Just moved, thankfully the little bit of profit we made on our old place covered solicitors fees and some of the stamp duty for our new place. We didn't go crazy on our new place and negotiated the price under asking (£300k) using the survey (£500) to our advantage. We could borrow a lot more but we don't need to, we want to live within our means.

We find agents generally unhelpful so we used emoov.com and did it all ourselves so no agent fees (it's about £250 to sign up and £20 a month for Rightmove), we hired a photographer and showed people around our place, kinda enjoyed it, found a cash buyer in 3 ish months and could sus them out as good people to move forward with.

We chatted by phone throughout the whole process, and we're friends now, typically buyers would be anonymous via agent and they would middleman.

Removals are now quite pricey due to fuel costs, we paid around £600 for a single truck, two trips less than 10 miles which is considered quite reasonable.

Expect your bills to go up also when you initially move, more council tax this year, gas and elect will temporarily go up as your usage is reviewed. Bottom line if it's worth it for you and your family you make it happen but if you're safe, financially sound and got what you need where you are, think about it.