000 instantly hit with a tax bill of at least £7,500. That means those in the South East pay an average of £16,500, while London home movers pay £19,500, a Lloyds TSB report said.

With mortgage lenders demanding big deposits

If you're needing to sell your property quickly, we are here to help. 

You don't need to pay a single penny to us to receive a free auction appraisal, and if you decide to progress, then our auctioneers across the UK will advise you on everything that you need to know including setting the right reserve price, managing the viewings, advising you on how to complete the legal documents, etc.

Not only will we market your property on a localised and regional basis (through our auction partner), we will also feature your property in our Hot Picks on UK Auction List to drive awareness nationwide. 

Falling energy prices come with a catch – unless you supply your provider with a meter reading on or around the date of the price cut, you could be overcharged. This is because consumption is typically overestimated by providers, most of which take infrequent meter readings.

When, as now, many of them reduce their charges, they rely on estimated usage that could be out of date or inaccurate. If months go by before later meter readings are taken, showing the customer used less energy than expected over the whole period, the provider cannot tell how much to charge at what rate. Inevitably

Homes in the UK are becoming increasingly affordable, a new study by Halifax has indicated.

According to the research, mortgage payments for a new borrower during the second six months of 2011 stood at their lowest level as a proportion of disposable earnings for 14 years. In addition, it was shown that typical home loan costs for such individuals, when considered alongside the long-term average loan-to-value ratio, amounted to 27 per cent of disposable earnings for the final quarter of 2011.

This was calculated for both home movers and first-time buyers and stood at a significantly lower

If you're wanting a QUICK and EASY house sale, then auction might be the right route for you. If you're thinking about auction, complete this short form http://www.ukauctionlist.com/selling/property-valuation-free-real-estate-appraisal today, and we will arrange for one of our auctioneers to give you a ring to discuss your options.

Check out our IS MY PROPERTY RIGHT FOR AUCTION page http://www.ukauctionlist.com/content/property-auctions for further info and remember that auction properties are normally guided at approx 20% below open market prices, so you have to be prepared to lower your

House prices in the UK are likely to remain stable in 2012 - provided the nation steers clear of recession.

This is according to Martin Ellis, housing economist at Halifax - which is a division of Bank of Scotland - who was speaking in response to his company's latest house price index.

According to the figures, the cost of dwellings in the fourth quarter of 2011 were 0.1 per cent lower than that recorded in the previous three-month period, with values falling 0.9 per cent between November and December.

Mr Ellis stated: "There is, however, considerable uncertainty regarding the prospects for

The planned construction of a new high-speed rail line between London and Birmingham could see more people move to the two respective cities, which would drive demand for housing.

The first phase of the planned HS2 service, which is expected to cut the journey time from London to Birmingham to 49 minutes, is scheduled to get underway in 2016 with completion earmarked for 2026.

The reduced journey time, thanks to the fleet of 220mph trains, could entice some people currently living and working in London to eventually move to Birmingham, where property prices are significantly cheaper than the

The first property auction catalogues of the new year will be released this week and uploaded into our database.  There are only a handful of auctions taking place this month, as auctioneers spend the next fortnight building up their catalogues following the festive break.

If you're a member, check out the Auction Calendar to see which auctions are happening when, throughout the UK.  The calendar is updated on an ongoing basis over the year, and we'd suggest that you always contact the auction house to confirm the date and time beforehand.

Happy househunting!

Homes bought by first-time buyers have reached their most affordable levels since 2003 – but numbers have hit a record low, Halifax has found. Houses bought by first-time buyers in November were found to be priced at "affordable" levels in 44 per cent of the UK, the highest for eight years.

Halifax also found most areas with affordable homes were outside the South of England. No districts in London are deemed affordable while all districts in the North East are. Three-quarters of affordable areas are in the North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands

Woking in Surrey was named the best performing town or city within the UK throughout 2011 with regard to house prices, new research carried out by Halifax has shown.

The study revealed the area witnessed the most marked rise in property costs over the last 12 months - climbing from £257,580 in 2010 to £299,654 one year later - an increase of 16% for the commuter town, which is located within travelling distance of central London by train.

Other regions to score highly included Falkirk in Scotland, as well as towns in London and the south-east of England.

Martin Ellis, housing economist at