Downsizing in Ashburton: What You Would Actually Release
Selling at the £360,000 Ashburton average and buying at £252,000 releases about £97,300 after costs. Fees, stamp duty and moving take roughly £10,700 of it.
The introduction costs you nothing. If you go ahead, we may be paid a fee by the firm we introduce you to. There is no obligation.
Selling at the £360,000 Ashburton average and buying at £252,000 releases about £97,300 after costs. Fees, stamp duty and moving take roughly £10,700 of it.
The downsizing sum for Ashburton
Start with the gap. Selling at £360,000 and buying at 70% of that, £252,000, leaves £108,000 before costs. Costs are the part people underestimate.
Agent fees at 1.5% are £5,400. Stamp duty on the purchase is £2,600. Total £10,700, leaving £97,300 in hand.
Where the sale proceeds go
The commercial page for this town sets out the introduction itself: Equity release in Ashburton.
Moving or borrowing, compared honestly
A lifetime mortgage at 65 on the same property would release about £122,400. Downsizing nets £97,300. The difference is that downsizing costs you the house, and equity release costs you the estate.
Over twenty years that £122,400 release grows to roughly £431,294. The downsizing figure does not grow at all, because there is no debt.
Bands, stock and timing
Council tax follows the property, not the person. Band D in Devon is £2,678, and a smaller home may sit in a lower band. Check the band before you offer, not after.
Downsizing works best when you are not in a hurry.
What a move within Ashburton looks like
The schools families ask about here are Ashburton Primary School, South Dartmoor Community College, Dartmoor & district primaries and Post-16 & sixth-form options. 1 local school was rated Good or Outstanding overall at its most recent graded Ofsted inspection. Ratings age between inspections, so read the latest report before you rely on one.
On getting about: Ashburton to Newton Abbot takes about 15 to 20 min.
By price, Ashburton ranks 9 of the 32 Devon locations we cover, at £360,000 against a county average of £354,375. Band D council tax here is £2,678, against an average of £2,675 across the towns we cover in the county.
Moving within Devon rather than out of it keeps you near family and known services. The average price across the county towns we cover is £354,375, against £360,000 here.
Is Ashburton right to stay in?
Ashburton is a characterful old stannary town and southern gateway to Dartmoor National Park.
The full local guide covers schools, transport and the market in detail: Ashburton property and area guide.
- A characterful old stannary town on the edge of Dartmoor
- Its own primary and secondary schools (Ashburton Primary Good; South Dartmoor college)
- Renowned antiques & independent shops
- Dartmoor, the Dart & the coast within reach
- Fast A38 access to Newton Abbot, Exeter & Plymouth
- No railway station in the town (nearest Newton Abbot / Totnes)
- Dartmoor National Park & conservation-area planning constraints
- River/surface-water flood risk on low-lying ground near the Ashburn
- No full A&E (Newton Abbot has a minor injuries unit; nearest A&E at Torbay/Exeter)
- Older slate-hung and listed homes limit alterations and need survey work
| Who it suits | Out of five | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Downsizers & retirees | ★★★★★ | A characterful, walkable old town with antiques and independent shops, a real community and the moor on the doorstep, at mid-to-higher prices, with the nearest full A&E at Torbay or Exeter, and a flood check near the Ashburn, in mind. |
| Families | ★★★★☆ | Its own primary (Ashburton Primary, Good) and secondary (South Dartmoor Community College) schools, a real community, and Dartmoor and the River Dart nearby for an outdoor childhood, with fast A38 access, check the latest school reports (the college now has an ungraded report card) and, near the Ashburn, the flood risk. |
| Creatives & independents | ★★★★★ | Ashburton's antiques trade, independent shops and slightly alternative, creative spirit make it a magnet for makers, downshifters and small businesses wanting character and the moor close by, a genuine identity rather than a commuter dormitory. |
| Second-home & holiday buyers | ★★★★☆ | A characterful Dartmoor-gateway town with the moor, the River Dart and the coast within reach has real holiday and letting appeal, factor the additional-property SDLT surcharge, any letting rules and the flood check into the numbers. |
| Commuters | ★★★☆☆ | Fast A38 access to Newton Abbot, Exeter and the M5, and to Plymouth, is a genuine asset, but there is no station in town (the nearest is Newton Abbot, around twenty minutes away), so weigh the drive to the train. |
Ashburton is known locally for A Dartmoor stannary town, and Dartmoor National Park. Ashburton's status as one of Devon's four ancient stannary towns, where tin mined on Dartmoor was weighed, assayed and stamped, is its defining historic connection, a mark of its medieval importance.
Practical detail for Ashburton: the TQ13 postcode district, no station; nearest main line at Newton Abbot (~20 min), direct trains to Exeter, Plymouth & London; A38 to the cities and nearest A and E is Torbay Hospital (Torquay) or the Royal Devon & Exeter (Exeter), ~25 to 40 min; Newton Abbot has a minor injuries unit.
Ashburton has history behind the price. In Medieval, Ashburton develops on the River Ashburn as a market town and one of Devon's four stannary towns, where Dartmoor tin is assayed and stamped.
Ashburton at a glance
| Downsizing line | Ashburton figure |
|---|---|
| Sale price, local average | £360,000 |
| Purchase at 70% of value | £252,000 |
| Estate agent at 1.5% | £5,400 |
| Stamp duty on purchase | £2,600 |
| Legal and moving | £2,700 |
| Total costs | £10,700 |
| Net released | £97,300 |
| Lifetime mortgage alternative at 65 | £122,400 |
Figures are local averages used for illustration. Confirm your own numbers before acting on them.
Ask about Ashburton
Three details is all we need. You are told before anything is passed to a partner firm.
Your checklist
- A real valuation of your home, not the £360,000 average
- The council tax band of the property you are buying
- Total moving costs of about £10,700
- The equity release comparison, in writing, before you decide
The introduction costs you nothing. If you go ahead, we may be paid a fee by the firm we introduce you to. There is no obligation.
Check broadband before you make an offer in Ashburton
Broadband speeds can vary street by street in Ashburton, so check the exact address before you commit. Ofcom's free checker shows which broadband speeds and mobile coverage are available at any UK property.
We can introduce you to a specialist who can combine your mobile, broadband and utilities into one bill. There's no fee for the introduction.
We don't provide these services ourselves. Switching household bills is not a regulated financial service, so FCA protections and the Financial Ombudsman do not apply. We'll only pass your details to the specialist if you ask us to. See our privacy notice.
Questions people ask
How much would I release by downsizing in Ashburton?
Is downsizing better than equity release?
What are the costs of moving?
How do I check broadband speed at a property in Ashburton?
Read next
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.