Buying your first home is a deposit-and-mortgage story on the surface, but the cash you need at each step is driven by many smaller fees that appear at different points in the timeline. Most buyers focus on monthly mortgage payments and forget that the legal process, valuation process, insurance setup, and moving day logistics all pull money from the same savings pot. This guide brings every major cost into one place so you can budget in the right order and avoid late surprises.

The biggest 2025 change for many first-time buyers is stamp duty relief from April 2025: you pay 0% up to £300,000 and 5% on the portion between £300,000 and £500,000. If the purchase price is above £500,000, first-time buyer relief does not apply. That one rule changes affordability calculations sharply around the £300k and £500k points, so it is worth checking your numbers before you make an offer.

Outside SDLT, your highest variable items are usually survey level, conveyancing quote quality, and whether your mortgage product includes an arrangement fee. Removals can also jump depending on distance and whether you pack yourself. On a straightforward £250k purchase, most buyers see a practical cost range around £3,500 to £7,000. You can spend less with a very lean setup or more if you pick premium services, but that range is a useful planning anchor.

This page gives you an itemised calculator, plain-English explanation of each cost, and a timeline showing when money is usually paid. It is written for UK first-time buyers making a standard residential purchase with a mainstream lender, and it highlights the areas where quotes vary most so you know where to compare and where not to compromise.

First-Time Buyer Cost Calculator

Enter your purchase price and settings below to estimate your itemised costs. The table shows both a wider possible range and a tighter practical range for budgeting. The practical range is useful for a realistic cash plan, while the wider range helps stress-test your savings.

2025 Stamp Duty for First-Time Buyers

From April 2025, first-time buyer SDLT relief in England and Northern Ireland is structured as follows: 0% up to £300,000 and 5% on the portion from £300,000 to £500,000. This means many purchases below £300k pay no stamp duty at all. A purchase at £350k would pay 5% only on £50k, resulting in £2,500 SDLT.

The rule that catches buyers out is the upper price limit. Relief applies only if the purchase price is £500,000 or less. If your agreed purchase is over £500,000, you do not get the first-time buyer relief and standard residential rates are used instead. In practical terms, this can create a large tax jump around that boundary, so buyers near the limit should model both sides before negotiating.

Stamp duty is often paid shortly after completion through your conveyancer, but the money still has to come from your available funds. Treat SDLT as ring-fenced cash. Do not rely on leftover moving money to cover it because completion timing is strict and legal teams need the payment ready.

Full Cost Breakdown in 2025

Below is the complete list of costs first-time buyers most often pay. Some are mandatory for almost everyone, some are product-dependent, and some are optional but strongly recommended. If you only build one buying spreadsheet, build it around these headings so you can compare quotes line by line.

1) Survey fees

Survey costs usually sit around £300 for a condition report, £500 for a homebuyer report, and £800 for a full building survey. The cheapest option can be reasonable for newer properties in visibly good condition, but many first-time buyers choose a homebuyer report as the default middle ground. If the property is old, altered heavily, has visible cracking, or uses non-standard materials, a full building survey is often the safer decision even if it costs more upfront.

Survey timing matters. Most buyers pay soon after offer acceptance and before exchange, so this fee comes out early. A survey that finds major defects can still save money because it gives you a chance to renegotiate or walk away before legal costs escalate. Think of survey spending as risk management rather than admin.

2) Conveyancing and legal work

Conveyancing is one of the largest non-tax costs. A realistic range for first-time buyers in 2025 is £1,500 to £3,000, depending on location, transaction complexity, leasehold/freehold status, and whether extra legal documents are needed. Quotes that look cheap at first glance can grow when add-ons appear, so always request a full written breakdown including VAT, bank transfer fee, SDLT submission fee, ID verification fee and leasehold supplement where relevant.

Good conveyancers are worth paying for. Slow or overloaded legal teams can delay exchange and completion, which can create extra rent overlap, mortgage offer extension stress, and avoidable chain pressure. The right comparison is not only headline price; it is price plus communication quality plus expected turnaround time.

3) Searches

Property searches are usually around £300 to £500. They cover matters such as local authority records, water and drainage, and environmental checks. Search packs vary by council and by property specifics, so two nearby transactions can still have slightly different costs. In most standard purchases, these fees are paid via your conveyancer during the transaction rather than at completion.

4) Mortgage arrangement fee

Mortgage arrangement fees in 2025 can range from £0 to £2,000. Some products with no fee have a higher interest rate, while lower-rate deals may charge a fee. You can often pay the fee upfront or add it to the mortgage. Adding it helps short-term cash flow but increases the balance and usually means paying interest on that fee over time. When comparing deals, look at total cost over your expected product period rather than rate alone.

5) Valuation and broker fees

Some lenders include a free valuation; others charge a separate amount. Broker fees are also variable: many brokers are free to client, while others charge a fixed amount. Treat both as scenario costs in your plan, even if you expect £0, because product changes during underwriting can alter who charges what.

6) Removal costs

Removal costs are usually around £500 to £2,000. Distance, access (stairs/lift), packing service, and required van size all move this figure. Booking early often secures better rates and reduces completion-week stress. If you are on a strict budget, a hybrid approach can work: self-pack and use movers for loading and transport only.

7) Land Registry fee

You pay a Land Registry registration fee after completion. The amount depends on price band and whether the application is submitted digitally. On a £250,000 purchase, buyers often budget around £150 for this line item. It is small compared with legal fees but still essential because registration finalises legal ownership on the title.

8) Buildings insurance from exchange

In most transactions, risk passes to the buyer at exchange of contracts, so buildings insurance is needed from exchange date, not completion date. This catches many first-time buyers because they assume insurance starts when they move in. Lenders typically require adequate cover before funds are released, so organise the policy in advance and keep proof ready for your conveyancer.

