We’ve launched the 2026 Smart Home Movers Guide

Moving home is one of the biggest financial decisions most people will ever make. It’s also one of the most poorly explained.

Buyers tell us they’re anxious for a reason. The fall-through rate is still around a third of all sales. Conveyancing now takes 60% longer than it did in 2007. The total cost of moving has hit a record high. And most of what’s written about the process is either too technical to follow or too vague to act on.

The Smart Home Movers Guide 2026 is what we’d hand to a friend or family member starting their first move, plain-spoken, properly researched by our expert conveyancers, and free.

The guide is built as a reference companion you can dip in and out of, not something you have to read cover to cover. Fifteen sections, plus a glossary and a stage-by-stage checklist. The bits people use most:

• Moving home in 2026. The numbers that shape your move: average prices, typical timelines, mortgage offer windows, fall-through rates and the new total moving cost benchmark.
• Planning your home move. Realistic timelines for fast-track, standard and complex moves, and what you can and can’t control about each.
• Finding the right property. Non-negotiables vs nice-to-haves, red flags at viewings, and a property scorecard to help you make an informed decision.
• Conveyancing simplified. The nine stages, what searches really check for, and how to choose a conveyancer who won’t leave you chasing.
• Mortgages and finance. Agreement in Principle vs full application, what causes delays, and the four main mortgage types side by side.
• Surveys and valuations. The three survey levels compared, what common defects actually cost to fix, and when to walk away vs renegotiate.
• Chains and timelines. Chain-free, medium and long chains, how to reduce delays, and who to chase when.
• Exchange and completion. What you’re legally agreeing to, what happens on the “big call,” and how to prepare for keys day.

A few things have shifted in the last year that the guide reflects throughout:

• Stamp duty thresholds. First-time buyers still pay nothing up to £300,000, with 5% on the portion between £300,001 and £500,000. Standard buyers pay 2% from £125,000.
• Anti-money-laundering rules. The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2026 take effect this summer. For most movers with normal savings, the checks get lighter, not heavier.
• Total moving cost. The average all-in cost of moving has hit a record £17,831 according to Reallymoving, including stamp duty, agent fees and removals.
• Timelines. The realistic average is now 12 to 17 weeks from offer to completion, with chain-free moves still completing in 6 to 8.
• Digital ID. Reusable, cross-firm digital identity is starting to land. We’ve built it into MyEden so you only verify yourself once.

• First-time buyers trying to make sense of the legal process for the first time.
• Anyone selling and buying at the same time and trying to manage a chain.
• Buyers approaching exchange who want to know exactly what they’re signing.
• People who simply want a single, trustworthy reference to keep open through the move.