9) Life insurance and protection planning

Life insurance is not always a legal requirement, but many buyers choose it for household resilience, especially where the mortgage depends on one primary income. Cost depends on age, health, cover level and policy type. Even where life cover is optional, budgeting for a first-year estimate helps avoid post-completion cash squeeze once direct debits start.

10) Small admin costs and contingency

ID checks, bank transfer fees, certified documents, and urgent courier costs are rarely huge individually but can add up. A small contingency pot helps absorb last-minute costs without touching deposit reserves. Even a modest £300 to £800 contingency can prevent unnecessary borrowing or credit card use right before completion.

Worked Example: £250,000 First Home

This example uses a typical first-time buyer setup with SDLT relief available. The purpose is not to predict your exact number but to show the structure of a realistic budget. If your mortgage product has a high fee or your legal case is complex, move your estimate to the upper part of the range.

That example lands close to the practical planning range of £3,500 to £7,000. If you can obtain fee-free mortgage products, keep removals lean, and use a condition-level survey where appropriate, you may sit near the lower edge. If you pick a full building survey, premium legal team, and higher-fee mortgage, you can move beyond the midpoint quickly.

When Each Cost Is Paid

Budgeting is easier when you map fees to the transaction timeline. Many buyers have enough total money but still feel squeezed because costs cluster before completion. Timing awareness reduces that risk.

Offer accepted to mortgage application stage

• Survey fee (often paid upfront when booked).
• Potential valuation fee if lender does not include free valuation.
• Initial conveyancing payment on account in some cases.

Legal process stage

• Search costs through your conveyancer.
• Additional legal disbursements where required.
• Possible admin items such as ID checks and bank transfer prep.

Exchange of contracts

• Buildings insurance should be in place from exchange.
• Confirm completion statement with your solicitor in detail.

Completion and immediately after

• Conveyancer final bill and disbursements.
• SDLT payment where applicable.
• Land Registry fee and title registration process.
• Removal invoice, meter updates, lock changes, early setup costs.

If you track money by stage, you can hold the right cash in the right account and reduce the chance of emergency transfers or short-term borrowing during completion week.

How to Keep First-Time Buyer Costs Under Control

Control comes from comparing the right items, not just picking the cheapest quote. For conveyancing, request a complete fee schedule and ask whether leasehold supplements, bank transfer costs and VAT are included. For mortgages, compare no-fee versus fee products on total cost over your expected fixed period. A lower rate with a high fee is not automatically better.

Book surveys early but choose level by property risk, not by fear. A lower survey level may be enough on a newer home with clear maintenance history, while an older building may justify full survey spend to avoid expensive hidden defects. Saving £300 on survey can be false economy if issues appear after completion.

Removal spending is one of the easiest areas to optimise. Decluttering before move date, packing non-breakables yourself, and choosing weekday slots can lower cost without reducing legal safety. Keep an emergency margin for completion week because unexpected items, even small ones, tend to appear together.

Insurance decisions also deserve early planning. Buildings cover from exchange is usually not optional in practice, while life cover is a household risk decision. Even if you delay final policy decisions, include provisional figures in your budget so the first few months of ownership do not feel tighter than expected.

Finally, keep documentation clean. Missing documents or delayed responses can extend transaction time and create indirect costs such as additional rent overlap or repeated booking fees. A well-organised buyer often saves money simply by keeping the process moving.

Regional and Property-Type Differences

Costs do not move uniformly across the UK. In higher-demand areas, legal and survey capacity can tighten, which can push quotes upward or increase turnaround time. Leasehold properties can also carry additional legal work that does not appear in basic online quote tools. New-build purchases may include developer deadlines that compress timelines, while older homes often require deeper survey interpretation and repair budgeting.

For flats, always check whether management pack fees and lease-related legal supplements are included in your estimate. For houses, pay attention to drainage and boundary matters in searches where applicable. Local search speeds differ between councils, and that can alter transaction duration, which indirectly affects your costs if you are juggling tenancy deadlines.

The practical lesson is simple: use national averages as a starting point, then tailor with local quotes before final offer strategy. A buyer who prices these details early has more confidence and negotiating clarity than a buyer who estimates only deposit plus mortgage payment.

Common Budgeting Mistakes First-Time Buyers Make

Mistake one: treating deposit as the only major cash requirement. Deposit is the biggest component, but process fees still require thousands in additional liquidity. Buyers who ignore this can hit avoidable stress late in the transaction.

Mistake two: underestimating conveyancing variability. A low headline quote can be legitimate, but many buyers only discover excluded items after instruction. Always compare full breakdowns.

Mistake three: assuming no mortgage fee by default. Plenty of products have a fee, and the fee-rate trade-off can materially change affordability.

Mistake four: forgetting insurance timing. Buildings cover usually begins at exchange, so waiting until completion can create lender friction.

Mistake five: no contingency. Even careful purchases produce extra charges, and a small contingency avoids disruption when these appear.

Correcting these five mistakes usually improves buying confidence immediately. You do not need a perfect forecast; you need a robust range, clear payment timing, and enough contingency to absorb normal variation.

FAQs

Bottom Line

A first home purchase in 2025 is manageable when you treat it as a staged cash-flow project rather than a single completion-day payment. Start with the practical range, stress-test with the wider range, and keep your contingency intact. For a £250k purchase with first-time buyer relief, budgeting roughly £3,500 to £7,000 for buying costs is a strong working assumption.

Use the calculator above to model your own price and choices, then refine with real quotes from your lender, surveyor and conveyancer before you exchange. The buyers who budget clearly usually negotiate better and complete with less friction.